The March—The City—Preparations for an Assault—The Attack—The
Abatis and Rifle-pits—The Charge upon the Hill—Sherman
succeeded by McClernand—General Sherman’s Farewell Order—
Result of the Expedition.
ON Saturday morning, December 27th, the advance of the “right wing of
the Army of the Tennessee” reached Vicksburg. The approach to the city
from Johnston’s Landing was very difficult, the town “being on a hill,
with a line of hills surrounding it at a distance of several miles, and
extending from Haines’ Bluff, on the Yazoo River, to Warrenton, ten
miles below, the city, on the Mississippi River. The low country in the
vicinity is swampy, filled with sloughs, bayous, and lagoons; to
approach Vicksburg with a large force by this route, even in times of
peace, would be a matter of great difficulty, and with an enemy in
front, it was almost an impossibility.”
The line of battle was soon formed by the army, and, from different
points, the onset made upon the enemy’s works. Oh! how gallantly those
Western legions beat against the ramparts! And when the twilight shadows
stole over the bristling walls and hill-sides, they had driven the rebel
forces a mile from their original position. Sunday dawned upon the
night’s repose of the combatants, and on the sacred air rang out the
summons to carnage again. But the affair at Holly Springs had broken up
the grand plan of attack, while the flying troops from General Grant’s
front reënforced the garrison. Over the battlements of rebellion poured
the iron tempest upon Sherman’s unyielding lines. Securely the foe
remained behind those defences, rising for two miles along the bluff,
presenting a barrier no army small as the “right wing” could scale or
remove. Meanwhile the sharpshooters from the forest dropped the officers
on every hand.
The brave Sherman was all the while expecting every moment to hear the
roar of General Grant’s guns in the rear. With Monday came a succession
of brilliant charges, which were fruitless as the dash of sunlit waves
against the cannon-pierced granite of Gibraltar. If a momentary
advantage were gained, it was lost in the return tide of overwhelming
numbers. A spectator of these terribly sublime encounters, wrote:
“General Morgan, at eleven o’clock A. M., sent word to General Steele
that he was about ready for the movement upon the hill, and wished the
latter to support him with General Thayer’s brigade. General Steele
accordingly ordered General Thayer to move his brigade forward, and be
ready for the assault. The order was promptly complied with, and General
Blair received from General Morgan the order to assault the hill. The
artillery had been silent for some time; but Hoffman’s battery opened
when the movement commenced. This was promptly replied to by the enemy,
and taken up by Griffith’s First Iowa battery, and a vigorous shelling
was the result. By the time General Blair’s brigade emerged from its
cover of cypress forest, the shell were dropping fast among the men. A
field-battery had been in position in front of Hoffman’s battery; but it
limbered up and moved away beyond the heavy batteries and the
rifle-pits.
“In front of the timber where Blair’s brigade had been lying was an
abatis of young trees, cut off about three feet above the ground, and
with the tops fallen promiscuously around. It took some minutes to pass
this abatis, and by the time it was accomplished the enemy’s fire had
not been without effect. Beyond this abatis was a ditch fifteen or
twenty feet deep, and with two or three feet of water in the bottom. The
bottom of the ditch was a quicksand, in which the feet of the men
commenced sinking, the instant they touched it. By the time this ditch
was passed the line was thrown into considerable confusion, and it took
several minutes to put it in order. All the horses of the officers were
mired in this ditch. Every one dismounted and moved up the hill on foot.
Beyond this ditch was an abatis of heavy timber that had been felled
several months before, and, from being completely seasoned, was more
difficult of passage than that constructed of the greener and more
flexible trees encountered at first. These obstacles were overcome under
a tremendous fire from the enemy’s batteries and the men in the
rifle-pits. The line was recovered from the disorder into which it had
been thrown by the passage of the abatis; and with General Blair at
their head, the regiments moved forward ‘upon the enemy’s works.’ The
first movement was over a sloping plateau, raked by direct and
enfilading fires from heavy artillery, and swept by a perfect storm of
bullets from the rifle-pits. Nothing daunted by the dozens of men that
had already fallen, the brigade pressed on, and in a few moments had
driven the enemy from the first range of rifle-pits at the base of the
hill, and were in full possession.
“Halting but a moment to take breath, the brigade renewed the charge,
and speedily occupied the second line of rifle-pits, about two hundred
yards distant from the first. General Blair was the first man of his
brigade to enter. All this time the murderous fire from the enemy’s guns
continued. The batteries were still above this line of rifle-pits. The
regiments were not strong enough to attempt their capture without a
prompt and powerful support. For them it had truly been a march
Into the jaws of death—
Into the mouth of hell.
“Almost simultaneously with the movement of General Blair on the left,
General Thayer received his command to go forward. He had previously
given orders to all his regiments in column to follow each other
whenever the first moved forward. He accordingly placed himself at the
head of his advance regiment, the Fourth Iowa, and his order—‘Forward,
second brigade!’—rang out clear above the tumult. Colonel Williamson,
commanding the Fourth Iowa, moved it off in splendid style. General
Thayer supposed that all the other regiments of his brigade were
following, in accordance with his instructions previously issued. He
wound through the timber skirting the bayou, crossed at the same bridge
where General Blair had passed but a few minutes before, made his way
through the ditch and both lines of abatis, deflected the right and
ascended the sloping plateau in the direction of the rifle-pits
simultaneously with General Blair, and about two hundred yards to his
right.
“When General Thayer reached the rifle-pits, after hard fighting and a
heavy loss, he found, to his horror, that only the Fourth Iowa had
followed him, the wooded nature of the place having prevented his
ascertaining it before. Sadly disheartened, with little hope of success,
he still pressed forward and fought his way to the second line, at the
same time that General Blair reached it on the left. Colonel
Williamson’s regiment was fast falling before the concentrated fire of
the rebels, and with an anxious heart General Thayer looked around for
aid.
“The rebels were forming three full regiments of infantry to move down
upon General Thayer, and were massing a proportionately formidable force
against Gen. Blair. The rebel infantry and artillery were constantly in
full play, and two heavy guns were raking the rifle-pits in several
places. With no hope of succor, General Thayer gave the order for a
return down the hill and back to his original position. The Fourth Iowa,
entering the fight five hundred strong, had lost a hundred and twenty
men in less than thirty minutes. It fell back at a quick march, but with
its ranks unbroken and without any thing of panic.
“It appears that just at the time General Thayer’s brigade started up
the hill, General Morgan sent for a portion of it to support him on the
right. General Steele at once diverted the Second Regiment of Thayer’s
brigade, which was passing at the time. The Second Regiment being thus
diverted, the others followed, in accordance with the orders they had
previously received from their commander. Notice of the movement was
sent to General Thayer; but, in consequence of the death of the courier,
the notification never reached him. This accounts for his being left
with nothing save the Fourth Iowa regiment. The occurrence was a sad
one. The troops thus turned off were among the best that had yet been in
action, and had they been permitted to charge the enemy, they would have
won for themselves a brilliant record.
“When General Blair entered the second line of rifle-pits, his brigade
continued to pursue the enemy up the hill. The Thirteenth Illinois
infantry was in advance, and fought with desperation to win its way to
the top of the crest. Fifty yards or more above the second line of
rifle-pits is a small clump of willows, hardly deserving the name of
trees. They stand in a corn-field, and from the banks of the bayou below
presented the appearance of a green hillock. To this copse many of the
rebels fled when they were driven from the rifle-pits, and they were
promptly pursued by General Blair’s men. The Thirteenth met and engaged
the rebels hand to hand, and in the encounter bayonets were repeatedly
crossed. It gained the place, driving out the enemy; but as soon as our
men occupied it, the fire of a field-battery was turned upon them, and
the place became too hot to be held.
“The road from Mrs. Lake’s plantation to the top of the high ground, and
thence to Vicksburg, runs at an angle along the side of the hill, so as
to obtain a slope easy of ascent. The lower side of this road was
provided with a breastwork, so that a light battery could be taken
anywhere along the road and fired over the embankment. From the nearest
point of this embankment a battery opened on the Thirteenth Illinois,
and was aided by a heavy battery on the hill. Several men were killed by
the shell and grape that swept the copse.
“The other regiments of the brigade came to the support of the
Thirteenth, the Twenty-ninth Missouri, Colonel Cavender, being in the
advance. Meantime the rebels formed a large force of infantry to bring
against them, and when the Twenty-ninth reached the copse the rebels
were already engaging the Union troops. The color-bearer of the Twelfth
had been shot down, and some one picked up the standard and planted it
in front of the copse. The force of the rebels was too great for our men
to stand against them, and they slowly fell back, fighting step by step
toward the rifle-pits, and taking their colors with them.
“In this charge upon the hill the regiments lost severely. In General
Blair’s brigade there were eighteen hundred and twenty-five men engaged
in this assault, and of this number six hundred and forty-two were
killed, wounded, and captured.”
Under a flag of truce the dead were buried and the wounded removed,
after which General Sherman gave the order for his troops to reëmbark.
The arrival of General McClernand at the scene of action caused a change
in the command, as he ranked General Sherman by over one month in the
date of his commission; and an order was at once given by the former to
withdraw from the Yazoo River, where the vessels were stationed, and
return to the Mississippi River. General McClernand, on assuming the
command, ordered the title of the army to be changed, and General
Sherman announced the fact in the following order:
“HEADQUARTERS RIGHT WING ARMY OF TENNESSEE, }
STEAMER FOREST QUEEN, MILLIKEN’S BEND, _January 4, 1863_. }
“Pursuant to the terms of General Orders No. 1, made this day by
General McClernand, the title of our army ceases to exist, and
constitutes in the future the Army of the Mississippi, composed
of two ‘army corps,’ one to be commanded by General G. W. Morgan
and the other by myself. In relinquishing the command of the
Army of the Tennessee, and restricting my authority to my own
corps, I desire to express to all commanders, to soldiers and
officers recently operating before Vicksburg, my hearty thanks
for their zeal, alacrity, and courage manifested by them on all
occasions. We failed in accomplishing one purpose of our
movement, the capture of Vicksburg; but we were part of a whole.
_Ours was but part of a combined movement, in which others were
to assist. We were on time; unforeseen contingencies must have
delayed the others._ We have destroyed the Shreveport road, we
have attacked the defences of Vicksburg, and pushed the attack
as far as prudence would justify; and having found it too strong
for our single column, we have drawn off in good order and good
spirits, ready for any new move. _A new commander is now here to
lead you._ He is chosen by the President of the United States,
who is charged by the Constitution to maintain and defend it,
and he has the undoubted right to select his own agents. _I know
that all good officers and soldiers will give him the same
hearty support and cheerful obedience they have hitherto given
me._ There are honors enough in reserve for all, and work enough
too. Let each do his appropriate part, and our nation must in
the end emerge from this dire conflict purified and ennobled by
the fires which now test its strength and purity. All officers
of the general staff now attached to my person will hereafter
report in person and by letter to Major-General McClernand,
commanding the Army of the Mississippi, on board the steamer
_Tigress_, at our rendezvous at Gaines’ Landing and at
Montgomery Point.
“By order of Major-General W. T. SHERMAN.
“J. H. HAMMOND, A. A.-G.”
The morning light of January the 9th, 1864, fell upon the _White Cloud_,
carrying the mail with tidings of disaster, death, and suffering, bound
for St. Louis, and the _City of Memphis_, bearing the sick and wounded.
In the Army of the Mississippi, under General McClernand, acting for the
time independent of General Grant’s command, the late chief acted a
subordinate part.
The fleet was again in motion, steaming up the broad current for
Arkansas Post, whose fortress was the object of the expedition. It lies
nearly north of Vicksburg, as a glance at the map will show you. On the
11th the transports and gunboats appeared before the fort.
The commander’s brief report will tell the story of attack, conflict,
and victory, in which General Sherman had no inferior part.
“HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, }
POST OF ARKANSAS, _January 11, 1863_. }
“Major-General U. S. GRANT, _Commanding Department of Tennessee_:
“I have the honor to report that the forces under my command
attacked the Post of Arkansas to-day, at one o’clock, having
stormed the enemy’s work. We took a large number of prisoners,
variously estimated at from seven thousand to ten thousand,
together with all his stores, animals, and munitions of war.
“Rear-Admiral David D. Porter, commanding the Mississippi
Squadron, effectively and brilliantly coöperated, accomplishing
this complete success.
“JOHN A. MCCLERNAND, Maj.-Gen. Com’ding.”
The noble Admiral Porter, a child of the sea, whose father was famous in
the last war with England, also gives an account of his work with the
grim warriors of the waters:
“UNITED STATES MISSISSIPPI SQUADRON, }
ARKANSAS POST, _January 11, 1863_. }
“Hon. GIDEON WELLES, _Secretary of Navy_:
“SIR: The gunboats _Louisville_, _De Kalb_, _Cincinnati_, and
_Lexington_, attacked the heavy fort at the Post, on the
Arkansas, last night, and silenced the batteries, killing twenty
of the enemy.
“The gunboats attacked again this morning, and dismounted every
gun, eleven in all.
“Colonel Dunnington, late of the United States Navy, commandant
of the fort, requested to surrender to the navy. I received his
sword.
“The army coöperated on the land side. The forts were completely
silenced, and the guns, eleven in number, were all dismounted in
three hours.
“The action was at close quarters on the part of the three
iron-clads, and the firing splendid.
“The list of killed and wounded is small. The _Louisville_ lost
twelve, _De Kalb_ seventeen, _Cincinnati_ none, _Lexington_
none, and _Rattler_ two.
“The vessels, although much cut up, were ready for action in
half an hour after the battle.
“The light draught _Rattler_, Lieutenant-Commander Wilson Smith,
and the other light draughts, joined in the action when it
became general, as did the _Black Hawk_, Lieutenant-Commander R.
B. Breese, with her rifle-guns. Particulars will be given
hereafter.
“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
“DAVID D. PORTER, _Acting Rear-Admiral_.”
Thus did the army and navy share equally in the honors of the success;
neither is complete without the other.
The results of the original expedition seem small; and severe comments
were spoken and written about General Sherman’s haste and failure. That
his gallant spirit was loyal, and his aim to serve the country, his
whole career has amply shown. That he relied upon the expected
battalions of Grant to meet the strength of the garrisoned enemy
victoriously, is evident. The defeat was one of the lessons of our early
warfare, which no leader has so well improved as Major-General Sherman.