USA > Tennessee > The military annals of Tennessee. Confederate. First series: embracing a review of military operations, with regimental histories and memorial rolls, V.1 > Part 57
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Soon after the reorganization the regiment was ordered into Gregg's brigade, and sent to Holly Springs to aid in checking Gen. Grant, who was then advancing .with a large force, and before whom we retired to Grenada. The entire army was then commanded by Gen. Van Dorn; and during this retreat we had several skirmishes, and lost some of our command at Water Valley while guarding the bridges and protecting the rear.
Some time after our arrival at Grenada Gen. Van Dorn was relieved as de- partment commander, and in three days he had united all the cavalry, and sud- denly assuming the offensive fell upon the rear of Grant at Holly Springs, de- stroved millions of supplies, and thus forced the entire Federal army to retreat.
About the 24th of December Gregg's brigade was ordered to Vicksburg, to meet the attack that was threatened upon that point. After our arrival there we were soon placed in position, but were changed several times, till finally on the 31st of December the Third and Thirtieth Tennessee regiments were ordered into the trenches at the foot of the Walnut Hills, and opposite Chickasaw Bayou. The Federals were landing from their transports on Yazoo River, and were protected by their gun-boats. They numbered about twelve thousand five hundred, and at 10 A.M. moved on our position. Temporary earth-works and a ditch had been thrown up at the foot of the hills, and a large cotton-field was between the trenches and bayou, the trenches being about one thousand yards from the bayou. We were supported by a battery of four pieces, which was planted just in our rear, and at which point Gen. S. D. Lee took position to direct the fight. Col.
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447
REGIMENTAL HISTORIES AND MEMORIAL ROLLS.
Clack was commanding the Third Tennessee, and the writer the Thirtieth, and all under the eye of Gen. Lee.
As we were outnumbered fifteen to one, having only seven hundred and fifty muskets on our side, and as we were at the foot of a high and precipitons hill, and could not be reinforced, officers and men accepted the inevitable-that we must drive them back, or be killed, or surrender; and with one mind the entire command determined to die rather than surrender.
The command was carefully instructed to reserve its fire till the enemy was within fifty steps, not to fire till ordered, and to fire low. A few sharp-shooters were directed to commence picking off the officers and color-bearers as soon as the Federals crossed the bayou, which they did with great effect. The enemy formed in two lines, as on dress-parade, and started toward us, with no thought but victory. The men were kept under cover, with their muskets cocked and lying on the works, all waiting for the word "Fire!" When the enemy arrived in point-blank range, coming up a small grade, the fatal command to "fire" was given, and a sudden blaze from seven hundred and fifty muskets was the response. The enemy's lines were shattered and broken, and commenced to retreat, fol- lowed by a continuous fire from our side. They fell back, re-formed, were reen- forced, and again started in good order; but with the same tactics on our side, an i fatal results to them. The Federals re-formed upon each repulse, and made five separate and distinct charges, and were repulsed in every charge. The fight had lasted some two hours, and we were about ont of ammunition-having com- menced with but forty rounds-and could not be supplied, and the enemy was then within forty steps of our works. In this extremity I went to Gen. Lee and asked him what we must do, when he replied: "Club them, by -, club them !" But fortunately at this moment they were again repulsed, and commenced a rapid retreat, when the entire command on our side, without orders and intensely excited, jumped the works and pursued the fleeing and demoralized mass to the bay". The Federal loss was fifteen hundred killed, wounded, and captured, with five stands of colors, fifteen hundred stands of splendid new arms and equipment -. besides, a large amount of blankets, overcoats, canteens, and other supplies. Our loss was only five killed and wounded, including Maj. Tucker, of the Third Ten- nessee, who was slain while cheering his men from the top of the works. On the third day we drove off the entire force, who had in the meantime boardel their transports. Before this there was much complaint about arms, but afterwar I we had the best of the Federal army. No fight of ancient or modern times bas shown superior, if equal, results. These brave and intrepid Tennesseans, who were poorly armed, opposed to fifteen times their number, and with no hope of being reenforced, obeyed every order with a coolness, bravery, and precision that has never been excelled. For two hours they drove back their assailants at every point, and demonstrated the superiority of Southern soldiers fighting for their homes and constitutional rights.
On the 6th of January, 1863, our brigade was ordered to Port Hudson, and reached there on the sth, where we found a delightful climate, the roses then be- ing in full bloom. This point was rapidly reenforced, and soon numbered some ten thousand troops; and the entire army commenced fortifying the place against the threatened attack by the gun-boats and mortar fleet from the river, and a land force under Gen. Banks from the direction of Baton Rouge.
448
MILITARY ANNALS OF TENNESSEE.
By the middle of March our fortifications were completed, and the Federal forces by land and river seemed ready to commence their attack, and on the 19th Gen. Banks, with some thirty thousand soldiers, was in a mile or so of ns, and the gun-boats and mortar fleet were in position to commence the attack. Our brigade was ordered to take position in the trenches next to the river, and to support our heavy batteries-the Thirtieth Tennessee being in one hundred yards of the river, and in range of the entire Federal fleet. Every man and officer had his place assigned him so there could be no confusion; and after dark of the 19th two- thirds of the commands were ordered to their camps, and instructed to come to their assigned places without orders when firing commenced.
I had remained in the trenches patiently awaiting the attack, every thing being as still as a grave-yard, when just at midnight two three-hundred-pound shells from the mortar fleet lit up the heavens and burst near us. This was the signal for a general attack, and in a few minutes the entire mortar fleet were filling the heavens, our fortifications and catup with their bursting shells. The frigates and gun-boats, with one hundred and seventy-five pieces of artillery, and located some three-fourths of a mile below us, opened all their guns upon us, and the heavens were lit up with solid shot and bursting shell, which fell in every direction about our batteries, camp, and fortifications. The soldiers in camp started for the works as soon as possible, but very much demoralized by such an attack at night. Our batteries, numbering some seventy-five guns, opened upon the fleet with great spirit, and for nearly two hours the mortar fleet and two hundred and fifty pieces of heavy artillery were filling the air with missiles of death, and making a danger- ous pyrotechnic display, but perhaps the finest ever seen on this continent-cer- tainly not equaled at Fort Donelson or Vicksburg. The infantry had nothing to do but closely hug the ditches and earth-works and wait in silence till the bom- bardment ceased. Finally the fleet attempted to pass our batteries, and the "Hart- ford" and "Albatross" did pass, but in a damaged condition: and the frigate "Mis- sissippi," a double-decker and mounting sixty-four pieces of artillery, was disabled just opposite our batteries, and in a few minutes it was set on fire and abandoned by its entire crew-some two hundred seamen-who were captured by our cavalry on the opposite side of the river. After burning for some time and lighting up every thing for a mile, the vessel drifted off down the river, the heat gradually dis- charging the loaded artillery and fixed ammunition on deck. The entire fleet gave way for the wreck and ceased firing, and it drifted to near Baton Rouge, when the magazine blew up, which could be easily seen by us some twenty miles, and which shook the ground like an earthquake. Our entire loss was only ten, which was con- fined to the Tenth and Thirtieth Tennessee regiments. The attack being a failure, the land and naval forces retired, and we resumed the old routine of drilling and improving the earth-works.
Our brigade was ordered to Jackson, and we left Port Hudson May 4, just be- fore its second investment-the brigade then numbering all told some three thousand three hundred, and being in splendid health, well armed, drilled, and disciplined. A better brigade was not to be found in the Confederate States army. On our arrival at Jackson, Miss., we were immediately ordered to Ray- mond, a distance of some twelve miles, to meet a supposed cavalry raid. On arriving at Raymond, May 12, our brigade numbered some two thousand five hundred muskets; and the cavalry reporting that the Federal force approaching us
449
REGIMENTAL HISTORIES AND MEMORIAL ROLLS.
numbered some twenty-five hundred, the brigade felt that meeting and driving them back would be a mere breakfast spell. We marched out to meet them, andi soon the Seventh Texas and Third Tennessee had hot work. The remainder of the brigade was advanced at double-quick by the right flank, and soon we came to the left of our line that was engaged-the Tenth and Thirtieth then being con- solidated-and Col. MeGavock, of the Tenth, and five or six officers were killed by the first fire. I at once assumed command of the two regiments, and the whole brigade became engaged. The fire from the enemy was very severe and de- structive, and evinced that a large and determined force was in our front. We were losing our men rapidly, and I ordered the command to lie down, load, and advance to the hill, then fire and continue to fall back and load, protecting us from the terrible fire of our enemies. This firing continned some thirty minutes, when I was notified that a large force was flanking us on the left -- our two regi- ments then occupying the extreme left-and I ordered Capt. Douglass to deploy his company as skirmi-hers and report what the enemy was doing. He soon re- ported that a force of some fifteen hundred infantry was rapidly moving to our rear, and that shortly we would be confronted front and rear by largely superior forces. There was no time to be lost, or tinie for consultation or getting reenforce- ments, even had there been any one to reinforce us; and in fact the entire brigade had its hands full. In this emergency I concluded to play a game of brag and ex- tricate my conunand, so I ordered the Tenth and Thirtieth regiments to alout- face, fix bayonets, and conunence yelling and keep it up till ordered to stop. Every man seemed to catch the point, and perhaps such a rebel yell was not heard from the same number during the war. The yell demoralized our enemies, front and rear; and while those in our front were drawing back and preparing for a charge, I was double-quicking my command in a charge on the rear line of the enemy. This force in our rear did not wait for us to get to close quarters, but wheeled and broke in utter confusion, and was followed by our men for half a mile and till they reached their second line, when I recalled my men and re-formed the line and waited for orders. We thus waited one hour, but the Federals, not understanding our tactics, failed to renew the combat, though they outnumbered us very greatly-they had two divisions under Gen. McPherson, and we had only one brigade. We could not advance, and were afraid to retreat; but fortunately for us Gen. Walker, of Georgia, had arrived at Jackson with his splendid brigade, and hearing the firing came to our support about 3 r.M .; and then we had something to yell for. Finding that we were still outnumbered two to one, Gens. Walker and Gregg ordered a retreat to Jackson, which we effected in good order, leaving our wounded and a few Surgeons in the enemy's hands. Our brigade lost about five hundred killed and wounded, the Thirtieth losing some seventy-five officers and men; and the Federals admitted to our Surgeon a loss of one thousand two hun- dred and fifty. We reached Jackson next morning, and found that Gen. J. E. Johnston had arrived and taken charge of all the forces; but as a column of some twenty-five thousand troops was coming out from Vicksburg, and was to unite (and did unite : with McPherson, Gen. Johnston, after marching us around a number of times to deceive the enemy as to our number, prudently withdrew to Canton; then to Yazoo City ; and then to the Big Black River in the rear of Vicksburg.
The army was reinforced to some ten thousand effective men-a large number 29
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