History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 53

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084

USA > Illinois > Sangamon County > History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 53

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

"Before my left, consisting of the Third Brigade, could form for the support of General Sherman, the enemy had pierced General Pren- tiss' line, afterwards taking him and a number of his men prisoners, and rapidly forcing back General Sherman's left wing, was pressing on my left with a mass five regiments deep, bearing the American flag.

"Discovering that this honored emblem was not borne by General Prentiss' retiring forces, but was used by the enemy as a means of decep- tion, I ordered the Third Brigade to form in line of battle, fronting the enemy's advance, nearly at a right angle with General Sherman's line. But before the order had been fully exe- cuted, the enemy had appeared within short musket range, and opened a deadly fire upon us.

"Colonel Raith, commanding the Third Brig- ade, ordered a charge upon the enemy, in which he fell mortally wounded, whilst encouraging his men by his heroic and daring example. Sev- eral other officers besides were killed or wounded in this charge.

" The situation of the Third Brigade was now most critical. Generals Prentiss' and Thomas' Divisions had retired, leaving the Brigade ex- posed to a combined attack of the forces of Beauregard and Polk, which were sweeping round on the right and left. In obedience to my command, the Brigade fell back, under the orders of Lieutenant-Colonel Engleman, about three hundred yards, and re-formed in front of my headquarters, joining the Second Brigade, under Colonel C. (. Marsh.

" The action, both by infantry and artillery, now became desperate all along the line. Our forces, however, were overborne by superior numbers, which still continued to flank the right of my line. Burrough's battery was soon lost, including seventy horses killed.

" Wholly unsupported on my left, to save my command from being surrounded, I ordered it

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to fall back about 200 yards, and to form at a right angle with the centre of my camp.

" Making another stand upon the ground here indicated, the contest was carried on for some time by infantry and artillery. Trees of con- siderable size were cut off or scathed by the rounded shot of opposing batteries, and consid- erable loss in killed and wounded was sustained on both sides.

"At length, checking the enemy in front, I pressed the advantage, driving him back some distance, but, re-inforced by fresh troops, his wavering lines were strengthened, and com- menced turning my right and left, driving me back about two hundred yards, to the fourth position, in an open road, skirting an open field. "Here I was joined by the Forty-third Illi- nois, by a portion of -? battery, by a portion of Taylor's battalion, and by a portion of Sherman's division, and the contest was again renewed with increased fury on both sides.

"Continuing the sanguinary engagement, until several regiments of my division had exhausted their ammunition, and its right flank had been borne back and was in danger of being turned, the remainder of my command, with the excep- tion hereinafter noticed, also fell back to the camp of the first brigade. Here the portion which had first fallen back re-formed, in obedi- ence to my orders, parallel with the camp and fronting the approach of the enemy from the west, while the other portions formed at a right angle with it, still parting the approach of the enemy from the south. It was ten o'clock p. m., when my fifth line had thus been formed.

"I kept the enemy in check for some time by the fire of my batteries. Detained from a direct advance, he moved a considerable force to the right flank, with the evident intention to turn my left. To defeat this purpose, I ordered my command to fall back in the direction of the landing, across a deep hollow, and to re-form on the east side of another piled on the skirt of a wood. This was my sixth line.

"Here we rested a half hour, continuing to sup- ply our men with ammunition, until the enemy's cavalry were seen rapidly crossing the field to the charge. Waiting until they had approached within some thirty paces of our line, I ordered a fire, which was delivered with great coolness and destructive effect. First halting, then waver- ing, they turned and fled in confusion, leaving behind them a number of riders and horses dead on the field.

"In the meantime, strengthened by large rein- forcements the enemy continued his endeavors to turn the flanks of my line, and to cut me off from the landing. To prevent this, I ordered my left to fall back a short distance and form an obtuse angle with the centre, opposing a double front facing the enemy's approach. Thus disposed, my left held the enemy in check while my whole line slowly fell back to the seventh position.

" Ilere I re-formed the worn and famishing remnant of my division, on favorable ground, along a north and south road; supported on my right by fragments of General Sherman's di- vision, and on my left by the Fifteenth and Forty-sixth Illinois, under command of Colonel Veatch, acting Brgadier. Hastily completing this disposition, I ordered up McAlister's bat- tery, which took position about the center of my line, supported by the Eighteenth Illinois, Cap- tain Anderson, Company F, commanding. The Seventh Illinois being separated from the Sec- ond Division, was formed by me as a reserve.

" The enemy renewed the contest by trying to shell us from our position. McAlister's battery replied with great spirit -- first alone, and soon after in conjunction with another battery, whose name was unknown to me. Attempting so often in vain to turn the flanks of my line and gain its rear, the enemy now gave evidence of a change of tactics. Led by the Louisiana Zouaves, he advanced in heavy column to break our center, while we awaited his approach within sure range, and opened a terrible fire upon him. The head of his advancing column wes instantly mowed down. The remainder of it swayed to and fro, a few moments, and then turned and fled. This second success in the two last en- gagements terminated a struggle of ten and a half hours' duration, namely: from six o'clock a. m. to four and a quarter p. m., and saved our army, transports and all, from capture."

Such is the simple but thrilling language in which the narrative of that terrible conflict is given by one who acted a conspicuous part in it, and who might justly say, "Quneque ipse mis- serruna vidi et quorum pars magna fui."

The last paragraph, in particular, is sublime, and reminds us more of the echo of Bunker Hill than anything else we remember in history: " We awaited his approach within sure range, and opened a terrible fire upon him. The head of his advancing column was instantly moved down; the remainder of it swayed to and fro, for a few moments, and then turned and fled !"

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

It is not necessary to give further details of this terrible battle. It is known to all, that our army, being reinforced, attacked the enemy next morning and drove him from the field,-but it is also known that our victory was purchased dearly.

All comment on this great battle seems to us superfluous. We will venture the remark, how- ever, that on no former occasion in this war, or in the annals of history were officers and men more severely tested, as to every quality which consitutes the soldier and the man, then our officers and men were tested in those two days' bloody conflict at Shiloh.

After the victory of Shiloh, preparations were made to advance upon Corinth. General Mc- Clernand's command was increased, by General Halleck's order, to a corps. This, together with his former command constituted the army corps of reserve.

Our troops advanced cautiously upon Corinth, and after a smart skirmish with a remnant of the enemy, purposely detached from their main body to deceive us, they took possession of Corinth, without further resistance, as it had been evacuated by the enemy. This conspicu- ous event occurred on the 30th of May, 1862.

By the 12th of June, General McClernand's forces had seized Bethel, Jackson, Bolivar, Som- erville, and occupied all the country between Pittsburg Landing and Memphis, establishing order and quieting the fears of the inhabitants.

August 28th Major General McClernand left Jackson, Tennessee to report to Governor Yates, of Illinois, to assist in raising and organizing the new levies of that year. Not long after he left, the enemy returned to West Tennessee, seized Jackson and the railroads, stopped navi- gation on the Tennessee river, and pushed their incursions almost to Columbus.

Shortly after reporting to Governor Yates in Illinois, General McClernand repaired to Wash- ington, by order of the Governor, on some busi- ness connected with the War Department respecting the organization of the troops.

While at Washington, General McClernand paid his respects to the President, and in the course of conversation, he pointed out to Mr. Lincoln, the necessity of opening the Missis- sippi, at an early day, to the traffic of the great Northwest.

The President seemed pleased with the famil- iarity displayed by the General with this sub- ject, and invited him to reduce his ideas to writ- ing, to which he gladly consented, and on the 28th of September, submitted to Mr. Lincoln an

elaborate paper, setting forth and explaining his view in regard to the conduct of the war in the Southwest, and again urging the speedy organ- ization of an expedition to carry these views into execution.

This document being the real motive power of the advance upon Vicksburg and Port Hud- son, is destined to become of great historical importance, inasmuch as it changed completely the war policy of the Government, in that sec- tion of the country, substituting a war of aggies- sion on the vital and vulnerable points of the enemy, for that desultory and inefficient border- warfare which had previously been the rule.

We shall here submit an epitome of that document, which will embrace its essential points in as small a compass as possible.

" Carry the war into the heart of the rebellion, as the surest way of crushing it out and of opening the Mississippi river.

" The opening of that river is itself an essen- tial step towards crushing the rebellion.

"It is important in a military point of view:

"First-As affording cheap and easy com- munication between our troops scattered along the Mississippi and its tributaries, and would facilitate their concentration at any given point.

" Second-As cutting off all communication between the rebels to the east and west of that river."

"Commercially, the whole Nation is deeply interested in the free and unobstructed naviga- tion of the Mississippi river, but more immedi- ately and intimately is the great Northwest concerned in that important movement. The people of the whole Mississippi valley are pain- fully alive to this subject. They have not yet complained in this matter; they have sym- pathized with the Administration in the diffi- culties with which it had to contend, and, there- fore, refrained from selfishly obtruding their own grievances upon its attention. Nay, they are grateful for what the Government has done, rather than complaining of what it has left un- done.

"Yet, it is true that this river, which carries annually on its bosom a commerce amounting to $150,000,000, is virtually closed and rendered useless by an insignificant garrison at Vicks- burg, so that the products of agriculture have been accumulating in the hands of the producers, until they have become well nigh worthless.

"If this continues, general bankruptcy must ensue, and the Government itself must suffer from the inability of the people to contribute to its support. No wonder the people, in large

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assemblies, should ery out earnestly for a relief which they would hail with such delight. If this is not conceded, have we not reason to fear a violent popular reaction unfavorable to the success of our arms and the cause which they are upholding?

"In order, then, to remove all obstructions to navigation, a force of sixty thousand men should descend the Mississippi in transports, convoyed by gunboats, to the mouth of the Yazoo river, and ascend that river to the first eligible landing on its south bank.

"This column, assisted by the gunboats, should then seize Vicksburg, and, having garrisoned that place, should advance upon Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, only forty-five miles dis- tant, and, having in like manner seized and fortified that city, it should re-open the railroad to New Orleans. Our forces at the latter place might co-operate with this column in effecting this object.

"The column should next push forward to"the junetion of the Southern Mississippi and Ohio and Mobile railroads, at the town of Meridan, seventy-five miles east of Jackson, where it would be within threatening distance of both Mobile and Montgomery, the capital of Ala- bama. Having secured their places, our forces should establish a depot of military stores at Mobile, only one hundred and sixty-five miles by railroad from Montgomery, and this latter place is only seventy-five miles from Opilika, near the western boundary of Georgia, a most important place, for at Opilika the whole rail- road system of the Southern States converges into the Montgomery and West Point railroad, which is one of the two links connecting that system by rail with the Gulf system. By seiz- ing this place, the Atlantic communication by rail between the revolted States, east and west, would be severed.

"To aid this enterprise a Federal force should be advanced from Port Royal into the interior, and naval demonstrations ought to be made along the Southern Atlantic and Gulf coast. The Union forces now in West Tennessee or a portion of those in Kentucky, might be sent to seize the noticeable railroad triangle, of which Boyce and Dalton are the base, and Cleveland on the Tennessee and Georgia railroad is the apex. This would greatly facilitate the move- ment upon Vicksburg. This auxiliary move- ment is deemed indispensable, unless the column operating against Vicksburg should be increased to more than 60,000 men.

"The seizure of the above mentioned triangle would place our army in a favorable position to march South on Rome, in Georgia, one of the principal arsenals and manufactories of arms in the revolted States, or it might thence march northward on Knoxville, in Tennessee.

"The two railroads above alluded to are the umbilical cords of the two systems, and form their only band of union. By cutting these a serious blow would be struck at the rebellion.

"Experience proves that the rebellion cannot be conquered by a desultory border warfare. This can only be done by destroying the enemy's railroad communications, and by aggressive war upon his vital parts. These are in the Gulf States-the home and the first love of the arch- traitor who initiated our present National diffi- culties. Strike home a deadly blow on these States, and the rebellion will be virtually sub- dued."

Such, substantially, was the plan of opera- tions which General McClernand laid before the President and Secretary Stanton, both of whom entirely coincided with the General in his views, and promised to give his plan due consideration at an early day. But the General-in-Chief, for some reason, appeared unwilling to consider the plan, pretending he was otherwise engaged. This delayed the execution of the plan consid- erably.

General McClernand, however, persevered against all obstacles, declaring that something must be done for the relief of the great North- west, and so urged the matter, that Mr. Stanton at length informed him that an expedition of land and naval forces would be organized for the purpose of opening the Mississippi river, and that the land forces would for the present con- sist of thirty thousand men.

On examination, however, it was found that no forces could be spared from their present positions, and that a new force must be raised for the purpose; so that the Mississippi expedi- tion was on the point of being abandoned for the present.

But this would not satisfy General McCler- nand. He again urged on the President and Secretary of War, the absolute necessity of the expedition, and so far prevailed, that they agreed to draft a confidential but conditional document, ordering Major-General McClernand to organize the troops remaining in Indiana, Illinois and lowa, and such as should be raised by volunteer- ing and draft, and to forward them to such point as may be designated by the General-in-Chief, that an expedition may be organized under Gen-

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eral McClernand's command against Vicksburg, and to clear the Mississippi river and open navi- gation to New Orleans. The forces thus organ- ized, however, were "subject to the designation of the General-in-Chief, according to such ex- igencies as the service, in his judgment, may require."

The day after receiving this order, Major- General McClernand left Washington and ar- rived at Indianapolis on the twenty-third of October, where he found Governor Morton dis- posed to aid him in organizing the contemplated expedition; as he afterwards found Governors Yates and Kirkwood, of Illinois and Iowa.

In the short space of sixteen days, General McClernand had forwarded from the different camps in Illinois, six regiments of infantry and one six gun battery, to Memphis, Tennessee.

From Indiana, five regiments of infantry; from Iowa, three had been forwarded to Columbus, Kentucky.

In addition to these, there was another regi- ment of infantry in Illinois under marching or- ders; and three others in the same State were ready for muster, and two other regiments of infantry in Iowa.

This great activity in those three States, and the rapidity with which these preparations were urged forward, demonstrated the energy and zeal of the General, as well as of the different Gov- ernors and State officers engaged in them, and clearly illustrates the deep interest which the people of the northwest felt in the re-opening of the "Father of Waters" to lawful navigation and commerce.

The Secretary of War relied largely on Gen- eral McClernand's personal influence in the West, as well as in the local interest manifested in the expedition, for filling up the ranks with the elite of our western soldiers; nor was he mis- taken. Men came forward in great numbers to enlist under the banner of a General who had distinguished himself in the Halls of Congress as their Representative, and who still more recently had won well merited fame and glory on the bloody battle fields of his country. Forty thousand troops were raised in thirty-five days.

But General MeClernand, fearing that after all the project might be abandoned, and believ- ing that General Ilalleck had disposed of the troops raised for the expedition, in some other way; and moreover, understanding that in an- swer to General Grant's enquiry respecting the command of these troops, General Halleck re- plied that he (Grant) should have the command of them. For these reasons, General McCler-

nand expressed his views and feelings in a re- markable letter to the Secretary of War, of which we can only give here a brief synopsis:

" The avidity of the people for carrying out this expedition exposes all charged with it to the consequences of popular fury, if they fail in carrying it out.

" If, from any cause. it has become an uncer- tainty or shall be long delayed, I trust you will cut my supposed connection with it, and order me to other duty in the field at once.

" By the blockade of the Mississippi, the peo- ple have but one outlet open to them-that by the lakes and railroads alone. By combinations or otherwise, close corporations controlling these outlets have raised freights so as to stop ship- ments or sacrifice traders. The monopolists are interested in continuing the blockade. The peo- ple, therefore are not disposed to brook futher delay in removing that obstacle; indeed, such delay may add another geographical question to the one which is now undergoing the arbitra- ment of arms. Already there are those who look beyond Federal authority to secure the freedom of the Mississippi river. The resent- ment of the people will be inflamed by dema- gogues, to array them against the people of the East, on the pretended ground that the interests of the latter induce them to favor the blockade of the Mississippi.

" This sentiment is criminal, we must pre- serve the Union and the Government. Yet wise Statesmen will not overlook the difficulties and dangers which surround them.

"Let me, therefore, appeal to you and the President, to do something, and that quickly, to avert the rising storm, etc."

General MeClernand, hearing from varions rumors and newspaper reports, that his com- mand of the expedition had been given to another, repeatedly telegraphed to Washington to ascertain the truth. At length, after much painful suspense, he was relieved of duty at Springfield, and ordered to report to General Grant, for " the purpose specified in an order of the General-in-Chief."

On his arrival at Memphis, General Hurlbut, who was in command, there informed him that General Grant had abandoned his plan of ad- vaneing upon Oxford, Mississippi, having been compelled to fall back to Holly Springs, forty- five miles distant from Memphis. General Me- Clernand now received a communication from General Grant, to the effect that orders assign- ing him (General McClernand) to the immediate command of the expedition, had been forwarded

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to Memphis. General Grant also remarked, that he had received information from rebel sources, that Sherman had already attacked and captured Vicksburg.

The orders of General Grant were received by General McClernand on the 29th. They con- sisted of two letters; one dated Oxford, Missis- sippi, December 18, 1862, informed General McClernand of his appointment to the com- mand of an army corps in Grant's department, giving him command of the Mississippi river ex- pedition; and orders that the written instruc- tions given General Sherman, shall be turned over to McClernand on his arrival at Memphis. The other letter of General Grant's was dated at Holly Springs, December 25, and was directed "to the Commanding Officer of the Expedition Down the River."

Leaving Memphis on the 30th, General Mc- Clernand arrived at Millikin's Bend next day, a few miles north of Vicksburg. IIere General Sherman came on board the Tigress to turn over his instructions to the proper commander of the expedition and to consult him regarding further operations of the army. Here, for the first time, General McClernand was made aware of the real condition of the army which had been assigned to his command by the President and Secretary of War. General Sherman had left Memphis on the 20th of December, had attacked the enemy in his strongly fortified position along Chickasaw bayou on the 28th, and had been badly handled and repulsed with heavy loss.

Various opinions respecting this expedition have been entertained. The prevailing one is that it was gotten up without proper care, and was at once sent South to escape General Mc- Clernand and capture Vicksburg before the lat- ter could arrive and take the command.

There seems, certainly, something suspicious in this whole transaction, as can readily be seen by what follows:

The order of the Secretary of War, bearing date October 21st, 1862, an order endorsed by the President, authorizes the Mississippi expedi- tion, and assigns General McClernand to the command of it. On the 16th of December, General McClernand, hearing that he was super- seded in the command, addressed a dispatch to the Secretary of War, inquiring, "Is this so? and shall it be so?" On the 21st of December General McClernand received the telegram from General Halleck, dated the 18th, by which he was informed that he (Halleck) had " trans- mitted a dispatch to General Grant assigning

the latter to the general command of the expedi- tion, and General McClernand to the immediate command of the land forces composing the same."

It is notorious that prior to the 16th of De- cember, a portion of the forces sent on by Gen- eral MeClernand for his expedition were de- tached from General Grant's army and marched under General Sherman to Memphis, prepara- tory to embarkation for Vicksburg. It appears, therefore, conclusively that both Generals Grant and Sherman had received their orders in the premises before the date of General McCler- nand's dispatch to the Secretary of War, re- qnesting to be informed whether or not he had been superseded in the command of the expedi- tion. This injustice to General McClernand is still further demonstrated by the dispatches which passed between General Grant and HIal- leck. First comes Grant's dispatch to Halleck, dated Oxford, Miss., December 8th, 1862:

" General Sherman will command the expedi- tion down the Mississippi. He will have a force of forty thousand men; will land above Vicksburg, at the Yazoo, if possible, and cut the Mississippi central wall, etc. I will co- operate with him, etc., etc.

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History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 53

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company Number of Pages: 1084

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084