Letter from James A. Hall in Dalton, Georgia, to his father, Bolling, in Alabama.
During the Civil War, James Hall served as a captain in Company K of the 24th Alabama Infantry regiment. In the letter he discusses the recent change in command, replacing General Bragg with General Johnston. He and his men are disappointed with the switch and have lost some confidence in their lead...
| Format: | Electronic |
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| Published: |
Alabama Department of Archives and History
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/4801 |
| Summary: | During the Civil War, James Hall served as a captain in Company K of the 24th Alabama Infantry regiment. In the letter he discusses the recent change in command, replacing General Bragg with General Johnston. He and his men are disappointed with the switch and have lost some confidence in their leaders: "...when Gen Bragg took command of this army he was hated. It was the duty of officers no matter what they thought of Bragg, to instill into the men confidence in him. It was not long before my company were all Bragg men and when he left us they considered it a dark hour for Braggs [sic] army. They loved and respected him while they feared him. Was it not my duty to teach them this?...And now it becomes my duty to teach my men to feel in like manner toward our present commanding General. Because troops are much more efficient when they have implicit confidence in their General. I have not as much confidence in Johnston as I had in Gen Bragg. Therefore I fear that I can never that cause them to have that implied confidence in him which they had in Gen. Bragg." A transcription is included. |
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