![Harper's weekly (1865) (14764293712) Badge of the XXIII Corps (Union Army) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Harper%27s_weekly_%281865%29_%2814764293712%29_Badge_of_the_XXIII_Corps_%28Union_Army%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
XXIII Corps was a
corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
of the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. It served in the
Western Theater as part of the
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.
History
1st Army of the Ohio
General Orders No. 97 appointed Maj. Gen. Do ...
.
The corps was organized in April 1863 by order of the departmental commander,
Ambrose E. Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside (May 23, 1824 – September 13, 1881) was an American army officer and politician who became a senior Union general in the Civil War and three times Governor of Rhode Island, as well as being a successful inventor ...
. Along with Burnside's old
IX Corps 9 Corps, 9th Corps, Ninth Corps, or IX Corps may refer to:
France
* 9th Army Corps (France)
* IX Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
Germany
* IX Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial Germ ...
, which had been sent west with him after
Fredericksburg, it was to maintain a primarily defensive position in Eastern Tennessee and
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
. It originally consisted of two divisions under the overall command of General
George L. Hartsuff.
The corps played a major role during the
Knoxville Campaign, its first major action, distinguishing itself at the battles of
Campbell's Station and
Knoxville
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...
, and also took part in some minor actions in early 1864. During this time it was commanded by
Maj. Gen.
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 ...
Mahlon D. Manson
Mahlon Dickerson Manson (February 20, 1820 – February 4, 1895) was a druggist, Indiana politician, and a Union general in the American Civil War.
Biography
Manson was born in Piqua, Ohio, to David Manson, Jr., and Sarah Cornwall. He was a ...
.
The
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.
History
1st Army of the Ohio
General Orders No. 97 appointed Maj. Gen. Do ...
joined
William T. Sherman
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
for the
Atlanta Campaign that spring. IX Corps was detached and sent back to rejoin the
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...
, so the "army" consisted entirely of XXIII Corps, now commanded by
John M. Schofield. It served ably if unspectacularly throughout the campaign.
In the fall of 1864, it was sent north to counter
John B. Hood's
Franklin-Nashville Campaign, and it saw heavy action at the
Battle of Franklin, though it was held in reserve at
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
.
After this campaign, the corps was sent east to serve in the Department of the South; it took part in the capture of
Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear Rive ...
and the
seizure of Wilmington, North Carolina (the last open port of the South). During this time it was commanded by Maj. Gen.
Jacob D. Cox
Jacob Dolson Cox, Jr. (October 27, 1828August 4, 1900), was a statesman, lawyer, Union Army general during the American Civil War, Republican politician from Ohio, Liberal Republican Party founder, educator, author, and recognized microbiologist ...
. The corps ultimately joined Sherman's army in the
Carolinas Campaign
The campaign of the Carolinas (January 1 – April 26, 1865), also known as the Carolinas campaign, was the final campaign conducted by the United States Army (Union Army) against the Confederate States Army in the Western Theater. On January 1 ...
, and was disbanded in August 1865.
Command history
* Cox commanded briefly May 26–28, 1864 and September 14 – October 22, 1864
References
*Boatner, Mark M. III, ''The Civil War Dictionary: Revised Edition'', David McKay Company, Inc., 1984.
External links
XXIII Corps history{{Union Army Formations
23
Military units and formations established in 1863
1863 establishments in the United States
Military units and formations disestablished in 1865
1865 disestablishments in the United States