Could it be that the
Civil War's greatest piece of intelligence, Lee's Special Orders 191, was deliberately
passed into Union hands?
Welcome to the Lost Order Mystery
Website, where the circumstances surrounding the pivotal event of the American Civil War
are analyzed, discussed, and developed with the assistance of you, the Internet visitor.
Travel back in time as we explore this most significant and mysterious episode of
the war.
 The
Lost Order Mystery Synopsis
An Outstanding Thesis on the Lost Order
Mystery by Steve Russell has been added to his excellent website on the 27th
Indiana in whose ranks the order was found. Click HERE
to go there.
Cast your vote!
How do you think the Lost Order was obtained by the Union
Contribute! Participate in the Lost Order Online Discussion
The Strange Case of Robert Hall Chilton
A Short Biography of Robert Hall Chilton
Chilton's
Suspicious Gaffes
The
Text of Special Orders 191
The
Lost Order Mystery Home Page
The purpose of this position is to
draw out responses from you, the visitors to this site,
where evidence for or against the position is accumulated.
An
Outstanding Thesis on the Lost Order Mystery by Steve Russell has been
added to his excellent website on the 27th Indiana in whose ranks the order
was found. Click HERE to
go there.
The story of Special Orders 191 became of particular interest to me when I
discovered that the characters involved its writing, discovery, and verification (Robert
Chilton, Alpheus Williams and Samuel Pittman) all knew each other in Detroit (my home
city) in the 1850's.
That such a crucial piece of
information, upon which the fate of the United States hung, should happen to fall into the
hands of friends who could immediately and positively identify the signature of its writer
struck me as both unlikely and suspicious.
These suspicions led me to
first examine the many references to the incident, which in turn
caused me to more closely examine the signer of the order, Robert
Hall Chilton, by looking up all references to him in Freeman's monumental study of
Southern Command, Lee's Lieutenants.
What I found was not
complimentary. In fact, every instance where he
makes an appearance, his actions have negative results for the South thus deepening my
suspicions.
Further buttressing the
potential of Chilton's disaffection with the South may be found in the Confederate
Senate's refusal to confirm his promotion to General in 1863, after which he left Lee's
command to assume a post in Richmond.
Here are lines of my
investigation :
- What is known about Robert Chilton?
- What was the pre-war relationship among Williams, Pittman, and Chilton?
- What are the details about when
the order was lost and found?
- Who handled the order?
- Where is the actual order today?
- Why has treason never been considered as a possible reason
for the order falling into Union hands?
You are cordially invited to partake
in this discussion.
|
