Talk:Third Corps, Army of Tennessee

Inaccuracies in the 1862 section.

In the paragraph "1862 Recreation", there are several notable inaccuracies and POV issues. The first is the statement about the Battle of Stones River that says "This proved to be a key factor in the battle and many say if Braxton Bragg had Smith and his four divisions, he may have won decisively, not only tactically.". This is pure speculation and should be removed. The corps existed only a short while before it was broken up and its units shifted to other departments and should be reworded to reflect as such.

The second comes in the section of the Siege of Vicksburg. "The Corps was again reconstituted for was at the Siege of Vicksburg. With so many of the Army of Tennessee's units at Vicksburg area, the garrison seemed like part of their own army and additionally nearly the entire garrison fought with the Army of Tennessee sometime or another. The Corps consisted of Forney's division, 4,500 men, Martin Smith's division with another 6,500, William Loring's division of 6,000 more, John Bowen's division of 6,000 and Carter Stevenson's division of 10,000." This is incorrect. Each of those divisions were a part of a separate department known as the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana under Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, and took the field name of either the Army of Mississippi or the Army of Vicksburg. It was not part of the Army of Tennessee nor did it answer to General Braxton Bragg. Thus it was not part of the Army of Tennessee or it's department.

Then it comes to Joseph Johnston's efforts to relief Vicksburg: "A Third Corps (although seldom so-called) was again re-constituted under Joseph Johnston during the Vicksburg campaign. The corps contained many troops from both the Army of Mississippi and the Army of Tennessee. The corps contained Loring's division after it broke out, 6,000, Wallker's division from Charleston with 10,000, John Breckinridge from the Army of Tennessee with 10,000 more, Jackson's division from the Army of Tennessee with 6,000 and finally a command of five disorganized brigades numbering 10,000 more. All in all 42,000 men at its height. This Corps though was dispersed and then was abolished though its fragments later became part of another III corps." First of all, in most major works on Vicksburg, Johnston's command is referred to as the Army of Relief. Second, Johnston was a full grade general and a corps command was beneath his grade. Third, Johnston's command was a provisional force and not a corps. Most of the those divisions that made up the army were from different departments across the south, including Tennessee and South Carolina, on loan for a force to relief the siege of Vicksburg.

Finally, the paragraph on Chickamauga (which probably should have its own separate section): The Corps was reconstituted again during the Chickamauga Campaign. Braxton Bragg organized his army into the I, II, III and reserve Corps. The new III Corps was under Simon Bolivar Buckner with fragments of Kirby Smith's old Corps. Under new commanders, the three divisions were under Alexander P. Stewart with 4,500 men, William Preston with 5,000 and Burshod Johnson with 6,000 more. All in all 15,500 men. The corps was renamed 'Buckner's Corps' however once battle was joined and was shortly abolished." The corps was created when Buckner's East Tennessee Department was merged into the Army of Tennessee after the Fall of Knoxville (cavalry from this department would also constitute a brand new cavalry corps under Forrest). Second, Bushrod Johnson originally commanded a brigade in Stewart's Division before his brigade was detached to guard the supply depot at Dalton. When reinforcements from Mississippi began to arrive at Dalton, Bragg grouped these into a provisional division under Johnson. When the lead elements of Longstreet's Corps arrived from Virginia, Johnson's division was assigned to Longstreet's Corps and fought in the battle of Chickamauga under that formation. It should expand on why the corps was abolished.

If no one voices any objection, I will make the necessary edits and provide proper citations to back them up. --Semperpietas (talk) 04:49, 16 August 2012 (UTC)

I know I'm a couple of years behind, but I've started overhauling the article. I intend to add sources and remove the information I challenged above, provided that there are no objections. Semperpietas (talk) 13:27, 6 August 2014 (UTC)