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Chapter 12: Vicksburg.
January to July, 1863.
The campaign of 1863, resulting in the capture of
Vicksburg, was so important, that its history has been well studied and well described in all the books treating of the civil war, more especially by
Dr. Draper, in his “History of the civil War in
America,” and in
Badeau's “Military history of
General Grant.”
In the latter it is more fully and accurately given than in any other, and is well illustrated by maps and original documents.
I now need only attempt to further illustrate
Badeau's account by some additional details.
When our expedition came out of the
Arkansas River, January 18, 1863, and rendezvoused at the river-bank, in front of the town of
Napoleon, Arkansas, we were visited by
General Grant in person, who had come down from
Memphis in a steamboat.
Although at this time
Major-General J. A. McClernand was in command of the Army of the Mississippi, by virtue of a confidential order of the War Department, dated October 21, 1862, which order bore the indorsement of
President Lincoln,
General Grant still exercised a command over him, by reason of his general command of the Department of the Tennessee.
By an order (No. 210) of December 18, 1862, from the War Department, received at
Arkansas Post, the
Western armies had been grouped into five
corps d'armee, viz.: the Thirteenth,
Major-General McClernand; the Fourteenth,
Major-General George H. Thomas, in
Middle Tennessee; the Fifteenth,
Major-General W. T. Sherman; the Sixteenth,
Major-General Hurlbut, then at or near
Memphis; and the Seventeenth,
Major-General
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McPherson, also at and back of
Memphis.
General Grant when at
Napoleon, on the 18th of January, ordered
McClernand with his own and my corps to return to
Vicksburg, to disembark on the west bank, and to resume work on a canal across the peninsula, which had been begun by
General Thomas Williams the summer before, the object being to turn the
Mississippi River at that point, or at least to make a passage for our fleet of gunboats and transports across the peninsula, opposite
Vicksburg.
General Grant then returned to
Memphis, ordered to
Lake Providence, about sixty miles above us,
McPherson's corps, the Seventeenth, and then came down again to give his personal supervison to the whole movement.
The
Mississippi River was very high and rising, and we began that system of canals on which we expended so much hard work fruitlessly: first, the canal at
Young's plantation, opposite
Vicksburg; second, that at
Lake Providence; and third, at the
Yazoo Pass, leading into the head-waters of the
Yazoo River.
Early in February the gunboats
Indianola and
Queen of the West ran the batteries of
Vicksburg.
The latter was afterward crippled in
Red River, and was captured by the rebels; and the
Indianola was butted and sunk about forty miles below
Vicksburg.
We heard the booming of the guns, but did not know of her loss till some days after.
During the months of January and February, we were digging the canal and fighting off the water of the
Mississippi, which continued to rise and threatened to drown us. We had no sure place of refuge except the narrow levee, and such steamboats as remained abreast of our camps.
My two divisions furnished alternately a detail of five hundred men a day, to work on the canal.
So high was the water in the beginning of March, that
McClernand's corps was moved to higher ground, at
Milliken's Bend, but I remained at
Young's plantation, laid off a due proportion of the levee for each subdivision of my command, and assigned other parts to such steamboats as lay at the levee.
My own headquarters were in
Mrs. Grove's house, which had the water all around it, and could only be reached by a plank-walk from the levee, built on posts.
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General Frederick Steele commanded the first division, and
General D. Stuart the second; this latter division had been reenforced by
General Hugh Ewing's brigade, which had arrived from
West Virginia.
At the time of its date I received the following note from
General Grant:
dear sir: I have just returned from a reconnoissance up
Steele's Bayou, with the admiral (
Porter), and five of his gunboats.
With some labor in cutting tree-tops out of the way, it will be navigable for any class of steamers.
I want you to have your pioneer corps, or one regiment of good men for such work, detailed, and at the landing as soon as possible.
The party will want to take with them their rations, arms, and sufficient camp and garrison equipage for a few days.
I will have a boat at any place you may designate, as early as the men can be there.
The Eighth Missouri (being many of them boatmen) would be excellent men for this purpose.
As soon as you give directions for these men to be in readiness, come up and see me, and I will explain fully.
The tug that takes this is instructed to wait for you. A full supply of axes will be required.
Very respectfully,
This letter was instantly (8 A. M.) sent to
Colonel Giles A. Smith, commanding the Eighth Missouri, with orders to prepare immediately.
He returned it at 9.15, with an answer that the regiment was all ready.
I went up to
Milliken's Bend in the tug, and had a conference with the general, resulting in these orders:
General: You will proceed as early as practicable up
Steele's Bayou, and through
Black Bayou to
Deer Creek, and thence with the gunboats now there by any route they may take to get into the
Yazoo River, for the purpose of determining the feasibility of getting an army through that route to the east bank of that river, and at a point from which they can act advantageously against
Vicksburg.
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Make such details from your army corps as may be required to clear out the channel of the various bayous through which transports would have to run, and to hold such points as in your judgment should be occupied.
I place at your disposal to-day the steamers
Diligent and
Silver Wave, the only two suitable for the present navigation of this route.
Others will be supplied you as fast as required, and they can be got.
I have given directions (and you may repeat them) that the party going on board the steamer
Diligent push on until they reach
Black Bayou, only stopping sufficiently long at any point before reaching there to remove such obstructions as prevent their own progress.
Captain Kossak, of the
Engineers, will go with this party.
The other boat-load will commence their work in
Steele's Bayou, and make the navigation as free as possible all the way through.
There is but little work to be done in
Steele's Bayou, except for about five miles about midway of the bayou.
In this portion many overhanging trees will have to be removed, and should be dragged out of the channel.
Very respectfully,
On returning to my camp at
Young's Point, I started these two boats up the
Yazoo and Steele's Bayou, with the Eighth Missouri and some pioneers, with axes, saws, and all the tools necessary.
I gave orders for a part of
