Major-General Lloyd Tilghman, of the rebel army, was a native of Maryland, and nearly fifty years of age. He was appointed to West Point Military Academy as a cadet in 1831, and graduated on the 30th of June, 1836, standing last but three in a class of forty-nine members. On the 1st of July, 1836, he was breveted a second lieutenant of the First dragoons, rather a high brevet for an officer occupying so low a grade in the Academy; but when we consider who were the appointing officers at that time, and the position the same men held in the war, our readers need not wonder at the appointment. Three days after that date he received his full commission and after being in the army for three months he resigned, plainly showing that he merely wished to gain a military education at the expense of the United States government, for which he gave nothing in return but rebellion. During the remainder of 1836 and the subsequent year he was appointed to the lucrative position of division engineer of the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad, followed immediately by that of assistant engineer in the survey of the Norfolk and Wilmington Canal of Virginia. He was next appointed (1838–9) assistant engineer of the Eastern Shore Railroad of Maryland, and in 1839–40 of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. During 1840 he was also engaged in the survey of the public improvements of Baltimore.
For the next few years he held no important public position; but the Mexican war again brought him into notoriety. He first served as volunteer aid to General Twiggs in the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, Texas, May, 1846, and doubtless here learned some of his early military lessons.
Orders were now sent back to General Sherman to turn his corps toward Bridgeport, and General Blair was expected to join him at that place. Bridgeport was on the Black river, and some miles north of the railroad. By crossing the river at that point, General Sherman would be on the flank of the enemy, if they made a stand at the railroad crossing of the river.
BATTLE OF BIG BLACK BRIDGE, MISS.
May 17, 1863.
The battle of Big Black Bridge was fought on Sunday, the 17th, the day after the battle of Champion’s Hill. In this spirited engagement only the Thirteenth army corps was engaged. In the morning, after a bivouac on the hill overlooking the village of Edwards’ Station, the column, with McClernand at its head, moved towards Black river bridge.
The country between Edwards Station and the bridge loses that hilly and broken character which distinguishes the region further east, and spreads out into a broad and fertile plain. There are no commanding hills, but there are numerous patches of forest, under the cover and from the edge of which the enemy could easily enfilade the open fields by the roadside. There was such a one a mile east of the rebel intrenchments where the main picket guard was stationed. Here determined resistance was first made.
General Carr’s division had the extreme advance of the column, and opened and ended the engagement. Hastily deploying a heavy line of skirmishers to the right of the road, backed up by the two brigades of Carr’s division in line of battle behind it, with General Osterhaus’ division on the left of the road similarly disposed, General McClernand gave the order to advance. Soon in the depths of the thick forest the skirmishers of both armies were hotly engaged, while batteries of artillery planted on the right and left of the road poured shot and shell into the fort most furiously. The guns in the intrenchments replied with vigor and spirit. Almost the first shot dropped in the caisson belonging to Foster’s Wisconsin battery, and exploded its contents, slightly wounding General Osterhaus and Captain Foster, of the battery, and very seriously injuring two gunners. General Osterhaus being thus disabled, the command of his division was temporarily given to Brigadier-General A. L. Lee.
After skirmishing had continued for an hour, during which the enemy gave way and sought the cover of his intrenchments, the order was given to the several brigade commanders on the right to advance and charge the enemy’s works. The order was received with cheers and shouts, and the Twenty-first, Twenty-second, Twenty-third Iowa and Eleventh Wisconsin, General Lawler’s brigade, were the first to announce themselves in readiness. The order “forward” was given, and steadily and splendidly the brave patriots moved up to the assault. The enemy crouched down behind the breastworks. A portion of them, stationed in a curtain on the right of the fort, whence they were able to get a cross-fire upon the column, reserved their volley until the Federals were within easy range of the intrenchments, when they swept the advancing line with their terrible fire.
The brave soldiers lost in that fearful volley one hundred and fifty men; yet they faltered not nor turned their steps backwards. They waded the bayou, delivering their fire as they reached the other bank, and rushed upon the enemy with fixed bayonets. So quickly was all this accomplished, that the rebels had not time to reload their guns, and were forced to surrender.
The battle was ended, and the fort, with three thousand prisoners, eighteen pieces of artillery, several thousand stand of arms, and a large supply of corn and commissary stores, fell into the hands of the Federals.