During the naval combat, General Banks marched three divisions of his army from Baton Rouge, to a point within seven miles of Port Hudson, where after engaging in a skirmish with the enemy, with trifling loss, they returned to their starting point. Being unprepared as yet to undertake the capture of Port Hudson, General Banks now turned his attention to that portion of the State west of New Orleans, and bordering on the Teche river. This diversion, it was afterward discovered, would have been made unnecessary, had General Banks possessed the means of learning the exact force of the rebels at Port Hudson, which was by no means so formidable as he had reason for believing.
The Teche river is a tortuous stream rising in St. Landry parish, and flowing southwardly. On its bank are the towns of Franklin, Martinsville, and Opelousas. General Weitzel had previously made an unsuccessful expedition up that river, and to guard against further invasion a considerable rebel force was now posted in that region, and heavy earthworks were thrown up in the vicinity of Patersonville. The district of country bordering on the Teche, comprised the parishes of Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, St. Mary, and St. Martin, rich in agricultural wealth, and having a large slave population. This district had furnished valuable supplies to the rebel army.
OPERATIONS ON THE TECHE AND ATCHAFALAYA RIVERS, LA.
April 13–20, 1863.
General Banks having concentrated his forces at Brashear, General Weitzel’s brigade was crossed over to Berwick on the 10th of April, without opposition, followed on the succeeding day by General Emory’s division, and both commands advanced upon the fortified position a few miles above Pattersonville. On the 13th, there was considerable artillery firing, in which the gunboat Diana, a late Federal capture, took active part. On the 12th, the division of General Grover left Brashear on the gunboats Clifton, Estrella, Arizona, and Calhoun, and transports, and proceeded up the Atchafalaya river, which joins the Teche at Berwick City, into Lake Chetimacha. The object was to get into the rear of the enemy, and if possible cut off his retreat if he evacuated his position, or to assail him in rear at the time of the attack in front. The expedition effected a landing early the next morning, about three miles west of Franklin, near a spot called Irish Bend. At this time, the gunboat Queen of the West, which had been captured previously by the enemy, was blown up and destroyed on the lake. Skirmishing immediately ensued with a small force of the enemy, that fell back as General Grover advanced. His position was about eleven miles distant from General Banks.
BATTLE OF IRISH BEND, LA.
April 13, 1863.
A correspondent in the army thus describes this battle:
“About seven o’clock A. M., the advance reached the edge of a dense line of woods near what is known as Irish Bend (a sharp bend of the Teche), about eleven miles distant from the rebel earthworks, where General Banks was engaging the enemy. Here our force was met by a strong one of the rebels, in position, from the banks of the Teche, across the front and right flank of General Grover’s division. The enemy was strongly posted at this point, their right flank supported by artillery, and their left extending round into another wood, in such a manner as to completely encircle any force which should simply attack their position in the wood first spoken of.
“Colonel Birge, of the Third Brigade, of General Grover’s division, at this time in command of the advance, and supported by two sections of Rogers’s battery, now skirmished with the rebels in front for about an hour, our skirmishers and their supports engaging the infantry and dismounted cavalry of the enemy. Colonel Birge then ordered the Twenty-fifth Connecticut and One Hundred and Fifty-ninth New York in front of the first skirt of woods. He had no sooner done this than the enemy commenced a flank attack, endeavoring to take the section of Rogers’s battery which was on the right. These two regiments, assailed by a fire on their front and right from an enemy very perfectly concealed, replied ineffectually to the fire, became shaken, and finally commenced to fall back, when General Grover rode up to the front and rallied them, at the same time ordering General Dwight to hasten up with his brigade. The section of Rogers’s battery was compelled to limber up and go to the rear, the fire of the enemy being so lively as to pick off nine cannoneers at their guns.
“At this time General Dwight moved on the field with his brigade, and placed the Sixth New York on his right, in such a manner as to outflank the enemy’s left, in a similar way that the enemy had outflanked our right. The Ninety-first New York was ordered in front to advance against the woods, with the First Louisiana supporting the Sixth New York, and the Twenty-second Maine and One Hundred and Thirty-first New York in support of the Ninety-first New York.
“The order to advance was given, and like veterans they moved forward across the field, through the woods, and over another field, the enemy slowly but surely falling back before them; sweeping on, taking from him all his positions, and finally compelling him to so hasty a retreat that he left over one hundred prisoners in our hands. Then the position which Colonel Birge’s brigade failed to take, with a loss of something over three hundred men, was taken by General Dwight, with a loss of only seven killed and twenty-one wounded.