On the road to Atlanta: Where are my three cigars?

I suspect most every student of the Civil War knows about the three cigars, around which was wrapped a copy of Robert E. Lee’s Special Order 191, discovered by members of the 27th Indiana on September 13, just days before the Battle of Antietam. It is one of the most famous intelligence coups of the war, possibly changing the course of the war, and certainly famous in military history. Whole books have been written about the incident, hotly debating every aspect of the famous find.

But what about other such noteworthy-or, as it were, less noteworthy-coups?

The Atlanta campaign version, for example, gets considerably less bandwidth.

On July 18, 1864, someone in the Army of the Cumberland, while picking through “an old camp,” found a memorandum titled: “estimated strength of Hood’s army,” dated that same day. This document listed the strength of every infantry brigade in all three Rebel corps, providing divisional, corps, and army totals for each division. According to the estimate, Hardee’s Corps numbered 18,400; Hood’s, 13,600; and Stewart’s, 12,400—in all, totaling 44,400 troops. While the memorandum did not specify whether these figures were “effectives” or “present for duty,” and did not include artillery or cavalry numbers, the document’s discovery signaled a major security failure on some Confederate’s part. It was probably a summary prepared for the transition from Johnston to Hood. It never should have been let slip or cast away so carelessly; clearly, a piece of sloppy staff work. The Yankees certainly recognized its importance, for Sherman had it in hand that evening. [1]

These numbers probably included both officers and men, falling into a category somewhere between “Effectives” (enlisted only, with rifles) and Present For Duty (PFD, which lncluded officers and men.) The infantry numbers line up reasonably well with the July 10th return, which provided divisional totals, including artillery, not shown here in the memo. That Army return, after subtracting the artillery, shows the following for the three corps in question: Hardee – 15,347, Hood – 14,548, and Stewart – 12,232. Total — 42,127. The document’s title must have also excited some comment, since the Federals would not learn of Johnston’s replacement until midday or later on the 19th.

These numbers confirmed Sherman’s own estimates of enemy strength, and cemented Yankee knowledge of the Rebel order of battle. Given the heavy fighting that unfolded over the next few days – Peachtree Creek on July 20, and the battle east of Atlanta on July 22 – this knowledge certainly gave Sherman an edge in judging Hood’s offensive capabilities.

Did the find change the war? No.

But I, for one, would like to know who found it, and how much interest it excited at headquarters.

As an aside, at the time of this discovery, the 27th Indiana was serving in Alpheus Williams’s First Division, Twentieth Corps, Army of the Cumberland.

Estimated strength of Hood’s army.[1]

Hardee’s Corps

First Division, Cheatham’s:

Maney’s brigade                                                1,200

Strahl’s brigade                                                  1,000

Wright’s brigade                                                 1,400

Vaughan’s brigade                                             1,200

4,800

 

Second Division, Cleburne’s:

Polk’s brigade                                                     1,000

Govan’s brigade                                                 1,200

Lowrey’s brigade                                                1,500

Granbury’s brigade                                             1,200

4,900

 

Third Division, Walker’s:

Mercer’s brigade                                                2,000

Stevens’ brigade                                                1,500

Jackson’s brigade                                              1,000

Gist’s brigade                                                     1,200

5,700

 

Fourth Division, Bate’s:

Lewis’ brigade                                                       700

Finley’s brigade                                                 1,000

Tyler’s brigade                                                   1,300

3,000

18,400

 

Hood’s Corps

First Division, Hindman’s:

Deas’ brigade                                                     1,200

Manigault’s brigade                                            1,200

Tucker’s brigade                                                 1,000

Walthall’s brigade                                               1,200

4,600

 

Second Division, Stevenson’s:

Cumming’s brigade                                           1,500

Brown’s brigade                                                   800

Baker’s brigade                                                 1,000

Reynolds’ brigade                                              1,200

4,500

 

Third Division, Stewart’s:

Gibson’s brigade                                                  800

Stovall’s brigade                                               1,200

Clayton’s brigade                                              1,500

Moore’s brigade                                                1,000

4,500

13,600

 

Stewart’s Corps

First Division, Loring’s:

Featherston’s brigade                                        1,500

Adams’ brigade                                                  1,500

Scott’s brigade                                                   1,200

4,200

 

Second Division, French’s:

Cockrell’s brigade                                               2,000

McNair’s brigade                                                1,000

Sears’ brigade                                                    1,200

4,200

 

Third Division, Walthall’s

Cantey’s brigade                                                2,000

Ector’s brigade                                                   1,000

Quarles’ brigade                                                 1,000

4,000

12,400

 

Hardee                  18,400

Hood                     13,600

Stewart                  12,400

total                  44,400

 

[1] Memorandum found by Union forces in an old camp July 18, 1864, and filed with records of the Army of the Cumberland.

[1]OR 38, pt. 5, 178-179.