USA > Ohio > History of the Sixteenth battery of Ohio volunteer light artillery, U. S. A., from enlistment, August 20, 1861, to muster out, August 2, 1865 > Part 7
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finding the type for the paper all set in the forms, added the following note, and struck off a large number of copies, which were extensively distributed among our troops :
Note at foot of last column .- July 4, 1863.
"Two days bring about great changes: The Banner of the UNION floats over Vicksburg ;. General Grant has CAUGHT THE RABBIT, he has dined in Vicksburg, and he brought his dinner with him. The "Citizen" lives to see it. for the last time it appears on wall-paper. No more will it eulogize that luxury of mule-meat and fricasseed cats, or urge Southern warriors to such diet nevermore. This is the last wall-paper edition, and is, excepting this note, an exact copy of it. It will be valuable hereafter as a curiosity."
We, deeming this paper a curious chapter in the history of the siege of Vicksburg, have thought it not improper to quote thus fully from its columns.
The work of the battery during the siege may be summed up as follows: We expended 6.594 rounds of ammunition. over fifty tons; dismounted seven guns in different works of the enemy, and had but two wounded. The result of the siege was 31,600 prisoners, paroled, 172 cannon, 60,000 muskets, superior to our own old Belgian and Austrian ; a large quan- tity of ammunition, but little to eat. But our haversacks were full, and. as the "Butternuts" came out we gave them all the hardtack they could eat, and they had fine appetites after some weeks of short rations. With the exception of the final sur- render at Appomattox, including some days before, this was
the largest number of prisoners taken at any one time at any one place during the war. The whole Vicksburg campaign cost the rebels a loss of 56,000 killed, wounded and prisoners. 200 cannon, 60,000 small arms and immense quantities of war material. Our loss for the same time was 8,80; killed. wounded and missing. The only field guns we lost were the
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one we buried at Port Gibson, and one 24-pounder iron gun that was too heavy for a floating bridge we crossed, and weighing it down on one side. slid off into the water, and we hadn't time to recover it.
We give the report of General Hovey, commanding our division, to show the estimation in which he held our battery :
REPORT OF BRIGADIER GENERAL HOVEY ON VICKSBURG.
Brigadier General Alvin P. Hovey, commanding the 12th Division, 13th Army Corps, in his report of the operations of his command before Vicksburg, Miss., states:
"My First Brigade, commanded by Brigadier General McGinnis, arrived before the outer works of Vicksburg on the 20th day of May. On the 22nd that brigade was ordered by General McClernand to support General Osterhaus's Divis- ion on the extreme left in an attack upon the city, which was to be simultaneous along the whole line. I was personally ordered to take charge of the batteries in front of Osterhaus's and my own command, which included the 16th Ohio Battery, under command of First Lieutenant R. P. Twist. During the attack this battery did admirable execution, and fully sustained its part of the charge. The First Brigade at this time, owing to the sickness of General McGinnis, was commanded by Col- onel Wm. T. Spicely. 24th Regiment Indiana Infantry.
Receiving orders on the 23rd to prepare for a siege, my forces commenced the work with spirit, and during the whole peroid prosecuted their labor with success, pressing our rifle- pits to within a few yards of the enemy's fortifications.
For more than 40 days they were under constant fire. casual- ties happening daily in the midst of their camps; men were killed and wounded in their beds, at the table, in the rifle-pits. and yet, during this long period, there was no murmur nor complaint.
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On the 4th day of July, 1863, the city surrendered, and on the 5th, without time for a glimpse at the prize, my division was ordered by Major General E. O. C. Ord, who had suc- ceeded to the command of the 13th Army Corps, to pursue the retreating forces of Confederate General Johnson.
Officers and men displayed great firmness, coolness and bravery during this ever memorable siege, and I cannot dis- criminate among them."
On the siege line we were separated from our own division. which was much further to the left, and were placed with the troops of Lawler's Brigade of Carr's Division, also of the 13th Corps. To show that there was some ground for McClernand claiming that on May 22nd his troops had gotten into the rebel works, we give here a part of General Lawler's Report, and what he reports we saw with our own eyes. for it happened right in front of us :
REPORT OF BRIGADIER GENERAL LAIT'LER ON VICKSBURG.
"Officers and men fell on every side: but with a courage that could not be daunted, the 2ed and 21st Iowa on the right. and rith Wisconsin and 97th Illinois on the left moved upon the enemy's works. Reaching them. the width and depth of the ditch in front of the works, combined with the heavy fire of the rebels. checked the main advance: a few brave men, however, leaping into the ditch, clambered up the sides of the fort, rushed into it, engaging in a hand-to-hand conflict with the rebels occupying the outer wing of the fort. overcame them, killing many and compelling the remainder to surrender. Thus a portion of their works were in our possession, with the flag of the 22nd lowa planted on its walls. Those who did not get into the fort sheltered themselves in the ditch in front and gullies in the hillside and opened a vigorous fire
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on the enemy. * The 77th Illinois moved up to the right, to the support of the 21st and 22nd Iowa, and planted their banner on its walls besides those of the 22nd Iowa. But the enemy drew re-inforcements from their right. My men were exhausted, the re-inforcements sent us were light ; orders were given to hold the ground. No re-inforcements, however, could be spared us during the forenoon, and until late in the afternoon our position was the same as in the morning. All efforts of the enemy to drive us back were unavailing. At sunset, however, a determined rush was made by the rebels to regain possession of their works, which, in consequence of the exhaustion of the men holding it was successful. Falling back a few rods from the enemy's works to the protection of the crest of the hill, my men halted and poured into the enemy such a fire as effectually checked their advance and compelled them to remain close under the protection of their works. A heavy fire was kept up by both sides till dark, when by mutual consent it ceased."
Thus it will be seen that while McClernand claimed too much, and indirectly reflected on the other troops, his claim in part. was true.
THE MARCH TO JACKSON.
After our Fourth of July jollification we were ordered the morning of the 5th to start for Jackson, to attend to Jolinson. The march was very wearing, hot, dusty, little water. We passed over Champion's Hill battle-field; to our astonishment the field where our left gun had been placed and which had
Key to Illustration on Opposite Page.
Present at the unveiling May 22, 1905: Pvt. William Merreness, Corp. Pomeroy Mitchell. Pvt. 1. Quincy Smith, Corp. Geo. H. Humphreys, Corp. A Bartley Mitchell. Civilian Fredrick, son of Capt. Mitchell. Civilian Iowa Smith. Corp. William Foreman, Pyt. Chas. H. Humphreys, Corp. Geo. W. Brier, Corp. Findley D. Torrence.
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Sixteenth Ohio Battery Monument in National Park, Vicksburg, Miss., 1905.
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been trampled over by both armies back and forth. had been planted in corn, which was now four feet high.
We reached Jackson in the afternoon of July 11th, and went into line. The fighting was kept up till the morning of the 17th, when our sharpshooters got no reply, and going over, found all the works deserted. The night before, their band had played on the State House cupola, plainly in our hearing. "In Dixie Land I'll Take My Stand." At the same time Johnson was moving out what stores he could and re- treating eastward. Our cavalry pursued some miles, but we concluded not to chase him any further. We had no casualties during this siege of five days, had expended 205 rounds of ammunition.
The following reports of division and brigade commanders will give a general view of our operations at Jackson :
REPORT OF BRIGADIER GENERAL HONEY ON JACKSON.
Brigadier General Hovey, in his subsequent report, dated July 24. 1863. states :
"After the surrender of Vicksburg, on the 5th of July, my division, under orders from Major General Ord. marched in the direction of Jackson, Mississippi, and camped on Clear Creek. On the 7th, reached Bolton. and on the 8th, we marched to a point about 5 miles west of Clinton. On the oth We marched to and camped bevond Clinton, and on the roth arrived near the fortifications of Jackson. On the rith my division moved on the road made by our pioneers, from Clin- ton road to Holloway's Farm. on the Raymond road. Here we encountered the enemy's pickets, and a very sharp skirmish ensued. By the aid of the skirmishers and one section of the 16th Ohio Battery, we drove them back, and the division bivouacked for the night between the New Orleans R.R. and
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the road from Jackson to Raymond. the right of the First Brigade, Colonel W. T. Spicely, commanding. resting on the railroad. On the 12th I received orders to move forward. We commenced the movement at six o'clock a. m. Mv line of battle reached from the Raymond road to the railroad. The skirmishing soon became very sharp, and for an hour the con- flict was entitled to the name of battle.
The enemy burned several houses in our front, and opened upon us with grape and canister and musketry. Slowly and steadily we drove them before us into their works. Here I found it impossible to advance further without exposing my right to a raking fire from the enemy's works, which were within 500 yards of my line. The enemy perceived our inten- tion to flank them on the right; and from statements made by rebel prisoners, this had a deciding effect in causing the evacuation.
During the seige all my batteries did fine execution, and the officers commanding them, as well as their men, deserve praise. For six days the fire of the artillery and small-arms was in- cessant along the whole line. On the roth I was informed about midnight that from indications and sounds, it was be- lieved that the enemy were evacuating their works.
A little before sunrise on the 17th, Colonel Spicely's pickets advanced to the works of the enemy on the right and took possession of their paranets. During the seven days of this siege the 12th Division was under a continual fire and fully returned it. .
On the morning of the zist, my command commenced its march to Vicksburg, and arrived here on the 23d. a distance of 55 miles, over a country almost destitute of water."
REPORT OF COLONEL SPICELY ON JACKSON.
Colonel Wm. T. Spicely. 24th Indiana Infantry. command- ing first Brigade, 12th Division, 13th Army Corps, in his re-
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port on the operations of his command against Jackson, says :
"On the 5th of July, in pursuance of orders, the First Bri- gade left the works near Vicksburg, moving in the direction of the Big Black River bridge, and went into camp in Clear Creek the same day.
On the 6th, in the evening, we again took up the line of march and encamped the same day on the Big Black River. On the 7th, early in the morning, we again resumed the line of march. and . after a most fatiguing day's march, through dust and heat, without water the most of the way, we arrived at Bolton at eight o'clock p. m. On the evening of the 8th, we marched in the direction of Clinton, and at twelve o'clock at night we halted on the roadside four miles from Clinton. Early on the morning of the 9th, we again took up the line of march and bivouacked that day within two miles of Jackson.
On the rith the First Brigade was ordered to take position in the line of battle investment around Jackson. I immedi- ately formed in line of battle across the road. throwing for- ward a heavy line of skirmishers to the front, who almost im- mediately engaged the skirmishers of the enemy. .At this time I received orders from General Hovey to bring forward a section of artillery to the front line.
The command was hardly given when the allant 16th Ohio Battery responded by placing one section to the front, and opened a deadly fire upon the enemy's line. Again my line advanced. driving the enemy's skirmishers back. Here we halted and remained for the night. throwing a strong force forward for the protection of our front. We drove the enemy with sharp and severe skirmishing inside their fortiti- cations ; my command closely invested their works.
From the 12th to the 16th day of July. my command was under a continual fire during the day from the enemy's forti- heations and skirmishers.
I desire to call particular attention to the gallant 16th Ohio
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Battery, and must not fail to make honorable mention of its officers and men who were ever ready and prompt to act at every command."
We left Jackson July 21st, arriving at Vicksburg on the 23d, where for the first time we saw some of the ravages of war we had wrought. A few changes also now occurred among our officers. Lt. Murdock had become dissatisfied and resigned, July 30, 1863. After the Captain's death, Lt. Twist had been promoted to Captain. During the whole period of service of the battery only these two vacancies occurred among the commissioned officers, so there was little chance for promotions. In many regiments corporals became cap- tains. and even colonels ; but when we had no vacancies there .could be no promotions. Those that were made will be found in the Roster accompanying this History.
It will be in place here to give the reason for Lieut. Mur- dock's resignation at this time, as given by himself as follows : After the surrender of Vicksburg the large army was no longer required there, and the order was to distribute the tinits to other fields requiring reinforcements. Our battery with some of the units of our old brigade, had been ordered to Memphis to join Sherman's forces, were then collecting for the march to Chattanooga and the Atlanta campaign. I found that Capt. Schofield of the First Missouri Battery, a brother of Major General Schofield of Grant's Staff, Chief of Artillery of the army, was conniving with his brother. the General's influence, to take the place of our battery, or- dered to Memphis, and for us to be sent south to New Or- leans. I reported this to Lieut. Twist and he deputed me to see the General in command then. E. O. C. Ord. and Grant if necessary, to prevent this change. I saw General Ord about the matter and had a warm set-to with him and the West Point officers' influence; and from Ord I went to Grant's
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headquarters and had the promise from his Adjutant that the original order of our movement should stand. Later I found that the order was changed and I tendered my resig- nation to General Ord, who refused to accept it on the ground assigned."
It will be seen from this that Lieut. Murdock foresaw that with Sherman there would be important and distinguished ser- vice, under Banks in the Gulf Department little was to be expected. Exactly thus it turned out, the battery never fired a shot at the enemy in all the time it was in the Gulf Depart- ment. If we had gone to Memphis and joined Sherman, we would have been at Missionary Ridge and in the Atlanta campaign and the march through Georgia.
TRANSFERRED TO GULF DEPARTMENT.
The 13th Corps was now transferred to the Department of the Gulf, under General Banks, and went down the river to New Orleans. The corps was re-organized with General Washburn in command; our division became the 3d with General McGinnis in command. We left Vicksburg August Stli and arrived at Port Hudson, which had surrendered a few days after Vicksburg on the roth. We remained here until the 18th, having a good opportunity to see the many signs of the fierce attacks on, and stubborn defence of, this place. We reached Carrolton, a suburb of New Orleans, August 20th, and were pleasantly camped near a grove of large pecan trees and live oaks for several weeks.
Then followed the grand reviews by Grant and Banks. One day we were drawn up for review in such clothes as we had been fighting in. Grant thought we were all right. fine looking soldiers; Banks was disgusted with such travel- stained and battle-worn clothes, and as we were now in his department. he sent us back to camp to draw complete brand- new uniforms. Then. September 4th, he looked at us again
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in review, and now we were all right. There were in the re- view line forty regiments of infantry, 1.000 cavalry, and 80 pieces of artillery. General Grant, while riding a fractions horse at high speed, ran into a carriage, was thrown from his horse and severely injured.
We had reached New Orleans in the yellow fever season. It is remarkable that from the time General Butler cleaned up the city in 1862, to the end of the war no vellow fever, was known. We, from the North, without any experience of its terrors when epidemic, had no concern about it: but the na- tives seemed to feel about it as children who have heard ghost stories told in the dark just before bed-time. Good policing undoubtedly helped much; it may be also that a kindly Provi- dence favored us. The battery was there at three different yellow fever seasons, but found New Orleans a very healthy place.
On November 7th. we started west via New Orleans & Opelousas R. R., for Brashear City, near the head of Berwick Bay, arriving next day. Here we were in the country made famous by Longfellow as the scene of Evangeline's search for Her lover, Gabriel. Evangeline and those with her bad floated down the Ohio, and then down the Mississippi till they reached Bayou Plaquemine, which connects at the west end with the Bayou Atchafalava, and this flows into Berwick Bay just below where we were. No wonder Longfellow calls this the "Eden of Louisiana." The very atmosphere is full of poetic feeling. The bayous are everywhere-
** * * a maze af sluggish and devious waters;
Over their heads the towering and tenebrous boughs of the cypress
Met in a dusky arch. and trailing mosses in mid air
Waved like banners that hang on the walls of ancient cathe- drals."
Instead of the rail fences in many places were great rose-
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hedges, seven to eight feet high. The trees hung with Spanish moss; vines climb and entwine everywhere; the humming birds flit from blossom to blossom. But the army wasn't there to cultivate poetic sentiment-ours was business.
We secured immense quantities of sugar for the govern- ment, but found no enemy to rout, as that had been done be- fore we arrived. This sugar was valuable to Uncle Sam, who has a sweet tooth, as well as all his boys, who needed great quantities of it. We could get a haversack full any time, and the boys would sit around the camp-fires till midnight. boiling taffy. Another luxury we found here in abundance. oysters in the Bay. We needed only to borrow a boat and oyster rake and go and gather all we wanted, cooking big camp-kettles full of them, or taking them in Epicurean style on the half-shell. We also had the opportunity to see the great sugar houses, and learn the process of making sugar and molasses, Some fastidious Northern people might have objected to some of the things done, but now the process is entirely changed, so they need not fear to use New Orleans molasses and sugar without scruple. But many of the boys got so filled up with sugar that for years afterwards they touched it lightly.
Another luxury abundant in all lower Louisiana was oranges; these could be found anywhere, could be bought for a cent a piece. quite a sackful for fifty cents. but oftener we gathered all we wanted for nothing. The tree grows about fifteen feet high, with a beautiful. compact, symmetrical top. and glossy. dark green foliage. The only unpleasant thing in pick- ing the oranges are the long thorns to be avoided in climbing into the treetop. The pecan nut we also found under the great trees covering the ground: the tree is as tall as our hickory and oak. Banana bushes also grow everywhere as freely as peach trees do up North. so do fies and pomegran- ates.
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Another thing abundant-super-abundant-in the Louisiana lowlands is the sanguinary. pestilence-spreading mosquito. The Northern mosquito is a pigmy alongside of this South- ern race, measuring about seven-eighths of an inch long and standing about half an inch high, with digging power propor- tionate to size. It would probobly be doubted. but can be vouched for by soldiers who had the experience. that this mosquito can thrust his probosics through an army blouse and army shirt and draw blood; the shirt is about the thickness of heavy outing flannel and the blouse is good, substantial woolen stuff. While in that country mosquito-bars were issued to us. made so as to be hung on four sticks about two feet high at the corners. These were a protection not only against the pestilential mosquito but also the hosts of other fiying things that fill the air at night.
The Atchafalaya Bayou, or River, as it is sometimes called. is about two miles wide where it flows into Berwick Bay, and cattle were brought in great droves to the west bank. and driven into the water and made to swim over, as there were no ferry boats or transports. These Texas cattle were very hardy. long horned and fleet as deers. To most of them this was easy. Only occasionally would one vecome exhausted and fail to land.
One other item of interest belongs to our stay at Berwick, that is the re-enlistment as Veterans of those who wanted to continue in the service, though this was not completed till we returned to New Orleans. December 27, 1863. Seventy re-en- listed, 54 of these were our own men, the rest were details from infantry regiments, some of whom had been with us over a year. This battery was the first organization mustered into the Veteran Service in the Gulf Department. The boys went home on veteran furlough in two detachments, so as not to take too many men away at one time.
On January 1, 186. we loaded on the steamer Alabama, for
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Texas. In a short time we had reason to remember what a mild day it was. We worked in shirt sleeves all day, while up North it was zero. In two days the Norther" reached us. too; when out in the Gulf it rained, and every rope was cased in ice. We passed under the guns of the forts at Galveston in a fog, and a little further along. at the mouth of Brazos River, seven shots were fired at tts from the fort at Brazos Santiago ; we only laughed at them; they went so wide. Our guns were in the hold, so we couldn't answer. The Alabama was not a regular ocean steamer, but built for lake or shore trade, and as the weather was rough, we had to keep close to shore. After four days of storm we landed at Decroes Point, Texas, across the bay from the north end or Matagorda Island. The troops we found there were starved: our twenty days'hardtack was divided among them. When we landed a blizzard was blowing. The vessel could only get within 250 feet of the shore. We thought we could drop the horses overboard and let them swim ashore; we tried it with one, he reached land. but was so exhausted from being cramped on the vessel, and so frozen by the blizzard that he laid down to rest and never got up again-frozen to death. Then we made a long gang- way of planks, on yawls and trestles, and over this we led the horses steadying them to keep them from tumbling off, as they staggered from weakness. The fierce "Norther" which welcomed us to Texas continued for two weeks, causing us the keenest suffering. as we had no wood; we were sixty miles from fuel, except the "cow-chips" which we could gather for cooking. The small "A" tents were not much protection in the storm. The ice piled up on the beach, and wagon loads of frozen fish were washed ashore and were gathered and used. but we found very poor fare. The blizzard was followed by most delightful weather. The "Northers" after this were not so severe. the first one was the worst ever known there. In February peach trees were in boom, and garden stuff began
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to grow. We were a short time at Powderhorn and Indian- aola, but Matagorda Island was our home till we left, June 8th. This island is from one-half to two miles wide, with great herds of cattle, which needed no herding or fencing, as they couldn't get off the island. Of these we used freely all we needed, and Uncle Sam paid the owners. The greatest lack here was good water; all around the island was salt sea water, and when we dug in any low place for water it was always salty; but we found by digging in some of the sand- hills that fresh water, though brackish, laid above the salt water, almost like oil on water.
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