Civil War 150th

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

[font="Times New Roman"][center]By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation[/center]
Whereas the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations, has by a resolution requested the President to designate and set apart a day for national prayer and humiliation; and

Whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord;

And, insomuch as we know that by His divine law nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do by this my proclamation designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer. And I do hereby request all the people to abstain on that day from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite at their several places of public worship and their respective homes in keeping the day holy to the Lord and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.

All this being done in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the divine teachings that the united cry of the nation will be heard on high and answered with blessings no less than the pardon of our national sins and the restoration of our now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 30th day of March, A. D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-seventh.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

By the President:

WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State .[/font]


It should be noted that both sides believed that they were "on the side of the angels", and did various things to secure God's help. Jefferson Davis also just declared a day of prayer. He added fasting, partly because the Southern farmers had not yet transitioned from growing cotton to producing foodstuffs, and with the blockade high prices and chronic food shortages were now plaguing the Confederacy.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

A further symptom of the worsening Southern economy appeared. On the streets of the Confederate capital itself, a group of women demanded to see Governor John Lechter to protest the high price of food. When they were turned away, they began to shout of "bread! bread!". The crowd grew to nearly a thousand, and before long the windows of several bakeries were smashed and the rioters looted the stock inside.

More shops were broken into for clothing, and finally the looting became general. At this point, according to an account by his wife, President Davis himself appeared, at the head of a number of militia. He threw all the money he was carrying to the crowd, but then gave them five minutes to disperse, or the soldiers would open fire. (It is not recorded whether the money was in coin or the less valuable paper bills.) The rioters glared at him for four minutes, not willing to leave, but uncertain whether the troops would actually fire on women. Davis looked at his watch, and announced, "My friends, you have one minute more." Finally deciding the President was serious, the rioters began to drift away. Davis then had the leaders of the original group of protesters arrested, and eventually put on trial.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

To show off his now-revitalized Army of the Potomac, "Fighting Joe" Hooker held a grand review for the President. Lincoln brought along Mary and Tad, meaning that Hooker and his staff had to hastily clean up his headquarters, which in more usual times was a cross between a bar and a bordello -- not a fit place for women or young children. The review went off fairly well, highlighted by the parade of General Stoneman's Cavalry Corps, now 10,000 men strong. A number of Confederates watched avidly from across the Rappahannock River, and well they might, since it was very likely the largest procession of cavalry ever held in North America.

The exercise appears to have been worth the trouble. One officer wrote later that the review had made him believe " that the Army of the Potomac is a collection of as fine troops … as there are in the world. I believe the day will come when it will be a proud thing for anyone to say he belonged to it.” The contrast with the aftermath of Burnside's "Mud March" could scarcely have been greater.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

The Union was blockading Charleston harbor, but the massive number of Confederate guns in shore batteries and on Fort Sumter kept the Northerners from attacking ships inside the harbor. On this date, a genuine fleet of Union ironclads had been assembled, and Admiral Samuel DuPont was ordered to go in and see if he could silence Fort Sumter's guns. He had a total of eight ironclads: seven monitors and the massive New Ironsides, laid out like a conventional warship but covered with four-inch iron plate.

The Union ships had to face not only the concentration of Confederate cannon, but a number of underwater mines or "torpedoes". A crude mine-sweeping device in the form of a raft with grappling hooks was attached to the lead ship, but it proved so cumbersome, and slowed the ship so much, that it was eventually cast loose. The big New Ironsides also had trouble because of the strong tidal currents, and eventually anchored to keep herself within some kind of range of the Rebel forts. All told, it was not until the Northern fleet had been struggling for two hours that they were finally in position to open fire.

The Confederates were not slow to fire back. All told, the Rebels fired at least 2,000 shells, of which nearly a quarter were hits. New Ironsides was not penetrated, but the remaining ironclads took damage ranging from moderate to life-threatening. They managed only 154 shots in return, which did some damage to the walls of Fort Sumter but came nowhere near silencing its guns. When the tide turned, Admiral DuPont could do little else but order his fleet to withdraw.

That night, DuPont held a conference with his captains, wishing to resume the attack the next day. The ship commanders were unanimously opposed, for they saw nothing to indicate that another attempt would bring any better results. As the conference broke up, the officers came out on deck in time to witness the USS Keokuk, which had been hit 90 times, turn over and sink. (Happily the crew had already abandoned ship.) DuPont was convinced.

Eventually, so was Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, though he relieved DuPont and never gave him another another command. If Charleston was to be captured or even truly closed off, it would have to be by a combined operation of both Army and Navy.

[Capt. Harlock]

Early April, 1863:

It is useful to remember that during the Civil War, "The West" was usually understood to mean the area from Tennessee and Kentucky to the east bank of the Mississippi river. Beyond that, what is now remembered as the "Wild West" was most often called the "Trans-Mississippi".

But there was action in this area. The Confederacy had attempted to take much of Arizona and New Mexico, and because of the alliance with several Indian nations, it controlled "Indian Territory", which is now Oklahoma. The change of allegiance of the Cherokee council had given the Union an opportunity there.

Around this time, Northern troops including pro-Union Cherokee and Kansas cavalry re-occupied Fort Gibson, in the northeast of the territory. The fort had been important in the 1830's and '40's, but had then been evacuated and turned over to the Cherokee. Now that they were on the Union side, the U. S. Army could legally re-enter.

The outpost was re-named Fort Blunt after Union General James Blunt, a strong abolitionist now commanding the Union District of the Frontier. With new construction, the fort rapidly became a safe haven for pro-Northern Indians and free blacks, which made it a thorn in the side of the Confederates. Troops were slowly scraped together, and plans made, to deal with the situation.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

The "cottonclad" Queen of the West had sunk or captured several Confederate ships, until she was captured herself and then helped to sink a Union ironclad. On this date, her career came to an end as she was engaged by three Union warships. A lucky shell from the USS Calhoun set the cotton bales meant to protect the Queen well and truly afire. (It may also have burst Queen's boiler.) The crew abandoned ship, for they knew the flames would eventually reach the magazine. The burning Queen drifted for several hours before that happened, but finally it did.



In Virginia, the Richmond bread riot had made the Davis administration realize something had to be done. Davis issued a proclamation directing the landowners of the Confederacy to plant food crops instead of cotton or tobacco. But in the meantime, word came that there were already such crops ready near the Atlantic coast. The problem was that the area was largely controlled by Union forces which had landed from the sea.

James Longstreet and about 25,000 men were detached from the Army of Northern Virginia and instructed to gather forage in the area and if possible to re-capture the town of Suffolk, which was the main Northern base. On this date, Longstreet's forces moved across the Nansemond River, capturing several pickets and brushing back a regiment of Federal cavalry. So far, so good, but the alarm quickly spread to Union general John J. Peck, commanding the Suffolk garrison.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

In eastern Virginia, Union general John Peck had gathered his command into the fortifications of the town of Suffolk. But he had done too good a job: the Confederates under James Longstreet were now free to roam the surrounding area, undisturbed by Northern troops. The Rebels began gathering the foodstuffs from the local farms. They also constructed a battery of cannon on Hill's Point, which commanded the river to Suffolk. Since the Yankees had drawn their supplies from ships going up the river, they were now effectively besieged.


At the Rappahannock River, word had reached general Hooker and the Army of the Potomac that their opponents across the river were low on rations. Once again surprising those who had thought him a straightforward aggressive commander, "Fighting Joe" Hooker came up with a highly intelligent plan. He would send his cavalry under George Stoneman on a sweeping raid around to the west, getting in between Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and its supplies at Richmond. Lee would have to march his troops out of their entrenchments to deal with the Yankee cavalry. Hooker's forces would then execute a pincer movement, with part of the Union army holding at Fredricksburg, while the main arm with its superior numbers would crush the now-exposed Southerners from the west. Given that the Confederate army was already divided, the chances for this plan seemed excellent.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

In Virginia, Joe Hooker's plan to get the Confederate army out of its entrenchments stumbled on the first obstacle. Heavy rains made a key ford impassable for the Northern cavalry. The wide swing around to cut the Rebel supply line would have to wait.


On the Nansemond River near Suffolk, a squadron of Union gunboats attempted to run past the Southern cannon to re-establish a supply line to the besieged Northern garrison. It didn't work: in the mid-nineteenth century shore batteries still had a substantial advantage over warships, especially unarmored ones. The USS Mount Washington was hit hard, getting its boiler punctured and drifting to the riverbank. Her crew were temporarily forced from her decks by the escaping steam.

After a few minutes when the steam had lessened, some intrepid Union sailors re-boarded the ship and manned her guns to prevent the Rebels from capturing her. Particularly conspicuous were four men who were not even part of the ships' original company: Coxswain Robert Jordan, Seaman Henry Thielberg, Coxswain Robert B. Wood, and Seaman Samuel Woods, who had been transferred temporarily from another ship. While the Mount Washington was being hit by both cannon fire and musketry, they fought back for almost six hours until the ship was re-floated and staggered to safety. The four received the Medal of Honor three months later.

The Yankees were not slow to learn the lesson. There were a number of cannon available in the Suffolk fortifications, and a battery was under construction by sundown to face the Southern gun emplacements.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Step one of U. S. Grant's new plan to take Vicksburg got underway. He would now cross the river south of the Confederate citadel, make a wide swing around and cut the railroad lines leading there, and then take the city by storm or siege. To do that, he needed warships and transports to run past the formidable Vicksburg batteries to a point downstream. It was a risky move, but Admiral Porter was willing.

Most of the crews were not as willing, but volunteers were found in the ranks of Grant's army. Here the advantages of citizen soldiers came into play -- as Grant noted, men from almost any profession one could name were in both the rank and file and the officer corps of the Union forces.

As it happened, that very night the Confederates in Vicksburg had thrown a gala ball to celebrate the defeat of Grant's other attempts to take the city. The festivities were interrupted as the Southern pickets spotted the twelve-ship Union flotilla, and the guns opened up:


[font="Times New Roman"]Anticipating a scene, I had four yawl-boats hauled across the swamp, to the reach of the river below Vicksburg, and manned them with soldiers, ready to pick up any of the disabled wrecks as they floated by. I was out in the stream when the fleet passed Vicksburg, and the scene was truly sublime. As soon as the rebel gunners detected the Benton, which was in the lead, they opened on her, and on the others in succession, with shot and shell; houses on the Vicksburg side and on the opposite shore were set on fire, which lighted up the whole river; and the roar of cannon, the bursting of shells, and finally the burning of the Henry Clay, drifting with the current, made up a picture of the terrible not often seen.

Each gunboat returned the fire as she passed the town, while the transports hugged the opposite shore. When the Benton had got abreast of us, I pulled off to her, boarded, had a few words with Admiral Porter, and as she was drifting rapidly toward the lower batteries at Warrenton, I left, and pulled back toward the shore, meeting the gunboat Tuscumbia towing the transport Forest Queen into the bank out of the range of fire. The Forest Queen, Captain Conway, had been my flag-boat up the Arkansas, and for some time after, and I was very friendly with her officers. This was the only transport whose captain would not receive volunteers as a crew, but her own officers and crew stuck to their boat, and carried her safely below the Vicksburg batteries, and afterward rendered splendid service in ferrying troops across the river at Grand Gulf and Bruinsburg. In passing Vicksburg, she was damaged in the hull and had a steam-pipe cut away, but this was soon repaired. The Henry Clay was set on fire by bursting shells, and burned up; one of my yawls picked up her pilot floating on a piece of wreck...
[center]--Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman[/center][/font]

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Part two of Grant's plan against Vicksburg got underway, although the jumping off point was a considerable distance away from the Confederate stronghold. It had been decided to stage a major cavalry raid behind the Southern lines, and the area selected was a measure of retaliation. The track would be roughly that of Earl Van Dorn's cavalry raid which had burned the Federal supply base at Holly Springs and stopped Grant's original march towards Vicksburg.

The man leading it was an unusual choice: a Colonel named Benjamin Grierson. He had acquired a strong dislike of horses after being kicked in the head by one at the age of eight, and his profession before the war had been a music teacher. But he had risen quickly in rank, and Grant believed he was the man for the job. On this date, Grierson and 1,700 Union troopers headed south from La Grange, Tennessee, going for the interior of Mississippi. (The John Wayne movie "The Horse Soldiers" is a fictionalized version of the raid.)

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Near the town of Suffolk in eastern Virginia, Northern artillery had managed to silence one of the two Confederate batteries commanding the Nanesemond River. On this date, a quickly planned but effective amphibious operation was mounted against the other battery, now named Fort Huger. While Federal gunboats engaged the attention of the Southern guns, detachments of the 8th Connecticut and the 89th New York landed on Hill's Point and assaulted Fort Huger from the rear. The recently built emplacements were speedily overrun, and garrison and guns fell into Union hands.

The river to Suffolk was re-opened to Northern supply ships after less than a week. James Longstreet and his force would continue to invest the town and its Yankee defenders, but there was no longer any chance of starving them out.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

In Washington. President Lincoln officially proclaimed that West Virginia would be admitted as a state of the the Union on June 20.


On the West bank of the Mississippi River, U. S. Grant had the force in place that he would first put across to the Vicksburg side. It was time to give his marching orders:
[font="Times New Roman"]

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE, MILLIKEN'S BEND, LOUISIANA, April 20, 1863.
Special Orders, No. 110.

The following orders are published for the information and guidance of the "Army in the Field," in its present movement to obtain a foothold on the east bank of the Mississippi River, from which Vicksburg can be approached by practicable roads.

First.--The Thirteenth army corps, Major-General John A. McClernand commanding, will constitute the right wing.

Second.--The Fifteenth army corps, Major-General W. T. Sherman commanding, will constitute the left wing.

Third.--The Seventeenth army corps, Major-General James B. McPherson commanding, will constitute the centre.

Fourth.--The order of march to New Carthage will be from right to left.

[ . . . ]

Sixth.--Troops will be required to bivouac, until proper facilities can be afforded for the transportation of camp equipage.

Seventh.--In the present movement, one tent will be allowed to each company for the protection of rations from rain; one wall tent for each regimental headquarters; one wall tent for each brigade headquarters; and one wall tent for each division headquarters; corps commanders having the books and blanks of their respective commands to provide for, are authorized to take such tents as are absolutely necessary...

[ . . . ]

Ninth.--As fast as the Thirteenth army corps advances, the Seventeenth army corps will take its place; and it, in turn, will be followed in like manner by the Fifteenth army corps.

[ . . . ]

Eleventh.--General hospitals will be established by the medical director between Duckport and Milliken's Bend. All sick and disabled soldiers will be left in these hospitals. Surgeons in charge of hospitals will report convalescents as fast as they become fit for duty. Each corps commander will detail an intelligent and good drill officer, to remain behind and take charge of the convalescents of their respective corps; officers so detailed will organize the men under their charge into squads and companies, without regard to the regiments they belong to; and in the absence of convalescent commissioned officers to command them, will appoint non-commissioned officers or privates. The force so organized will constitute the guard of the line from Duckport to Milliken's Bend. They will furnish all the guards and details required for general hospitals, and with the contrabands that may be about the camps, will furnish all the details for loading and unloading boats.

Twelfth.--The movement of troops from Milliken's Bend to New Carthage will be so conducted as to allow the transportation of ten days' supply of rations, and one-half the allowance of ordnance, required by previous orders.

Thirteenth.--Commanders are authorized and enjoined to collect all the beef cattle, corn and other necessary supplies on the line of march; but wanton destruction of property, taking of articles useless for military purposes, insulting citizens, going into and searching houses without proper orders from division commanders, are positively prohibited. All such irregularities must be summarily punished.

By order of MAJOR-GENERAL U. S. GRANT.[/font]


The last part would be ignored more than once.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years (or maybe a bit less) Ago Today:

U. S. Grant had men, gunboats, and troop transports ready to move across the Mississippi River. But his force was somewhat short on supplies, and the road network on the west bank of the river was poor. On the night of this date, six more Northern steamers were packed with supplies, and sent to run past the Rebel batteries of Vicksburg as Admiral Porter's flotilla had done six days before.

It was clearly a mission for volunteers only. This time there were no ironclads, the Confederates were more prepared, and to top it off each steamer had one or two loaded barges lashed alongside which cut its speed and manuverability. The Rebel cannon opened up as before, and hit after hit was scored. Admiral Porter was not there, but his tactics of hugging the bank close to Vicksburg so that the plunging angle would minimize waterline hits were faithfully followed. And it worked for five of the six vessels, but the Tigress, was well and truly holed. Her crew managed to run her aground before she could go completely underwater, and nearly all made their escape floating on the cotton bales which had been thoughtfully packed around the boilers to protect them from shell fragments.

General Sherman had again put yawls in the water downstream to rescue just such escapees. He later would write that he "saw Colonel Lagow, of General Grant's staff, who had passed the batteries in the Tigress, and I think he was satisfied never to attempt such a thing again." (Incidentally, Sherman gave the date as April 26th, but Grant appears to be more accurate.)

Of the five surviving steamers, only two were still navigable, and half of the barges had been lost. But the supplies they delivered were sufficient. Grant's campaign was soon to begin.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

The Confederate Congress passed a "tax in kind" law. Since both troops and civilians did not have enough to eat, and Confederate money was worth less and less as more was printed, it was decided to take the products themselves. After a minimum allowance, each farmer was required to turn over ten percent of all agricultural produce and livestock.

The new law was hugely unpopular. The South had seceded against "Northern tyranny", but the Davis administration was now reaching into people's homes as no American government had ever done. More, the new law did not at first give good results. It was soon discovered that the sheer volume of provisions collected was too much for the Southern transportation networks. Roads were generally not paved, and the Confederacy was not making enough iron to meet the needs of its railroads. A considerable amount of the food simply spoiled before it could be delivered to the soldiers in need.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

In Virginia, General Hooker had decided not to wait any longer for his cavalry to raid behind the lines of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. He set three entire corps into motion, swinging around to the west while keeping a part of his Army of the Potomac to face the Southerners at Fredricksburg. The move worked surprisingly well: the Federals managed to cross both the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers, brushing aside the few Confederate pickets they encountered. At about the same time, General Stoneman's Northern cavalry finally manged to get underway.


In Alabama, a second Union cavalry raid under Colonel Streight was finding its way difficult. They were there to tear up railroad tracks and cut off the supplies to Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee, but they didn't know the territory very well, and there were not many willing to give directions. Much worse, Confederate cavalry was now in pursuit -- and it was led by Nathan Bedford Forrest.

In Mississippi, however, the third Union cavalry raid was going splendidly. Colonel Grierson had split off 700 of his original 1,700 troopers and sent them circling back to the Union base in Tennessee. The Confederates in the area did not have enough cavalry for a similar split, since they had sent many of their horsemen to reinforce Forrest. Meanwhile, Grierson and the remaining thousand Northerners were riding ever deeper into Mississippi, tearing up railroad tracks, burning Confederate supply depots, and finding the heart of the state was a hollow shell when it came to militia. When they arrived at a town, they were typically opposed by a small, hastily gathered force of older men with whatever flintlocks they could find. A quick charge was generally sufficient to scatter or capture the Southerners, after which rumors of an overwhelming force of Yankees would reach the Confederate commanders.

This was especially worrying to General John Pemberton, in charge of the defense of Vicksburg. From what he could see, U. S. Grant and his Northerners were strung along the west bank of the Mississippi for many miles, ready to cross if Pemberton made a mistake. As it happened Grant was indeed prepared, but only at one spot: a plantation several miles south with the interesting name of Hard Times. Since Pemberton's army was larger than any force Grant could put across at this point, Grant wished to add to Pemberton's confusion still more.

North of Vicksburg, William T. Sherman received a letter from Grant, which was surprisingly a suggestion rather than an order: "If you think it advisable, you may make a reconnaissance of Hayne’s Bluff … The effect of a heavy demonstration in that direction would be good …. But I am loathe to order it, because it would be so hard to make our own troops understand that only a demonstration was intended, and our people at home would characterize it as a repulse….I therefore leave it you whether to make such a demonstration.”

Not for the last time, the friendship between Grant and Sherman served the Union cause well. Sherman immediately began planning for the feint, and wrote back: “You are engaged in a hazardous enterprise and for good reasons wish to divert attention; that is sufficient to me and it will be done." As for the move being called a defeat: “the people must find the truth as they best can; it is none of their business.”

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

North of Vicksburg, W. T. Sherman made his feint. Backed up by eight Federal gunboats, infantry was landed at virtually the same spot that Sherman's men had been bloodily repulsed from on December 29. This time, however, most of the Confederate fire went towards the Union navy rather than the army. The ironclad Choctaw was hit no less than 53 times, but her armor held, and the crew reported no casualties. The gunboats returned the fire, but likewise did no significant damage.


Ironically, the most active fighting on the land was done by a shore party of sailors. After musket fire from buildings near the shore line started hitting the Northern vessels, two dozen men were put ashore to abate the nuisance. The Union Navy had issued revolvers to arm its bluejackets, and they proved useful for house-to-house fighting. The Rebels were sent fleeing from the scene.

Although no serious attempt was made to ascend the bluffs, Sherman's move worked exactly as he and Grant had hoped. The local Confederate commander reported the attack, and Southern reinforcements were sent marching towards the spot.


South of Vicksburg, matters did not go as well for the Union:

[font="Times New Roman"] At 8 o'clock A.M., 29th, Porter made the attack with his entire strength present, eight gunboats. For nearly five and a half hours the attack was kept up without silencing a single gun of the enemy. All this time McClernand's 10,000 men were huddled together on the transports in the stream ready to attempt a landing if signalled. I occupied a tug from which I could see the effect of the battle on both sides, within range of the enemy's guns; but a small tug, without armament, was not calculated to attract the fire of batteries while they were being assailed themselves.

About half-past one the fleet withdrew, seeing their efforts were entirely unavailing. The enemy ceased firing as soon as we withdrew. I immediately signalled the Admiral and went aboard his ship. The navy lost in this engagement eighteen killed and fifty-six wounded. A large proportion of these were of the crew of the flagship, and most of those from a single shell which penetrated the ship's side and exploded between decks where the men were working their guns. The sight of the mangled and dying men which met my eye as I boarded the ship was sickening.
[center]--The Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant[/center]
[/font]

It was evident that this was the wrong place to cross the river. The Federals would have to go still further south.



At Brookhaven, Mississippi, Grierson's raid produced an interesting example of warfare by the honor system. At this point, neither side had the facilities to house large numbers of prisoners, nor the means to transport them. They settled for "paroling": making a list of the soldiers they captured, and then letting them go under the promise not to engage in active duty until an equivalent number of soldiers on the other side had been captured and released.

[font="Times New Roman"][right]FIRST LOUISIANA HOSPITAL, Brookhaven, Miss., May 2, 1863.

Lieut. Gen. J. C. PEMBERTON, Comdg. Dept. of Mississippi and East Louisiana, Jackson, Miss.[/right]

GENERAL: On 29th ultimo the Federal cavalry force under Colonel Grierson entered this place and made prisoners the sick soldiers, their nurses and the other attendants of this hospital. They were regularly paroled and a correct list of them is herewith forwarded. Having been short of provisions since 26th of April and unable to obtain supplies from Jackson in consequence of injury to the railroad I was compelled to send off with leave of absence for twenty days such men as could without difficulty reach their homes. A list of these men is also forwarded. I have to state that the conduct of the enemy toward the hospital and its officers was entirely proper. Nothing was injured or disturbed in the slightest particular. There are here remaining fifty-eight men, paroled prisoners, awaiting your orders.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

R. B. MAURY, Surgeon in Charge.[/font]


But with black men joining the Northern ranks, the system would not work for much longer. Its breakdown would lead to such dark names as Andersonville, Libby Prison, and Camp Douglas.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

At a place called Day's Gap in Alabama, Nathan Bedford Forrest's troopers caught up with the Union cavalry under Colonel Abel Streight. But for once Forrest came off second best; his men attacked the Yankee rear-guard, but were repulsed at a cost of 65 casualties. The Northerners lost only 23. However, Forrest was not the man to quit when Southern soil was being invaded; he re-grouped his men and would continue to harass Streight's raiders through the next three days.


In the area of Virginia called the Wilderness, the march of the Northern army was going remarkably smoothly. They reached a large house named the Chancellor Mansion and set up a large camp around it. Joseph Hooker had ordered that no bands or even drums play during the march, and had the men woken by runners going from tent to tent instead of buglers blowing Reveille. This had prevented the news of his move from spreading until his force was across two rivers. "Jeb" Stuart's cavalry had picked up some Union stragglers the day before, but a telegraph station had closed for the night and prevented the news from reaching Robert E. Lee before this date.

When Lee learned that his opponent was on the march, he quickly figured out the plan. The Southern commander knew he could not afford to have his army caught in the giant pincer that Joe Hooker had set in motion. Lee rapidly gave orders to most of his force to move out, and wired to James Longstreet and his corps to drop the investment of Suffolk and join him.


On the Mississippi River, U. S. Grant had learned from a "colored man" that there was a good landing spot only a couple of miles south from where Admiral Porter had failed to silence the Rebel batteries. (Grant's memoirs do not mention whether his newly arrived guide was an escaped slave or not.) By noon the Northerners were taking advantage of the information:

[font="Times New Roman"]The embarkation below Grand Gulf took place at De Shroon's, Louisiana, six miles above Bruinsburg, Mississippi. Early on the morning of 30th of April McClernand's corps and one division of McPherson's corps were speedily landed.

When this was effected I felt a degree of relief scarcely ever equalled since. Vicksburg was not yet taken it is true, nor were its defenders demoralized by any of our previous moves. I was now in the enemy's country, with a vast river and the stronghold of Vicksburg between me and my base of supplies. But I was on dry ground on the same side of the river with the enemy. All the campaigns, labors, hardships and exposures from the month of December previous to this time that had been made and endured, were for the accomplishment of this one object.

[center]--The Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant[/center]
[/font]

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Now on the east side of the Mississippi River, U. S. Grant lost no time pushing his men forward. Advance pickets had marched through most of the night, encountering scattered patrols, but nothing to stop them until about 5:30 a.m. Then they came across two Confederate brigades under Brigadier General John Bowen, well posted to take advantage of the difficult terrain.

Most of the the Union corps under political general John McClernand came up, but although the Yankees were now greatly superior in numbers, they made slow progress. Sundown arrived with the two sides essentially stalemated. But on a different road, the younger and more aggressive Union general James McPherson arrived. Though he had only a fresh brigade with him, McPherson personally scouted the position, and then directed an attack which turned the Confederate right flank. Soon the Rebels were in retreat, and the Battle of Port Gibson, the first of the Vicksburg Campaign, was won. The Southerners had lost about 780 men including prisoners, while the Northerners had lost about 860.

The affair made McClernand lose even more credit with Grant. The directives from Washington were that Grant was now supposed to reinforce General Nathaniel Banks, who was moving up from New Orleans with a smaller army, for operations against the Confederate stronghold of Port Hudson. Grant had planned to detach McClernand and his force for this assignment, but now it was learned that Banks had wasted a good deal of time capturing small outposts along the Red River, and was still distant from Port Hudson. Grant decided to keep McClernand's force with him, which was insubordinate but wise. (The Southerners had 58,000 men around Vicksburg, though badly scattered, while Grant had about 20,000, though he would soon be reinforced to 33,000 when Sherman arrived.) Also, Banks was about to be reinforced by a thousand Union cavalry under Benjamin Grierson.


Near Chancellorsville, Virgina, the Army of the Potomac was the one on the offensive, but the first action was a Confederate attack. This is less surprising when one considers that the ever-aggressive Stonewall Jackson was commanding the Southern troops in that particular area. For a short time, the Rebels pushed the Yankees back, but soon the weight of Northern numbers told, and regained the ground and then some.

But it was then that "Fighting Joe" Hooker lost his nerve. His plan had been to take up a position and defend it, while Lee spent his army attacking (as he had done at Malvern Hill, and the Union had done at Fredricksburg). However, Hooker now ordered his troops to fall back, forgetting that the terrain behind was heavily wooded, and the better defensive ground was still in front of them. As his subordinate general Gordon Meade exclaimed, "My God, if we can't hold the top of the hill, we certainly can't hold the bottom of it!" Or as another Union general later wrote:

[font="Times New Roman"] . . .to hear from [Hooker's] own lips that the advantages gained by the successful marches of his lieutenants were to culminate in fighting a defensive battle in that nest of thickets was too much, and I retired from his presence with the belief that my commanding general was a whipped man.
--Maj. Gen. Darius N. Couch[/font]

The Northern soldiers were now uncertain as to their next move. Above all, the right flank stopped at a position where it was "in air"; that is, not anchored by a river or a hill. Since they were in Virginia, word of this situation quickly reached Jackson and Lee.


In Ohio, a recently retired Congressman named Clement Vallandigham delivered a speech to a rally of "Peace Democrats", men who were loyal to the Union but opposed the war (and the Republicans). This was a direct challenge to General Ambrose Burnside, who was now the commander of the Department of Ohio. Burnside had issued General Order No. 38, which among other things forbade "declaring sympathies for the enemy". In his speech, Vallandigham denounced the Emancipation Proclamation, saying "War for the Union was abandoned; war for the Negro openly begun". He described the war as "Wicked and cruel", and advocated an armistice -- which would have left the South its independence.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

South of Vicksburg, U. S. Grant discovered that his son not only wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, but but was determined to:

[font="Times New Roman"]On leaving Bruinsburg for the front I left my son Frederick, who had joined me a few weeks before, on board one of the gunboats asleep, and hoped to get away without him until after Grand Gulf should fall into our hands; but on waking up he learned that I had gone, and being guided by the sound of the battle raging at Thompson's Hill--called the Battle of Port Gibson--found his way to where I was. He had no horse to ride at the time, and I had no facilities for even preparing a meal. He, therefore, foraged around the best he could until we reached Grand Gulf.
[ . . . ]
My son accompanied me throughout the campaign and siege, and caused no anxiety either to me or to his mother, who was at home. He looked out for himself and was in every battle of the campaign. His age, then not quite thirteen, enabled him to take in all he saw...
[center]--The Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant[/center][/font]


A brigade of Union cavalry under General John Buford finally made it to the south side of the North Anna river. It wasn't the full cavalry corps under George Stoneman that had been originally planned, but it was enough to begin the work of destroying bridges and alarming the local Confederates. But given that the news was already out that the Army of the Potomac was on the move, it would have no effect on the already-begun Battle of Chancellorsville. (The effect in Richmond was another story.)

In Louisiana, however, a Northern cavalry raid ended in complete success. Colonel Benjamin Grierson and his thousand troopers made it safely into the Union lines at Baton Rouge. It was arguably the most spectacular raid of the war, for Grierson's force had ridden across the entire breadth of the Confederacy, losing only a handful of men. and they were largely responsible for the near-complete confusion of the Confederate commanders in Mississippi.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com


Near Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee made perhaps the boldest gamble of his life. He split his already divided army into a third part, in the presence of a superior enemy. One part was kept at Fredricksburg to hold back a Yankee crossing there, one part faced the main body of the Northern army, and the last part under Stonewall Jackson made a march through a little-known track, to attack the exposed Union right flank. It shouldn't have worked, for the 26,000 men under Jackson could not move unobtrusively. The path they took was close enough that the Northerners detected them. But amazingly, there was no effective Union response, so much so that some histories claim that Hooker never heard about the Southerners' march.

In fact, Hooker sent a message at 9:30 a.m. to Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard on his right flank: "We have good reason to suppose the enemy is moving to our right. Please advance your pickets for purposes of observation as far as may be safe in order to obtain timely information of their approach." About an hour and half later, Howard sent back that his command was "taking measures to resist an attack from the west." But in fact, almost nothing had been done. This was extraordinary when one considers that two years into the war, both Johnny Reb and Billy Yank had learned to "dig in", creating rifle-pits and waist-high barriers, in as little as half an hour.

While this was going on, Union general Dan Sickles, commanding III Corps, spotted a piece of high ground to the south called Hazel Grove. Sickles advanced his men and occupied it, effectively cutting Jackson's force off from Lee, but spreading the Northern army out.

And in the late afternoon, Jackson's men hit the Federal flank like a thunderbolt. Many of the Northerners were sitting down to an early dinner with their rifles stacked, and the "Rebel Yell" sent them fleeing for their lives. One division under Major General Carl Schurz managed to shift into a north-south line to resist the attack, but his men were soon flanked on either side by the Confederate onslaught, and had to retreat. Nearly all the remainder of the Union XI Corps was already scattering to the winds.

As darkness fell, Stonewall Jackson was aware that his men had done a good deal of damage, but not scored a knock-out blow. He pushed the advance onward, trying to destroy as much of the Union army as possible. But then occurred a grim lesson in the dangers of night-time combat. As he and his escort returned from personally scouting the Union positions, they came across advancing Southern troops, who simply saw riders coming from the direction of the Northern force.

The Rebel infantry delivered an initial volley, which surprisingly only killed one of the horses in Jackson's party. The rider called on the Confederate soldiers to cease firing. But Major John D. Barry of the 18th North Carolina then did his cause tragically poor service, denouncing the call as a lie and ordering his men to "pour it to them." This they did, and three bullets hit Stonewall Jackson, two in his left arm and one in his right hand. Four members of his staff were killed outright. To add insult to injury, the noise brought Federal artillery fire on the area. The resulting chaos meant that it was not until after midnight when the seriously wounded Jackson was finally brought back to corps hospital.


Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Dr. Hunter McGuire, age 27, found himself the primary surgeon examining Stonewall Jackson. What he found was bad: Jackson had been hit by .69 caliber flintlock balls, even worse than the standard .58 caliber musket most widely used in the Civil War. The bones in the left arm were hopelessly shattered, and McGuire amputated it near the shoulder.

With sunrise, the battle of Chancellorsville raged as the Northerners tried to re-form their lines, and the Southerners tried to press the momentum of the day before. Union genenral Dan Sickles had arguably been foolish to occupy the high ground at Hazel Grove the day before, but now Hooker foolishly ordered him to abandon it. When Sickles' men retired, a highly intelligent Confederate Colonel of artillery named Edward Porter Alexander immediately saw the value of the position. (Alexander would later write one of the most useful of the memoirs on the Southern side.) The artillerist concentrated over thirty cannon there, and for one of the very few times in the war the Southern guns had the mastery of the Northern guns.

At 9:15 a.m., a Rebel cannonball hit a wooden pillar that Joe Hooker happened to be leaning against. The shock knocked him unconscious for over an hour, and there is good reason to think that he was suffering from a concussion for the rest of the day.

In spite of their superior numbers, the Yankees were steadily pushed back by the Rebel artillery, fighting spirit, and better leadership. When the two parts of Lee's army linked up at the now-burning Chancellor mansion, he arrived on his horse Traveller and:

[font="Times New Roman"] Lee's presence was the signal for one of those uncontrollable bursts of enthusiasm which none can appreciate who has not witnessed them. The fierce soldiers, with their faces blackened with the smoke of battle, the wounded crawling with feeble limbs from the fury of the devouring flames, all seemed possessed with a common impulse. One long unbroken cheer, in which the feeble cry of those who lay helpless on the earth blended with the strong voices of those who still fought, rose high above the roar of battle and hailed the presence of a victorious chief.
— Charles Marshall, An Aide-de-Camp to Lee[/font]

But back at Fredricksburg, the Union scored an unexpected success. General Sedgwick had received orders to try a supporting attack against Marye's Heights and the famous stone wall that had caused disaster to the Northerners in December. Two morning charges in fact led to much the same result, being driven back with numerous casualties. But during a truce to recover wounded, the Union soldiers could see how thinly manned was the Confederate line. When the truce expired, a third determined charge overran the Southern defenses, and the Rebels had to make a fighting retreat.

Lee learned of the threat to his rear, and hastily sent reinforcements. The Federals had lost priceless time when Sedgwick formed his men into a marching column, not realizing there would be more fighting. The Confederates profited by the delay, and quickly dug in at New Salem Church, where they brought the Union advance to a halt.
The day's carnage had caused a total of at least 21,300 casualties, making it second only to Antietam as the bloodiest day of the war.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com


The troopers under Nathan Bedford Forrest managed to surround Abel Streight's Union cavalry at Cedar Bluff, Alabama. Although he had only half as many men, Forrest invited Streight to parley for terms, and had some of his men march in a large circle, only part of which was visible to Streight. After seeing a seemingly endless stream of Confederates, Streight blurted out, "How many men have you got?" Forrest replied, "I've got enough to whip you out of your boots." Streight hesitated for a bit longer, but when Forrest called out "Mount up!" the Northerner surrendered his force.


Matters were somewhat bloodier near Suffolk, Virginia. James Longstreet had seen his wagons loaded with forage safely on their way towards Richmond, and now ordered his troops to follow. The Yankees were apparently not willing to wait, and made a determined sortie which captured a line of Rebel trenches at a significant cost in casualties to both sides. When the Northerners paused to consolidate, the Southerners simply continued their withdrawal.