The First Corps, Army of Tennessee, commonly known as Polk's Corps, Cheatham's Corps, or Hardee's Corps, was a corps of the Army of Tennessee.

Formation

Units of the First Corps, Army of Tennessee, were drawn from the organization of Department No. 2 (or the Western Department) of the

Confederate 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 ...

, which held responsibility for defending the area between the Tennessee and Mississippi. It also incorporated troops transferred from the Army of Mississippi.

History

Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk commanded the corps from November 26, 1862, and held it with minor interruptions until his relief on September 29, 1863, and subsequent arrest on October 23, 1863.Eicher, p. 890. It participated in the Tennessee Campaign (June to October 1863) under General Braxton Bragg. Major engagements under General Polk included Stones River (from December 1862 until January 1863) and Chickamauga (in September 1863). Major-General Benjamin F. Cheatham commanded the corps four times; during the periods September 29 to October 23, 1863, from December 2 to 27, 1863, then August 31 to September 2, 1864, and lastly from September 28, 1864 to February 23, 1865. This last posting was the only period which he was not in "temporary" command. Major-General Patrick Cleburne was also in temporary command the corps from August 31 to September 1, 1864. Lieutenant-General

William J. Hardee William Joseph Hardee (October 12, 1815November 6, 1873) was a career United States Army, U.S. Army and Confederate States Army officer. For the U.S. Army, he served in the Second Seminole War and in the Mexican–American War, where he was capt ...

commanded the corps four times; during the periods October 23 to December 2, 1863, again from December 27 to August 31, 1864, a third time from September 2 to 28, 1864, and lastly from February 23 to April 26, 1865. On that date the corps, along with the rest of the Army of Tennessee, were surrendered by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston.Eicher, pp. 890-1.

Structure

* On October 31, 1863, part of Third Corps was added. * On November 4, 1863, the "Reserve Corps" of the army was added. * On April 10, 1865, all remaining forces in the state of Georgia were added.Eicher, p. 891.

Commanding officers

File:Portrait of General Leonidas Polk, C.S.A.jpg, Lieut. Gen. Leonidas Polk File:Benjamin F. Cheatham 05989v.jpg, Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham File:Patrick Cleburne.jpg, Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne
(

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

) File:William J. Hardee.jpg, Lieut. Gen.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and

Eicher, David J. David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of '' Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and America ...

, ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford Univ. Press, 2001, . {{Authority control 1862 establishments in the Confederate States of America 1865 disestablishments in North Carolina Corps of the Confederate States Army Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865