THE FIELD OF OPERATIONS IN 1864.
At the beginning of the year 1864, the authority of the United States Government—established by the dauntless courage and determined valor of the armies of the Union—extended over a very large portion of the territory which had been controlled by the rebellion. The capture of Vicksburg and Port Hudson had opened the navigation of the Mississippi river. The State of Missouri had been redeemed, and the rebel power had been broken in Arkansas. From Kentucky and Tennessee the rebel flag had been driven out, by the victorious banner of the Republic. In Florida, in the Carolinas, and in Southern Virginia, the arms of the Union had effected a permanent lodgment. The mouth of the Rio Grande had been closed, thus cutting off an important channel of rebel communication with foreign markets, and with disloyal traders at the North. In Louisiana the power of the Government was growing stronger, day by day. Victory, moreover, had strengthened the hands and hearts of the patriots at the North, soldiers as well as civilians. The army and the navy were in excellent condition, and the War Department felt justified in making a reduction of upwards of two millions of dollars, in its estimate of military and naval expenditure for the next year. Thus, in every particular, the condition of the country seemed much improved, while the prospects for the future were full of comfort and promise. Important work yet remained to be done: sacrifices were yet to be made. But the work was enjoined by a sacred sense of duty, and the loyal people of the United Slates were ready to make any and every sacrifice that might be required for its suitable and thorough performance.
The positions of the various armies, at the beginning of 1864, should here be noted. General Meade, commanding the Army of the Potomac, was posted near Culpepper Court House, in Virginia, whither he had arrived, after a variety of manœuvres, in the latter part of 1863. General Lee confronted him with the finest army of the rebellion. The Union forces occupied Winchester, Martinsburg, and Harper’s Ferry, and held the line of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, thus blocking all possible advance of the rebels up the Shenandoah valley. A rebel force, however, was in the valley, led on by General Jubal Early, whose headquarters were at Staunton. General Bragg’s rebel forces were massed in the vicinity of Dalton, Georgia, opposed by the Union armies under General Grant, in front of Chattanooga, Tennessee. General Burnside—whose resignation had not yet been given in—was at Knoxville, and not far to the eastward of that point was General Longstreet’s division of the rebel army. General Banks held command in New Orleans, and had detachments of troops in Texas. General Rosecrans was at the head of a small force in Missouri. General Steele commanded the Union troops at Little Rock, in Arkansas. Military fortifications were established, all along the Mississippi river. The United States had about six hundred thousand men in the field: the Confederates about four hundred thousand. General Lee’s forces, in Virginia and North Carolina, numbered at least one hundred and ten thousand. The other great army of the Confederacy was commanded by General J. C. Johnston, whose department included Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The rebel troops at Mobile were commanded by Generals Maury and Clairborne.
The great operations of the year 1864 were, Sherman’s march from Atlanta to Savannah—including, of course, the preliminary manœuvres and battles, which prepared his way—and General Grant’s advance on Richmond, by way of the Wilderness. Before describing these, however, a considerable space must be devoted to miscellaneous operations in various parts of the country.
SHERMAN’S EXPEDITION AGAINST MERIDIAN, MISS.
February 3, 1864.
After participating in the battles around Chattanooga, and raising the siege of Knoxville to relieve General Burnside, General Sherman withdrew to Vicksburg, to take command of an expedition which left that city on the 3rd of February, 1864, and proceeded in the direction of Meridian, in Alabama. The force under General Sherman numbered about thirty thousand men, and consisted of the two corps under General McPherson and General Hurlbut, with sixty pieces of light artillery. After much skirmishing by the way, in which the enemy was constantly overcome. General Sherman reached Meridian on the 7th of February. The object of this expedition was the destruction of several railroads which are specified in the following order, issued after the Union force had been one week in Meridian.
Headquarters, Department of the Tennessee, }
Meridian, Miss., February, 15, 1864. }
1. The destruction of the railroads intersecting at Meridian is of great importance, and should be done most effectually. Every tie and rail for many miles in each direction should be absolutely destroyed or injured, and every bridge and culvert should be completely destroyed. To insure this end, to General Hurlbut is entrusted the destruction east and north, and to General McPherson the roads west and south. The troops should be impressed with the importance of this work, and also that time is material, and therefore it should be begun at once, and prosecuted with all the energy possible. Working parties should be composed of about one-half the command, and they should move by regiments, provided with their arms and haversacks, ready to repel attacks of cavalry. The other half in reserve will be able to watch the enemy retreating eastward.
2. Colonel E. F. Winslow, commanding cavalry, will keep his cavalry in advance of the party working eastward, and will act as though this army were slowly pursuing the enemy.
3. Special instructions will be given as to the general supply train; and the troops now in Meridian will, under proper brigade parties, collect meal, meat and supplies. The destruction of buildings must be deferred till the last moment, when a special detail will be made for that purpose.
By order of W. T. SHERMAN,
Major-General commanding.
These directions being faithfully carried out, General Sherman with justice declared that he had made the most complete destruction of railroads ever beheld.
Supplies now beginning to fall short, the Union forces fell back toward Vicksburg, returning by the way of Canton, and reached their original position on the 26th of February.
In this expedition the National loss in killed and wounded amounted to one hundred and seventy men.
GENERAL SMITH’S EXPEDITION FROM MEMPHIS, TENN.
February 11, 1864.
General M. L. Smith, who had been ordered to report to General Sherman at Meridian, had in the mean time, left Memphis on the 11th of February. On the 13th the National forces reached the Tallahatchie, and on the same day crossed the river at New Albany, without encountering any opposition from the enemy. Pushing forward with all possible speed, General Smith encountered the enemy, in force, near Houston. The Unionists, not being strong enough to engage the rebels, then moved eastward, and surprised and entered Okalona. Advancing along the railroad, and tearing up the track as he went, General Smith next reached West Point, having destroyed on the way two thousand bales of cotton, and one million bushels of corn. Two miles north of West Point Station, the enemy was encountered, and a short skirmish ensued, in which the rebels were driven back. The enemy were next discovered to be in strong force in front, holding all the crossings over a swamp to the right of the town, and also on the line of the Octibbieha in front, and that of the Tombigbee river on the left. An attack was necessary; and General Smith, encumbered with pack trains and captured cattle, determined to make his demonstration for battle in front, in order to give his main body and trains an opportunity to fall back on Okalona. This movement was successfully accomplished, notwithstanding that the enemy, under the command of Generals Lee, Forrest and Chalmers, pressed very hard upon the retreating Union line. Subsequently, on the 22nd, General Smith was attacked at Okalona, and defeated with severe loss. That night he retreated, with all possible secrecy and speed. A correspondent thus describes his retreat:
“Picture to yourself, if you can, a living, moving mass of men, negroes, mules, and horses, of four thousand or five thousand, all en masse, literally jammed, huddled, and crowded into the smallest possible space; night setting in; artillery and small arms booming behind us; cavalry all around and ahead, moving on, on, on, over fences, through fields and brush, over hills and across mud-holes, streams, and bridges, and still on, on into the night, until the moon rises on the scene and shows us some of the outlines of this living panorama. I forgot to say that in this crowd were a lot of prisoners, too, once or twice attempting to escape, followed by the swift report of the revolver, once with bitter consequences to the escaping prisoners.”
On the night of the 23d General Smith succeeded in crossing the Tallahatchie at New Albany, and on the 25th, at about noon, his forces reached Memphis, with all their trains and spoils of war. The loss was less than two hundred killed and captured. Thus it happened that the expedition failed to make a junction with General Sherman, at Meridian.
THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION.
March 10-May 16, 1864.
An extensive trade had been carried on for two years between the Confederate States, and the Mexican border. The occupation of Brownsville had checked in a measure this intercourse, and it was determined by the Federal authorities to attempt the capture of Shreveport, an important trading town in the extreme northwestern border of Louisiana, near the boundaries of Arkansas and Texas. This place is at the head of steamboat navigation on the Red river, in the midst of the largest and richest cotton district in the trans-Mississippi department. It was the rebel capital of Louisiana, the headquarters of Gen. Kirby Smith, and the general depot for rebel supplies in that section. The Government desired Shreveport, and the undisturbed possession of the Mississippi, and General Banks was charged with the duty of taking it. His army consisted of a part of the Nineteenth army corps, which he formerly commanded in person; a portion of the Thirteenth army corps, under General Ransom; and a portion of the Sixteenth army corps, under the command of General Smith. A large naval force under Admiral Porter, constituted an important part of the expedition.
The Red river cannot be navigated with safety for any distance above Alexandria by large vessels, except during the months of March and April; and arrangements were accordingly made for the grand naval and army expedition to start as early in the month of March as practicable.
On the second of the month, Admiral Porter concentrated his fleet off the mouth of Red river, awaiting army movements, while some of his gunboats were engaged in destroying bridges on the Atchafalaya and Black rivers, and rebel property collected at Sicily Island. Admiral Porter’s fleet comprised the following vessels:
The Essex, Commander Robert Townsend; Benton, Lieutenant-Commander James A. Greer; La Fayette, Lieutenant-Commander J. P. Foster; Choctaw, Lieutenant-Commander F. M. Ramsey; Chilicothe, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant S. P. Couthouy; Ozark, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant George W. Browne; Louisville, Lieutenant-Commander E. K. Owen; Carondolet, Lieutenant-Commander J. G. Mitchell; Eastport, Lieutenant-Commander S. L. Phelps; Pittsburgh, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant W. R. Hoel; Mound City, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant A. R. Langthorne; Osage, Lieutenant-Commander T. O. Selfridge; Neosho, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Samuel Howard; Ouachita, Lieutenant-Commander Byron Wilson; Fort Hindman, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant John Pearce. And the lighter boats: Lexington, Lieutenant George M. Bache; Cricket, Acting Master H. H. Gorringe; Gazelle, Acting Master Charles Thatcher; Black Hawk, Lieutenant-Commander K. R. Breese.
General A. J. Smith embarked from Vicksburg with his command, of about ten thousand troops, on twenty transports, on the 10th of March. His corps consisted of two divisions from the Sixteenth and two of the Seventeenth army corps. He arrived at the mouth of the Red river on the 12th. On the same day the transports moved up to the Atchafalaya, and the troops were landed at Semmesport, where they disembarked and marched overland, a distance of thirty miles, to Fort De Russy, on the Red river, skirmishing throughout the route with the enemy’s cavalry. On the afternoon of the 14th they were in sight of the fort.
It consisted of two distinct and formidable earthworks, connected by a covered way; the upper work, facing the road, mounted four guns, two field and two siege; the lower work, commanding the river, was a casemated battery of three guns. Only two guns were in position in it, one an eleven-inch columbiad, and an eight-inch smooth bore. On each side were batteries of two guns each, making in all eight siege and two field-pieces. As the line moved up to the edge of the timber, the upper work opened with shell and shrapnel, against which two batteries were brought to bear. The cannonading continued for two hours. A charge was then ordered, and as the men reached the ditch, the garrison surrendered. The Federal loss was four killed and thirty wounded; that of the enemy, five killed and four wounded. The prisoners taken were twenty-four officers and two hundred men. Considerable ammunition and stores were found, besides a thousand muskets.
The fleet met with many obstructions on its passage up the river, which were removed without serious damage to the vessels; and after constant skirmishing with the river batteries, arrived in front of the fort just before the close of the action, and rendered effective service.
General Smith ordered the works to be destroyed. A portion of his troops then embarked on the transports, and reached Alexandria, one hundred and forty miles from the Mississippi river, on the evening of the 16th. They were followed by the remainder of the forces and the fleet. The enemy retired before the advance, destroying two steamboats and considerable cotton. During the first week, the gunboats rescued upwards of four thousand bales of cotton, and large quantities were brought in by the negroes. The fleet was detained by the low water on the falls above Alexandria, its depth being only six feet, whereas nine feet were required to float the largest gunboats.
On the 20th, the cavalry force under General Lee, attached to the command of General Banks, reached Alexandria, after marching from Franklin across the Teche country. Meantime detachments from General Smith’s command had been sent forward, and captured several small bodies of the enemy.
On the 21st, Natchitoches was taken, with two hundred prisoners and four pieces of artillery. It is about eighty miles from Alexandria.
About four miles from Natchitoches, is a small settlement of dingy houses, called Grand Ecore. General Banks arrived at this place on the 4th of April, and it was then made the headquarters of both the army and navy commanders, and the entire force of the expedition was located in that vicinity.
The army numbered about twenty thousand men. The cavalry was under General Lee, formerly of Grant’s army; the artillery was commanded by Brigadier-General Richard Arnold. General Franklin was second in command. He had one division of his corps with him, under General Emory. That of General Green remained at Alexandria, to garrison the post. General Ransom’s force consisted of two divisions. General Smith’s command remained at Natchitoches. With the rest of the army General Bank’s moved from Natchitoches for Shreveport on the 6th of April. The country is a dense, interminable forest, with a few narrow roads, with no signs of life or civilization, but a few log houses and half-cleared plantations. Into this country General Banks was compelled to march. He found, in the beginning, that two arms of his service would be almost worthless. So long as he marched, his cavalry might picket the woods and skirmish along the advance; but in action they would be as helpless as so many wagon trains. His artillery would be of no use unless he could manage to get the enemy into an open clearing. The region was little more than a great masked battery. It was an unproductive, barren country, and it became necessary for permanent military operations to carry along everything that an army could use.
On the evening of the seventh, they reached Pleasant Hill, a small village, thirty-five miles from Natchitoches, the cavalry advance skirmishing nearly all the way through the woods. They had a severe fight, on that morning, two miles beyond Pleasant Hill, in which the Eighty-seventh Illinois (mounted infantry) lost quite heavily.
On the morning of the eighth they resumed their march. A severe skirmish occurred at an old sawmill, ten miles beyond Pleasant Hill, in which Lieutenant-Colonel Webb, of the Seventy-seventh Illinois, was killed; but the enemy kept falling back, and were pursued by the cavalry and infantry about eight miles further, to Sabine Cross-Roads, three miles from Mansfield. Here the enemy was met in force, and a check made to further progress.
BATTLE OF SABINE CROSS-ROADS.
April 8, 1864.
The position of the Union army at 3 o’clock was as follows: In front, and on the ground where a most terrible battle was soon to be fought, was General Lee with Colonels Dudley and Lucas’s cavalry brigades with Nim’s battery of six guns and one section (two guns) of Battery G, Fifth United States regulars. United to this force there was now the Fourth division, Thirteenth army corps, with the Chicago Mercantile battery, (six guns.) Next, in the rear and completely blocking up the road, was General Lee’s train of some two hundred and fifty wagons, to the presence of which the subsequent disaster of the day is largely attributable. Back of these was the Third division, Thirteenth army corps, under General Cameron, moving up to the front as rapidly as possible. Next to the Third division was General Emory with the First division, Nineteenth army corps, seven miles from the extreme front, while General Smith was back of Pleasant Hill, one day’s march in the rear. The battle-ground was a large, open, irregular-shaped field, through about one-half of which on the right of the road a narrow belt of timber ran, encircling inward as it extended to the right until its base rested around upon the woods in the rear. The road passed through the centre of the field in a northwesterly direction toward Mansfield.
Meandering diagonally through the field and across the road was a small creek or bayou, from the banks of which the ground rose gradually along the line of the road, terminating in a considerable ridge on each side. The ridge at the entrance to the field on the side of the advance was close up to the woods, and commanded the whole battle-field, while the ridge on the opposite side ran through the open field on the left to the belt of timber dividing the field on the right, along which it sloped gradually until it reached the level of the hollow on the bayou. The outer line of the field beyond the belt of timber on the right was an irregular semicircle, the extremities drawing inward, so as to correspond somewhat to the outline of the dividing wood. The outer line of the field on the left was very nearly at a right angle with the road. The rebel forces, occupying a front of about one mile, were stationed under cover of the woods along the further line of these fields. Their front, therefore, extended from their right flank in a straight line to the road, and then, following the shape of the field, circled inward until their left flank reached a point that would be intersected by a line drawn across the road at a right angle near the middle of the first field on the right. The main body of the rebels was evidently on the right of the roads. A battery was seen in position near the road, but it was not brought into action.
On the right, and in the belt of timber which separated the first from the second field, was Lucas’s cavalry brigade, mostly dismounted and deployed as skirmishers, while beyond and supporting this brigade was the Fourth division, Thirteenth army corps. About four o’clock, the Fourth division was moved forward through the belt of timber, and took position in line of battle behind the fence that inclosed the field beyond.
At half-past four, General Ransom and staff passed on foot along the outer infantry line, who were firing very briskly across the field into the woods where the enemy was posted, but as the fire was of little effect the general directed it to be withheld until the rebels came out into the field. For half or three-quarters of an hour, everything remained quiet along the lines, when all at once a heavy and continuous discharge of musketry was heard on the right, from rebel forces marching steadily in close ranks across the open field to the attack; while at the same moment a heavy column was moving across the road upon the left, where the cavalry brigade under Colonel Dudley was posted, aided by Nim’s battery, the two howitzers, and one small regiment of infantry (the Twenty-third Wisconsin.)
Every regiment now coolly but rapidly poured its destructive fire upon the advancing foe, opening at every discharge great gaps in the rebel ranks, and strewing the field with a continuous line of killed and wounded. Under this terrific and well-directed fire, the rebel line was checked, broken, and driven back, the only considerable body remaining together being a mass of some three hundred or four hundred directly opposite the Thirteenth Illinois, which was badly cut up, but held its position without breaking.
Four guns of Nim’s battery were captured, not having horses to drag them from the field.
This movement on the left, however, was simply a ruse on the part of the enemy to induce General Banks to weaken his right wing, and it was successful. At the commencement of the action General Franklin’s divisions were in camp nine miles in the rear, but he hastened forward in advance of his command, and, in conjunction with the commander-in-chief, passed through the midst of the engagement, encouraging by his presence, and leading on the men.
The right now became fiercely engaged, and the centre being pressed, fell back, when the right also gave way. The loss of the Chicago battery and the First Indiana soon followed. General Cameron then advanced to the front with a brigade of Indiana troops of the Thirteenth corps, but was unable to check the superior force of the enemy.
The line continued to fall back slowly until the baggage-trains blocked up the roads in the rear so that the troops could not easily pass, when a panic ensued. The enemy now pursued for three and a half miles, when their advance was checked and driven back by General Emory’s division. Here the conflict ended for the day. Six guns of the Chicago battery, two of Battery G, four of the First Indiana, and six of Nim’s battery were left on the field, with two howitzers of the Sixth Missouri. The loss of General Banks was estimated at two thousand killed, wounded, and missing. His force on the field was about eight thousand. The force of the enemy was much larger. General Mouton was among the badly wounded of the enemy.
As it was now known that General Smith with his force had marched to Pleasant Hill and halted, General Banks determined to withdraw to that place for the sake of concentrating his forces, and of the advantageous position which he could there occupy. The movement commenced at ten o’clock at night, and before daylight the rear of the army was well on the road. The enemy during the night had pressed his pickets down on General Banks’ front, but was not aware of the retreat of the troops until the morning, when a pursuit commenced, the cavalry of the enemy in advance, but General Emory had succeeded in bringing up the rear to Pleasant Hill at seven o’clock on the morning of the 9th, where the new line of battle was formed, the entire Federal force having reached that place.
BATTLE OF PLEASANT HILL, LA.
April 9, 1864.
The battle-ground was an open field on the outside of the town of Pleasant Hill on the Shreveport road. It was open and rolling, and ascended both from the side of the town and from the side on which the enemy were approaching. A belt of timber extended almost entirely around it. The division of General Emory was drawn up in line of battle on the sloping side, with the right resting across the Shreveport road. General McMillen’s brigade formed the extreme right of the line, with his right resting near the woods, which extended along the whole base of the slope and through which the enemy would advance. General Dwight’s brigade was formed next, with his left resting on the road, Colonel Benedict’s brigade formed next, with his right resting on the road and a little in the rear of General Dwight’s left. Two pieces of Taylor’s battery were placed in the rear of General Dwight’s left, on the road, and four pieces were in position on an eminence on the left of the road and in rear of Colonel Benedict. Hibbard’s Vermont battery was in the rear of the division. General Smith’s division, under command of General Mower, was massed in two lines of battle fifty yards apart with artillery in rear of General Emory’s division. The right of the first line rested on the road, and was composed of two brigades, the First brigade on the right, commanded by Colonel Lynch, the Second brigade on the left, commanded by Colonel Shaw. The Third Indiana battery (Crawford’s) was posted in the first line of battle, on the right of the Eighty-ninth Indiana. The Ninth Indiana battery (Brown’s) was in position on the right of the First brigade. The Missouri battery occupied ground on the right of the Eighty-ninth Indiana.
General Smith’s second line of battle was fifty yards in rear of the first, and was composed of two brigades, one on the right of the line, and that on the left commanded by Colonel Hill.
General Mower commanded the Second brigade, and was temporarily in command of the whole force.
The skirmishing, which had continued all day, became lively towards its close; and at ten minutes past five, General Emory sent word to General Franklin that the skirmishers were driven in and the enemy marching down upon him in three lines of battle.
At twenty minutes past five, the enemy appeared on the plain at the edge of the woods, and the battle commenced, the Union batteries opening with case shell as the rebels marched at a double-quick across the field to the attack.
On the left, Colonel Benedict’s brigade came into action first, and soon after the right and centre were engaged. The battle now raged fiercely, the air was full of lead and iron, and the roar of artillery incessant. The carnage on both sides was fearful, the men fighting almost hand to hand, and with great desperation. Nothing could exceed the determined bravery of the troops.
The contest now became fierce on both sides, when General Emory’s division, pressed by overwhelming numbers, fell back up the hill to the Sixteenth corps, which was just behind the crest. The enemy rushed forward and were met by General Smith with a discharge from all his guns, which was followed by an immediate charge of the infantry, by which the enemy were driven rapidly back to the woods, where they broke in confusion. Night put an end to the pursuit. The Taylor battery, lost on the advance of the enemy, was recovered, and also two guns of Nim’s battery. Five hundred prisoners were also taken. Early on the next morning, leaving the dead unburied and the muskets thrown on the field, the army commenced its march back to Grand Ecore, thirty-five miles from Pleasant Hill, to obtain rest and rations.
The entire losses of the campaign thus far were stated to be twenty pieces of artillery, three thousand men, one hundred and thirty wagons, twelve hundred horses and mules, including many that died of disease. The gains were the capture of Fort De Russy, Alexandria, Grand Ecore, and Natchitoches, the opening of Red river, the capture of three thousand bales of cotton, twenty-three hundred prisoners, twenty-five pieces of artillery, chiefly captured by the fleet, and small arms and considerable stores. A large number of citizens enlisted in the service in Alexandria, and the material for two colored regiments was gathered; and five thousand negroes, male and female, abandoned their homes and followed the army.
Meanwhile Rear-Admiral Porter passed the falls with twelve gunboats and thirty transports, and reached Grand Ecore when the army was at Natchitoches preparing for an immediate march. As the river was rising slowly the advance was continued with six smaller gunboats and twenty transports, having army stores and a part of General Smith’s division on board. Starting on the 7th of April, Springfield landing was reached on the third day. Here a large steamer sunk in the river obstructed further progress; and information was received that the army had met with a reverse. Orders also came to General Smith’s troops to return to Grand Ecore with the transports. The fleet, therefore, turned back, but was constantly annoyed by the enemy on the bank of the river. Two of the fleet at Grand Ecore were found above the bar, and not likely to get away until there was a rise of water in the river.
The continued low water in the Red river, and the difficulty of keeping up a line of supplies, caused the army to fall back to Alexandria. The march commenced in the afternoon of April 21st, by starting the baggage train with a suitable guard. At 2 o’clock the next morning the army began silently to evacuate its position, General Smith’s force forming the rear guard. Soon after daylight, the enemy observing the movement, began his pursuit, but with so small a force that only slight skirmishing took place. The army reached Alexandria without serious fighting, on the 27th of April.
The difficulties and dangers which the naval commander was called upon to meet and overcome are worthy of more than a passing notice. During the return of the vessels through the narrow and snaggy river, they were assailed continually by rebel batteries on the shore, and were followed and attacked at all favorable points by thousands of infantry and horse artillery.
On the 12th of April a severe engagement occurred, owing to an attempt, by a rebel force of two thousand men, to capture the iron-clad Osage and the transport Black Hawk, which had grounded. Flushed with their recent victory over Banks’s army, the rebels displayed unwonted courage, and soon drove all the men from the transport to the safe casemates of the monitor; but a destructive cross-fire from the Osage and Lexington quickly put them to flight with severe loss.
Every day difficulties of this character occurred, as the vessels were constantly grounding, until they arrived at Grand Ecore, when greater and more serious obstacles presented themselves, which threatened the loss of the most valuable vessels of the fleet.
The rebels were industriously employed in cutting off the supply of water from various channels up the river, in the hope of preventing the passage of the vessels over the bar at Grand Ecore, and the result appeared to promise success to their plans. The heavy vessels were constantly grounding, and, on the 26th of April, the commander of the Eastport, after laboring night and day for a week to carry his vessel over the sand-bars and logs by which she was clogged, was compelled to blow her up, after removing all her stores and available equipments.
On the 4th of May the steamers Covington, Warner, and Signal were captured by about two thousand rebels, who attacked them from the banks of the river, killing or capturing forty of their crew.
The crowning act of heroism and of engineering skill in this unfortunate campaign, is described in the report of Admiral Porter, in detailing the passage of the Falls of Alexandria by the fleet:
“Mississippi Squadron, Flagship Black Hawk, }
“Mouth Red river, May 16th, 1864. }
“Sir: I have the honor to inform you that the vessels lately caught by low water above the Falls of Alexandria, have been released from their unpleasant position. The water had fallen so low that I had no hope or expectation of getting the vessels out this season, and, as the army had made arrangements to evacuate the country, I saw nothing before me but the destruction of the best part of the Mississippi squadron.
“There seems to have been an especial Providence in providing a man equal to the emergency. Lieutenant-Colonel Bailey, Acting Engineer of the Nineteenth army corps, proposed a plan of building a series of dams across the rocks at the falls, and raising the water high enough to let the vessels pass over. This proposition looked like madness, and the best engineers ridiculed it; but Colonel Bailey was so sanguine of success that I requested to have it done, and he entered heartily into the work. Provisions were short and forage was almost out, and the dam was promised to be finished in ten days or the army would have to leave us. I was doubtful about the time, but I had no doubt about the ultimate success, if time would only permit. General Banks placed at the disposal of Colonel Bailey all the forces he required, consisting of some three thousand men and two or three hundred wagons. All the neighboring steam-mills were torn down for material; two or three regiments of Maine men were set at work felling trees, and on the second day after my arrival in Alexandria, from Grand Ecore, the work had fairly begun.
“Trees were falling with great rapidity; teams were moving in all directions, bringing in brick and stone; quarries were opened; flatboats were built to bring stone down from above, and every man seemed to be working with a vigor I have seldom seen equalled, while perhaps not one in fifty believed in the undertaking. These fails are about a mile in length, filled with rugged rocks, over which, at the present stage of water, it seemed to be impossible to make a channel.
“The work was commenced by running out from the left bank of the river a tree dam, made of the bodies of very large trees, brush, brick, and stone, cross-tied with heavy timber, and strengthened in every way which ingenuity could devise. This was run out about three hundred feet into the river; four large coal barges were then filled with brick and sunk at the end of it. From the right bank of the river, cribs filled with stone were built out to meet the barges, all of which was successfully accomplished, notwithstanding there was a current running of nine miles an hour, which threatened to sweep every thing before it.
“It will take too much time to enter into the details of this truly wonderful work; suffice it to say that the dam had nearly reached completion in eight days’ working time, and the water had risen sufficiently on the upper falls to allow the Fort Hindman, Osage, and Neosho, to get down and be ready to pass the dam. In another day it would have been high enough to enable all the other vessels to pass the upper falls. Unfortunately, on the morning of the 9th instant, the pressure of water became so great that it swept away two of the stone-barges, which swung in below the dam on one side. Seeing this unfortunate accident, I jumped on a horse and rode up to where the upper vessels were anchored, and ordered the Lexington to pass the upper falls, if possible, and immediately attempt to go through the dam. I thought I might be able to save the four vessels below, not knowing whether the persons employed on the work would ever have the heart to renew the enterprise.
“The Lexington succeeded in getting over the upper falls just in time, the water rapidly falling as she was passing over. She then steered directly for the opening in the dam, through which the water was rushing so furiously that it seemed as if nothing but destruction awaited her. Thousands of beating hearts looked on, anxious for the result.
“The silence was so great as the Lexington approached the dam that a pin might almost have been heard to fall. She entered the gap with a full head of steam on, pitched down the roaring torrent, made two or three spasmodic rolls, hung for a moment on the rocks below, was then swept into deep water by the current, and rounded to safely into the bank.
“Thousands of voices rose in one deafening cheer, and universal joy seemed to pervade the face of every man present. The Neosho followed next—all her hatches battened down, and every precaution taken against accident. She did not fare as well as the Lexington, her pilot having become frightened as he approached the abyss, and stopped her engine when I particularly ordered a full head of steam to be carried. The result was that for a moment her hull disappeared from sight, under the water. Every one thought she was lost. She rose, however, swept along over the rocks with the current, and fortunately escaped with only one hole in her bottom, which was stopped in the course of an hour. The Hindman and Osage both came through beautifully without touching a thing, and I thought if I was only fortunate enough to get my large vessels as well over the falls, my fleet once more would do good service on the Mississippi.
“The accident to the dam, instead of disheartening Colonel Bailey, only induced him to renew his exertions, after he had seen the success of getting four vessels through. The noble-hearted soldiers, seeing their labor of the last eight days swept away in a moment, cheerfully went to work to repair damages, being confident now that all the gunboats would be finally brought over. The men had been working for eight days and nights, up to their necks in water, in the broiling sun, cutting trees and wheeling bricks, and nothing but good humor prevailed among them. On the whole, it was very fortunate the dam was carried away, as the two barges that were swept away from the centre swung around against some rocks on the left and made a fine cushion for the vessels, and prevented them, as it afterward appeared, from running on certain destruction.
“The force of the water and the current being too great to construct a continuous dam of six hundred feet across the river in so short a time, Colonel Bailey determined to leave a gap of fifty-five feet in the dam, and build a series of wing dams on the upper falls. This was accomplished in three days’ time, and on the 11th instant the Mound City, the Carondolet, and Pittsburgh came over the upper falls, a good deal of labor having been expended in hauling them through, the channel being very crooked, scarcely wide enough for them. Next day the Ozark, Louisville, Chillicothe, and two tugs also succeeded in crossing the upper falls.
“Immediately afterward, the Mound City, Carondolet, and Pittsburgh started in succession to pass the dam, all their hatches battened down and every precaution being taken to prevent accident.
“The passage of these vessels was a most beautiful sight, only to be realized when seen. They passed over without an accident except the unshipping of one or two rudders. This was witnessed by all the troops, and the vessels were heartily cheered when they passed over. Next morning at ten o’clock, the Louisville, Chillicothe, Ozark, and two tugs passed over without an accident, except the loss of a man, who was swept off the deck of one of the tugs. By three o’clock that afternoon, the vessels were all coaled, ammunition replaced, and all steamed down the river with the convoy of transports in company. A good deal of difficulty was anticipated in getting over the bars in lower Red river—the depth of water reported only five feet; gunboats were drawing six. Providentially, we had a rise from the back-water of the Mississippi—that river being very high at that time—the back-water extending to Alexandria, one hundred and fifty miles distant, enabling us to pass all the bars and obstructions with safety.
“Words are inadequate to express the admiration I feel for the abilities of Lieutenant-Colonel Bailey. This is, without doubt, the best engineering feat ever performed. Under the best circumstances, a private company would not have completed this work under one year, and to an ordinary mind the whole thing would have appeared an impossibility. Leaving out his abilities as an engineer, and the credit he has conferred upon the country, he has saved to the Union a valuable fleet, worth nearly two million of dollars. More, he has deprived the enemy of a triumph which would have emboldened them to carry on the war a year or two longer; for the intended departure of the army was a fixed fact, and there was nothing left for me to do, in case that event occurred, but to destroy every part of the vessels, so that the rebels could make nothing of them. The highest honors the Government can bestow on Colonel Bailey can never repay him for the service he has rendered the country.
“To General Banks, personally, I am much indebted for the happy manner in which he has forwarded this enterprise, giving it his whole attention, night and day, scarcely sleeping while the work was going on; tending personally to see that all the requirements of Colonel Bailey were complied with on the instant.
“I do not believe there ever was a case where such difficulties were overcome in such a short space of time, and without any preparation.
“DAVID D. PORTER, Rear-Admiral.
“Hon. Gideon Welles, Sec’y of the Navy, Washington, D. C.”
The last of the gunboats passed the falls on the 12th of May, and on the next day Alexandria was evacuated. The town was fired in several places by some evil-disposed persons connected with the army, and most of the inhabitants thus reduced to suffering and want.
OPERATIONS IN GEORGIA—BATTLE OF TUNNEL HILL.
February 22, 1864.
While Sherman’s expedition was marching on Meridian, a force of rebels detached from the army of Johnston—who had superseded Bragg—near Dalton, was sent out to reinforce Polk, in Alabama. This caused General Grant to direct a forward movement upon Dalton, which commenced February 22d, and led to severe fighting. On the day specified, a strong column of infantry, preceded by Colonel Harrison’s cavalry, set out from Chattanooga on the road to Tunnel Hill and Dalton. The expedition was under the direction of General Palmer, whose able coadjutors were Generals Johnson, Davis, Baird and Carlin. No opposition was encountered east of the Chickamauga. Colonel Harrison, however, caught sight of some rebel cavalry and chased them through Ringgold’s Gap and Taylor’s Ridge. The enemy’s mounted force, consisting of Tennessee cavalry, had at first fled in confusion, but finally took heart and skirmished with considerable spirit.
About four o’clock, P. M., the Union troops came in sight of Tunnel Hill, and here the enemy made a determined stand. Colonel Harrison, who, as was his wont, had kept close upon the heels of the foe, now found himself confronted by vastly superior numbers; but no sooner did he perceive the infantry advancing to his support, than he dashed at the rebels and drove them in wild dismay out of the town of Tunnel Hill. The rebel General Wheeler, with an entire brigade of cavalry and four pieces of artillery, now checked the career of the daring patriot Colonel. Their cannon opened furiously and effectively upon the assailants, to which the Union artillery replied with resonant thunder, compelling Colonel Brown’s rebel cavalry, who were assailing Colonel Harrison’s right, to shrink from the contest. The fight continued, however, till night descended upon the field of battle, and parted the combatants.
The Union forces, for the purpose of procuring supplies, had retired about four miles in the direction of Dalton. General Stanley’s command, with the Fourth Ohio cavalry under Colonel Long, had, in the mean time, approached from the neighborhood of Cleveland; and, on the following morning, the advance of the whole expedition was resumed at ten o’clock. It arrived at half-past eleven in immediate proximity to the town of Tunnel Hill. The skirmishing became very brisk, and the cavalry were compelled to await the support of the infantry, which they no sooner received than they advanced in column upon the enemy’s position. The rebels, who had hitherto remained concealed, now disclosed a battery, planted on a hill to the right of the tunnel, from which shell were thrown with fatal accuracy into the midst of the Union ranks. This occasioned a precipitate but orderly withdrawal. Captain Hotchkiss now trained two ten-pound Parrotts of the Second Minnesota battery upon this noisy rebel eyrie, but his shells failed to explode, and Captain Harris, of the Nineteenth Indiana battery, was obliged to send his compliments to the rebels from two pieces on the left of the road, before they would vacate their commanding position.
General Morgan, with equal wisdom and daring, now marched his troops along the crest of Tunnel Hill, caught the enemy on the right flank, and turned his works without opposition. General Wainwright was, at the same time, advancing with the view of performing the same feat on the enemy’s left. The rebels fled without firing a gun, and Tunnel Hill was captured.
THE RECONNAISSANCE AND BATTLE AT ROCKY FACE RIDGE.
February 25, 1864.
The enemy was pursued along the road to Dalton to a gorge about three miles from the town. The railroad runs through this gorge, formed in Rocky Face Ridge or Buzzard’s Roost, and the position occupied here by the rebels appeared to be almost impregnable. An advance on the 24th had driven the enemy from all the ridge north of the creek, but on the retirement of the Union troops at night, it was reoccupied by the rebels, who, being now thoroughly aroused to their danger, recalled Claiborne’s, Stevenson’s, and other divisions to aid in repelling their assailants.
At about eleven o’clock, A. M., on the 25th, soon after all the forces comprising the expedition had arrived, the Union troops, in long blue lines, moved in splendid order upon the enemy’s works. The skirmishers became at once closely engaged in the woodland. The advance was steady and rapid, clearing the enemy from the ridge as it proceeded. The object of the reconnoissance was accomplished; the enemy, in overwhelming force, was found to be strongly posted in the gorge, and, accordingly after much heavy skirmishing, the Union forces were ordered to retire. Some rebel cavalry attempted to pursue them, but were soon driven out of sight. The capture of Tunnel Hill, and the other important operations of the expedition, had been accomplished with a loss of about seventy-five killed and two hundred and fifty wounded. The rebels suffered much more severely.
THE CAPTURE OF UNION CITY, TENN.
March 25, 1864.
The Federal posts in West Tennessee and Kentucky, were, in consequence of the withdrawal of the forces under Generals Sherman and A. J. Smith from Vicksburg, left much exposed, and General Forrest did not hesitate to avail himself of the opportunity thus presented of successfully attacking them. He accordingly concentrated and reinforced his command, and, on the 23d of March, started, with about five thousand men, from Jackson, Tenn., and reached Union City on the twenty-fourth. Here he found Colonel Hawkins with the Eleventh Tennessee Union cavalry, consisting of about four hundred and fifty men. At first Colonel Hawkins refused to surrender. His subordinate officers were confident of their ability to hold out till succor arrived, which they believed would soon reach them. Colonel Hawkins was, however, less sanguine, and finally surrendered to the enemy after a slight assault, who captured beside the garrison, two hundred horses and five hundred small arms. Hardly had the place been surrendered, when General Brayman, from Cairo, advanced to its relief. When within six miles from the post, he learned that its surrender had just taken place, and marched back with the shameful tidings to Cairo.
THE ATTACK OF PADUCAH, KY.
March 26, 1864.
General Forrest, after taking possession of Hickman, moved north with Buford’s division, marching direct from Jackson to Paducah, in fifty hours. The veteran Colonel Hicks, who commanded at Paducah, was, however, apprised of his approach in time to notify the inhabitants by special order, and to provide for their safety by removing them to the other side of the river. The pell-mell rush to the wharf of men, women, and children, was, in itself, tumultuous, but fortunately means were at hand to transfer them, so that few were remaining when the attack was made on the city. Colonel Hicks, conscious of the great numerical superiority of the enemy, estimated at from ten to fifteen thousand, ordered his entire command into Fort Anderson, consisting of five companies of the Sixteenth Kentucky, three companies of the One Hundred and Forty-second Illinois, and a detachment of the First Kentucky artillery, (colored) in all six hundred and eighty-five, exclusive of the Union citizens of Paducah for whom arms could be found.
The fort mounted six guns, and contained ammunition and rations barely sufficient for one day. It was a good earthwork defence, with a ditch around it, standing about five hundred yards down the river from the centre of the town. The enemy’s advance came in sight at one o’clock, and shortly after the main body appeared, forming a line which was little less than two miles long. Forrest pushed his line rapidly and steadily forward. A detachment of several hundred rebels dashed into and through the deserted city till they came within rifle-range of the fort, where they took possession of the neighboring houses, from which they could look into it and pick off the garrison. The rebel and Union artillery had already exchanged shots, and the two gunboats in the river, the Paw-Paw and the Piosta, began to play upon the rebel sharpshooters ranging through the city. The enemy now prepared to make a charge upon the fort. The assaulting force was greeted on its first appearance with a heavy and well-directed fire, which caused a portion of it to veer to the right and seek the cover of the uneven ground and the suburban buildings, but still the advance was continued. When within a good rifle-range, it was received with a fire that caused the men to fall to the ground by scores. The gunboat Piosta at the same time poured a steady stream of shells upon the attacking party. A number of them gave way, and though some of them charged up to the ditch, disorder prevailed, and presently the whole force broke and fled in confusion, leaving two hundred killed and wounded upon the field.
The railroad depot, and the city, in several places, were on fire. The fight, between the rebel sharpshooters and the gunboats was still spiritedly sustained. So fatal was the Confederate fire, that the upper guns of the boats could not be worked, and even those behind the casemates were loaded in peril. The ill-starred city was exposed to destruction from friend and foe. The rebels allowed the buildings they occupied to begin to crumble and fall before they slackened their fire.
Forrest’s aid, under a flag of truce, now presented a note from the rebel leader to Colonel Hicks, demanding the immediate and unconditional surrender of the fort and garrison, and threatening, in case of refusal, to take it by storm, and grant no quarter. The war-worn Colonel Hicks promptly replied that he would not fail to do his duty in defending the post to the last. This refusal to surrender was quickly followed by another impetuous assault upon the fort. The daring Brigadier-General A. P. Thompson, formerly a citizen of Paducah, led the Kentucky rebels against the Union fort. A fire, more galling than ever, was opened by the rebel sharpshooters upon the garrison as the main column rushed upon the fort. Murderous discharges from the small arms and cannon of the fort, and the raining shell of the gunboats, made fearful havoc in the rebel ranks as they advanced. Still the rebel general persevered, setting his men an example which would have insured the capture of the position, had he not, when but forty feet from the fort, been instantly killed by the explosion of a shell from the Piosta. His fall struck dismay into the hearts of his followers, and they consequently suffered a disastrous repulse.
A shout of victory now rose from the fort, which was echoed back from the gunboats and the opposite shore. The city was thoroughly sacked by the rebels, who carried away more than half a million dollars worth of plunder. The gunboats and the fort continued to fire upon the town till nearly every building in it was riddled by schrapnel and solid shot. All the government buildings, the gas works, and the elegant residences about the fort were destroyed, and the sun rose the next morning upon the smouldering ruins of the once beautiful city of Paducah.
To the great relief of the garrison, who were out of ammunition, and who had been told that they must now rely on their bayonets, the rebels left the town about midnight, but hung about it for several days. The rebel killed numbered three hundred, and his wounded at least a thousand. The Unionists had fourteen killed and forty-four wounded.
THE CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW, TENN.
April 12, 1864.
Fort Pillow was an earthwork, crescent-shaped, eight feet in height, surrounded by a ditch six feet deep and twelve feet in width. It was situated on a high bluff which descended precipitately to the river’s edge and on the other sides sloped to a deep ravine.
On the twelfth of April, just before sunrise, General Forrest’s command, consisting of McCulloch’s brigade of Chalmers’ division and Bell’s brigade of Buford’s division, under the command of Brigadier-General Chalmers, appeared in the neighborhood of Fort Pillow. The garrison of this fort comprised nineteen officers and five hundred and thirty-eight enlisted men, of whom two hundred and sixty-two were colored troops, including one battalion of the Sixth United States heavy artillery, commanded by Major L. F. Booth, and one section of the Second United States light artillery, together with one battalion of the Thirteenth Tennessee cavalry (white), under the command of Major W. F. Bradford. The pickets of the garrison were driven in and the fighting became general, about nine o’clock, A. M. Major Bradford, who commanded, withdrew all the forces, a portion of which had previously occupied exterior entrenchments, within the fort, and, as both the black and the white troops fought gallantly, he was sanguine of making a successful defence.
General Forrest having assumed the command, he ordered General Chalmers to advance his line so as to gain a position on the slope against which the cannon in the fort could not be directed, and where the garrison with small arms could not reach them without exposing themselves to the sharpshooters, who, under cover of stumps and logs, forced them to keep inside the works. This position, within one hundred yards of the fort, was, after much hard fighting and a severe loss to the rebels, gained by the assailants. The gunboat New Era shelled the latter continually but with little effect, although constantly instructed by signals from the fort of the whereabouts of the enemy. Her guns finally became overheated, her ammunition almost exhausted, and she was compelled to cease firing.
Forrest now demanded the unconditional surrender of the fort. Major Bradford asked to be allowed an hour to consult with his officers and those of the gunboat. Forrest, perceiving two Union gunboats approaching, the foremost apparently crowded with troops, refused to grant more than twenty minutes for the deliberation. There was some equivocal parleying in the interim, and the rebels are accused of unfairly gaining some approaches to the fort during the brief truce. The twenty minutes expired, and it was understood that Major Bradford refused to surrender.
Forrest, after exciting the rivalry and emulation of the rebel Missourians, Mississippians and Tennesseeans who surrounded the fort, ordered the bugle to sound the charge, which was made with a fierce yell, and the works were carried without a halt in the Confederate line. The rebels declare that the colored troops retreated toward the river, with their arms in their hands, firing back, and their colors flying. This assertion is stoutly denied by the few survivors of the massacre which followed. The latter affirm that the Federal troops, black and white, threw down their arms and sought to escape by running down the steep bank to the river. Some hid themselves behind trees and bushes, and others leaped into the river leaving only their heads above water, and were fired upon and slain by the victors as soon as discovered.
The Committee of Congress who made this slaughter the subject of special investigation, report many acts of barbarity on the part of the rebels, including the shooting in cold blood of Major Bradford, of entire groups and lines of prisoners, of the sick and wounded in the hospital, and even of women and children; the burning of the sick and the wounded in huts and tents from which escape had been rendered impossible—in a word, that “no cruelty which the most fiendish malignity could devise was omitted by them.” General Forrest himself, Lieutenant-General S. D. Lee, and other rebel officers who were implicated, denied these horrible charges.
General Forrest admits a loss in the engagement of twenty killed and sixty wounded. He captured two ten-pound Parrott guns, two howitzers, two brass cannon, three hundred and fifty stand of small arms, one hundred and sixty white and seventy-three negro troops and forty negro women and children. The rest of the garrison was slaughtered, and how many refugee citizens and negroes besides will perhaps never be known.