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HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI
5. In October, 1861, John J. Pettus was re-elected governor of Mississippi. ·
6. The War between the States was the bloodiest conflict of modern times; eighty out of the 2,200 engagements were fought on Mississippi soil; the Union forces outnumbered the Confed- erate forces by about 2,178,304 men; over one million of lives were lost, and not less than ten billions of dollars' worth of property was expended.
7. In the spring of 1862 the war reached Mississippi. After the battle of Shiloh, Corinth was occupied by the Federal troops, and made a base of supplies for the Union army; Holly Springs then fell. Tupelo became the base of operations for the Con- federate army in Mississippi. A Union force was defeated in the battle of Iuka (September 19th), but the Confederates were forced to retreat; a Confederate force made an unsuccessful attempt to capture Corinth (October, 1S62).
CHAPTER XXXIII
CAMPAIGNS AGAINST VICKSBURG
326. Significance of the Compaigns Against Vicksburg .- The campaigns ending in the capture of Vicksburg (July 4, 1863) resulted in splitting the Confederacy in two parts, separating three of the Confederate States on the west side of the Mississippi River from the others on the east side. They resulted also in the capture of an army of 30,000 men, and the opening of the great river to Federal commerce. These campaigns may be said to have lasted from May 13, 1862, to July 4, 1863.
327. First Compaign Against Vicksburg .- The Confed- erate government depended on a small fleet of gunboats above Memphis, and a few guns at Memphis, and the two forts. Jackson and St. Philip, near the mouth of the river, for the protection of the river and for keeping it under Confederate control. Early in the war the Union troops had gained Kentucky and Tennessee, destroyed the Con-
·
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federate gunboats, and taken possession of the upper river almost to Memphis.
The United States government sent a large squadron under Admiral Farragut, with a flotilla of gunboats, mortar- boats, and transports bearing an army under General Benjamin F. Butler, to the mouth of the Mississippi (May, 1862). By capturing the forts at the mouth of the river and taking possession of New Orleans this force opened the river as far north as Vicksburg.
Admiral Farragut at once steamed up the river to Vicks- burg, carrying with him thirty-five vessels, including nine ocean war vessels, eighteen mortar-boats and transport- boats, with 3,000 troops. He appeared before Vicksburg May 18, 1862. About the same time Memphis fell, and the upper river gunboat fleet came down the river and anchored above the city.
· After the fall of New Orleans the Confederate govern- ment saw the danger threatening Vicksburg and hastily sent a few heavy guns and troops to defend it. The guns were scarcely mounted when Farragut arrived below the city and demanded its surrender, which was refused. The inhabitants of the place said with one voice, " The city must be defended, even if all our houses and property are destroyed." These two great fleets bombarded the city until July 18th-two months.
On July 15, 1862, occurred what has been called " one of the most. brilliant naval feats recorded in the annals of naval warfare." When Memphis was captured by the Federal gunboats, the Confederate ram Arkansas was under construction at that place. She was removed into the Yazoo River, where the work was completed. When she was ready for service, the gallant commander, Captain Isaac N. Brown, of Mississippi, ran out of the mouth of the Yazoo River, and, "single-handed, attacked the whole
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Federal fleet, including Admiral Farragut's squadron of eight vessels and Admiral Davis' gunboat fleet of twelve vessels." She reached the wharf at Vicksburg, after losing about one-half of her crew. She was finally disabled and blown up by her officers to prevent her capture by the enemy. 1
The enemy finally decided that Vicksburg could not be taken from the water front, and gave up the effort. This was the end of the first campaign against Vicksburg.
328. Second Campaign Against Vicksburg .- This cam- paign was begun in December, 1862. General Grant was at that time in North Mississippi near Oxford and Water Valley with an army of nearly 50,000 men. General Pemberton was at Grenada with an army of about 21,000 men. General Grant determined to send a part of his army under General W. T. Sherman to Memphis, from which point, after being largely reinforced, he was directed to move rapidly down the river with the fleet and take Vicks- burg unexpectedly, before the Confederate army at Grenada could go to its assistance.
General Grant was at the same time to press the Confed- erate army at Grenada, force it to battle, or follow it towards Vicksburg, if it left his front. The plan was well arranged, but failed in both directions. As arrangements were being perfected, General N. B. Forrest with his cavalry raided into West Tennessee and destroyed bridges, and tore up sixty miles of the track of the road over which General Grant was supplying his army. General Earl Van Dorn, also, with a body of Confederate cavalry, moved from near Grenada around General Grant's army, and captured and burned millions of dollars' worth of Federal supplies at Holly Springs.
These two raids by the Confederate cavalry forced Gen- eral Grant to move his army to Memphis. In the mean-
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time, General Sherman had organized a force of 33,000 men and 60 guns, which had taken passage on a flotilla of 120 boats-including the gunboats-and was making his way to Vicksburg by water. He appeared in the Yazoo River on Christmas day, disembarked his army near the mouth of Chickasaw Bayou, ten miles from the city, and attempted to reach the bluffs, several miles from the river. There were at that time only about 5,000 troops in the city of Vicksburg. He attacked the Confederate troops, about 2,500 men, under General Stephen D. Lee, near the head of the Bayou (December 29, 1862). They were well posted and had a good position for defense at the foot of the bluffs. The attack was disastrously repulsed, with a Union loss of 1,776 men killed, wounded and prisoners, and a Confederate loss of 120 men. No serious attack was made on the Confederate line toward Vicksburg, six miles distant. Reinforcements from Grenada were rapidly arriv- ing, and General Sherman reembarked his army on his transports Jan. 3, 1863, and disappeared from before Vicks- burg.
329. Third Campaign against Vicksburg .- The third cam- paign was begun in January, 1863, immediately upon the failure of the preceding one, and terminated successfully for the Union army, July 4, 1863. The United States gov- ernment made use of immense resources to accomplish the result. General Grant, after arriving at Memphis, put his army on transports and descended the Mississippi River, joining his army to that of General McClernand, who had superseded General Sherman in command after his failure to take Vicksburg. The united armies, which numbered over 50,000 men, were encamped on the Louisiana side of the river. During the months of January, February, March, and part of April, attempts were made in connection with Admiral Porter's gunboat fleet and the transports to force
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the fleet and army through the bayous and rivers in the Delta between the Mississippi River and the Yazoo River, and to reach the highlands north of Vicksburg. The level of the Mississippi River was at that time five feet above the general level of the Delta.
By cutting the levee at Yazoo Pass, on the Mississippi side of the river opposite Helena, a large force under Gen- eral McPherson was enabled to enter the Cold Water and Tallahatchie rivers. As these streams had been partially blocked by the Confederates, it was found that only the smaller gunboats and transports could make any headway. These boats succeeded, however, in getting within a few miles of the Yazoo River, where they were stopped by the guns of Fort Pemberton on the Tallahatchie River. About 30,000 Union troops, under General McPherson, were en- gaged in this attempt. A similar attempt was made by Admiral Porter and General Sherman to get through Steele's Bayou and Deer Creek into Sunflower River, and into the Yazoo. This also failed. An effort was then made to get below Vicksburg from Lake Providence, La., through a bayou into the Red River, and into the Missis- sippi below Vicksburg. Grant also attempted to change the channel of the great river by means of a canal dug oppo- site the city of Vicksburg, so as to cause the river to make a new bed with its waters emptying below the city. All these efforts failed to accomplish the desired results. Gen- eral Grant then decided on the bold plan of causing his gunboats and transports to run by the batteries of Vicks- burg, so as to get transportation to cross his troops below the city, while he marched his army by Vicksburg on the Louisiana side of the river to a point below Grand Gulf, at the mouth of the Big Black River. His boats successfully passed the batteries on the night of April 16th, and again a few nights later. General Grant then moved two corps
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of his army to Bruinsburg which is situated on the Missis- sippi side, leaving a third corps on the opposite side of the river from Vicksburg, to threaten the bluffs to the north of that city.
General Grant himself crossed the river below Grand Gulf with nearly 35,000 men. He moved rapidly to the bluffs a few miles away, and then towards Port Gibson, twelve miles distant. General Pemberton, not anticipating such a movement, could not concentrate his troops in time to meet the enemy. General Bowen, who was stationed at Grand Gulf, with only about 5,000 men to hold the bat- teries at that place, attempted to stop General Grant. A severe battle was fought (May Ist) near Port Gibson. The Confederates were defeated and driven across the Big Black River.
General Grierson, acting under orders from General Grant, made a raid through Mississippi from La Grange, Tenn., to Baton Rouge, La., (April 17th to May 2, 1863) for the purpose of destroying public and private property. Other similar expeditions penetrated to different parts of the State from the Memphis and Charleston Railroad be- tween Memphis and Corinth. It became necessary to send Confederate troops to meet these raids, and General Pem- berton's forces at Vicksburg were greatly reduced thereby.
After the battle near Port Gibson Pemberton got to- gether an army of about 18,000 men between the Big Black River and Vicksburg, expecting. Grant to cross at once and invest the city. Instead of doing this, however, he rested near the Big Black River until he was rejoined by General Sherman, and about May Sth he moved with his army toward Raymond and Jackson with about 42,000 men. He was eminently successful in his efforts to defeat and drive off any reinforcements attempting to get to Vicks- burg. He encountered General Gregg's brigade at Ray-
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mond (May 12th), and forced it back to Jackson. He then marched with one of his corps to Clinton, and thence to Jackson, while another corps was on its way from Raymond to the same place. The two forces arrived on the west and south of the city on May 14th.
General Joseph E. Johnston, who had reached Jackson on the evening of May 13th, found everything in con- fusion, owing to the rapid movements of the enemy. With the small body of Confederate troops available he made a show of resistance in order to gain time to move as great an amount of supplies as possible from the city before evacuating it. In this engagement, which lasted several hours, the Confederates lost about 200 men and the Union army about 300. General Johnston then withdrew from the city to the north. The archives of the State were car- ried away from Jackson to Enterprise for safety. The Union army marched in and destroyed the supplies that had been left, and burned the Confederate House, Green's factory, the foundry, the Catholic church and the peniten- tiary. General Johnston suggested that General Pember- ton, who was still near Vicksburg, attack the enemy at Clinton. General Grant, having received from a Union spy General Johnston's dispatches, was master of the situation, and arranged to thwart the plans of the Confederates. He at once (May 14th) began to retrace his steps with a view to concentrating seven divisions of his army near Edwards in order to prevent the junction of Pemberton's and John- ston's forces. Three divisions moved over the Edwards and Clinton road and two others over each of the two roads from Raymond to Edwards. He bivouaced in line of bat- tle near Champion Hills on Baker's Creek on the night of May 15th.
General Pemberton had moved his army across the Big Black, after he found General Grant had left his front, and
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had it ready for battle at Edwarus. When ne arrived there, he did not feel strong enough to move to Clinton, and found a division of Grant's army due south of Edwards about ten miles. Not knowing the locality of General Grant's army, and fearing that this force, or possibly a" larger one, might get between his army and Vicksburg, in case he followed General Johnston's orders and moved to attack Grant at Clinton, nine miles from Jackson, he de- cided not to follow the instructions of Johnston, but to move south and attack that part of Grant's army nearest, as he thought, to his own. A very heavy rain prevented - his moving on the 14th of May. The bridge over which he expected to cross Baker's Creek was washed away, and when he did begin this movement on the afternoon of May 15th, he had to march his army over circuitous roads, in order to use another bridge which was on the road towards Clinton. On the morning of May 16th, General Pember- ton, without knowing it, was only about two and a half miles from the Union army, which was moving rapidly to the attack. The Battle of Baker's Creek followed, in which 15,000 Confederates, after offering a gallant resistance to 35,843 Union soldiers,* were forced to yield to the superior forces of the enemy. After retreating across Baker's Creek, General Pemberton's army marched to the railroad bridge over the Big Black, where another small engagement took place (May 17th). The Confederate forces retired within the entrenchments surrounding the city of Vicksburg.
One division of three brigades under General Loring was separated, however, from the main army, while cov- ering its retreat over Baker's Creek. After making several
* Grant bad on the field seven divisions, which, according to the April return of his army, numbered 35,843. Pemberton had left Edwards with 17,500 men, but had sent 2,500 back to that place.
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unsuccessful efforts to rejoin General Pemberton, this divis- ion marched around the southern divisions of the Union army and reached Crystal Springs on the following day (May 17th), and a few days later joined General Johnston's army at Jackson.
330. Siege of Vicksburg .*- The memorable siege of Vicksburg began after the battle at Big Black Bridge and lasted forty-seven days (from May 18th to July 4, 1863). General Grant, encouraged by his recent victories, at- tempted to take the city by assault (May 19th and May 22d). He was repulsed with a loss of about 5,000 men. His army was rapidly reinforced, until it numbered over
75,000 men. en. He placed about 220 guns in position and encircled the city on the land side with his troops. On th. river in front of the city was Admiral Porter's formidable fleet, which rendered, according to General Grant's state- ment,t a service that was equal in importance to that of his army, and without which " the campaign could not have been successfully made with twice the number engaged." Thus the doomed city, containing only 17,000 effective Confederate troops, was virtually surrounded by "a sheet of bayonets and fire." General Johnston was at Jackson, where he finally succeeded in collecting an army of 25,000 men, with which he vainly hoped to relieve Vicksburg. While the fleet threw into the city, "day and night, the largest shells and shots knowi: in modern warfare," the besieging infantry and artillery on the land side kept up a continuous fire on the entrenched army within the city. The besieging army dug numerous tunnels and con-
* For an interesting account of the trials of those who were in Vicksburg during the siege, read Loughborough's (Mrs. James M.) My Care Life in Vicksburg. See, also, General Lee's (Stephen D.) Siege of Vicksburg, in the Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Vol. III.
tGrant's Memoirs, Vol. I., p. 574.
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CAMPAIGNS AGAINST VICKSBURG
structed mines which were exploded from time to time. The scream of shells and the roar of cannon were at times almost deafening. The inhabitants sought refuge in caves dug in the hillsides. As the siege advanced, the supply of food was exhausted, and the troops in the heroic city ate mule flesh, upon which they subsisted until it finally gave out. Hunger and exposure produced disease, which be- came so widespread that on July 4th eight thousand men were reported sick.
331. Surrender of Vicksburg, July 4, 1863 .- When it became apparent that resistance was no longer possible, General Pemberton, on July 3, 1863, requested that three commissioners be appointed from each army to arrange for the surrender of the city. General Grant opposed the ap- pointment of a commission and demanded an uncondi- tional surrender of the city. He added, however, in his reply that " Men who have shown so much endurance and courage as those now in Vicksburg will always challenge the respect of an adversary, and I can assure you, will be treated with all the respect due them as prisoners of war." The city, with its brave garrison, was surrendered on the following day.
332. Fall of Port Hudson .- On July 8th Port Hudson, which had been besieged about the same time as Vicksburg, surrendered to General Banks. This completed the work of the Federal forces in their efforts to open the Mississippi River to western commerce.
333. General Johnston's Efforts to Relieve Vicksburg .- After the fall of Vicksburg, General Grant sent General Sherman with a large army in pursuit of General Joseph E. Johnston, who by this time had organized an army of 30,000 men. Johnston had approached Vicksburg, but not in time to relieve the city. He did not have force enough to do this. It took time to collect and organize an army for 18
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any new danger, as every point in the Confederacy, owing to the superior forces of the Union, seemed to be the point or locality of most danger. Johnston, therefore, was not really ready to give any aid until about the time of the surrender.
Summary
1. The campaigns against Vicksburg were important in their results, because (1) they split the Confederacy, separating the three Confederate States on the west side of the Mississippi River from those on the east side; (2) they resulted in the capture of an army of 30,000 men; and (3) they opened the Mississippi to Federal commerce.
2. The first campaign against Vicksburg was conducted by two fleets-one from the upper and the other from the lower Mississippi-which bombarded the city two months before giving up the attempt to take it from the water front. The Confederate ram, Arkansas, under command of Captain Isaac N. Brown, of Mississippi, performed a brilliant naval feat (July 15, 1862).
3. In the second campaign General Grant's decision to attack the Confederate army at Grenada was thwarted by General Forrest and General Van Dorn. General Sherman's efforts to attack the city from the north side led to a disastrous repulse by General Stephen D. Lee near Chickasaw Bayou.
4. In the third campaign several unsuccessful attempts were made to land forces above Vicksburg and attack the city from the north. Efforts to get into the Red River and to change the channel of the Mississippi in order to get below the city also failed. Federal transports then passed the batteries of Vicks- burg, while General Grant marched his army by the city on the Louisiana side. He then crossed the river below Grand Gulf, and after capturing Port Gibson, Raymond and Jackson, and defeating the Confederate forces in the battles of Baker's Creek and Big Black Bridge he began to besiege Vicksburg. In the meantime raids under General Grierson and other Federal com- manders destroyed much property in Mississippi.
5. The siege of Vicksburg lasted forty-seven days, and the Confederate forces at that place were forced by hunger and disease to surrender (July 4, 1863) before effective aid could reach them.
6. Port Hudson fell four days later.
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CHAPTER XXXIV
LAST ENGAGEMENTS OF THE WAR IN MISSISSIPPI
334. Battle at Jackson .- Sherman arrived before Jack- son July 12, 1863, and attacked the intrenchments. He was repulsed. Johnston saw, however, that with Sherman's superior numbers the Union forces could get in his rear by crossing Pearl River. He therefore evacuated Jackson and retreated to Brandon on July 16th. After sending out a force, which captured Brandon, General Sherman destroyed the railroad and retraced his steps to Vicksburg.
335. Cavalry Forces .- Mississippi was nearly stripped of troops of the Confederacy after the fall of Vicksburg ; only a small infantry force was left in the State, too small to meet any considerable army. A large cavalry force was organized, however, in the fall and winter of 1863-'64 by General Stephen D. Lee, and later another cavalry force was organized by General N. B. Forrest, mainly from West Tennessee. Those two bodies of cavalry restricted and held in check the cavalry and small infantry raids made by the Union forces. Many small engagements were fought in which the Confederates were generally victorious.
336. Governor Clark .- In January, 1864. General Charles Clark was inaugurated governor of Mississippi, at Colum- bus, which was then the seat of government. He had been elected the year before over General A. M. West and General Reuben Davis. He was born in Ohio and edu- cated in Kentucky. He removed to Mississippi early in life and engaged in teaching at Natchez and in Yazoo county. He afterwards began the practice of law in Jeffer- son county. He became captain of a company in the Mex- ican War and was later made colonel of his regiment, the Second Mississippi. For several years he was an influential
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member of the legislature from Jefferson and Bolivar counties. He entered the Confederate army as brigadier- general and was afterwards promoted to the rank of major- general. At Baton Rouge he received a wound (July, 1862), which disabled him for further service in the army. As governor of Mississippi he did everything in his power to help the faith- ful soldiers in the camp and to protect the suffer- ing women and children at home. No State ever had a more patriotic citi- zen or a more faithful official.
337. Sherman's Raid .- In February, 1864, Gen- eral Sherman, to ascer- tain what Confederate forces were in Missis- CHARLES CLARK sippi, made an expedi- tion from Vicksburg to Meridian, along the line of the Alabama and Vicksburg Railroad. He had four divisions of infantry and a cavalry force, all numbering over 30,000 men. He found in his front General Stephen D. Lee with a cavalry force of 2,500 men, who fought him from the Big Black River to Meridian. General Polk had an infantry force of about 12,000 men between Brandon and Meridian. He did not feel strong enough to give battle, and retreated to Demopolis, Alabama.
Sherman laid waste the country in his march, burning and destroying public and private property. He gathered up 5,000 negroes, 3,000 horses, mules and oxen belonging to farmers, and all wagons and vehicles, and burned cotton
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gins, private houses and other kinds of property. He burned Meridian and destroyed the railroads leading into that city, 10,000 men being put at this work. The ties were burned and the iron rails warped so as to be utterly useless. Continuing his work of destruction, he returned to Vicks- burg by a route to the north of the one he had just traveled.
The following account of General Sherman's work of destruction is taken from his reports : " We are absolutely stripping the country of corn, cattle, hogs, sheep, poultry, everything, and the new-growing corn is being thrown open as pasture fields or hauled for the use of our animals. The wholesale destruction to which the country is now being subjected is terrible to contemplate." " We have desolated this land for thirty miles round about (Jackson). There are about eight hundred women and children who will perish unless they receive some relief." "There was and is too great a tendency to plunder and pillage, con- fined to a few men, that reflects discredit on us all."*
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