The Department of the Gulf was a command of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

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, als ...

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 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, ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

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 Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...

captured

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

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 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. He served as a military governor after the war. In 1861–1862, Canby commanded the Departm ...

, 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, 1862, 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 South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

State line and south to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. 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 (CSA), major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Being promoted to the rank of major general on October ...

, 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 military officer, and politician. He fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War. He later fought in the Confederate State ...

, 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 o ...

, 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. ...

, 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 before ...

, 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 South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. 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. ...

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

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 List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 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 * Major General 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, 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. During the American Civil War, he progressed from lieutenant to colonel and brevet brig ...

, 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, July 14, 1907 – January 31, 1908 *Brigadier General R. D. Potts, July 1, 1908 – December 23, 1908 *Colonel George A. Dodd,

12th Cavalry Regiment The 12th Cavalry is a cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It is currently stationed at Fort Cavazos. History On 2 February 1901, Congress authorized the organization of the Twelfth Regiment of Cavalry, Army of the United States. Under ...

, 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
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Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...

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