CAPT. ISBELL AND HIS BATTALION—ARRIVAL AT PORT HUDSON—BATTLE
OF CORINTH—THE REUNITED REGIMENT—PORT HUDSON—LAND DEFENCES—RED
RIVER SUPPLIES.
Upon its arrival at Vicksburg, the First Alabama Regiment was quartered
in the public-school building, where they remained several days. The
city, even then, bore marks of the havoc of war. Shot and shell had torn
huge rents in the walls of the houses, and ploughed up or dug great holes
in which could have been buried a horse and cart. On the bluffs, and
along the water-front, were batteries of heavy artillery, and soldiers
were everywhere. Such an air of desolation pervaded the city that it was
a relief to be ordered away. Two days after our arrival, on September
24th, A. P. Brown died of disease contracted at Camp Douglas. W. A.
Dennis, who also returned sick, was sent to the hospital at Lauderdale
Springs, where he died October 10th. On Saturday, September 27th, the
regiment took the cars for Jackson, and, arriving there about noon,
marched four miles out of the city, and went into camp near the Sweet
Water Church. Here it remained till Wednesday, October 1st, when orders
were received to proceed to Port Hudson. The regiment went by rail to
Tangipahoa, La., and thence marched 33½ miles to Clinton, arriving on the
morning of October 4th. The rest of the journey (20 miles) was made via
the Clinton and Port Hudson Railroad. This road was not first-class,
either in road-bed or equipment—flat rails, on rotten stringers and ties,
one locomotive, one passenger car and half a dozen platform and box cars.
Only half of our regiment could be transported at one trip; and, as it
was the rule to run off the track at certain points, night had fallen
before the two trips were made. The regiment encamped on the bluff in the
rear of Battery No. 1 (afterwards Battery 2), between the village and
depot.
After the surrender of Island No. 10, those who escaped, and others
absent on leave, were collected at Fort Pillow and organized into
three companies, under the command of Capt. R. H. Isbell. In this
battalion there were the following members of Co. K: Lieut. M. E. Pratt,
O. S. Norman Cameron, Corp. W. L. Ellis, Privates E. L. Averheart,
Josiah Durden, John Griffin, E. Hearn, G. Hearn, W. H. Hutchinson,
Junius Robinson and G. H. Royals. The battalion was attached to Gen.
Villipigue’s brigade; and soon after its organization was ordered to
Grenada, Miss., where it remained some ten days doing provost duty.
Thence it was ordered to North Mississippi to meet a raid of the Federal
cavalry, but the enemy retired before its arrival. The summer months were
spent in camp at Abbeville and Cold Water.
Late in September, Gen. Villipigue’s brigade, including Capt. Isbell’s
battalion, was ordered to join Gen. Van Dorn. The brigade arrived at
Corinth, and was attached to Lovell’s division, forming a part of the
right of the army. The first day’s fight (October 3d) resulted favorably
to the Confederates. On the second day it was planned that Gen. Price
should attack in force on the left, and that, while thus engaged,
Lovell’s division should press forward and attack vigorously on the
right. The attack was unfortunately delayed by the failure of Gen.
Herbert to advance till 8, A. M., giving Gen. Rosecrans time to bring
up fresh troops. Price drove the enemy before him, and penetrated into
the streets of the town. Here his thinned brigades were attacked by the
fresh troops of the enemy, and driven in disorder back over the ground
they had won. Lovell, in the meantime, was advancing in pursuance of his
orders, but had not yet engaged the enemy, when he received orders to
throw Villipigue’s brigade rapidly to the centre to cover the retreat
of Price’s broken ranks. This was gallantly done; and if Capt. Isbell’s
men had no opportunity to win laurels in the battle, they won a glorious
meed of praise as a portion of the rear-guard in covering the retreat.
So well was the duty performed that Rosecrans did not attack, and Gen.
Van Dorn retired in safety. The only serious molestation was a skirmish
at the Hatchie Bridge. After the retreat of the army to Oxford, Gen.
Villipigue’s brigade was ordered to Port Hudson, where it arrived
November 5th. There was great rejoicing in the reunited company and
regiment.
Gen. Villipigue died soon after his arrival (Nov. 9th), of cholera
morbus, and his remains were sent to Richmond for interment, Corp. Ellis,
of Co. K, being one of the escort.
The regiment now numbered nearly 700 muskets, having lost about 150 men
since leaving Pensacola. Capt. Isbell’s battalion brought with it a
brass band; and, as the regiment was by this time fairly well drilled,
it made a good military appearance on parade. The citizens of Mobile
had presented the regiment with a uniform on its return from prison.
Its guns, though in good order, were of a nondescript character—rifles,
Springfield muskets, altered flint-locks and flint-locks; Co. K, being
last on the list, had to put up with flint-locks. All the guns were,
however, provided with bayonets, which gave them a uniform appearance.
The men were in excellent spirits and condition. On the arrival of the
regiment in October Cos. A, B and G were assigned to batteries, and on
December 31st Co. K was assigned to a battery to be constructed.
Capt. Whitfield, who received a furlough after his exchange, arrived at
Port Hudson on November 8th; Lieut. Pratt, on November 17th; and Lieut.
Hall, who was furloughed at Jackson, December 5th.
Port Hudson is in East Feliciana parish, La., on the east bank of the
Mississippi River, 25 miles above Baton Rouge. Before the war it was a
place of considerable activity; about 30,000 bales of cotton and 2,000
hogsheads of sugar were shipped there annually; there were twelve or
fifteen stores, and a population of some three hundred. The bluff is very
high—nearly 80 feet above low water. At the time of the arrival of the
First Alabama, there were fourteen or fifteen guns mounted, varying in
size from 24-pounder siege guns to 8-inch shell guns, and one 10-inch
Columbiad. During the following winter and spring several batteries were
constructed and additional guns mounted, so that at the beginning of the
siege, in May, 1863, the batteries and guns were as follows:—
Battery No. 1 (signal battery)—Co. K, First Alabama, one 30-pounder
Parrott, calibre 4⁶²⁄₁₀₀ inches, siege carriage; one 20-pounder rifle
(brass), calibre 4⁶²⁄₁₀₀ inches, siege carriage.
Battery No. 2—Co. A, First Alabama, one 42-pounder, smooth-bore, barbette
carriage; one rifle (old 24-pounder, smooth-bore rifled, but not
strengthened), barbette carriage; one ditto, siege carriage.
Battery No. 3—Co. G, First Alabama, one smooth-bore, 42-pounder; one
rifle, calibre 6 inches (old 32-pounder), both mounted on barbette
carriages.
Battery No. 4—De Gournay’s battalion, one 10-inch Columbiad and one
8-inch Columbiad, Columbiad carriages.
Battery No. 5—Co. B, First Alabama, one 10-inch Columbiad, Columbiad
carriage; one 32-pounder, barbette carriage.
Battery No. 6—De Gournay’s battalion, one rifle (old 32-pounder); one
rifle (old 24-pounder).
Battery No. 7—Tennessee company attached to De Gournay’s battalion,
hot-shot battery, two 24-pounders.
Batteries Nos. 8 and 9—De Gournay’s battalion, each one 24-pounder, siege
carriages, water batteries.
Battery No. 10—De Gournay’s battalion, one 8-inch shell-gun, barbette
carriage, water battery.
Battery No. 11—Miles’ legion, one 20-pounder Parrott, extreme right of
the land defenses.
The batteries were nearly all provided with bomb-proof magazines, but
with no protection for the men except the low parapet. From Battery No. 1
to 11 it was a little over one mile.
A system of land defenses had been planned, and work slowly progressed
during the winter of 1862-3. The full plans of the engineers were never
carried out, and at the commencement of the siege the works on the
northern side had not been begun. As planned the defenses began at
Battery No. 11 and extended in a semi-circular direction for a distance
of over four miles, striking the river near the mouth of Sandy Creek,
about one mile above Battery No. 1. The earthworks, where completed,
consisted of a crémaillère line, broken by occasional lunettes and redans
for artillery. Where the ground was open and favorable to assault, the
ditch was from three to four feet deep and five or six feet wide. From
the bottom of the ditch to the top of the parapet it was, in no case,
more than seven or eight feet, except when increased by the natural
features of the ground, as in front of Battery No. 11, where there was
a deep ravine. In Northern publications, maps are given showing a very
complete system of defenses, with inner and outer lines, but these, if
planned, were not constructed—there being but a single line of works,
except that during the siege inner lines were constructed across points
mined by the enemy, as at the northeast angle and Battery No. 11.
During the autumn and winter of 1862-3 communication was open between
Vicksburg and Port Hudson, and both places were supplied with provisions
from the Red River country. Transports arrived quite regularly from Red
River at Port Hudson, until interrupted by the blockade established by
Farragut in March, 1863. Cattle were driven from Texas for the use of
the garrison; great herds of long-horned oxen swimming the Mississippi,
was a curious but not uncommon sight. The cattle arrived in very good
condition, but as there was but poor pasturage at Port Hudson some became
skeletonized before they were slaughtered.
The commissariat during the six months preceding the siege was generally
good. Plentiful rations of corn meal, beef, sugar, molasses and salt
were issued, and sometimes potatoes. Some extras could also be purchased
in the surrounding country, while the river and cypress ponds furnished
fish.
The cooking was done in camp, the messes detailing some of their own
number or hiring negro cooks. Ladies from the neighborhood quite
frequently visited camp and showed much interest in the culinary
department. A motherly old lady, on one occasion, after watching the
movements of one of Co. K’s cooks for some time, told the amateur, who
had felt somewhat complimented by the attention, that she thought it
would improve his kettles if he would burn them out. It is needless to
say that he took the first opportunity of getting rid of the surplus soot
and grease on his cooking utensils by following the advice.