The XVI Army Corps was a corps 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 of the collective states. It proved essential to the ...

during the American Civil War. The corps rarely fought as one unified unit, as its divisions were often scattered across the country.

History

Creation and Vicksburg

The XVI Corps was organized on December 18, 1862 with Maj. Gen. Stephen A. Hurlbut in command. It had four divisions commanded respectively by William Sooy Smith (1st Division),

Grenville Dodge Grenville Mellen Dodge (April 12, 1831 – January 3, 1916) was a Union Army officer on the frontier and a pioneering figure in military intelligence during the Civil War, who served as Ulysses S. Grant's intelligence chief in the Western The ...

(2nd Division), Nathan Kimball (3rd Division) and Jacob G. Lauman (4th Division). These divisions were assigned to garrison duty in the vicinity of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

, LaGrange, Tennessee and

Corinth, Mississippi Corinth is a city in and the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi, Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,573 at the 2010 census. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835. It lies on the state line with Tennessee. Histor ...

. With the

Army of the Tennessee An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

besieging Vicksburg, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant gathered reinforcements from the surrounding areas. The divisions of Smith, Kimball and Lauman were ordered to Vicksburg on June 12. This detachment was led by Maj. Gen.

Cadwallader C. Washburn Cadwallader Colden Washburn (April 22, 1818May 14, 1882) was an American businessman, politician, and soldier who founded a mill that later became General Mills. A member of the Washburn family of Maine, he was a U.S. Congressman and governor o ...

. Hurlbut and Dodge remained on garrison duty in Tennessee during this time. After the fall of Vicksburg, Smith's division was attached to the

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 Ger ...

and Lauman's division was attached to the XIII Corps during Maj. Gen.

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 ...

's expedition to Jackson, Mississippi. In 1864, the corps was divided into two wings of two divisions each.

Left Wing

The Left Wing was led by Maj. Gen.

and participated in Maj. Gen.

's Atlanta Campaign. The left wing was composed of the divisions of Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Sweeny (2nd Division) and Brig. Gen.

James C. Veatch James Clifford Veatch (December 19, 1819 – December 22, 1895) was a lawyer who served as an Indiana state legislator and county auditor. He later served as a Union general during the American Civil War, fighting primarily in the Western Theat ...

(4th Division). These divisions fought notably at the Battle of Atlanta on July 22, 1864 holding off Confederate General

John Bell Hood John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Although brave, Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the d ...

's flank attack. At this battle Veatch's division was led by Brig. Gen. John W. Fuller.

Right Wing

The remaining division which did not join Sherman's Atlanta Campaign were left to guard the Mississippi River valley. Kimball's, Lauman's and William Sooy Smith's divisions were permanently removed to other corps while James Tuttle's division of the XV Corps and

Andrew Jackson Smith Andrew Jackson Smith (April 28, 1815January 30, 1897) was a United States Army general during the American Civil War, rising to the command of a corps. He was most noted for his victory over Confederate General Stephen D. Lee at the Battle of ...

's division of the XIII Corps were both transferred to the XVI Corps. Maj. Gen. Hurlbut assumed direct command over these divisions known as the Right Wing and participated in the Meridian Expedition in February 1864. During the Red River Campaign the Right Wing was attached to Maj. Gen.

Nathaniel 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 ...

' Army of the Gulf with Andrew J. Smith in command. Tuttle's 1st Division was now commanded by Joseph A. Mower and A.J. Smith's division was also attached to Mower's command. One division from the XVII Corps was attached to the Right Wing. This division was dubbed the "Red River Division" and was commanded by Thomas Kilby Smith. The Red River Division remained in Louisiana while A.J. Smith took the rest of the Right Wing into Mississippi to protect Sherman's supply lines during the Atlanta Campaign, defeating the Confederates at the

Battle of Tupelo The Battle of Tupelo, also known as the Engagement at Harrisburg, was a battle of the American Civil War fought from July 14 to 15, 1864, near Tupelo, Mississippi. The Union victory over Confederate forces in northeast Mississippi ensured t ...

. Here the two divisions were commanded by Mower (1st Division) and Colonel David Moore (2nd Division) with a division of cavalry temporarily attached under Brig. Gen. Benjamin Grierson. This unit was sometimes called "General A.J. Smith's Guerrillas".

Dissolution

The corps in its entirety was discontinued on November 7, 1864. Andrew J. Smith remained in command of his two divisions and were sent to Missouri to help defeat Sterling Prices's Missouri Raid. During this time Smith's command, once known as the Right Wing-XVI Corps, was now officially titled "Detachment-Army of the Tennessee". Smith was then sent to Tennessee to join with Maj. Gen.

George H. Thomas George Henry Thomas (July 31, 1816March 28, 1870) was an American general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater. Thomas served in the Mexican–American War and later chose ...

for the

battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, ...

. At Nashville Smith had three divisions being commanded respectively by John McArthur, Kenner Garrard and Col. Jonathan B. Moore. McArthur's division took a prominent part in both days of the battle.

Re-activation

On February 18, 1865 Smith's Detachment-Army of the Tennessee became the official XVI Corps. It was composed of three divisions: First ( McArthur), Second ( Garrard) and Third ( Carr). The composition remained virtually the same as it had at Nashville except Brig. Gen. Eugene A. Carr replaced Col. Moore in command of the 3rd Division. It served in the operations of Maj. Gen.

Edward 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 ...

against

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama, ...

and fought in the battles of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely. The latter ended on April 9, 1865, the day

Lee Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...

surrendered at Appomattox. The corps was finally disbanded on July 20, 1865.

References

{{Union Army Formations 16 1862 establishments in the United States Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865