MINOR EVENTS OF THE SECOND YEAR.
LARGE ARMIES IN THE FIELD--BOMBARDMENT AND CAPTURE OF FORT
PULASKI--BATTLE OF BLUE'S GAP, VA.--MARCHING OVER THE SNOW--OPERATIONS
IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY--BATTLES OF WINCHESTER AND McDOWELL--CAPTURE
OF NORFOLK, VA., BY GEN. JOHN E. WOOL--WEST VIRGINIA CLEAR OF
CONFEDERATES--FIGHTING WITH BUSHWHACKERS--OPERATIONS UNDER GENERAL
BURNSIDE ON THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST--UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE
CHARLESTON--ENGAGEMENTS IN EASTERN KENTUCKY--GUERILLA RAID UNDER THE
COMMAND OF GEN. JOHN H. MORGAN--EAST TENNESSEEANS LOYAL TO THE
UNION--OPERATIONS IN EAST TENNESSEE UNDER GENERAL NEGLEY AND COLONEL
BUFORD--RAPID AND DARING RAIDS BY GENERAL FOREST--BATTLES AROUND
NASHVILLE--FIGHTING GUERILLAS IN MISSOURI--FIGHTING IN NEW
MEXICO--INDIAN OPERATIONS IN THE NORTHWEST.
In the second year of the war, though the struggle did not then
culminate, some of the largest armies were gathered and some of the
greatest battles fought. At the East, McClellan made his Peninsula
campaign with Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, and the Seven Days, and Pope
his short and unfortunate campaign known as the Second Bull Run,
followed by the moderate victory of Antietam and the horror of
Fredericksburg. At the West, with smaller armies, the results were
more brilliant and satisfactory. Grant had electrified the country
when he captured Fort Donelson and received the first surrender of a
Confederate army; and this was followed in April by the battle of
Shiloh, which was a reverse on the first day and a victory on the
second, and still later by the capture of Corinth. Thomas had gained
his first victory at Mill Springs, and Buell had fought the fierce
battle of Perryville, where the genius of Sheridan first shone forth.
Two great and novel naval engagements had taken place--the fight of
the iron-clads in Hampton Roads, and Farragut's passage of the forts
and capture of New Orleans. Amid all this there were hundreds of minor
engagements, subsidiary expeditions and skirmishes, all costing
something in destruction of life and property. Some of them were
properly a portion of the great campaigns; others were separate
actions, and still others were merely raids of Confederate guerillas,
which had become very numerous, especially at the West. This chapter
will be devoted to brief accounts of the more important and
interesting of these, generally omitting those occurring {216} in the
course and as a part of any great campaign. While they had little to
do with the results of the struggle, some account of them is necessary
to any adequate idea of the condition of the country and the
sufferings of that generation of our people.
On the 6th of January a force of about 2,500, principally Ohio and
Indiana troops, was sent out by General Kelly, under command of
Colonel Dunning, to attack a Confederate force of about 1,800 men
strongly posted at Blue's Gap, near Romney, Va. They marched over the
snow in a brilliant moonlight night, and as they neared the Gap fired
upon a small detachment that was attempting to destroy the bridge over
the stream that runs through it. The Gap is a natural opening between
high hills with very precipitous sides, and was defended with two
howitzers and rifle-pits. There were also entrenchments on the hills.
The Fourth Ohio Regiment was ordered to carry those on the one hill,
and the Fifth Ohio those on the other, which they did with a rush. The
advance then ran down the hills on the other side and quickly captured
the two pieces of artillery. After this the soldiers burned Blue's
house and mill, and also a few other houses, on the ground that they
had been used to shelter the enemy, who had fired at them from the
windows. In this affair the Confederates lost nearly 40 men killed and
about the same number captured. There was no loss on the other side.
The fertile Shenandoah Valley, between the Blue Ridge and the
Alleghenies, was important to both sides, strategetically, and to the
Confederates especially as a source of supplies. In 1861 Gen. Thomas
J. Jackson (commonly called "Stonewall Jackson") was given command
there with a Confederate force of about 11,000 men. But he did nothing
of consequence during the autumn and winter. The National forces there
were commanded at first by General Frémont, and afterward by General
Banks. The first serious conflict was at Winchester, March 23, 1862.
Winchester was important for military purposes because it was at the
junction of several highroads. Jackson's army during the winter and
spring had been reduced about one-half, but when he learned that the
opposing force was also being reduced by the withdrawal of troops to
aid General McClellan, he resolved to make an attack upon the force of
General Shields at Winchester. His cavalry, under Turner Ashby, a
brilliant leader who fell a few months later, opened the engagement
with an attack on Shields's cavalry aided by other troops, and was
driven back with considerable loss. In this engagement General Shields
was painfully wounded by a fragment of shell. The next day at sunrise
the battle was renewed at Kernstown, a short distance south of
Winchester, and lasted till noon. About 6,000 men were engaged on the
Confederate side, and somewhat more than that on the National. The
Confederates were driven back half a mile by a brilliant charge, and
there took a strong position and posted their artillery
advantageously. Other charges followed, with destructive fighting,
when they retired, slowly at first, and afterward in complete rout,
losing three guns. They were pursued and shelled by a detachment under
Colonel Kimball until they had passed Newtown. The National loss in
this action was nearly 600; the Confederate, a little over 700.
The next important engagement in this campaign took place, May 8th,
near McDowell. After a slow retreat by the Confederates, which was
followed by the National forces under General Schenck, the former
turned to give battle, and in heavy force, probably about 6,000,
attacked General Milroy's brigade and the Eighty-second Ohio Regiment,
numbering in all about 2,300. Milroy's advance retired slowly, one
battery shelling the advancing enemy upon his main body, and the next
day it was discovered that the Confederates had posted themselves on a
ridge in the Bull Pasture Mountain. Milroy's force went out to attack
him, and when two-thirds of the way up the mountain began the battle.
It was soon found that this was only the advance of the Confederates,
which slowly fell back upon the main body posted in a depression at
the top of the mountain. One regiment after another was pushed
forward, and the fighting was pretty sharp for two or three hours,
when Milroy's men gave up the contest as hopeless and fell back. An
incident of this fight that illustrates the humors of war is told of
Lieut.-Col. Francis W. Thompson of the Third West Virginia Regiment in
Milroy's command. He was writing a message, holding the paper against
the trunk of a tree, when a bullet struck it and fastened it to the
bark. "Thank you," said he; "I am not posting advertisements, and if I
were I would prefer tacks." The National loss in this action was
reported at 256, and the Confederate at 499. General Frémont's army,
moving up the valley, reached Harrisonburg June 6th, and there was a
spirited action between a portion of his cavalry and that of the
Confederates. The fight fell principally upon the First New Jersey
cavalry regiment, which, after apparently driving the enemy a short
distance, fell into an ambuscade, where infantry suddenly appeared on
both sides of the road, protected by the stone walls, and fired into
the regiment, which sustained considerable loss, including the capture
of Colonel Wyndham. Other forces, under Colonel Cluseret and General
Bayard, were then pushed forward, and the enemy, which was the rear
guard of Jackson's army, commanded by Gen. Turner Ashby, was driven
from the field. During this action each side successively suffered
from an enfilading fire, and General Ashby was killed. Three
Confederate color sergeants were shot, and a considerable number of
officers either fell or were captured. Capt. Thomas Haines of the New
Jersey cavalry, who was one of the last to retire from the ambush, was
approached and shot by a Virginia officer in a long gray coat, who sat
upon a handsome horse; and the next moment a comrade of the captain's,
rising in his saddle, turned upon the foe shouting, "Stop," and shot
the Virginian.
While Frémont's force was thus following up Jackson directly, General
Shields's division was moving southward on the eastern flank of the
Shenandoah, expecting to intercept him. Jackson's purpose was rather
to get away than to fight, for by this time he was very much wanted
before Richmond. Two days after the affair at Harrisonburg, Frémont
overtook, at Cross Keys, Ewell's division, which Jackson had left
there to delay Frémont's advance, while he should prepare to cross the
Shenandoah with his whole force. Frémont attacked promptly and met a
spirited resistance, which he gradually overcame, although at
considerable loss. Stahel's brigade, on his left, was the heaviest
sufferer. At the close of the action Ewell retired, and Frémont's
troops slept on the field. Frémont had lost nearly 700 men. The
Confederate loss is unknown. The next day Shields, coming up east of
the river, encountered Jackson's main force at Port Republic, and was
attacked by it in overwhelming numbers. His men, however, stood their
ground and made a brilliant fight, even capturing one gun and a
considerable number of prisoners, but were finally routed, and lost
several of their own guns. Frémont was prevented from crossing to the
aid of Shields by the fact that Jackson had promptly burned the
bridge. In this engagement Shields lost about 1,000 men, half of whom
were captured. Jackson's loss in the two engagements together was
reported at 1,150, and his loss in the entire {217} campaign at about
1,900. After this battle he hurried away to join Lee before Richmond,
while Frémont and Shields received orders from Washington to give up
the pursuit, and thus ended the campaign in the valley.
[Illustration: UNITED STATES MILITARY TELEGRAPH.]
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL ROBERT C. SCHENCK.]
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL ROBERT H. MILROY.]
On the 10th of May, Gen. John E. Wool, with 5,000 men, landed at
Willoughby's Point, Va., and marched on Norfolk. As he approached the
city he was met by the mayor and a portion of the Common Council, who
formally surrendered it. On taking possession, he appointed Gen.
Egbert L. Viele military governor, and a little later he occupied
Norfolk and Portsmouth. His capture of Norfolk caused the destruction
of the _Merrimac_, which the Confederates blew up on the 11th. The
navy yard, with its workshops, storehouses, and other buildings, was
in ruins; but General Wool's captures included 200 cannon and a large
amount of shot and shell. The Norfolk _Day Book_, a violent secession
journal, was permitted to continue publication until it assailed Union
citizens who took the oath of allegiance, and then it was suppressed.
* * * * *
West Virginia had been pretty effectively cleared of Confederates
during the first year of the war, but a few minor engagements took
place on her soil during the second year. One of the most brilliant of
these was an expedition to Blooming Gap under Gen. Frederick W.
Lander, in February. General Lander crossed the Potomac with 4,000
men, marched southward, and bridged the Great Cacapon River. This
bridge was one hundred and eighty feet long, and was built in four
hours in the night. It was made by placing twenty wagons in the
stream, using them as piers, and putting planks across them. General
Lander then, with his cavalry, pushed forward seven miles to Blooming
Gap, expecting to cut off the retreat of a strong Confederate force
that was posted there and hold it until his infantry could come up. He
found that they had already taken the alarm and moved out beyond the
Gap, but by swift riding he came up with a portion of them. Bringing
up the Eighth Ohio and Seventh Virginia regiments of infantry for a
support, he ordered a charge, which he lead in person, against a sharp
fire. With a few followers he overtook a group of Confederate
officers, cut off their retreat, and then dismounted, greeted them
with, "Surrender, gentlemen," and held out his hand to receive the
sword of the leader. Five of the officers surrendered to him, and four
to members of his staff. Meanwhile the Confederate infantry had
rallied and made a stand. At this point Lander's cavalry became
demoralized and would not face the fire; but he now advanced his
infantry, which cleared the road, captured many prisoners, and pursued
the flying enemy eight miles. The total Confederate loss was near 100.
The National loss was seven killed and wounded. Among the latter was
Fitz-James O'Brien, the brilliant poet and story writer, who died of
his wound two months later. The Eighth Ohio Regiment was commanded by
Col. Samuel S. Carroll, who received special praise for his gallantry
in this affair, and two years later, at the request of General Grant,
was promoted to a brigadier-generalship for his brilliant services in
{218} the Wilderness. General Lander, who was especially complimented
for this affair in a letter from President Lincoln, died in March from
the effects of a wound received the previous year. He was one of the
most patriotic and earnest men and promising officers in the service,
and, like his staff officer who fell here, was himself somewhat of a
poet.
There were many little bands of bushwhackers in the mountainous
portions of the territory covered by the seat of war. Commonly they
occupied themselves only in seeking opportunities for murder and
robbery of Union citizens, but occasionally they made a stand and
showed fight when the bluecoats appeared. Early in May one company of
the Twenty-third Ohio infantry had a fight with such a band at Clark's
Hollow, W. Va. Under command of Lieutenant Bottsford they scouted the
hills until they found the camp of the bushwhackers, which had just
been abandoned. Resting for the night at the only house in the hollow,
Bottsford's men were attacked at daybreak by the gang they had been
hunting, who outnumbered them about five to one. They took possession
of the house, made loop-holes in the chinking between the logs, and,
being all sharp-shooters, were able to keep the enemy at bay. The
leader of the bushwhackers called to his men to follow him in a charge
upon the house, assuring them that the Yankees would quickly
surrender; but as he immediately fell, and three of his men,
endeavoring to get to him, had the same fate, the remainder retreated.
Soon afterward the rest of the regiment, commanded by Lieut.-Col.
Rutherford B. Hayes, came up and made pursuit. The flying bushwhackers
set fire to the little village of Princeton and disappeared over the
mountain. In this affair the National loss was one killed and 21
wounded; of the bushwhackers, 16 were killed and 67 wounded.
On the 10th of September, at Fayetteville, the Thirty-fourth Ohio
Regiment, under command of Col. John T. Toland, looking for the enemy
near Fayetteville, W. Va., found more of him than they wanted. The
Confederates were in heavy force, commanded by Gen. William W. Loring,
and were posted in the woods on the summit of a steep hill. After
three hours of fighting Toland was unable to gain the woods or to
flank the enemy, and was obliged to retire, while the Confederates
fired upon him from the heights as he passed. He had lost, in killed,
wounded, and missing, 109 men. The loss of the Confederates was not
ascertained, but was probably very slight.
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN C. FRÉMONT.]
* * * * *
After Burnside had established a basis of operations on the North
Carolina coast there were numerous small expeditions thence to the
interior. These were partly for the purpose of foraging, partly for
observation to detect any movements of large bodies of Confederate
troops, and partly to give protection and encouragement to Union
citizens, of whom were many in that State. On June 5th a
reconnoissance in force was made from Washington, N. C., for the
purpose of testing the report that a considerable force of cavalry and
infantry had been gathered near Pactolus. The expedition was commanded
by Colonel Potter of the First North Carolina (National) volunteers,
and was accompanied by Lieutenant Avery of the Marine artillery with
three boat-howitzers. The day was oppressively hot, and the march
laborious. All along the route slaves came from their work in the
field, leaned upon the fences, and gave the soldiers welcome in their
characteristic way. The enemy were first found at Hodge's Mills, where
they were strongly posted between two swamps with the additional
protection from two mills. They had cut away the flooring of the mill
flumes to prevent the cavalry from reaching them, and on the approach
of the National advance they opened fire. The artillery was at once
ordered forward within half musket range, and opened such a sharp and
accurate fire that in forty-five minutes it completely riddled the
buildings and brought down many Confederate sharp-shooters from the
trees. When the main body of the troops rushed forward to charge the
position, it was found that the Confederates had disappeared. The
National loss was 16 men killed or wounded; the Confederate loss was
unknown, but was supposed to be nearly a hundred, including the
colonel commanding. In their flight they left behind them large
numbers of weapons and accoutrements. This action is known as the
battle of Tranter's Creek.
[Illustration: COLONEL PERCY WYNDHAM.]
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL JULIUS H. STAHEL.]
On the 2d of September it became known to the commander of the Federal
force occupying Plymouth, N. C., that a detachment of about 1,400
Confederates was marching on that town with the avowed intention of
burning it. Hastily bringing together a company of Hawkins's Zouaves,
a company of loyal North Carolinians, and a few civilians who were
willing to fight in defence of their homes, making in all about 300
men, the captain in command sent them out under the charge of
Orderly-Sergeant Green. Three miles from the town they met the enemy,
which consisted of infantry and cavalry commanded by Colonel Garrett.
They were bivouacked in the woods, and Green's force, making a sudden
dash, surprised them and fought the whole force for {219} an hour,
when they broke and fled. Colonel Garrett and 40 of his men were
captured, and about 70 were killed or wounded. Green lost three men.
The civilians who had joined the expedition proved to be among the
most efficient of the volunteers.
Four days later (September 6th) the Confederates attempted a similar
enterprise against Washington, N. C. Early in the morning three
companies of the National cavalry, with three guns, had gone out on
the road toward Plymouth, when the Confederate cavalry dashed in at
the other end of the town, followed by a body of about 400 infantry.
The troops remaining in the town were surprised in their barracks, and
a special effort was made to capture the loyal North Carolinians. But
the men quickly rallied, the Confederate cavalry was driven back, and
a slow street fight ensued. The troops that had gone toward Plymouth
were recalled, and guns were planted where they could sweep the
streets. The National gunboats attempted to aid the land forces, but
were largely deterred by a heavy fog. When, however, they got the
range of the houses behind which the Confederates were sheltered, the
latter quickly retreated, carrying off with them four pieces of
artillery. During the fight the gunboat _Picket_ was destroyed by the
explosion of her magazine. The National loss was about 30, and the
Confederate considerably larger.
* * * * *
Throughout the war there was a strong desire to capture or punish the
city of Charleston, which was looked upon as the cradle of secession,
and also to close its harbor to blockade runners. Elaborate and costly
operations on the seaward side were maintained for a long time, but
never with any real success. The lowlands that stretch out ten or
twelve miles south of the harbor are cut by many winding rivers and
inlets, and broken frequently by swamps. At a point a little more than
four miles south of the city was the little village of Secessionville,
which was used as a summer resort by a few planters. It is on
comparatively high ground, and borders on a deep creek on the one side
and a shallow one on the other. Across the neck of land between the
two was an earthwork about two hundred yards long, known as Battery
Lamar. There were similar works at other similar points in the region
between Secessionville and the southern shore of the harbor. The
National forces on these islands in 1862 were commanded by Gen. H. W.
Benham, who in June planned an advance for the purpose of carrying the
works at Secessionville and getting within striking distance of the
city. The division of Gen. Isaac I. Stevens was to form the assaulting
column, and Wright's division and William's brigade to act as its
support. The movement was made on June 16th, at daybreak. The orders
were that the advance should be made in silence, with no firing that
could be avoided. Stevens's men pushed forward, captured the
Confederate picket, and approached the works through an open field.
But the enemy were not surprised, and a heavy fire of musketry and
artillery was opened upon them almost from the first. It was found
that the front presented by the work was too narrow for proper
deployment of much more than a regiment, and the assailants suffered
accordingly. There was also a line of abatis to be broken through, and
a deep ditch; and yet a portion of the assaulting forces actually
reached the parapet, but, of course, found it impossible to carry the
works. The Eighth Michigan, which was in the advance, lost 182 men out
of 534, including 12 of its 22 officers. Col. William M. Fenton, who
commanded this regiment, says: "The order not to fire, but use the
bayonet, was obeyed, and the advance companies reached the parapet of
the works at the angle on our right and front, engaging the enemy at
the point of the bayonet. During our advance the enemy opened upon our
lines an exceedingly destructive fire of grape, canister, and
musketry, and yet the regiment pushed on as veterans, divided only to
the right and left by a sweeping torrent from the enemy's main gun in
front. The enemy's fire proved so galling and destructive that our men
on the parapet were obliged to retire under its cover. The field was
furrowed across with cotton ridges, and many of the men lay there,
loading and firing as deliberately as though on their hunting grounds
at home." Even had they been able to carry the work, they could not
have held it long, for its whole interior was commanded by elaborate
rifle-pits in the rear. Artillery was brought up and well served, but
made no real impression upon the enemy. When it became evident that no
success was possible, General Stevens withdrew his command in a slow
and orderly manner. General Beauregard says: "The point attacked by
Generals Benham and I. I. Stevens was the strongest one of the whole
line, which was then unfinished and was designed to be some five miles
in length. The two Federal commanders might have overcome the
obstacles in their front had they proceeded farther up the Stone. Even
as it was, the fight at Secessionville was lost, in a great measure,
by lack of tenacity on the part of Generals Benham and Stevens. It was
saved by the skin of our teeth." The National loss in this action was
683 men, out of about 3,500 actually engaged. The Confederates, who
were commanded by Gen. N. G. Evans, lost about 200.
[Illustration: LIEUTENANT-COLONEL RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. (Afterward
Brevet Major-General.)]
[Illustration: BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES SHIELDS.]
In October an expedition was planned to set out from Hilton Head,
S. C., go up Broad River to the Coosahatchie and destroy the railroad
and bridges in that vicinity, in order to sever the communications
between Charleston and Savannah. It was under the command of
Brig.-Gen. J. M. Brannan, and included about 4,500 men. Ascending
Broad River on gunboats {220} and transports, October 22d, they landed
at the junction of the Pocotaligo and Tullafiny, and immediately
pushed inland toward Pocotaligo bridge. They marched about five miles
before they encountered any resistance, but from that point were fired
upon by batteries placed in commanding positions. As one after another
of these was bombarded or flanked, the Confederates retired to the
next, burning the bridges behind them, and in some places the pursuing
forces were obliged to wade through swamps and streams nearly shoulder
deep. At the Pocotaligo there was a heavy Confederate force well
posted behind a swamp, with artillery, commanded by General Walker,
and here Brannan's artillery ammunition gave out. As the day was now
nearly spent, and there seemed no probability of reaching the
railroad, Brannan slowly retired and returned to Hilton Head. A
detachment which he had sent out under Col. William B. Barton, of the
Forty-eighth New York Regiment, had marched directly to the
Coosahatchie and poured a destructive fire into a train that was
filled with Confederate soldiers coming from Savannah to the
assistance of General Walker. He then tore up the railroad for a
considerable distance, and pushed on toward the town, but there found
the enemy in a position too strong to be carried, and, after
exchanging a few rounds, retired to his boats. The National loss in
this expedition was about 300; that of the Confederates was probably
equal.
[Illustration: NEGRO QUARTERS, HILTON HEAD.]
[Illustration: A NORTH CAROLINA SWAMP.]
* * * * *
The situation of Fort Pulaski relatively to Savannah was quite similar
to that of Fort Sumter relatively to Charleston. It stood on an island
in the mouth of Savannah River and protected the entrance to the
harbor. Just one year after the bombardment and reduction of Sumter by
the Confederate forces, Fort Pulaski was bombarded and reduced by the
National forces. This work was of similar construction with Fort
Sumter, having brick walls seven and a half feet thick and twenty-five
feet high. It was on Cockspur Island, which is a mile long by half
a mile wide, and commanded all the channels leading up to the
harbor. At the opening of the war it was seized by the Confederate
authorities, and it was garrisoned by 385 men, under command of Col.
Charles H. Olmstead. It mounted forty heavy guns, which protected
blockade-runners and kept out National vessels. Soon after the capture
of Port Royal, Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore was ordered to make a
reconnoissance of this work and the ground on Tybee Island southeast
of it, with a view to its reduction. He reported that it was possible
to plant batteries of rifled guns and mortars on Tybee Island, and
also on Jones Island, with which he believed the work could be
reduced. Jones Island is northwest of Cockspur Island. The Forty-sixth
New York Regiment, commanded by Colonel Rosa, was sent to occupy Tybee
Island, and a passage was opened between the islands and the mainland
north of Savannah, so that guns could be brought through and placed on
Jones Island. This was done with tremendous labor, the mortars
weighing more than eight tons each and having to be dragged over deep
mud on plank platforms, most of the work being done at night. The
Seventh Connecticut Regiment was now sent to join the Forty-sixth New
York on Tybee, and the construction of batteries and magazines {221}
on that island was begun. Here, also, the guns had to be carried
across spongy ground, 250 men being required for the slow movement of
each piece, and all the work being done at night and in silence; for
the batteries were to be erected within easy reach of the guns of the
fort. Their construction occupied about two months, and screens of
bushes were contrived to conceal from the Confederates what was going
on. There were eleven batteries ranged along the northern edge of
Tybee Island, mounting twenty heavy guns and sixteen thirteen-inch
mortars. When all was ready, the fort was summoned to surrender by
Gen. David Hunter, who had recently been placed in command of the
department. Colonel Olmstead replied: "I can only say that I am here
to defend the fort, not to surrender it." Thereupon the batteries
opened fire upon the fort, and a bombardment of thirty hours
ensued--April 10 and 11. At the end of that time ten of the fort's
guns were dismounted, and, as the fire of the rifled guns was rapidly
reducing its masonry to ruins, it was evident that it could not hold
out much longer; whereupon Colonel Olmstead surrendered. The only
casualties were one man killed on the National side, and three wounded
in the fort. It was found that the mortars had produced very little
effect, the real work being done by the rifled guns. General Hunter
said in his report: "The result of this bombardment must cause, I am
convinced, a change in the construction of fortifications as radical
as that foreshadowed in naval architecture by the conflict between the
_Monitor_ and the _Merrimac_. No works of stone or brick can resist
the impact of rifled artillery of heavy calibre." And General Gillmore
said: "Mortars are unavailable for the reduction of works of small
area like Fort Pulaski. They cannot be fired with sufficient accuracy
to crush the casement arches." A fortnight later, the attempt to
reduce Forts Jackson and St. Philip led Farragut to the same
conclusion concerning the use of mortars.
[Illustration: BATTLE OF SECESSIONVILLE, JAMES ISLAND, S. C.]
[Illustration: BRIGADIER-GENERAL EGBERT L. VIELE.]
One who participated in the bombardment relates an amusing incident.
The batteries were under the immediate command of Lieut. (afterward
General) Horace Porter, who went around to every gun to ascertain
whether its captain was provided with everything that would be
necessary when the firing should begin. At one mortar battery fuse
plugs were wanting, and the officer was in despair. This battery had
the position nearest to the fort, and its four mortars were useless
without the plugs. Finally he remembered that there was a Yankee
regiment on the island, and remarked, "All Yankees are whittlers. If
this regiment could be turned out to-night, they might whittle enough
fuse plugs before morning to fire a thousand rounds." Thereupon he
rode out in the darkness to the camp of that regiment, which was
immediately ordered out to whittle, and provided all the fuse plugs
that were needed. The first gun was fired by Lieut. P. H. O'Rourke,
who afterward fell at the head of his regiment at Gettysburg. It is
said that the first gun against Sumter had been fired by a classmate
of his. One who was in the fort says: "At the close of the fight all
the parapet guns were dismounted except three. Every casemate gun in
the southeast section of the fort was dismounted, and the casemate
walls breached in almost every instance to the top of the arch. The
moat was so filled with brick and mortar that one could have passed
over dry shod. The parapet walls on the Tybee side were all gone. The
protection to the magazine in the northwest angle of the fort had all
been shot away, the entire corner of the magazine was shot off, and
the powder exposed. Such was the condition of affairs when Colonel
Olmstead called a council of officers in the casemate, and they all
acquiesced in the necessity of a capitulation in order to save the
garrison from destruction by an explosion, which was momentarily
threatened."
* * * * *
{222} [Illustration: FORT PULASKI DURING BOMBARDMENT, APRIL 11, 1862.]
On the 16th of April the Eighth Michigan Regiment, Col. William M.
Fenton, with a detachment of Rhode Island artillery, was {223} sent
from Tybee Island, Ga., to make a reconnoissance of Wilmington Island.
On landing, they marched inland by three different roads, and soon
discovered the enemy in some force. They took up a position for
defence and were attacked by the Thirteenth Georgia Regiment. When
Colonel Fenton ordered the bugler to sound the charge for his main
body, his advance mistook it for retreat, fell back, and threw his
line into confusion. At this moment the enemy advanced and began
firing. Order was soon restored, and through the vigorous efforts of
Lieut. C. H. Wilson one company was carried to the right, through the
woods, and made a flank attack upon the enemy's left. Thereupon the
Confederates slowly retired, leaving their dead and wounded on the
field. The National loss was 45 men; Confederate loss, unknown.
On the 10th of January an expedition consisting of 5,000
men--infantry, cavalry, and artillery--set out from Cairo to make an
extended reconnoissance in the neighborhood of Columbus, Ky., and in
the direction of Mayfield. It was led by John A. McClernand, who was
temporarily in command of that district. Nearly every point of any
consequence within fifteen or twenty miles was visited, roads were
discovered that had not been laid down on any map, the position of the
enemy at Columbus was correctly ascertained, and much information was
obtained regarding the disposition of the inhabitants toward the
Government. The march of about one hundred and forty miles was made
over icy and miry roads with considerable difficulty, and proved
useful for future operations, although it was not enlivened by any
conflict.
On the 15th of February Bowling Green, which had been considered an
important point in the line of defence that was first broken by
General Grant at Fort Henry, was evacuated by the Confederates, who
went to join their comrades at Fort Donelson. The National troops
under General Buell, marching forty miles in twenty-eight hours, took
possession of the place in the afternoon.
Many of the gaps in the Alleghenies were strategically important
because they were the natural places for the crossing of the road that
connected the States east and west of that range, and there were
frequent expeditions and small actions at these gaps by which one side
or the other sought to clear them of the enemy. One of these took
place in March, 1862, when it was discovered that a somewhat irregular
Confederate force of about 500 men had taken possession of Pound Gap,
Eastern Kentucky, built huts, and gathered supplies for a permanent
occupation. A road to Abingdon, Va., passes through this gap. General
James A. Garfield, whose defeat of Humphrey Marshall on the Big Sandy
has been recorded in an earlier chapter, set out a month later, March
13th, with a force of 900 men to clear the Gap. It was a laborious
march of two days in snow and rain and mud, with roads obstructed by
felled trees, and streams whose bridges had been destroyed. Arriving
at Elkton Creek, two miles below the Gap, Garfield sent out his
cavalry to reconnoitre the position of the enemy, and himself with the
infantry climbed the mountain a mile or two below the Gap, and thence
moved along the summit to attack them in the flank. When this force
arrived at the Gap, the enemy were found deployed on the summit at its
opposite side. Garfield deployed his own force down the eastern slope,
and then ordered them to charge through the ravine and up the hill
held by the enemy, which they promptly did. But before they could
ascend the southern slope the whole Confederate force disappeared.
Nothing was left for the National troops to do but to ransack the
captured camp, pack up what they could of the large quantity of
supplies, burn the remainder, and return whence they came.
When Kentucky was invaded by the Confederate forces of Bragg, Humphrey
Marshall, and Kirby Smith, the movement was accompanied and assisted
by a raid from a large band of guerillas, or partisan rangers as they
called themselves, led by a bold rider named John H. Morgan. The
principal resistance to Morgan was at Cynthiana, July 17th, about
fifty miles south of Cincinnati. The National troops occupying that
town were commanded by Lieut.-Col. J. J. Landrum, and numbered about
340, a part of them being home guards not very well armed or
disciplined, with one field gun. Morgan's men approached the town
suddenly, drove in the pickets, and began shelling the place without
giving any notice for the women and children to be removed. Landrum
immediately placed his one gun in the public square, where it could be
turned so as to sweep almost any of the roads entering the town, and
posted all of his force except the artillery in the outskirts where he
supposed the enemy were approaching, putting most of them at the
bridge overlooking. But to his surprise Morgan's force was very large
in comparison with his own, and entered the town from a different
direction. In a little while Landrum's men found themselves
practically surrounded, and subjected to a sharp fire both front and
rear, the guerillas having the shelter of the houses. The artillerymen
in the square were subjected to so hot a fire from the riflemen that
they were obliged to abandon their gun. Colonel Landrum writes: "I
rode along the railroad to Rankin's Hotel to ascertain what position
the enemy was taking. Here I met an officer of the rebel band, aid to
Colonel Morgan, who demanded my surrender. I replied, 'I never
surrender,' and instantly discharged three shots at him, two of which
took effect in his breast. He fell from his horse, and I thought him
dead; but he is still living, and will probably recover,
notwithstanding two balls passed through his body." A portion of
Landrum's force, posted north of the town, was overpowered and forced
to surrender. With another portion he attempted to drive the enemy
from the bridge and take their battery, but found them so strong there
as to render this hopeless, while all the time he was subjected to a
fire from the rear. Finally he determined with the remainder of his
men to cut his way through and escape. He emerged from the town in a
southeast direction, met and routed a small detachment of the enemy,
and was pursued by another detachment when he made a stand, posting
his men behind the fences, and for a considerable time held them in
check. When his ammunition was exhausted he gave orders for every man
to save himself as he could, and thus his command was dispersed. In
this affair the National forces lost about 70 men killed or wounded.
The loss of the guerillas is unknown, but they left behind them a
considerable number of wounded, and the capture of the town must have
cost them about 100 men. In this raid Morgan is said to have commanded
from 900 to 1,200 men, to have ridden over 1,000 miles, captured 17
towns, and paroled nearly 1,200 prisoners.
The smaller guerilla raids in Kentucky that year were more numerous
than any popular history could find space to record. Some of them,
however, were spiritedly met and severely punished. On the 29th of
July a band of over 200 attacked the village of Mt. Sterling. The
provost-marshal of the place, Capt. J. J. Evans, at once put every
able-bodied man in the village under arms, and posted them on both
sides of the street by which the guerillas were about to enter. He had
hardly done this when in came the enemy, yelling wildly and demanding
{224} their surrender. The answer was a well-aimed volley which
brought down the whole of their front rank, and which was rapidly
followed by other volleys that soon put them to flight. In their
retreat they met a detachment of the Eighteenth Kentucky Regiment,
under Major Bracht, which had been in pursuit of them, and when these
troops charged upon them they scattered in the fields and woods,
leaving horses, rifles, and other material. Their loss was about 100.
On the 23d of August the Seventh Kentucky cavalry, a new regiment
commanded by Col. Leonidas Metcalfe, had a fight with Confederate
troops at Big Hill, about fifteen miles from Richmond. With 400 of his
men he set out to attack the enemy, and near the top of the hill
dismounted to fight on foot. He says: "We moved forward amid a shower
of bullets and shells, which so terrified my raw, undisciplined
recruits, that I could not bring more than 100 of them in sight of the
enemy. The great majority mounted their horses and fled, without even
getting a look at the foe. It was impossible to rally them, and they
continued their flight some distance north of Richmond." The hundred
men who stood their ground fought the enemy for an hour and a half and
finally compelled them to fall back. Soon afterward a new attack was
made upon Metcalfe's men by about 100 Confederates who dashed down the
road expecting to capture them. But he had placed 200 men of a
Tennessee infantry regiment in the bushes by the roadside, and their
fire brought down many of the enemy and dispersed the remainder. A few
minutes later still another attack was made by another detachment,
and, as before, the Tennesseeans met it with a steady fire and drove
them off. Metcalfe's men then retired to Richmond, whither the
Confederates pursued them and demanded a surrender of the town.
Metcalfe replied that he would not surrender but would fight it out,
and, as he presently received reinforcements, the enemy departed. He
lost in this affair about 50 men. The Confederate loss is unknown.
[Illustration: A WOUNDED ZOUAVE. (From a War Department photograph.)]
On the same days when the great battle of Groveton or second Bull Run
was fought in Virginia (August 29th and 30th, 1862), one of the
severest of the engagements consequent upon Kirby Smith's invasion
took place at Richmond, Ky. The National forces numbered about 6,500,
largely new troops, and were commanded by Brig.-Gen. M. D. Manson.
Kirby Smith had a force at least twice as large. Early in the
afternoon of the 29th the Confederates drove in Manson's outpost, and
he, having had early information of their approach, marched out to
meet them. About two miles from the town he took possession of a high
ridge commanding the turnpike, and formed his line of battle with
artillery on the flank. The enemy soon attacked in some force, and
were driven off by the fire from the guns. Manson then advanced
another mile, where he bivouacked, and sent out his cavalry to
reconnoitre. Early in the morning of the 30th the enemy advanced
again, when Manson's men drove them back and formed on a piece of high
wooded ground near Rogersville. Here the enemy attacked him in earnest
and in great force, attempting to turn his left flank, which faced
about and fought stubbornly. More of his forces were now brought to
the front and placed in line, and the battle became quite severe. At
length the enemy, with largely superior numbers, succeeded in breaking
his left wing, which retreated in disorder. "Up to this time," says
General Manson, "I had maintained my first position for three hours
and forty minutes, during all of which time the artillery, under
command of Lieutenant Lamphere, had kept up a constant fire, except
for a very short time when the ammunition had become exhausted. The
Fifty-fifth Indiana, the Sixteenth Indiana, the Sixty-ninth Indiana,
and the Seventy-first Indiana occupied prominent and exposed positions
from the commencement of the engagement, and contended against the
enemy with a {225} determination and bravery worthy of older soldiers.
The three remaining regiments of General Cruft's brigade arrived just
at the time when our troops were in full retreat and the rout had
become general. The Eighteenth Kentucky was immediately deployed into
line, and made a desperate effort to check the advance in the enemy,
and contended with him, single-handed and alone, for twenty minutes,
when after a severe loss they were compelled to give away before
overwhelming numbers." Deploying his cavalry as a rear guard, and
placing one gun to command the road, Manson retreated to his position
of the evening before and again formed line of battle. Here the enemy
soon attacked him again, advancing through the open fields in great
force. At this moment he received an order from his superior, General
Nelson, directing him to retire if the enemy advanced in force; but it
was then too late to obey, for within five minutes the battle was in
progress along the whole line. The right of the Confederates was
crushed by Manson's artillery fire, and the enemy then made a
determined effort to crush Manson's right, which, after being several
times gallantly repelled, they at length succeeded in doing. General
Nelson now appeared upon the field, and by his orders Manson's men
fell back and took up a new position very near the town. Here they
sustained another attack for half an hour, and then were broken and
once more driven back in confusion. Manson succeeded in organizing a
rear guard which assisted the escape of his main force, but was itself
defeated and broken to pieces in a later encounter. Manson, attempting
to escape through the enemy's lines, was fired upon, and his horse was
killed, he being soon afterward taken prisoner. His loss in this
engagement was about 900 killed or wounded, besides many prisoners.
The Confederate loss was reported at about 700.
On the 9th of October a National force, commanded by Col. E. A.
Parrott, marched out and met the enemy at a place called Dogwalk, near
Lawrenceburg. Parrott placed his men in an advantageous position, with
two pieces of artillery, and soon saw the Confederate skirmishers
advancing toward it. He sent out his own skirmishers to meet them, and
placed his guns to command the road. The artillery was used very
effectively, especially in driving the enemy from a dwelling-house
where they had opened a severe fire on the line of skirmishers, and
after a fight that lasted from eight A.M. till afternoon the
Confederates retired, leaving a portion of their dead and wounded on
the field. Parrott lost fourteen men.
[Illustration: BRIGADIER-GENERAL HUMPHREY MARSHALL, C. S. A.]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: GENERAL E. KIRBY SMITH, C. S. A.]
On the 18th of December a force of Confederate cavalry, under Gen.
N. B. Forrest, captured Lexington, Tenn. The town was defended by the
Eleventh Illinois cavalry, commanded by Col. Robert G. Ingersoll,
which withstood the enemy in a fight of three hours, and was then
compelled to retreat, leaving two guns in the hands of the
Confederates, who had lost about 40 men.
The State of Tennessee, like some others of the Southern States, had
its mountain region and its lowland; and, as was generally true in
such cases in the Confederacy, the people of the mountain regions were
more inclined to be true to the Union, while those of the lowlands
favored secession. This fact, together with the position it occupied,
made Tennessee a debatable ground almost throughout the war. Besides
the great battles that were fought on her soil--Shiloh, Chickamauga,
Chattanooga, Franklin, and Nashville--there were innumerable minor
engagements of varying severity and importance.
On the 24th of March, 1862, a regiment of loyal Tennesseeans,
commanded by Col. James Carter, left their camp at Cumberland Ford and
made a march of forty miles through the mountains to Big Creek Gap,
where they fought and defeated a body of Confederate cavalry, and
captured a considerable supply of tents, arms, provisions, wagons, and
horses.
Union City, Tenn., was a small village at the junction of the {226}
railroads from Columbus and Hickman, and on the 30th of March an
expedition was sent out from Island No. 10, under Col. Abram Buford,
to make a reconnoissance there. Buford had four regiments of infantry,
with two companies of cavalry and a detachment of artillery. They made
a forced march of twenty-four hours, and discovered a body of
Confederate troops drawn in line of battle across the road near the
town. The flanks of the Confederate line were protected by woods, and
Buford sent off his cavalry to make a detour and get in their rear. In
a wheat field at the right of the road he found an eminence suitable
for his artillery, and it went into position at a gallop. Almost in
one moment the Confederates were subjected to a fire from rifle-guns,
saw a line of bayonets coming straight at them in front, and
discovered that hostile horsemen with drawn sabres were in their rear.
Naturally (and perhaps properly) they immediately turned and fled
without firing a gun. They numbered about 1,000 men, infantry and
cavalry. A few prisoners were taken, together with the camp and all
that it contained. The tents and barracks were now burned, and the
National forces marched to Hickman.
Early in June an expedition commanded by Brig.-Gen. James S. Negley,
setting out from Columbia, marched eastward and southward toward
Chattanooga, for the purpose of reconnoitring and threatening that
place, bringing some relief to the persecuted Unionists of East
Tennessee, and ascertaining the truth of a report that the
Confederates were about to make a strong movement to recapture
Nashville. Their first capture was at Winchester, of a squad of
cavalrymen, including a man who was at once a clergyman, principal of
a female seminary, and captain in the Confederate service. This man
had made himself notorious by capturing and bringing in Union men to
the town, where they were given the alternative of enlisting as
Confederate soldiers or being hanged. Andrew Johnson, military
governor of Tennessee, who had himself suffered much persecution at
the hands of the secessionists, and was very bitter toward them, had
declared that rich rebels should be made to pay for the depredations
of the roving Confederate bands upon Union men. In accordance with
this, General Negley arrested a considerable number of well-known
secessionists in Marion County and assessed them two hundred dollars
apiece, appropriating the money to the relief of Union people in that
part of the State. Crossing the mountains to the Sequatchie Valley,
the expedition first met the enemy at Sweeden's Cove. They were soon
put to flight, however, by Negley's guns, and were then pursued by his
cavalry, who overtook them after a chase of two or three miles, rode
among them, and used their sabres freely until the Confederates were
dispersed. The next day the expedition proceeded toward Chattanooga,
where they found a large Confederate force with intrenchments and
several guns in position. In the afternoon the Confederates opened
fire with rifles and artillery, to which Negley's guns made reply, and
the cannonading was kept up for two hours, during which the National
gunners exhibited the greater skill and finally silenced the enemy's
batteries. These were repaired during the ensuing night, and the next
day were bombarded again, until it was discovered that the town had
been evacuated. It is related that during this fight a man appeared on
the Confederate intrenchments displaying a black flag, and was
instantly shot down. In his report General Negley said: "The Union
people in East Tennessee are wild with joy. They meet us along the
road by hundreds. I shall send you a number of their principal
persecutors from the Sequatchie valley."
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN M. PALMER.]
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES S. NEGLEY.]
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL WILLIAM NELSON.]
About this time the roving Confederate cavalry, commanded by Gen.
N. B. Forrest, who two years later obtained such an unenviable
reputation for his conduct at Fort Pillow, began to attract special
attention by the rapidity and daring of its movements. On the 13th of
July he made an attack on Murfreesboro' at the head of about 3,000
men. The town was garrisoned by about 800, not very skilfully disposed
or very well disciplined. The attack fell principally on the Ninth
Michigan Regiment, which fought courageously hand to hand for twenty
minutes and put the enemy to flight, losing about 90 men. The attack
was soon renewed by a larger force, and finally resulted in the defeat
of the Michigan men. Meanwhile another portion of Forrest's command
had attacked the court-house, where a portion of the garrison took
shelter and kept up a destructive fire from the windows. Being unable
to drive them out, the {227} Confederates set fire to the building,
when the garrison were, of course, compelled to retire. The
Confederates captured and paroled most of the garrison, packed up and
carried off what they could plunder, and burned a large quantity of
camp equipage and clothing. The garrison was commanded by Brig.-Gen.
Thomas L. Crittenden, who was severely censured for the mismanagement
that made the disaster possible.
[Illustration: ANDREW JOHNSON. Military Governor of Tennessee,
afterward President.]
[Illustration: A SONG AROUND THE CAMPFIRE.]
Early in August Colonel De Courcey went out with his brigade from
Cumberland Gap southward toward Tazewell on a foraging expedition.
Near that town they were attacked by four Confederate regiments under
Colonel Rains, and the advance regiment of De Courcey's force was
immediately deployed across the road with artillery on the flank. The
enemy charged in columns, and was received in silence until he had
approached within two hundred and fifty yards, when a terrible fire
was opened upon him and threw him into disorder. In the meanwhile a
battery of six guns, unobserved by the Confederates, had gained an
eminence in their rear, and when it began firing they at once turned
and fled. The National loss in this short but brilliant action was 68,
50 of whom were prisoners, being two companies who were out on
detached service and were suddenly surrounded. The Confederate loss
was about 200.
Brig.-Gen. R. W. Johnson, setting out with a force of infantry,
cavalry, and artillery to pursue the raider Morgan and his men, found
them (August 21st) at Galletin, and ordered an attack. All seemed to
be going well for a time, until confusion began to appear in his
command, and soon a panic arose and half of his men ran away. He and
some of his officers tried in vain to rally them, and finally he was
obliged to order a retreat of such of his men as had stood their
ground. He then marched for Cairo on the Cumberland, but, before
reaching that place found the enemy pressing so closely in his rear
that he was obliged to form line of battle to receive them. Again,
when the firing became brisk, most of his men broke and fled, while
with the remainder of his command he held the enemy in check until the
fugitives were enabled to cross the river, when he and his little band
were surrounded and captured. He had lost 30 men killed, and 50
wounded, and 75 were made prisoners.
On the 31st of August there was a severe skirmish near Bolivar,
between two regiments of infantry and two detachments of cavalry, and
a large Confederate force, which lasted about seven hours, and was
brought to a close by an artillery fire and a gallant charge from the
National troops. In this charge Lieutenant-Colonel Hogg, of the Second
Illinois cavalry, fell in a hand-to-hand fight with Colonel
McCullough. The next day, two regiments of infantry, with two
companies of cavalry and a battery, commanded by Colonel Dennis,
moving to attack this Confederate force in the rear, encountered them
at Britton's Lane, near Denmark. Dennis, who had about 800 men,
selected a strong position and awaited attack in a large grove
surrounded by cornfields. The Confederates, commanded by
Brigadier-General Armstrong, numbered at least 5,000, and were able
merely to surround the little band. They soon captured the
transportation train and two guns, but before the fight was over
Dennis's men recaptured them. For four hours the Confederates
persisted in making successive charges, all of which were gallantly
repelled, when they retired, leaving Dennis in possession of the
field. Their loss in killed and wounded was about 400. Dennis lost 60
men.
{228} [Illustration: GOING TO THE FRONT--REGIMENTS PASSING THE ASTOR
HOUSE, NEW YORK.]
In October General Negley, commanding at Nashville, learning that a
considerable Confederate force under Generals Anderson, Harris, and
Forrest was being concentrated at La Vergne, fifteen miles eastward,
for the purpose of assaulting the city, sent out a force of about
2,500 men, under command of Gen. John M. Palmer, to attack them. A
portion of this force marched directly by the Murfreesboro' road,
while the remainder made a detour to the south. The Confederate
pickets and videttes were on the alert, and made a skirmish for
several miles, enabling the main body to prepare for the attack. The
battle was opened by fire of the Confederate artillery, but this was
soon silenced when a shell exploded their ammunition chest. Almost at
the same moment the detachment that had made a detour came up and
struck the Confederates on the flank, at the same time deploying
skilfully so as to cut off their retreat. In this difficult situation
the Confederates held their ground and fought for half an hour before
they broke and retreated in confusion. They had lost about 80 men
killed or wounded, and 175 were captured, besides three {229} guns, a
considerable amount of stores, stand of colors, etc. General Palmer
lost 18 men.
On the 18th of November 200 men of the Eighth Kentucky Regiment, under
Lieutenant-Colonel May, was guarding a supply train bivouacked on an
old camp-meeting ground at Rural Hills, seventeen miles southeast of
Nashville. While they were at breakfast the next morning the crack of
rifles was heard, and in a moment two columns of Confederate cavalry
were seen rushing upon them from their front and their right. The boys
in blue seized their muskets, fell into line, and in a moment met the
enemy with a sharp and continuous fire. Presently a section of
National artillery was brought into action, and not only played upon
the enemy immediately in front, but also upon a larger body that was
discovered somewhat more than a mile away. This was answered by two or
three Confederate guns, and the fight was continued for half an hour,
when the assailants withdrew, leaving a dozen dead men on the field.
Colonel May lost no men.
A similar affair took place on the 6th of December, at Lebanon, where
the Ninety-third Ohio Regiment, under Col. Charles Anderson, was
guarding a forage train. Seeing an enemy in front, who were evidently
preparing to intercept the train, he marched his regiment in
double-quick time through the fields skirting the road, in order to
get ahead of the train and prevent an attack upon it. By the time he
got there the Confederates were in position to receive him, and a
sharp fight ensued, which ended in the flight of the Confederates. In
these little affairs there was often displayed a dash and courage by
individual soldiers, which in a war of less gigantic dimensions would
have immortalized them. Every historian of the Revolutionary war
thinks it necessary to record anew the fact that when the flagstaff of
Fort Moultrie was shot away Sergeant Jasper leaped down from the
parapet and recovered it under fire. Without disparaging his exploit,
it may be said that it was surpassed in hundreds of instances by men
on both sides in the civil war. In the little action just described,
William C. Stewart, a color-bearer, was under fire for the first time
in his life. Colonel Anderson says he "stood out in front of his
company and of the regiment with his tall person and our glorious flag
elevated to their highest reach; nor could he be persuaded to seek
cover or to lower his colors."
At Hartsville on the Cumberland, about forty miles from Murfreesboro',
1,900 National troops, under command of Col. Absalom B. Moore, were
encamped in a position which would have been very strong if held by a
larger force, but was dangerous for one so small. Against this place
Morgan the raider, at the head of 4,000 men, marched on the 7th of
December. He crossed the river seven miles from Hartsville, at a point
where nobody supposed it could be crossed by any such force, on
account of the steepness of the banks. With a little digging he made a
slope, down which he slid his horses, and at the water's edge his men
remounted. Coming up unexpectedly by a byroad, they captured all the
National pickets except one, who gave the alarm and ran into the camp.
The Nationals formed quickly in line of battle, but at the first fire
the One Hundred and Eighth Ohio broke, leaving the flank exposed. The
Confederates saw their advantage, seized it, and quickly poured in a
cross-fire, which compelled the remainder of Moore's forces to fall
back, though they did not do it without first making a stubborn fight.
Soon afterward Colonel Moore, considering it sufficiently evident that
further resistance was useless, raised a white flag and surrendered
his entire command.
A similar surrender took place at Trenton, December 20th, when
Forrest's cavalry attacked that place for the purpose of breaking the
railroad and cutting off General Grant's supplies. Col. Jacob Fry, who
was in command there, had been notified by Grant to look out for
Forrest, as he was moving in that direction. He got together what
force he could, consisting largely of convalescents and fugitives, and
numbering but 250 in all, and prepared to make a defence. He had a few
sharp-shooters, whom he placed on two buildings commanding two of the
principal streets, and when in the afternoon the enemy appeared,
charging in two columns, they were met by so severe a fire from these
men that they quickly moved out of range. Forrest then planted a
battery of six guns where it could command the position held by the
Nationals, and opened fire with shells. Colonel Fry says: "Seeing that
we were completely in their power, and had done all the damage to them
we could, I called a council of officers. They were unanimous for
surrender.... The terms of the surrender were unconditional; but
General Forrest admitted us to our paroles the next morning, sending
the Tennessee troops immediately home, and others to Columbus under a
flag of truce."
Thus far in his raiding operations General Forrest had had things
mainly his own way, but in the closing engagement he was not so
fortunate. While he was marching toward Lexington a force of 1,500
men, commanded by Col. C. L. Dunham, was sent out to intercept him,
and came upon a portion of his troops at Parker's Cross Roads, five
miles south of Clarksburg, on the 30th of December. After some
preliminary skirmishes Dunham, seeing that he was soon to be attacked,
placed his men in readiness, and with two pieces of artillery opened
fire. This was replied to by the Confederates with six guns, and
Dunham then retreated some distance to a good position on the crest of
a ridge, placing his wagon train in the rear. The enemy in heavy
column soon emerged from the woods, and made a movement evidently
intended to gain his flank and rear; whereupon he promptly changed his
position to face them, and opened fire. But the Confederate artillery
gained a position where it could enfilade his lines, and at the same
time he was attacked in the rear by a detachment of dismounted
cavalry. Again he promptly changed his position, facing to the rear,
and drove off the enemy with a considerable loss, completing their
rout by a brilliant bayonet charge. A detachment of cavalry also made
two charges upon him from another direction, and both times was
repelled. This was the end of the principal fighting of the day. A few
minutes later Forrest sent in a flag of truce demanding an
unconditional surrender, to which Colonel Dunham replied: "You will
get away with that flag very quickly, and bring me no more such
messages. Give my compliments to the general, and tell him I never
surrender. If he thinks he can take me, come and try." In the course
of the battle Dunham's wagon train was captured, and he now called for
volunteers to retake it. A company of the Thirty-ninth Iowa offered
themselves for this task and quickly accomplished it, not only
recapturing the train but bringing in also several prisoners,
including Forrest's adjutant-general and three other officers.
Reinforcements for Dunham now approached, and the Confederates
departed. The National loss, in killed, wounded, and missing, was 220.
The Confederate loss is unknown. Another instance of peculiar
individual gallantry is here mentioned by the colonel in his report.
"As our line faced about and pressed back in their engagement of the
enemy in our rear, one of the guns of the battery was left behind in
the edge of the woods. All the {230} horses belonging to it had been
killed but two. After everybody had passed and left it, Private E. A.
Topliff, fearing that the enemy might capture it, alone and under a
smart fire disengaged the two horses, hitched them to the piece, and
took it safely out."
* * * * *
Although the struggle to determine whether Missouri should remain in
the Union or go out of it had been decided in the first year of the
war, her soil was by no means free from contention and bloodshed in
the second year. The earliest conflict took place in Randolph County,
January 8th, where 1,000 Confederates, under Colonel Poindexter, took
up a strong position at Roan's Tanyard, on Silver Creek, seven miles
south of Huntsville. Here they were attacked by about 500 men under
Majors Torrence and Hubbard, and after half an hour's fighting were
completely routed. Their defeat was owing mainly to the inefficiency
of their commander. The victors burned the camp and a considerable
amount of stores.
In February Captain Nolen, of the Seventh Illinois cavalry, with 64
men, while reconnoitring near Charleston, struck a small detachment of
Confederate cavalry under Jeff Thompson. Nolen pursued them for some
distance, and when Thompson made a stand and brought up his battery to
command the road, the Illinois men promptly charged upon it, captured
four guns, and put the Confederates to flight.
[Illustration: BRIGADIER-GENERAL JUSTUS McKINSTRY.]
The most infamous of all the guerilla leaders was one Quantrell, who
seemed to take delight in murdering prisoners, whether they were
combatants or non-combatants. His band moved with the usual celerity
of such, and, like the others, was exceedingly difficult to capture,
or even find, when any considerable force set out to attack it. On the
22d of March a detachment of the Sixth Kansas Regiment overtook
Quantrell near Independence, killed seven of his men, and caused the
remainder to retreat precipitately, except eleven of them who were
captured.
Another encounter with Quantrell's guerilla band was had at
Warrensburg, March 26, where he attacked a detachment of a Missouri
regiment commanded by Major Emery Foster. Although Quantrell had 200
men, and Foster but 60, the latter, skilfully using a thick plank
fence for protection, succeeded in inflicting so much loss upon the
guerillas that they at length retired. Nine of them were killed and 17
wounded. The National loss was 13, including Major Foster wounded. The
same night about 500 guerillas attacked four companies of militia at
Humonsville, but were defeated and driven off with a loss of 15 killed
and a large number wounded.
On the 26th of April the Confederate general John S. Marmaduke
attacked the town of Cape Girardeau, but after a smart action was
driven off, with considerable loss, by the garrison, under Gen. John
McNeil. In the evening of the next day the cavalry force that formed
the advance guard on his retreat was surprised and attacked near
Jackson by the First Iowa cavalry and other troops. Two howitzers,
loaded with musket balls, were fired at them when they were not more
than thirty yards away, and the next instant the Iowa cavalry swooped
down upon them in a spirited charge, from which not one of the
Confederates escaped. All that were not killed were captured, together
with a few guns, horses, etc.
[Illustration: A MILITARY PONTOON BRIDGE.]
One of the most desperate fights with guerillas took place near
Memphis, Mo., on the 18th of July. A band of 600 had chosen a strong
position for their camp, partly concealed {231} by heavy brush and
timber, when they were attacked by a force of cavalry and militia,
commanded by Major John Y. Clopper. Clopper first knew their location
when they fired from concealment upon his advance guard, and he
immediately made dispositions for an attack. His men made five
successive charges across open ground, and were five times repelled;
but, nothing disheartened, and having now learned the exact position
of the concealed enemy, they advanced in a sixth charge, and engaged
him hand to hand. The result of the fight was the complete defeat of
the guerillas, who fled, leaving their dead and wounded on the field
and in the woods. Clopper lost 83 men.
In these affairs the guerillas were by no means always defeated. When
in August a band of 800 had been gathered by one Hughes, it was
determined to make an attack upon the small National garrison at
Independence, principally for the purpose of obtaining additional
arms. The guerillas surprised, captured, and murdered the picket
before they could give an alarm, and then entered the town by two
roads, and attacked the various buildings where detachments of the
garrison were stationed. A gallant resistance was made at every
possible point; but as the guerillas outnumbered the defenders two to
one, and there was no prospect of any relief, Lieut.-Col. J. T. Buell,
commanding the town, finally surrendered. Hughes and many of his men
had been killed. Several of the buildings were riddled with balls, and
26 of the garrison lost their lives.
Again, at Lone Jack, Mo., five days later (August 16th), the guerillas
were successful in a fight with the State militia. Major Foster at the
head of 600 militiamen was hunting guerillas, when he suddenly found
more than he wanted to see at one time. They were estimated at 4,000,
and on the approach of Foster's little force they turned and attacked
him. Foster's men fought gallantly for four hours, and were not
overpowered until they had lost 160 men, the loss of the guerillas
being about equal. On the approach of National reinforcements the
guerillas retreated.
A month later, at Shirley's Ford on Spring River, the Third Indiana
Regiment, commanded by Colonel Ritchie, attacked and defeated a force
of 600 guerillas, including about 100 Cherokee Indians, 60 of whom
were killed or wounded before they retreated.
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN S. MARMADUKE, C. S. A.]
[Illustration: BRIGADIER-GENERAL JEFF M. THOMPSON, C. S. A.]
[Illustration: BRIGADIER-GENERAL H. H. SIBLEY, C. S. A.]
One more desperate fight with guerillas in that State took place on
the 29th of October, near Butler, in Bates County. A band of them, who
had been committing depredations, and were threatening several towns,
were pursued by 220 men of the First Kansas colored regiment,
commanded by white officers. The guerillas in superior force attacked
them near Osage Island, charging upon them and making every
demonstration of special hatred for the blacks; but the colored men
stood their ground like any other good soldiers, and dealt out severe
punishment to the guerillas. When, finally, the cavalrymen succeeded
in riding in among the colored troops, many desperate hand-to-hand
encounters ensued. Not a colored soldier would surrender; and one of
the leaders of the guerillas, in describing the action, said that "the
black devils fought like tigers." The character of much of the
guerilla fighting may be seen from a few incidents of this battle.
While Lieutenant Gardner was lying wounded and insensible, a guerilla
approached him, cut his revolver from the belt, and fired it at his
head. Fortunately the ball only grazed the skull, and the next instant
a wounded colored soldier near by raised himself sufficiently to level
his musket and shoot the miscreant dead. Captain Crew had been killed,
and a guerilla was rifling his pockets, when another wounded colored
soldier summoned strength enough to get to his feet and despatch the
guerilla with his bayonet. On the approach of reinforcements for the
little band, the guerillas retreated. The National force lost about 20
men.
* * * * *
Northern Arkansas, as well as southern Missouri, was infested by bands
of Confederate guerillas, though it was not so rich a field for their
operations, as the number of Unionists in that State was comparatively
small.
In February, the First Missouri cavalry, hunting guerillas there, were
fired upon from ambush at Sugar Creek, and 18 men fell. The regiment
immediately formed for action, and artillery was brought up and the
woods were shelled, but with no result except the unseen retreat of
the enemy.
* * * * *
At Searcy Landing, on Little Red River, 150 men of the National force
had a fight with about twice their number of Confederates, whom they
routed with a loss of nearly 100 men.
On the 22d of October, Brig.-Gen. James G. Blunt, commanding a
division of the Army of the Frontier, set out from Pea Ridge with two
brigades. After a toilsome march of thirty {232} miles he came upon a
Confederate force at Old Fort Wayne, near Maysville, which consisted
of two Texas regiments and other troops, numbering about 5,000 in all.
He found them in position to receive battle, but believing that they
intended to retreat he made haste to attack them with his advance
guard and shell them with two howitzers. The enemy promptly answered
the artillery fire and showed no signs of retreating, but on the
contrary attempted to overwhelm the little force. General Blunt
hurried forward the main body of his troops and flanked the enemy upon
both wings, then making a charge upon their centre and capturing their
artillery. This completely broke them up, and they fled in disorder,
being pursued for seven miles. Blunt lost about a dozen men, and found
50 of the enemy's dead on the field.
[Illustration: PRACTICE BATTERY, NAVAL ACADEMY, ANNAPOLIS, MD.]
On the 26th of November General Blunt learned that Marmaduke's
Confederate command was at Cane Hill, and immediately set out to
attack it with 5,000 men and 30 guns. After a march of thirty-five
miles he sent spies into the enemy's camp to learn its exact location
and condition, who discovered that on one of the approaches there were
no pickets out. He therefore made his dispositions for an attack on
that side, and was not discovered until he was within half a mile of
their lines, when they opened upon him with artillery. He replied with
one battery, and kept up a brisk fire while he sent back to hurry up
the main body of his troops. Placing guns on an eminence, he shelled
the enemy very effectively, and then formed his command in line for an
advance, expecting a desperate resistance, but found to his surprise
that they had quietly retreated. They made a stand a few miles distant
at the base of the Boston Mountains, and there he attacked them again,
when they retired to a lofty position on the mountain side, with
artillery on the crest. The Second and Eleventh Kansas and Third
Cherokee regiments stormed this position and carried it, when the
enemy fled in disorder and was pursued for three miles through the
woods. Here another stand was made by their rear guard, which was
promptly charged by Blunt's cavalry. But the position defended was in
a defile, and the cavalry suffered severely. Bringing up his guns,
Blunt was about to shell them out, when they sent in a flag of truce
with a request for permission to remove their dead and wounded.
General Blunt granted this, but it proved that the flag of truce {233}
was only a trick of Marmaduke's to obtain time to escape with his
command. Darkness now came on, and the pursuit was abandoned. Blunt
had lost about 40 men, and Marmaduke about 100.
A much more important action than of those just recorded took place at
Prairie Grove on the 7th of December. Learning that General Hindman's
forces had joined those of General Marmaduke, making an army of about
25,000 men, General Blunt, fearing an attack, ordered the divisions
commanded by Gen. F. J. Herron to join him at once. Herron obeyed the
order promptly; but the Confederates, learning of this movement, made
an advance for the purpose of interposing between Blunt and Herron.
They attacked Herron first, who drove back their advance and then
found them in position on a ridge commanding the ford across Illinois
Creek. Herron sent a detachment of his men to cut a road through the
woods and come in upon their flank, thus drawing their fire in that
direction and enabling his main force to cross the ford. This movement
was successful, and in a short time his command had crossed and
brought its guns to bear upon the enemy's position. He then pushed
forward his infantry in several charges, one of which captured a
battery, but all of which were finally repelled. The Confederates then
made a grand charge in return and came within a hundred yards of
Herron's guns, but the fire of artillery and musketry was too much for
them, and they retired in disorder. Again, in his turn, Herron charged
with two regiments, again captured a battery, and again was forced to
retire. While this action was in progress Blunt was pressing forward
to the relief of Herron with his command, and now came in on the
right, joined in the fight and defeated the enemy, who repeated their
trick with a flag of truce and escaped in the night. In this battle
the total National loss, killed, wounded, and missing, was 1,148. The
Confederate loss is not exactly known, but was much larger, and
included General Stein among the killed.
[Illustration: CONSTRUCTING WINTER QUARTERS.]
[Illustration: ALLAN PINKERTON AND SECRET SERVICE OFFICERS.]
The great war extended not only over the Southern States, but into
some of the Territories. In the summer of 1861 the Confederate
government commanded Gen. H. H. Sibley to organize a brigade in Texas
and march northward into New Mexico for the conquest of that
Territory. He moved up the Rio Grande in January, 1862, and early in
February came within striking distance of Fort Craig, on the western
bank of the river, which was the headquarters of Col. (afterward Gen.)
E. R. S. Canby, who commanded the National forces in New Mexico. Canby
planned to attack him, and began by sending a force of cavalry with
two batteries to cut off the Texans from their supply of water at the
river. In that vicinity, on account of the steep banks, there was only
one point where the stream could be reached. This detachment, however,
was a little too late, as the Confederates had already gained the
water. Colonel Roberts, in command of the detachment, fired upon them
with his batteries, dismounted one of their guns, and drove them off.
Roberts then crossed to the eastern bank, and the fight was renewed
with varying success, until the Confederates charged upon and captured
some of his guns. Colonel Canby then came upon the field with more of
his forces and ordered an advance to attack the enemy where he
appeared to be lurking in the edge of a wood. But the Confederates did
not wait to be attacked. After a sharp musketry fire on the right
flank, they made desperate charges to capture Canby's two batteries.
The one against Hall's battery was made by cavalry, and the horsemen
were struck down so rapidly by the fire of the guns that they could
not reach it. The other was made by infantry, armed principally with
revolvers. The guns, commanded by Captain McRae, were served rapidly
and skilfully, and made awful slaughter of the Texans; but they
continually closed up the gaps in their ranks and steadily pushed
forward until the battery was theirs. The infantry supports, who
should have prevented this capture, miserably failed in their duty and
finally ran away from the field. McRae and his men remained at their
guns till the last minute, and most of them, including Captain McRae,
were killed. With the loss of the battery, hope of victory was gone,
and the National troops retired to the fort. Canby had in this fight
about 1,500 men, and lost about 200. The Confederates numbered about
2,000, and their loss is unknown.
Another fight in this territory took place at Apache Cañon, twenty
miles from Santa Fé, on the 28th of March, where Major Chivington with
1,300 men and six guns overtook and attacked a force of about 2,000
Texans. The first shots were fired by a small party of the Texans in
ambush, who were immediately rushed upon and disposed of by the
advance guard of the Nationals. Chivington then pressed forward,
surprised and captured the pickets, and about noon attacked the main
force of the enemy. The battle lasted four hours, and Chivington with
his six guns had a great advantage over the Texans, who had but one.
The result was a complete defeat of the Confederates and capture of
their entire train {234} consisting of sixty-four wagons. The Texans
had made four attempts to capture Chivington's guns, as they had
captured Canby's, but only met with heavy loss. The total Confederate
loss was over 300 killed or wounded, and about 100 taken prisoners.
Chivington's loss was 150.
[Illustration: HEADQUARTER GUARD, ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.]
[Illustration: BRINGING IN A PRISONER.]
* * * * *
In obedience to an Act of Congress, Lieut.-Com. Thomas S. Phelps, in
command of the steamer _Corwin_, was detached from the North Atlantic
blockading squadron and ordered to make a regular survey of the
Potomac River, to facilitate the operations of the army, no survey of
this river ever having been made. He began the work in July, 1862, and
rapidly pushed it to its completion in March, 1863, most of the time
opposed by the artillery and cavalry of the Confederates. During the
winter months it was frequently necessary to break the ice in order to
prosecute the work. While thus engaged, he assisted materially in the
blockade of the river and in breaking up the haunts of the
contrabandists. The magnitude of the work may be imagined from the
fact that on the Kettle-bottoms alone, a section of the river about
ten miles in length by an average of four miles in width, more than
six hundred miles of soundings were run, necessitated by the immense
number of small shoals on this ground which were dangerous to
navigation. The length of river surveyed was ninety-seven miles.
* * * * *
Enraged by real or fancied wrongs in the failure of payment of
annuities, the Sioux Indians took the opportunity when the Government,
as they supposed, had all it could do to grapple with the rebellion,
to indulge in a general uprising in the Northwest. In August they
attacked several frontier towns of Minnesota and committed horrible
atrocities. The village of New Ulm was almost destroyed, and more than
100 of its citizens--men, women, and children--were massacred. They
also destroyed the agencies at Redwood and Yellow Medicine, and
attacked the villages of Hutchinson and Forest City, but from these
latter were driven off. They besieged Fort Ridgley, but did not
succeed in capturing it. Altogether they committed about 1,000
murders. Col. H. H. Sibley with a strong force was sent against them,
and in September overtook several bodies of the Sioux, all of whom he
defeated. In the principal battle two cannon, of which the Indians
have always been in mortal terror, were used upon them with great
effect. The Indians asked for a truce to rescue their wounded and bury
their dead, but Sibley declined to grant any truce until they should
return the prisoners whom they had carried off. Ultimately about 1,000
Indians were captured. Many of them were tried and condemned, and 39
were hanged.
{235}