Civil War: Confederate Newspaper: The Chattanooga Daily Rebel

Description

Chattanooga Daily Rebel: A Confederate Newspaper’s Wartime Saga

Timeline of Events: The Chattanooga Daily Rebel

• Early 1862: The two existing newspapers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, merge and then suspend publication.
• August 9, 1862: Francis M. “Franc” Paul establishes The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. He serves as the sole publisher and editor in the initial months. The first few issues are four pages (two sheets), but the paper soon reduces to a single sheet.
• September 27, 1862: The Chattanooga Daily Rebel publishes an article titled “The Importance of the Press in Time of War,” signed “PRINTER,” emphasizing the crucial role of the Confederate press.
• Late 1862: Due to high demand, Francis Paul seeks and acquires more printing equipment, including a power press from Rome, Georgia, and an engine from Huntsville, Alabama, enabling a daily print run of 8,000 copies.
• Sometime after August 1862: Francis Paul travels to Murfreesboro and invites Henry Watterson to become the editor of The Chattanooga Daily Rebel.
• Shortly after Henry Watterson joins: Albert Roberts, a friend of Watterson, also joins the newspaper staff. Both Watterson (writing as John Burley) and Roberts (writing as John Happy) use pen names.
• During the War: The Chattanooga Daily Rebel becomes known as the “Rebel on Wheels” due to its forced relocation to stay ahead of the Union Army.
• During the War: Henry Watterson, under the pen name John Burley, frequently criticizes General Braxton Bragg’s military operations, leading Bragg to threaten to ban the paper from Confederate camps.
• 1864-1865: The newspaper is published in Marietta and Griffin, Georgia, under the name The Daily Chattanooga Rebel.
• 1865: The newspaper relocates to Selma, Alabama, and resumes the name The Chattanooga Daily Rebel.
• Early April 1865: Federal troops arrive in Selma and occupy the offices of The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. The staff is held at the stockade.
• A few days after the occupation: As the Union troops leave Selma, they destroy the Rebel‘s presses and type, and the newspaper building is set on fire.
• Despite the destruction: A small hand press survives, and a few final copies of the Rebel are published.
• April 27, 1865: The Chattanooga Daily Rebel permanently ceases publication.

Cast of Characters:

• Francis M. “Franc” Paul: The founder and initial publisher and editor of The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. He was previously the principal clerk of the Tennessee senate and a former printer for Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig. He secured new printing equipment to increase the newspaper’s circulation.
• Henry Watterson (pen name: John Burley): Joined The Chattanooga Daily Rebel as editor after being invited by Francis Paul in Murfreesboro. He had prior newspaper experience in Washington D.C., New York, and Nashville. His critical writings about Confederate General Braxton Bragg were notable.
• Albert Roberts (pen name: John Happy): A friend of Henry Watterson who joined the staff of The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. He provided lighter content, including “JOHN HAPPY” letters and the “Grapevine Telegraph,” which were popular among soldiers and civilians.
• General Braxton Bragg: A Confederate general whose military operations were often criticized in The Chattanooga Daily Rebel by Henry Watterson (writing as John Burley). He threatened to ban the newspaper from his camps due to this criticism.
• “PRINTER”: The signatory of the article “The Importance of the Press in Time of War” published on September 27, 1862, in The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. The actual identity of this individual is not specified, but it was likely someone associated with the newspaper, possibly Francis Paul or another member of the staff.

Civil War: Confederate Newspaper: The Chattanooga Daily Rebel

526 pages, 272 issues, of The Chattanooga Daily Rebel published between August 9, 1862 to April 27, 1865. The best available sources were used to compile this collection. The set contains approximately 420 discernable pages.

This newspaper was published with both the names The Chattanooga Daily Rebel and the Daily Chattanooga Rebel.

The Rebel was one of only a few Tennessee Confederate newspapers that remained in circulation throughout the war. In its attempt to stay ahead of the Union Army, the Rebel was forced to move from town to town and soon earned the nickname the “Rebel on Wheels.” Over the course of the war, the paper was published in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Marietta and Griffin, Georgia (as the Daily Chattanooga Rebel) in 1864-65; and, finally, Selma, Alabama, (once again as the Chattanooga Daily Rebel) in 1865.

Federal troops eventually caught up with the Rebel in Selma, in early April 1865. The troops occupied the offices while the Rebel’s staff was held at the stockade. A few days later, as the troops left the town, they destroyed the Rebel’s presses and type, and the building was set alight. However, a small hand press survived the destruction and a few last copies of the Rebel were published before it permanently ceased on April 27, 1865.

The first few issues of the Rebel had four pages (two sheets) but it was soon reduced to a single sheet. Content included general orders for soldiers, war news via telegraph dispatches, reports from other newspapers, local matters, and ads. Towards the end of 1862, the pressing demand for the newspaper prompted its founder Francis Paul to seek out and purchase more printing equipment. With a power press purchased in Rome, Georgia, and an engine from Huntsville, Alabama, he was able to print 8,000 copies daily. “Five thousand copies was the standing order from one army news agent, and the rest went everywhere throughout the Confederacy.” Circulation was limited by scarcity of paper rather than lack of demand.

On September 27, 1862, the Rebel ran an article championing the press’s vital role in wartime communications. The piece was entitled “The Importance of the Press in Time of War” and was signed, “PRINTER.” It strongly emphasized the importance of the Confederate press to the government and military, as well as citizens. “The importance of the Press in time of war to the spirit of the army is incalculable. It is, as one of our correspondents observes, ‘the only medium of organized public opinion—the only source of communication between the Government and the people, and which if silenced (as the Senate and House propose) would leave these wise bodies themselves practically as voiceless as the grave.’”

About Franc Paul and Henry Watterson

Francis M. “Franc” Paul established the Chattanooga Daily Rebel in August 1862, after the town’s two newspapers had merged, then suspended publication earlier that year. Paul was principal clerk of the Tennessee senate and had formerly been a printer for Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig. Paul was the Rebel’s sole publisher and editor during its first few months. On a trip to Murfreesboro, he met Henry Watterson and invited him to become editor of the Rebel. Watterson already had considerable newspapering experience, having written for the press in Washington, D.C., New York, and Nashville. Shortly after Watterson began writing for the Rebel, his friend Albert Roberts joined him. Both went on to notable journalistic accomplishments after the war. As was customary amongst Civil War correspondents, both Watterson and Roberts wrote under pen names. Watterson, writing as John Burley, often criticized General Braxton Bragg’s military operations, prompting Bragg to threaten to ban the paper from his camps. In addition to his war reports, Roberts provided “a cheerful witty side to every issue. His ‘JOHN HAPPY’ letters, ‘Grapevine Telegraph’ and bright, sparkling paragraphs were eagerly sought and read by the boys at the front and by the old men, women and children in the rear.”