{{Infobox military unit | unit_name = First Corps, Army of Tennessee | image = Polk’s Corps Battle Flag Second Issue.svg | caption = The Polk pattern [[War flag|battle flag]] | dates = 1862 – 1865 | disbanded = April 26, 1865 | country = {{flag|Confederate States}} | branch = {{army|Confederate States}} | role = [[Headquarters]] | size = [[Corps]] | command_structure = [[Army of Tennessee]] | nickname = {{unbulleted list|Polk's Corps|Cheatham's Corps|Hardee's Corps}} | battles = [[American Civil War]] | commander1 = {{unbulleted list|Lieut. Gen. [[Leonidas Polk]]|Maj. Gen. [[Benjamin F. Cheatham]]|Maj. Gen. [[Patrick Cleburne]] ([[Acting (law)|acting]])|Lieut. Gen. [[William J. Hardee]]}} | commander1_label = [[Commanding Officer|Commanding officers]] }} The '''First Corps, Army of Tennessee''', commonly known as '''Polk's Corps''', '''Cheatham's Corps''', or '''Hardee's Corps''', was a [[corps]] of the [[Army of Tennessee]].
== Formation == Units of the First Corps, Army of Tennessee, were drawn from the organization of Department No. 2 (or the Western Department) of the [[Confederate States Army|Confederate army]], which held responsibility for defending the area between the [[Tennessee River|Tennessee]] and [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]]. It also incorporated troops transferred from the [[Army of Mississippi]].
== History == [[File:22nd Alabama Infantry flag (Polk's and Bragg's Corps pattern).jpg|thumb|left|Variant of the Polk pattern flag]] Lieutenant-General [[Leonidas Polk]] commanded the corps from November 26, 1862, and held it with minor interruptions until his relief on September 29, 1863, and subsequent arrest on October 23, 1863.<ref name=Eicher890>Eicher, p. 890.</ref> It participated in the Tennessee Campaign (June to October 1863) under General [[Braxton Bragg]]. Major engagements under General Polk included [[Battle of Stones River|Stones River]] (from December 1862 until January 1863) and [[Battle of Chickamauga|Chickamauga]] (in September 1863).
Major-General [[Benjamin F. Cheatham]] commanded the corps four times; during the periods September 29 to October 23, 1863, from December 2 to 27, 1863, then August 31 to September 2, 1864, and lastly from September 28, 1864 to February 23, 1865. This last posting was the only period which he was not in "temporary" command.<ref name=Eicher890/> Major-General [[Patrick Cleburne]] was also in temporary command the corps from August 31 to September 1, 1864.
Lieutenant-General [[William J. Hardee]] commanded the corps four times; during the periods October 23 to December 2, 1863, again from December 27 to August 31, 1864, a third time from September 2 to 28, 1864, and lastly from February 23 to April 26, 1865. On that date the corps, along with the rest of the Army of Tennessee, were surrendered by Gen. [[Joseph E. Johnston]].<ref name=Eicher890-1>Eicher, pp. 890-1.</ref>
== Structure == * On October 31, 1863, part of [[Third Corps, Army of Tennessee|Third Corps]] was added.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Appomattox Court House National Historical Park |first= |last2= |first2= |date=March 31, 2012 |title=First and Third Army Corps (Combined) - Appomattox Court House National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/apco/first-and-third-army-corps-combined.htm |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref> * On November 4, 1863, the "Reserve Corps" of the army was added. * On April 10, 1865, all remaining forces in the state of Georgia were added.<ref name=Eicher891>Eicher, p. 891.</ref>
== Commanding officers == <gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="150px"> File:Portrait of General Leonidas Polk, C.S.A.jpg|Lieut. Gen. [[Leonidas Polk]] File:Benjamin F. Cheatham 05989v.jpg|Maj. Gen. [[Benjamin F. Cheatham]] File:Patrick Cleburne.jpg|Maj. Gen. [[Patrick Cleburne]]<br />([[Acting (law)|acting]]) File:William J. Hardee.jpg|Lieut. Gen. [[William J. Hardee]] </gallery>
==Notes== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
== References == * Eicher, John H., and [[David J. Eicher|Eicher, David J.]], ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford Univ. Press, 2001, {{ISBN|0-8047-3641-3}}.
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[[Category:1862 establishments in the Confederate States of America]] [[Category:1865 disestablishments in North Carolina]] [[Category:Corps of the Confederate States Army]] [[Category:Military units and formations established in 1862]] [[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1865]]