The Department of the Gulf was a command of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

History

United States Army (Civil War)

Creation

Benjamin Franklin Butler politician - Brady-Handy

The department was constituted on February 23, 1862 when the

United States War Department The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...

issued General Orders No. 20; the department consisted of "...all of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico west of Pensacola harbor, and so much of the Gulf States as may be occupied by the forces under

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

B.F. Butler." On March 20, 1862, Butler activated his command at

Ship Island Ship Island is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands. Hurricane Camille split the island into two separate islands (West Ship Island and East Ship Island) in 1969. In early 2019, t ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

by issuing General Orders No. 1 (Department of the Gulf) assuming his new command.

Activities

United States Navy's

West Gulf Blockading Squadron The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederate States of America, Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required ...

captured

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

on April 29, 1862, Butler moved his headquarters to New Orleans on 1 May. The department, sometimes referred to as the Army of the Gulf, became a union occupying force in the region.

Commanders

*Major General B. F. Butler, March 20, 1862 – December 17, 1862 *Major General N. P. Banks, December 17, 1862 – September 23, 1864 *Major General S. G. Hurlbut, September 23, 1864 – to April 22, 1865 *Major General N. P. Banks, 22 April 22, 1865 – June 3, 1865 *Major General E. R. S. Canby, June 3, 1865 –

Confederate States Army

Organization

The department, frequently referred to as the Gulf District, was established on July 2, 1862 as a part of Department No. 2; its area was defined as the coast from the Pearl River to the Apalachicola River northward to latitude 32° north. On November 3, 1863, the northern boundary was extended to latitude 33° north. On July 25, 1863, the department/district was transferred to the Department of Mississippi and Eastern Louisiana. It remained in that department only until January 28, 1864, when it was transferred to the Department of Alabama and Eastern Mississippi. Upon being transferred, the department/district boundaries were redefined as beginning at the mouth of the Pearl River, running north to latitude 32° north, east to the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

State line and south to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

. On May 8, 1864, the boundary was again modified to define the eastern edge as being the intersection of latitude 32° north with a line running from the junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa to point where the Choctawhatchee River entered Florida then following the Choctawhatchee to its mouth on the Gulf of Mexico. The department/district surrendered on May 4, 1865.

Commanders

John H. Forney John Horace Forney (August 12, 1829 – September 13, 1902) was a farmer, civil engineer, and major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Being promoted to the rank of major general on October 27, 1862, Forney part ...

, July 2, 1862 – December 8, 1862 *

William W. Mackall William Whann Mackall (January 18, 1817 – August 12, 1891) was a Seminole Wars veteran, Mexican–American War veteran and Confederate States Army brigadier general during the American Civil War. He was a United States Army officer for 24 years ...

, December 8, 1862 – December 14, 1862 * Simon B. Buckner, December 14, 1862 – April 27, 1863 *

Franklin Gardner Franklin Kitchell GardnerMiddle name Kitchell from his father, miswritten Franklin K. Gardner on his gravestone. (January 29, 1823 – April 29, 1873) was a Confederate major general in the American Civil War, noted for his service at the Siege of ...

, April 27, 1863 – May 1863 *

Dabney H. Maury Dabney Herndon Maury (May 21, 1822 – January 11, 1900) was an officer in the United States Army, instructor at West Point, author of military training books, and a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. E ...

, May 1863 – July 26, 1864 *

, July 26, 1864 – August 15, 1864 *

, August 15, 1864 – November 22, 1864 *

Danville Leadbetter Danville Leadbetter (August 26, 1811 – September 26, 1866) was a career U.S. Army officer and later he served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War. A trained engineer, Leadbetter supervised the construction of forts befor ...

, November 22 – December 12, 1864 *

, December 12, 1864 – May 4, 1865 (surrendered)

United States Army (Spanish–American War era)

Creation

The department was constituted by General Order 7, Headquarters of the Army, Adjutant General's Office, dated March 11, 1898. The order specified that the department was to include the states of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. All of the named states had previously been included in the

Department of the East The Department of the East was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army several times in its history. The first was from 1853 to 1861, the second Department of the East, from 1863 to 1873, and the last from 1877 to 1913. H ...

except Texas which had been the sole state in the

Department of Texas The Department of Texas was a military department of the United States Army that existed from 1850 to 1861, and again from 1865 to 1866, from 1870 to 1913 and during the First World War. It was subordinate to the Military Division of the Missouri. ...

. The depart was redesignated as the Department of the South on March 12, 1898 and back to the Department of the Gulf on March 18, 1898.

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

William M. Graham assumed command of the department on March 14, 1898. The department was headquartered in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia. On October 25, 1899, the department was merged with the Department of the East. It was reestablished in December 1903.

Commanders

*Brigadier General William M. Graham, March 14, 1898 – May 18, 1898 *

John R. Brooke John Rutter Brooke (July 21, 1838 – September 5, 1926) was one of the last surviving Union generals of the American Civil War when he died at the age of 88. Early life Brooke was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and was educated in nearby Coll ...

, May 17, 1898 – July 4, 1898 *Brigadier General A. C. M. Pennington, July 4, 1898 – March 22, 1899 *Brigadier General Royal T. Frank, March 22, 1899 - October 18, 1899 (his retirement date) ... *Brigadier General Thomas H. Barry, December 1903 – May 15, 1905 *Brigadier General James F. Wade, May 15, 1905 - April 6, 1906 *Brigadier General

William P. Duvall William P. Duvall (January 13, 1847 – March 1, 1920) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War and Philippine–American War, he served from 1869 to 1911, commanded units including the Philippine D ...

, April 6, 1906 - February 18, 1907 *Brigadier General

Winfield Scott Edgerly Winfield Scott Edgerly (May 29, 1846 – September 10, 1927) was an officer in the United States Army in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Born in New Hampshire in 1846, he attended the United States Military Academy, graduating in 1870. H ...

, March 3, 1907 – July 13, 1907 *Brigadier General John M. K. Davis, July 14, 1907 – January 31, 1908 *Brigadier General R. D. Potts, July 1, 1908 – December 23, 1908 *Colonel George A. Dodd, 12th Cavalry Regiment, December 23, 1908 – January 16, 1909 *Brigadier General R. D. Potts, January 16, 1909 – April 24, 1909 *Colonel J. T. Van Orsdale, 17th Infantry Regiment, April 24, 1909 – May 28, 1909 *Brigadier General A. L. Mills, May 28, 1909 – June 3, 1909 *Colonel J. T. Van Orsdale, 17th Infantry Regiment, June 3, 1909 – June 27, 1909 *Brigadier General A. L. Mills, June 27, 1909 - January 15, 1912 *Brigadier General

William W. Wotherspoon William Wallace Wotherspoon (November 16, 1850 – October 21, 1921) was a United States Army general who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army in 1914. Early life Wotherspoon was born in Washington, D.C., on November 16, 1850, the ...

, January 15, 1912 - August 17, 1912 *Brigadier General Robert K. Evans, August 17, 1912 - March 1914

References

External links

Map of the military Department of the Gulf
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219161910/https://history.army.mil/books/AMH/AMH-12.htm , date=December 19, 2017
Constitution during the Civil WarDepartment of the Gulf from Ohio Civil WarNYPL Blog of Sanitary Commission
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The Civil War in Louisiana
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The photographic history of the Civil War, Volume 10Dept of the Gulf, CSAUse of Negros by CSA
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The Confederate Soldier in the Civil War, 1861-1865
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Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...

Government agencies established in 1898 1862 establishments in the United States

History

United States Army (Civil War)

Creation

Activities

Commanders

Confederate States Army

Organization

Commanders

United States Army (Spanish–American War era)

Creation

Commanders

References

Further reading

External links