Looking Up River.
Orders were immediately issued to cease firing all along the line and also from the fleet. Brig.-Gen. C. P. Stone, Col. Birge and Brig.-Gen. Dwight were designated by Gen. Banks as such commission. At 9 o’clock this morning the commissioners from both armies met just in front of our position, and nearly on the spot where Lieut.-Col. O’Brien had formed his men while waiting for the word on that eventful 27th of May. On the Confederate side the commissioners were Col. Miles, Col. Steedman, 1st Alabama, and Lieut.-Col. Smith, Chief of Artillery. Gen. Andrew was designated to receive the surrender, which it was finally decided should take place tomorrow morning, the 9th. The men of the 48th can feel with considerable satisfaction that through the carrying out of Col. Paine’s plan (to crowd the hard work of the siege onto the nine months regiments) they have been placed in a position where they can claim the honor of receiving the flag of truce which surrendered this great stronghold after so many weary and exciting weeks of fighting, digging and suffering. While the negotiations have been going on officers from some of the rebel regiments came over into our lines and fraternized with us as socially as though no state of war ever existed between the two sections of the country, and one officer expressed the wish that the war could now close and the North and South combine and whip out England; his reason being “that England had not recognized the independence of the Confederacy after the Trent affair.”
July 9. The 48th was in line promptly at 4.30 this morning, in accordance with orders, but was obliged to wait until nearly 10 o’clock before commencing to march into Port Hudson, en route for Donaldsonville, at which hour the 48th with the Massachusetts 49th and 21st Maine took up the line of march to the landing and embarked on board steamer “Louisiana Belle” late in the afternoon after the ceremony of surrender, which was very short. The rebels were drawn up in line with Gen. Gardner at their head, the right resting near the railroad station. When the command “ground arms” was given every man placed his musket upon the ground. It was a very affecting sight, and there was no man in the victorious army who did not experience a feeling of pity go out to the brave men who had been compelled to surrender after so long and so brilliant defense. Gen. Gardner tendered his sword to Gen. Andrews who declined to receive it. The rebel flag was hauled down from the flagstaff where it so defiantly floated through the siege. A salute was fired by the naval battery, the stars and stripes run up. The garrison filed off as prisoners of war, and all was over.
More than 6,000 rebels surrendered. The soldiers were paroled but the officers were held as prisoners of war. Twenty pieces of heavy artillery and more than 30 pieces of field artillery were captured. The loss of the 19th army corps during the siege has been nearly 5,000 men. No correct account has been made of the rebel loss, but an approximate calculation will give it as nearly 1,000, which, considering that their fighting has been entirely behind breastworks, is very heavy. Port Hudson is a very strong place and would have cost us many more men to have taken it by storm. As we steamed away from the landing and gazed at the bluffs and remembered the long weeks of waiting in front of its land batteries we could but take a long drawn sigh of relief. We shall no doubt soon be sent home. Home! Can any outside the army imagine what this word means to us who have lain so many weary weeks in the swamps of Louisiana, watching the lines of the enemy with the eyes of hungry wolves, dying by hundreds, by bullet, and shell, and disease. It means friends, comfort, life itself, in exchange for misery, squalor, dirt, a dog’s life, and death, and an unknown grave.
July 10. Reached Donaldsonville at 9 o’clock A. M. While on the passage down, and we were at breakfast, the steamer was fired on from the shore, but happily no one was hit. The shots were returned from the boat, but with what results of course we could not know, but we were not further molested.
After landing we made a reconnaissance till nearly dark when the regiment bivouacked for the night near the levee. The rebels have evidently drawn away their forces from the river and we shall probably have to seek them further inland.
July 11. False alarm in the night. Regiment fell in with arms, but were soon dismissed.
July 12. A steamer came up from New Orleans which shows that the blockade is raised, and the Mississippi river throughout its whole length is clear for the first time in two whole years.
July 13. Col. Paine’s brigade received orders while at breakfast to fall in and march to support Col. Dudley. Marched out several miles and halted to make preparations for dinner, there being no indications of being called into action very soon. Some were fortunate enough to dine early, their meal being very frugal, and hard tack and coffee constituted their principal fare, and a little green corn from the fields. We were startled by the rattle of musketry in our immediate front, and we were at once ordered into line and found that Dudley was engaged with the enemy and had been gradually driving them back until he came upon their main line, when he was in turn being slowly and obstinately forced back. Our brigade was now ordered to the front at “double quick” on the road parallel to the bayou, and soon ordered to file to the right into a little green plantation road or path, and halted, our left resting on the bayou road. In our front was a rail fence with a deep ditch at the side of the road; beyond the fence an open field of about 125 yards extent and beyond that an immense corn field. By the waving of the corn tops we could trace the movements of Dudley’s men and could see that they were slowly retreating and coming back gradually towards our line. The regiment was ordered to occupy the ditch at the side of the road. Very soon Dudley’s men made their appearance out of the corn, loading and firing as they fell slowly back. A more soldierly appearance could not have been made than was made by the regiment in our immediate front (the 161st New York. Col. Harrower,) as they retired, slowly, towards our line, turning and firing as they retreated. They came over the fence in our front and passed over us to our rear, where they laid down. The rebels followed them closely to the edge of the cornfield, and attempted to cross the open field in our front, but were immediately sent to the “right about” in some confusion, by the fire from the trusty rifles in the hands of the 48th boys who laid close to the ground, firing under the bottom rail in the fence, and the range being low the shots were very effective.
A short time previous, Col. Paine had taken the 49th out of their place in line, which was on our immediate right, leaving a gap in the brigade line which the 48th was directed to cover with an oblique fire, thus giving us double ground to cover. Col. Paine before leaving with the 49th came to Lieut.-Col. Stanwood and directed him to hold our ground at all hazards till his return.