“A New Trouble in Georgia”

One hundred fifty years ago today the Chicago (IL) Tribune published an excerpt from the Savannah (GA) Republican that described a new controversial order from Georgia Governor Joseph E. Brown. If the Confederate War Department wanted to move any Georgia regiments out of the state, Governor Brown required that they first seek his permission. As “the Confederate States have existed but for a day,” the Savannah Republican explained that they had no choice but to “rely upon the several States” for men and supplies. Yet Governor Brown’s order came at the worst possible time. As the Savannah Republican argued:

“Governor Brown may be technically right in this order; but he has, at least, selected an unfortunate time for issuing it. From the beginning a misunderstanding seems to have existed between him and the Confederate authorities to be found with no other State, and it is high time it had been brought to a-close. It has been a source of serious confusion and embarrassment in all our movements for defence, and it allowed to continue, will wholly demoralize the service.”

You can read more about Gov. Brown in Joseph H. Parks’ Joseph E. Brown of Georgia (1977).