Short History of the 19th Corps
While the 47th PVI Was Part of it.
Date(s): February 25, 1864 until mustered out.
On the 15th of March, 1864, the troops started on Banks' Red River Expedition, his Army consisting of parts of the Thirteenth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Nineteenth Corps. Major-General William B. Franklin commanded the Nineteenth Corps on this expedition, and took with him the First (Emory's) and Second (Grover's) Divisions; the Third Division was left in the defenses of New Orleans. Upon the arrival of Bank's Army at Alexandria the Second Division was left there, while the First moved on and fought at Sabine Cross Roads. In addition to the battles of Sabine Cross Roads and Pleasant Hill, the corps was engaged in several minor actions while on this expedition. In July, 1864, the First and Second Divisions proceeded to New Orleans, and embarked for Virginia, leaving the rest of the corps in Louisiana. On arriving at Washington the two divisions were ordered into Maryland to confront Early's invasion, after which they served in the Shenandoah Valley, in Sheridan's Army. The Nineteenth Corps, or this part of it, was now under the command of General William H. Emory; the First Division, containing 17 regiments, was commanded by General William Dwight; the Second Division, containing 4 brigades, 21 regiments, was commanded by General Cuvier Grover. The returns from these two divisions for August, 1864, show an aggregate of 21,640, present and absent; 14,645 present, with 13,176 present for duty. Of the latter, the corps lost over 5,000 men in the Shenandoah campaign. It lost at the Opequon, September 19th, 314 killed, 1,554 wounded, and 206 missing; at Fisher's Hill, September 22d, 15 killed, 86 wounded, and 13 missing; at Cedar Creek, October 19th, 257 killed, 1,336 wounded, and 790 missing; in skirmishes and on the picket lines, 57 killed, 446 wounded, and 13 missing; in all, 5,087 casualties. At the Opequon, Grover's Division lost 1,527 men out of 6,797 taken into action, or present for duty before the battle. The fighting in the Valley having ended, Grover's (2d) Division was ordered, in January, 1865, to proceed to Savannah, where it was followed by the First Division, which left the Valley in April. The latter division made a short stay at Washington before sailing for Savannah, during which it participated in the Grand Review of May 24, 1865. The Second Division having arrived at Savannah, General Grover was assigned to the command of the district, and General H. W. Birge to the command of the division. In March, 1865, Birge's Division, containing three brigades, eighteen regiments, was ordered to North Carolina, where it was attached temporarily to the Tenth Corps and was designated as the First Division of that corps. The Fourth Brigade of Birge's Division was left at Savannah, the whole division returning there in May. The Nineteenth corps remained at Savannah and vicinity until August, 1865; some of the regiments remained until 1866. The corps organization, however, was officially discontinued March 26, 1865. The portion of the corps left behind at New Orleans remained in the Department of the Gulf, and, in the spring of 1865, participated with the Thirteenth and Sixteenth corps in General Canby's operations against Fort Blakely, Spanish Fort, and Mobile.
