1969 LIGHTNING At HOOVER ' S GAP WILDER ' S BRIGADE CIVIL WAR 17TH INDIANA INFANTRY
Item History & Price
Up for auction is this illustrated firstedition Civil War unit history titled Lightning at Hoover’s Gap The Story of Wilder’sBrigade, by Glenn W. Sunderland. The book was published by Thomas Yoseloff, NewYork, South Brunswick, London, copyright 1969. There are no later printingsmentioned on the copyright page which is the hallmark of a first edition forthis publisher. The6.25 x 9.5-inch 237-page, hard cover book, including an index, is bound in bluecloth boards with silver tit...ling and publisher’s logo on the spine, in a pictorialdust jacket. The book is illustrated with 16 pages of black and white photosand several black and white maps. Asyou can see from the scans, the book is in Very Good Condition in a Very Gooddust jacket. There is little wear to the extremities, although the covers arerubbed, the rear worse than the front, the binding is tight, and the pages areclean bright and unmarked. The dust jacket has some minor wear, some soiling tothe rear, and the spine is sunned. This book is a must have for anyoneinterested in the Civil War, the Union Army, and in particular the history ofthe 17th Indiana Infantry Regiment. I have found copies of this bookfor sale on the internet, selling for as much as $199. However, I am startingthe auction at a low opening bid, and the book is OFFERED WITH NO RESERVE. I am selling other Civil Warhistories this week, and I will be happy to combine shipping if you win morethan one auction. FromWikipedia, the free encyclopedia: John Thomas Wilder (January 31, 1830 – October 20, 1917) was a colonel in the Union Armyduring the American Civil War, noted principally for capturing a key mountain pass (Hoover'sGap) in the Tullahoma Campaign in Central Tennessee in June 1863. Wilder had personallyensured that his 'Lightning Brigade' of mounted infantry would be equipped withthe new Spencer repeating rifle, though he initially had to appeal to the rank-and-file topay for these weapons themselves, before the government agreed to carry thecost. Victory at Hoover's Gap was attributed largely to Wilder's persistence in procuringthe new rifles, which totally disoriented the enemy. Wilder was also an engineer whooperated the first two blast furnaces in the South. Earlylife and careerWilder was born in the Catskill Mountains in Hunter, Greene County, New York, the son of Reuben and Mary (Merritt) Wilder. He was adescendant of a long line of soldiers. His grandfather and great-grandfather, bothnamed Seth Wilder, fought in the AmericanRevolutionary War. After the great-grandfather lost aleg in the Battle of Bunker Hill, Seth, Jr. took his place. Wilder's father Reuben fought inthe War of 1812. Wilder spent his younger years inHunter, where he attended school. When he turned nineteen, his school daysover, he decided to head west to make it on his own. Wilder soon arrived in Columbus, Ohio, nearly penniless, and found employment as draftsman and then an apprenticemillwright at a local foundry. This training would lay the groundwork for his career. In 1857, eight years after hearrived in Columbus, Wilder relocated to Indiana, first to Lawrenceburg and then to Greensburg, where he married Martha Jane Stewart and raised a largefamily. He established a small foundry of his own. It rapidly became a success.Wilder invented many hydraulic machines that he patented, and he sold equipment, buildingmills and hydraulic works in many of the surrounding states. He also becamenationally renowned as an expert in the field of hydraulics, patenting a uniquewater wheelin 1859.[1]CivilWarOn the outbreak of the Civil War, John Wilder attempted to organize a light artillery company in the Greensburgarea, even going so far as to cast two six-pounder cannons at his foundry.Wilder's company was mustered into state service but the Federal governmentdeclined to accept the company. Instead, Wilder was commissioned Captain, andhis men were organized as Company A, 17thIndiana Volunteer Infantry atIndianapolis. When the 17th Indiana left for western Virginia in July 1861, Company A took along the two cannons. Once in Virginia, the old Company A waspermanently detached and eventually reorganized as the 26th Battery, LightArtillery but was commonly known as the "Wilder Battery" inrecognition of the first commander.[2]Meanwhile, Captain Wilder was quickly commissioned as the Lieutenant Colonel ofthe 17th Indiana on 4 June 1861, where he remained during the early campaignsin Virginia and garrison duty in Kentucky. In March 1862 Wilder was promoted toColonel and given command of the 17th Indiana. During the campaign to take Corinth Mississippi, Wilder quickly earned a reputation as a competent, and even gifted, regimentalcommander.[3]In the 1862 Confederate offensive into Kentucky, Gen. Braxton Bragg'sarmy left Chattanooga, Tennessee, in late August. Bragg approached Munfordville, a station on the Louisville& Nashville Railroad whereWilder commanded the Union garrison, which consisted of three regiments withextensive fortifications. Wilder refused Brig. Gen. James R. Chalmers'sdemand to surrender on September 14, telling him "I think we'll fight fora while", and his men repulsed Chalmers's attacks that day, inflicting 283casualties with a loss of only 37.[4]This forced the Confederates to conduct siege operations September 15–16. By this time, Wilder's 4, 000men were almost completely surrounded by 22, 000 Confederates with 100 artillerypieces. Realizing that Union reinforcements were nearby and not wanting to killor injure innocent civilians, the Confederates communicated still anotherdemand for surrender. Wilder personally entered enemy lines blindfolded under aflag of truce, and Maj. Gen. Simon B.Buckner escorted him to view all theConfederate troops and to convince him of the futility of resisting. Impressed, Wilder surrendered his garrison. The formal ceremony occurred on September 17.Wilder spent two months as a prisoner of warbefore being exchanged.[5]Wilder received wide attention forhis performance in the Tullahoma Campaign. He mounted his brigade on horses and mules that his menappropriated from the local area and moved into the battle with such rapiditythat his men soon became known as the "Lightning Brigade" whichconsisted of 4 Regiments and Light Artillery. The 17th Indiana Infantry Regiment, the 72nd Indiana Mounted Infantry, the 98thIllinois Mounted Infantry, the 123rdIllinois Mounted Infantry, and the 18thIndiana Battery[6].(They were also known as the "Hatchet Brigade" because Wilder issuedthem long handled hatchets to carry instead of cavalry sabers.) His men alsocarried Spencer repeating rifles, which were capable of a rate of fire far greater thantheir Confederate adversaries. Bypassing Army red tape, Wilder had asked hismen to vote on purchasing the rifles and they agreed unanimously. He obtained aloan from his hometown bank and each man of the brigade co-signed a personalloan of $35 for his rifle. Embarrassed, the Government paid for the weaponsbefore the men expended any of their personal money.[7]On June 24, the Lightning Brigade seized and held Hoover's Gap. Despite orders from general Joseph J. Reynolds to fall back to his infantry, which was still 6 miles away, Wilder decided to hold the position, defeating repeated attempts to dislodgehis force until the infantry arrived and winning the most significant battle inthe Tullahoma Campaign. The Army of the Cumberland's commanding officer, William Rosecranssoon arrived on the scene. Rather than reprimand Wilder for disobeying orders, he congratulated him for doing so, telling him it would have cost thousands oflives to take the position if he had abandoned it.[8]Wilder was the principal commander of a diversion launched against Chattanooga, Tennessee—artillery bombardments known as the SecondBattle of Chattanooga—deceiving the Confederates intothinking the Union army would approach Chattanooga from the north inconjunction with Union forces at Knoxville.[9]Just before the start of the Battle of Chickamauga, Wilder's brigade played a crucial role at Alexander'sBridge on September 18, 1863, defending the crossing of West Chickamauga Creekand helping to prevent the Confederates from flanking the Union army.[10]On the second day at Chickamauga, September 20, Wilder's brigade with itssuperior firepower was one of the few units that was not immediately routed bythe Confederate onslaught against the Union right flank. Advancing from itsreserve position, the brigade launched a strong counterattack, driving the enemyaround and through what became known as "Bloody Pond". Wilder decidedto capitalize on this success by attacking the flank of the main Confederatecolumn. However, just then Assistant Secretaryof War Charles A. Dana found Wilder and excitedly proclaimed that the battle waslost and demanded to be escorted to Chattanooga. In the time that Wilder tookto calm down the secretary and arrange a small detachment to escort him back tosafety, the opportunity for a successful attack was lost and he ordered his mento withdraw to the west.[11]Maj. Gen. George H. Thomasformally commended Colonel Wilder for his performance at Chickamauga. Wilderdid not directly participate in the main Battles for Chattanooga in November, but he led the brigade during much of the Atlanta Campaignin the spring and summer of 1864. He was promoted to brevet brigadiergeneral of volunteers on August 7, 1864.Throughout much of 1863 and 1864, Wilder suffered from bouts of dysentery[12]brought on by a case of typhoid feverin 1862. For health reasons, he resigned from the Army in October 1864 andreturned home.[13]PostbellumcareerAfter the war, Wilder settled inRockwood, Tennessee, and later in Chattanooga. In 1867, he founded an ironworksin the Chattanooga region, then built and operated the first two blast furnacesin the South at Rockwood, Tennessee. In 1870, he established a company in Chattanooga tomanufacture rails for the railroads. From 1884 to 1892, he helped promote andconstruct the Charleston, Cincinnati & Chicago Railroadwhile living in Johnson City, Tennessee. While in Johnson City, he developed the booming industrialsuburb of Carnegie, named in honor of fellow industrialist, Andrew Carnegie, and a host of iron making and railroad-related manufacturing facilities. Ironore was brought to Johnson City via the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad, and Wilder constructed a popular 166-room hotel nearJohnson City named the Cloudland Hotel near the summit of RoanMountain to serve tourists via this scenic narrow gauge railway line. Wilder entered politics and waselected mayor of Chattanoogain 1871. He resigned a year later to pursue his business interests. Heunsuccessfully ran for the United States Congress in 1876. In 1877, he accepted the position of citypostmaster, serving until 1882. He moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1897 after receiving an appointment from President William McKinleyas a Federal pension agent, then was commissioner of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. He died in Jacksonville, Florida, aged 87, while on his annual winter vacation with hissecond wife, Dora Lee, and was returned for burial in Forest Hills Cemetery inChattanooga with his first wife, Martha Jane Stewart. Two of Wilder's homes in Tennessee, the General JohnT. Wilder House in Knoxville and the John T. Wilder House in RoanMountain, are listed on the NationalRegister of Historic Places. Anotherthat he built in Greensburg, Indiana is commemorated by a historic marker. The Battle of Hoover's Gap(24 June 1863) was the principal battle in the Tullahoma Campaign of the American Civil War, in which Union General William S. Rosecrans drove General Braxton Bragg’sConfederates out of Central Tennessee. Rosecrans’ feigned move on the westernend of the Confederate line had left the eastern mountain passes lightlydefended, and Colonel John T. Wilder'smounted infantry achieved total surprise when they attacked Hoover's Gap.Success was attributed both to Rosecrans’ brilliant deception tactics and thehigh morale of Wilder’s ‘Lightning Brigade’, equipped with the new Spencerrepeating rifle, which totally disoriented the enemy. BackgroundMain article: Following the Battle of Stones River, Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans, commanding the Union Army of the Cumberland, remained in the Murfreesboro, Tennessee, area for over five months. In an effort to block furtherUnion progress, Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, commander of the Army of Tennessee, established a fortified line along the Duck River from Shelbyville to Wartrace. On the Confederate right, infantry and artillerydetachments guarded Liberty, Hoover's, and Bellbuckle Gaps through the Highland Rim(near Beechgrove, Tennessee). Rosecrans's superiors, fearingthat Bragg might detach large numbers of men to help break the Siege of Vicksburg, urged him to attack the Confederate positions. BattleOn June 23, 1863, Rosecrans deployedforces to feign an attack on Shelbyville while massing forces against Bragg'sright. His troops struck out toward the gaps. On June 24, Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas's men, spearheaded by Colonel John T. Wilder's"Lightning Brigade", attacked Hoover's Gap. Wilder's mounted infantrypushed ahead and reached the gap nearly 9 miles ahead of Thomas's main body.[3]Wilder's men were armed with new Spencer repeating rifles and when they attacked the Confederate 1st (3rd) KentuckyCavalry Regiment, under Colonel J. Russell Butler, was easily pushed aside.[2]As Butler's unit fell back the entire 7 mile length of Hoover's Gap, it raninto Brig. Gen. William B. Bate's brigade of Maj. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart's division.[2]Wilder entrenched on the hills southof the gap and determined to hold this extremely advanced position.[3]Bate's brigade counterattacked throughout the day but could not dislodge theFederals. Wilder received orders from Thomas to fall back through the gap.Wilder refused claiming he could still hold his ground. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Bushrod Johnson'sbrigade arrived and now Bate and Johnson planned a final attack on Wilder. Thisattack was also repulsed and by 7:00 p.m. units from Lovell Rousseauand John M. Brannan's divisions of Thomas's corps arrived at the gap.[3]Just before noon on June 26, Stewartsent a message to Johnson and Bate stating that he was pulling back and theyshould also.[2]Although slowed by rain, Rosecrans moved on, forcing Bragg to retreat from hisdefensive line and fall back to Tullahoma. After reaching Tullahoma, Rosecrans sent Wilder'sLightning Brigade ahead to hit the railroad in Bragg's rear. Arriving too lateto destroy the Elk River railroad bridge, the Federals destroyed railroad trackaround Decherd. AftermathBragg evacuated his forces from Middle Tennesseeand withdrew to the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Rosecransfollowed and capturedthat city on September 8, 1863. Maneuveringthen continued in the Chickamauga Campaign. Rosecrans was frustrated that the victory at Hoover's Gapand the Tullahoma Campaign were overshadowed by two other Union victories inthe summer of 1863, the Siege of Vicksburg and Battle of Gettysburg.[1] The 17th Indiana Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment inthe UnionArmy during the American Civil War. It served in West Virginia before beingtransferred to the Western Theater. The 17th Indiana was organized at Indianapolis, Indiana, and mustered in June12, 1861. It left the state for Parkersburg, West Virginia, on July 1, 1861, and was subsequently attached to the District of the Kanawha untilSeptember, 1861. Cheat Mountain District, W. Va., to November, 1861. GovernorOliver P. Morton appointed JohnT. Wilder as the lieutenant colonel of the 17th Indiana Infantry Regimentthree months after the regiment was organized. On March 2, 1862, Wilder becamethe regiment's colonel, replacing MiloHascall, who became a general. 15th Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to January, 1862. 15th Brigade, 4thDivision, Army of the Ohio, January, 1862. 15th Brigade, 6thDivision, Army of the Ohio, to September, 1862. 15th Brigade, 6th Division, 2ndCorps, Army of the Ohio, to November, 1862. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, LeftWing 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to December, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 5th Division (Center), 14th Army Corps, to January, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 5thDivision, 14th Army Corps, to June, 1863. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, 14th ArmyCorps, to October, 1863. Wilder's Mounted Brigade, Army of the Cumberland, to November, 1863.2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, November, 1863. 3rdBrigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, to October, 1864. 1stBrigade, 2nd Division, Wilson's Cavalry Corps, Military Division Mississippi, to August, 1865.[1]
