MAJOR-GENERAL M’CLERNAND.
Major-General John A. McClernand was a lawyer by profession, and had figured prominently as a leading Democratic politician from Illinois. He was a leader of the Douglas Democrats, and did battle for them valiantly at Charleston. At the outbreak of the war he took sides manfully for the Union, and shortly afterward was nominated a Brigadier-General of Volunteers. In the Belmont fight he gave evidence that he possessed good military capacity, and during his administration of military affairs at Cairo he secured the good will of the men under his command. In the reconnoissance in the rear of Columbus, during the advance upon Fort Henry, and at the grand battle before Fort Donelson, General McClernand manifested superior military ability. For his gallantry on these occasions he was, on the 21st of March, 1862, made by Congress a Major-General of Volunteers, and accompanied the advance up the Tennessee river toward Savannah. At the battle of Pittsburgh Landing he was highly distinguished.
After spending two days devoted to the care of the wounded, and the burial of the dead, the fort was blown up and completely destroyed, the rifle pits levelled, and a hundred wagons which had been captured, were burnt. On the 18th, General McClernand embarked with the main body of his troops, and proceeded down the Arkansas river to Napoleon, where a conference was held with General Grant and Admiral Porter, and future operations were planned.
Meantime an expedition of light-draught steamers, under Lieutenant-Commander J. G. Walker, and a body of troops led by General Gorman, had proceeded up the White river, and captured the towns of Des Arc and Duval’s Bluff.
General McArthur’s corps of General Grant’s army, left Memphis on the 20th of January on transports, and landed at Young’s Point, on the west side of the river, about nine miles above Vicksburg. Here the greater part of the fleet was concentrated; and on the 2d of February, General Grant arrived, and assumed command of the army. At this point a canal had been commenced by General Williams, previous to the unsuccessful attack on Vicksburg the year before, for the purpose of effecting a passage for vessels across the peninsula in front of Vicksburg out of range of the enemy’s guns.
The attack on Vicksburg, from up the river, had demonstrated the strength of its defensive works on the north, and convinced General Grant that they were too strong to be carried without a very heavy loss. The first step for him to accomplish, therefore, was the transportation of his army below the city, in order to make an attack from the south. The passage by the river was too hazardous to be attempted. The formidable batteries on the river front at Vicksburg were capable of destroying all the transports. Work was therefore recommenced on the canal. While this work was in progress, the river continued to rise rapidly, and great labor was required to keep the water out of the canal, and also out of the camps of the laborers and soldiers. In addition, the rain was incessant, and the magnitude of the work was, from these causes, greatly increased. The earth taken out of the excavation was placed on the west side, and thus formed an embankment or levee, which it was supposed would prevent the water from flooding the country.
While a portion of General Grant’s forces were employed in cutting the canal at Young’s Point, their commander, firmly intent on accomplishing the great enterprise before him, was industriously employed in the prosecution of other plans, which might be consummated in the event of a failure in the canal at the peninsula. A channel was cut from the Mississippi into Lake Providence, on the west side of the Mississippi, and another into the Cold Water river on the eastern bank, by way of the Yazoo Pass.
While these operations were in progress, a daring enterprise was undertaken by Colonel Charles E. Ellet, commander of the ram steamer Queen of the West, by which he hoped to destroy a formidable rebel steamer called the City of Vicksburg, then lying under the guns of the fortifications at that place.
The Queen of the West had been previously provided with all the arrangements deemed necessary to insure the complete success of the dangerous undertaking. Three hundred bales of cotton had been procured further up the river and placed on board, particularly about the machinery, in order to save her from any serious injury by shot and shell from the rebel batteries. Rear-Admiral Porter had given orders that she should proceed down to Vicksburg, destroy the rebel steamboat City of Vicksburg, lying opposite the city, and then run past the lower rebel batteries. The Colonel was directed to keep close to the right bank going down, to have all his lights on board extinguished—as it was intended that she should run the gauntlet in the darkness—and having safely passed the batteries, to anchor below the mouth of the canal and there wait for further orders.
The Colonel started with the ram from above the bend at half past four o’clock in the morning. It was about six o’clock, just as the sun was rising, when the ram rounded the point of land lying opposite Vicksburg. She had only men enough on board to work her, it having been arranged that the remainder of the crew would cross the point of land and get on board of her below after she had passed the batteries. When rounding the point she was distinctly seen by the rebels. They immediately opened a heavy fire from several of their batteries, which crowned the crests of the bluffs about the city. The Queen slowly and steadily proceeded down the river under a heavy fire from those batteries, until she reached a point opposite the spot where the steamboat City of Vicksburg was lying. Colonel Ellet saw that the steamboat was lying in almost the same position as was the rebel ram Arkansas when he ran into her with the Queen of the West. If the rebel steamboat should be struck as the ram was running down the river, the prow, instead of penetrating her, would be inclined to glance, and the full force of the blow would thus be lost. Wishing to make the shock as effective as possible, when the ram had reached the proper position the Colonel turned her partly around, so as to face the city, and then made across the river straight for the fated steamboat. The rebels, who had crowded on the banks, scampered off in the most affrighted manner from the shore, and sought safety in the city. The ram still went steadily on to the execution of her destructive errand. She struck the rebel steamboat forward of the wheel-house; but at the moment of collision the current caught the stern of the ram and swung her round so rapidly that nearly all the momentum of the blow was lost. To set the rebel steamboat on fire was part of the arrangement. That portion of the programme was intrusted to Sergeant J. H. Campbell. He was directed to fire the forward guns, loaded with combustible balls saturated with turpentine. As the ram swung round he was ordered to fire them. Just at that moment a 64-pound shot from one of the rebel batteries came crashing into the barricade of cotton near him; but the brave Sergeant did not hesitate a moment in the execution of the order. The guns were fired, a tremendous blaze was vomited forth from them, and the rebel steamboat was in flames.
About the same time the ram was found to be on fire. A shell from shore had set her on fire near the starboard wheel, while the discharge of the guns with the combustible balls had fired the cotton on her bow. Both steamboats were thus ablaze at the same time. The flames spread rapidly on both vessels. The smoke from the front of the ram rushed into her engine-room and threatened to suffocate the engineers. Those on board the rebel steamboat did all they could do to extinguish the flames on their boat. This they soon accomplished. Colonel Ellet had intended to strike the rebel steamboat in the stern, and thus finish the work of demolition; but the spreading flames on the Queen of the West made it necessary for him to attend to the safety of his own vessel. He therefore ran down stream, and set all hands on board at work extinguishing the flames. Though the cotton had been wet before starting, the fire was extending rapidly, and several burning bales were thrown overboard in order to save the ram. She then anchored below the mouth of the canal, where she awaited further orders.
All this time, both when approaching the city and leaving it, the rebel batteries were blazing away at the Queen of the West with light and heavy guns. It was a very exciting scene. About one hundred and twenty shots were fired from the batteries; but the ram was struck only twelve times, and sustained no material injury.
The Queen of the West now proceeded down the Mississippi, and when below Natchez, burned three small rebel steamers, the Moro, Berwick Bay, and A. W. Baker, laden with stores for the army at Vicksburg. After cruising for two weeks in the Atchafalaya, the Red river, and other tributaries of the Mississippi, inflicting serious injury on the rebel commerce, and capturing several vessels, she finally ventured up the Black river, and captured the rebel steamer Era. She proceeded to Fort Taylor, some fifty miles from the mouth of the river, where she grounded on a bar, exposed to the fire of the guns of the fort, and her crew was compelled to abandon the vessel, which fell into the hands of the enemy. Captain Ellet and most of the men succeeded in reaching the Era, and effected their escape.
When the work on the canal through the peninsula had approached its completion, and the huge iron scoop of the dredging machine had commenced demolishing the barrier which intervened between the bed of the canal and the “Father of Waters,” an unforeseen occurrence, which could not be guarded against, crushed the enterprise.
Owing to heavy rains and the rapid rise of the Mississippi above and opposite Vicksburg, the head of the canal gave way, and the water poured in at a tremendous rate. The force of the current, however, did not break the dam near the mouth of the canal, but caused a crevasse on the western side, through which the water flowed in such profusion as to inundate the lower part of the peninsula to the depth of four or five feet. When the fracture occurred a number of soldiers were on the levee, and were thrown into the torrent, but no lives were lost. All attempts to repair the mischief proved ineffectual, and the troops were removed to Milliken’s Bend, fifteen miles above.
On the 27th of February, Admiral Porter dispatched what was called a dummy Monitor, to run the Vicksburg batteries, in order to ascertain their exact location. This contrivance was an old flatboat, with flour-barrels for smoke stacks, and a couple of large hogsheads to represent Monitor turrets. It ran the fortifications in gallant style, and drew the fire of the rebel guns, without creating a suspicion of the true character of the vessel. The rebel authorities, fearful of the capture of the Indianola, then in an exposed position undergoing repairs, caused that vessel to be blown up to prevent her from falling into the hands of the Federals, and thus uselessly sacrificed the finest iron-clad they had on the western waters.
The prudent forethought of General Grant exhibited by his employing a portion of his men in cutting channels from the Mississippi to Providence lake on the west side, and to Moon lake on the east side, was now made apparent, and those works were progressing rapidly.
Lake Providence is a few miles south of the boundary line between Arkansas and Louisiana. It is situated in Carroll parish, Louisiana, about one mile west of the Mississippi river, and about seventy-five miles above Vicksburg. It is about six miles in length. Two streams flow out of the lake to the south, Moon bayou and Tensas river. The former, after running about a hundred miles, unites with the latter. The two continue south, and unite with the Washita, and are called after the junction, Black river. By cutting a channel from the Mississippi to Lake Providence, General Grant thought a communication might be had through that lake down the Tensas and Black into the Red river, and thence through the Atchafalaya, with General Banks at New Orleans. This route avoided the batteries of Vicksburg and Port Hudson. The canal to the lake was finished so as to let in water on the 16th of March. The flood was so great as to inundate a large district of country, some of which was fine land for growing cotton. Some boats passed into Lake Providence, but the uncertainty of the channel of the Tensas river, and the interest which was now excited by the Yazoo Pass expedition, together with the unimportant results to be anticipated by removing a large force to the Red river or below, caused a diversion from this route to others presenting more certain prospects of success against Vicksburg.
Eight miles below Helena, in Arkansas, and on the opposite side of the river, is a little lake, known as Moon lake. The passage from the Mississippi across the lake to the mouth of the Yazoo Pass is about eight miles; thence through the Pass proper to the Coldwater river, twelve miles. The Coldwater, a narrow stream, runs south, empties into the Tallahatchie, which continues to flow south, and unites with the Yallobusha, forming the Yazoo river, which empties into the Mississippi a few miles above Vicksburg.
Another important operation took place on the 14th of March, which had much to do with the success of General Grant’s movements. Admiral Farragut, with his fleet, attacked Port Hudson, and the flagship succeeded in running past the batteries and arriving before Warrenton, when he communicated with the fleet above. Shortly after this Admiral Porter succeeded in running some of his fleet down to the assistance of Farragut, and the united fleets began operating upon the river between Vicksburg and Port Hudson, cutting off the communications of the rebels with Louisiana, and making important military movements on the Louisiana shore.
An attempt to pass the rebel batteries at Vicksburg, was made by the Union rams Lancaster and Switzerland, on the 25th of March, without success. As soon as they came within range, the rebels opened a tremendous fire. The Lancaster was struck thirty times. Her entire bow was shot away, causing her to sink immediately. All the crew except two escaped. The Switzerland was disabled by a 64-pound ball penetrating the steam-drum. She floated down, the batteries still firing, and striking her repeatedly, until finally the Albatross ran alongside and towed her to the lower mouth of the canal.
An expedition proceeded down the Coldwater, on the 2nd of April, consisting of a portion of General Sherman’s and General McClernand’s corps, under General L. F. Ross, with eighteen transports and five small gunboats, and arrived at the mouth of the river without obstruction. They proceeded down the Tallahatchie, to its junction with the Yallobusha, which there forms the Yazoo, near which point is the village of Greenwood. On a peninsula near by, the rebels had erected a fortification. It consisted of a single line of breastworks facing westerly, composed of cotton bales and earth, and flanked on the right by a battery of three heavy guns fronting the river. Other field-pieces were in position on the works. On the right flank of the line, a defence or raft of logs had been constructed, to serve as a blockade of the river. Directly in front of the breastworks was a deep slough, extending across the peninsula, and admirably serving the purpose of a ditch. The slough was close to the base of the works at the upper end, but gradually receded from them at the lower, where it was several hundred yards distant. Beyond the slough there was an almost impenetrable canebrake, backed by an extensive forest.
The reduction of this fort was an inevitable necessity, before the expedition could proceed further, and the gunboat Chillicothe, Lieutenant Foster, was sent forward on the morning of the 11th of April to reconnoitre. The vessel approached the fortification, and fired several shots, but was soon struck four times by heavy rifle shots.
At the same time detachments from the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Indiana regiments were sent out to feel the Confederate position on the land side. A considerable body of the enemy’s skirmishers were encountered, who were driven across the slough and into the works, when the detachments were withdrawn. In the afternoon the Chillicothe was ordered to engage the fortification. After she had fired seven rounds, a 64-pound shell from the enemy passed through a half-open port striking upon the muzzle of a gun, in which a shell had been placed preparatory to cutting the fuse. Both shells exploded at once, by which three men were killed and eleven wounded. At this time orders were received to withdraw from the engagement. During the ensuing night a force was sent to throw up a battery facing the enemy’s works, west of the slough, and in the edge of the timber. A single 30-pound Parrott gun was mounted, and the work concealed by brush from the view of the enemy. Subsequently another gun was mounted. No attack was made on the 12th, in consequence of the absence of the mortar boats. After some delay, on the 13th, the engagement was commenced about half past ten A. M. by the land batteries. The gunboats Chillicothe and DeKalb soon after approached and opened their fire. It now appeared that the fortification mounted a rifled 64 Parrott, and three 24-Dahlgrens, and a small field battery. These guns were protected by a parapet composed of seven tiers of cotton bales, covered on the outside with eight feet of earth. The contest was bravely maintained for some time, when the fire of the enemy was suspended, but no disposition to surrender was shown. The gunboats and battery kept up the fire, but without any success in reducing the works. The Chillicothe was struck thirty-four times, but not severely injured. The DeKalb suffered more, in consequence of some shot penetrating her casemates, by which one man was killed and five wounded.
The impracticable nature of the land approaches rendered any attempt on the part of the military futile, and the expedition was compelled to retire.
An expedition under Admiral Porter, consisting of the heavier gunboats of his flotilla was undertaken about this time accompanied by transports, for the purpose of reaching the Yazoo river below Fort Pemberton, and Greenwood, and above Haines’ Bluff. The route of this expedition was up the Yazoo to Cypress bayou, thence into Steele’s bayou, and through Cypress lake to Little Black Fork and Deer creek. These waters were found to be impenetrable to the Federal vessels, and that expedition also proved a failure.
PASSING THE VICKSBURG BATTERIES.
April 16–22, 1863.
General Grant having now fully determined to transport his army below Vicksburg, the cooperation of the naval commander was obtained: and on the 16th of April, three transports, under cover of the gunboats, were in readiness to descend the river. At half-past ten at night Admiral Porter’s vessels started on their perilous expedition down the river.
The vessels comprising the expedition started in the following order, fifty yards apart: Benton, Lieutenant-Commander Green; Lafayette, Captain Walker, with the General Price lashed on the starboard side; Louisville, Lieutenant-Commander Owen; Mound City, Lieutenant Wilson; Pittsburg, Lieutenant Hall; Carondolet, Lieutenant Murphy, and Tuscumbia, Lieutenant Commander Shirk, with the tug Day, which was lashed to the Benton. The three army transports were in the rear of these vessels, and the Tuscumbia was placed astern of all.
Two of the transports, when the firing became heavy, attempted to run up stream; but Lieutenant Commander Shirk drove them back, and stayed behind them until the Forest Queen was disabled. He then took her in tow, and placed her out of reach of the enemy’s shot.
All the vessels except the Benton took coal barges in tow, and all except the Lafayette brought them safely past the batteries. Having the Price alongside the Lafayette did not manage very well, and the coal barge got adrift, but was picked up at New Carthage. The Louisville, Lieutenant Commander Owen, lost hers in the melee, but picked it up again. The Benton fired over eighty shell, well directed, into the town and batteries.
The Pittsburg, Mound City and Tuscumbia were more fortunate than the others in not turning round as they came by, although no ill results happened to those vessels which did turn. The pilots were deceived by a large fire started on the side opposite to Vicksburg by the rebels, for the purpose of showing the vessel more plainly. Fires being started on both sides of the river at once, the vessels had some narrow escapes, but were saved in most instances, by the precautions taken to protect them. They were covered with heavy logs and bales of wet hay, which was found to be an excellent defence.
No one on board of the transports was injured; and, encouraged by the success of this enterprise, General Grant ordered six more to be prepared in like manner for running the batteries. On the night of the 22d of April the Tigress, Anglo Saxon, Cheeseman, Empire City, Horizona and Moderator, left Milliken’s Bend, and all passed in safety but the Tigress, which received a shot in her hull below water-line, and sunk on the Louisiana shore.
CAPTURE OF GRAND GULF, MISS.
April 29-May 3, 1863.
On Wednesday, the 29th of April, a part of the gunboat fleet under Admiral Porter, consisting of the Benton (flagship), Lafayette, Mound City, Pittsburg, Carondolet, Tuscumbia and Louisville, left Hard Times, and steaming down below Coffee Point, engaged the rebel batteries at Grand Gulf, just at the confluence of the Big Black and the Mississippi. The engagement commenced at eight o’clock and lasted until half-past two.
The enemy had four batteries at Grand Gulf, one on the rock around which the waters of the Big Black flow into the Mississippi, and three below, about midway between the water and the summit of the bluffs. In the former they had placed four heavy guns, and in the three latter two and three each, with parapets, embrasures and rifle pits. The upper guns were very large, throwing shot and shell weighing one hundred pounds. The lower guns were mostly thirty-two-pounders.
The Benton opened the fight, followed by the other gunboats in rapid succession. At first they stood off at long range, and fired at a distance of a mile or more; but as the fire became warm they pressed closely to the bluff, and passed and repassed the batteries, sending broadsides upon the fort whenever they came in position. For six hours where the gunboats firing and receiving fire, until the gradually ceasing explosions of the enemy indicated their desire to terminate the engagement.
The Benton suffered considerably in her upper works, not less than a half dozen shots passing entirely through her. One shell exploded in her porthole, killing five men. The Tuscumbia was disabled. Other gunboats were more or less injured, but not seriously.
On the same day Admiral Porter sent the following report to the Secretary of the Navy:
Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy:—
I have the honor to inform you that, by an arrangement with General Grant, I attacked the batteries at Grand Gulf this morning, which were very formidable. After a fight of five hours and thirty minutes we silenced the lower batteries, but failed to silence the upper one, which was high, strongly built, and had guns of very heavy calibre. The vessels were unmanageable in the heavy current. It fired but feebly toward the last, and the vessels all laid by and enfiladed it, while I went up a short distance to communicate with General Grant, who concluded to land the troops and march over to a point two miles below Grand Gulf. I sent the Lafayette back to engage the upper batteries, which she did, and drove the soldiers out of it, as it did not respond after a few fires. At six p. m. we attacked the batteries again, and under cover of the fire all the transports passed by in good condition. The Benton, Tuscumbia, and Pittsburg were much cut up, having twenty-four killed and fifty-six wounded, but they are all ready for service.
We land the army in the morning on the other side to march on Vicksburg.
DAVID D. PORTER, Acting Rear Admiral.
On the 30th of April General Grant, with the three selected corps de armeé, viz.:—the Thirteenth, General McClernand; the Fifteenth, General Sherman, and the Seventeenth, General McPherson, crossed from the Louisiana side of the Mississippi river and landed at Boulinsburg.
The total number of killed in the fleet was twenty-six, and the wounded fifty-four.
The bombardment was terrific, the gunboat men exhibiting a coolness, courage and determination which it seemed nothing could resist. The rebels stood bravely to their guns, but the steady and heavy fire of the iron-clads drove them again and again. All the boats were struck repeatedly; but the Tuscumbia was the only one materially damaged. She had her hogchains cut away, and was otherwise so badly damaged that it was deemed advisable to remove her from the scene of action.
Finding it useless to protract the contest when the object to be attained could be reached by another way, the gunboats moved out of range and prepared to run the blockade at night. The usual precautions were taken to prevent casualties, and each gunboat carried all the troops it could conveniently accommodate. The transports were filled with troops, and all the barges crowded—so eager were the soldiers to take part in the exciting scene. The gunboats started first, and were subjected to a severe fire, for it was almost as bright as midday; the moon shining from a cloudless sky. When the transports appeared the concentrated fire of the rebel batteries was directed to them; but none of the vessels were disabled. The Cheeseman had six or seven horses killed by the explosion of a shell; but no lives were lost, as far as heard from.
General Grant was aboard a tug during the fight, and directed the movement of troops, under cover of the gunboat fire. The forces landed at Bayou Pierre.