Who was William Rosecrans and what is he known for?
William Starke Rosecrans (the 6th of September 1819 - the 11th of March 1898) was a Union general during the American Civil War, best known for victories at Iuka, Corinth, and Stones River, and for the Tullahoma Campaign, which Abraham Lincoln called "the most splendid piece of strategy I know of." His military career declined after his defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863. He also served as a U.S. Representative from California and as U.S. Minister to Mexico.
What caused the Union defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga?
A poorly worded order from Rosecrans directed Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Wood to close up on Reynolds's division, which was intended to fill an assumed gap but instead created an actual division-sized gap in the Union line. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet had planned a massive assault in exactly that sector, and Confederate forces exploited the opening to shatter Rosecrans's right flank on the 20th of September 1863.
Why did Rosecrans and Ulysses S. Grant become rivals?
Their rivalry began after the Battle of Iuka in September 1862, when a north wind created an acoustic shadow that prevented Grant's co-operating force under Ord from hearing the fighting, leaving Rosecrans's men to fight alone. The Northern press published accounts favorable to Rosecrans at Grant's expense, and Grant's subsequent battle reports turned increasingly critical of Rosecrans. Grant later relieved Rosecrans of command at Chattanooga after Chickamauga.
What did Abraham Lincoln say about Rosecrans after the Battle of Stones River?
Lincoln wrote to Rosecrans: "You gave us a hard-earned victory, which had there been a defeat instead, the nation could scarcely have lived over." The battle, fought in late December 1862 and early January 1863, was the bloodiest engagement of the war measured by percentage of casualties on both sides.
What religion did William Rosecrans follow and how did it affect his family?
Rosecrans converted to Catholicism in 1845 while posted at West Point, despite the academy's strong Episcopal Protestant culture. His conversion inspired his youngest brother, Sylvester Horton Rosecrans, to convert as well; Sylvester eventually became the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus. Both of Rosecrans's parents also converted on their deathbeds.
What was the Tullahoma Campaign and why did Rosecrans receive little credit for it?
The Tullahoma Campaign (June 24 - the 3rd of July 1863) was a series of flanking maneuvers that forced Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg to retreat from Middle Tennessee to Chattanooga with minimal Union casualties. Rosecrans received scant public recognition because the campaign ended the same day as Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, and the day after Vicksburg surrendered to Grant, which dominated the news.