The Department of the Gulf was a command of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

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 polic ...

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 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,

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. Mis ...

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

Activities

United States Navy's West Gulf Blockading Squadron captured

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

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 Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker by background, Banks was prominent in local debating societies, ...

, 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 Edward Richard Sprigg Canby (November 9, 1817 – April 11, 1873) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. In 1861–1862, Canby commanded the Department of New Mexico, defeating the Confederate Ge ...

, 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 t ...

State line and south to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an 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 the United S ...

. 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, July 2, 1862 – December 8, 1862 * William W. Mackall, December 8, 1862 – December 14, 1862 *

Simon B. Buckner Simon Bolivar Buckner ( ; April 1, 1823 – January 8, 1914) was an American soldier, Confederate combatant, and politician. He fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War. He later fought in the Confederate States Army ...

, December 14, 1862 – April 27, 1863 * Franklin Gardner, April 27, 1863 – May 1863 * Dabney H. Maury, May 1863 – July 26, 1864 * Franklin Gardner, July 26, 1864 – August 15, 1864 * Dabney H. Maury, August 15, 1864 – November 22, 1864 * Danville Leadbetter, November 22 – December 12, 1864 * Dabney H. Maury, 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 = G ...

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, a ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

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 except Texas which had been the sole state in the Department of Texas. 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 t ...

William M. Graham William Montrose Graham (September 28, 1834 – January 16, 1916) was a career soldier in the United States Army, reaching the rank of Major general (United States), major general. He was a veteran of both the American Civil War and the Spanish ...

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 498,71 ...

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

Commanders

*Brigadier General

, March 14, 1898 – May 18, 1898 *

John R. Brooke, May 17, 1898 – July 4, 1898 *Brigadier General A. C. M. Pennington, July 4, 1898 – March 22, 1899 *Brigadier General

Royal T. Frank Royal Thaxter Frank (6 May 1836 – 14 March 1908) was an officer in the United States Army. He fought in the American Civil War and the Spanish–American War, retiring as a brigadier general after forty-one years of military service. Biography ...

, March 22, 1899 - October 18, 1899 (his retirement date) ... *Brigadier General Thomas H. Barry, December 1903 – May 15, 1905 *Brigadier General

James F. Wade James Franklin Wade (April 14, 1843 – August 23, 1921) served as a major general of volunteers in the United States Army during the Spanish–American War. Wade was born in Jefferson, Ohio on April 14, 1843. His father, Senator Benjamin F. Wade, ...

, May 15, 1905 - April 6, 1906 *Brigadier General William P. Duvall, 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 John M. K. Davis (January 31, 1844 – May 20, 1920) was a career officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, after graduating from Georgetown University in 1862 and initial military service with the 3rd Ma ...

, 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, 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
' Gulf 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