Diary of Private W. J. Davidson, Friday, March 6, 1863

After a lapse of several days, I again resume my diary. I was taken sick on the 1st inst., and have been unable to note the incidents as they occurred, and will have to depend on my memory for the facts. On Sunday morning we met seven skiffs loaded with men from the wreck of the Indianola, who reported that there was another Federal gun-boat in the vicinity, and that our men had thrown part of her armament overboard, and had burnt her to the water's edge. They gave, however, a rather confused account of the appearance of the vessel, and all acknowledged that they had not been near enough to make her out, but believed her to be quite as formidable as the Indianola. Colonel Brand determined to go on up the river until he got some more reliable information, and at Natchez the report was confirmed that the Federal vessel was above and the Indianola was destroyed. It was then determined to go up Red river as far as Alexandria and prepare for the capture of another prize. Accordingly we returned to the mouth of Red river, and ascended that muddy, crooked stream to Alexandria, where we arrived on the morning of the 5th, and where we are now lying, waiting for General E. Kirby Smith to assume command of this department and give us orders, as General Dick Taylor refused to have anything to do with us.

We had a good time generally at Natchez, and left there with regret. As soon as the boat touched the shore, the boys struck a beeline for town, and paid no attention whatever to the guards. In a few hours every man was in a glorious state, and it was with a great deal of difficulty that they could be gotten on board again. In fact, some were left.

The boys had another spree here yesterday, but the fun was cut short by some fool officer emptying the whisky into the street. I am sorry to see a strong feeling of jealousy existing between the officers and crews of the different boats engaged in the capture of the Indianola, and a strong prejudice in the minds of the people of this place against the crew of the Doctor Beatty. The feeling extends even to those highest in command, whose minds should be above such petty considerations. General Taylor makes an open display of his feelings against the men who are from another Military Department. This morning his Adjutant came down to Colonel Brand with the request that we take ourselves away from this vicinity, as we were a nuisance. Our Colonel didn't see fit to notice the request, however, and we still lie at the wharf. I fear that there will be a fight before we leave here. The officers of the Webb and Queen refuse to give us credit for doing anything in the late action.

SOURCE: Edwin L. Drake, Editor, The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and Early Western History, Vol. 1, p. 123-4

Diary of Private W. J. Davidson, February 19, 1863

ON BOARD THE CONFEDERATE GUN BOAT DR. BEATTY,}

February 19, 1863.}

YESTERDAY the expedition for the "wiping out" of the Yankee Gun-Boat Indianola started, and I had the good fortune to ship as carpenter for the voyage. After many delays and false starts, we got under way and came up the river to the little town of Waterloo, where we tied up for the purpose of cooking and taking on more cotton; but as soon as the boat touched shore, the men started, at a double-quick, in search of a certain vile compound called Louisiana rum, and by night nearly every man and most of the officers were too drunk to stand on their pegs. About 11 o'clock the command "to arms" was given, as a boat was seen coming down on us. Then, ensued a scene which, for the honor of some of our officers, had better not be described; but, fortunately for us, it proved to be one of our own boats. I think that the effect of this lesson will be good, and may prove fortunate in the end.

I remained in the cabin and saw the "wounded" brought in. Our loss was one Irishman stabbed in three places, one (ditto) head broken in, and several with bruises. If the enemy had been aboard the Frolic, they could have taken us with ease. In the future, our officers will be in better condition, and, if they can keep the men under proper discipline, they will make a good fight when the hour of action arrives. The command is made up of one hundred men from Miles' Louisiana Legion, fifty from the Fourth Louisiana, fifty from the Fifty-fifth Tennessee, and Captain Bowen's Louisiana Artillery.

I have been kept too busy to-day to notice the officers in detail, but I am satisfied they are a merry set of fellows, and will fight well. The worst to fear is that they will not enforce a strict discipline. Colonel Brend has pleased every one, so far, by his quiet, pleasant manners and his agreeable firmness in commanding.

SOURCE: Edwin L. Drake, Editor, The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and Early Western History, Vol. 1, p. 65

Diary of Private W. J. Davidson, February 22, 1863—Evening

About one o'clock we met the balance of our fleet coming down, and our boat turned her prow down stream to act in concert with them. The whole fleet consists of the Queen of the West, the Gun-Boat Webb, our own steamer (the Dr. Beatty), and the transport Grand Era. Altogether, we make quite a formidable appearance, and can certainly take one Yankee vessel.

We are stearing down stream at a rate that will soon bring us upon the broad bosom of the Mississippi, and, unless the Indianola has skedaddled, we will soon be in our first naval engagement; and, to judge from the fitting out of our craft, it will be a novel one. I do not know the plan of action, and will have to wait for it to develop itself, when, if nothing prevents, I will record the events as they occur. I am enjoying the expedition more than I expected at the starting, and have no greater desire than to go into action.

SOURCE: Edwin L. Drake, Editor, The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and Early Western History, Vol. 1, p. 66-7

Diary of Private W. J. Davidson, February 24, 1863—12 p.m. [sic, likely 12 a.m. February 25]

12 o'clock p. m.—We came up with the enemy at half-past ten, and, after a spirited engagement of forty minutes, she surrendered to us unconditionally. We lost three men killed and wounded, all on the same boat, but I have not yet learned which. The Dr. Beatty was struck but once—a shot striking between two cotton bales on the upper deck and passing full length of the cabin, without again touching. All of our men behaved nobly, and the only trouble was to keep them behind the cotton bales. The Webb claimed the prize, though she surrendered to the Dr. Beatty, just as we were in the act of boarding her. The first throw of our grapnels failed to hold, and as we turned to make another throw, a head appeared from a hole in the top of the Indianola and proposed to surrender. This was Lieutenant Brown, commanding her, and on his asking to whom he surrendered, Colonel Brend called out: “To Colonel Brend, commanding the Confederate States Mosquito Fleet." The Webb is probably entitled to the prize, as she disabled her by ramming her in the wheel-house. She is said to be sinking. We got a fine lot of the ardent in her liquor chest. I know a man who came on board the Beatty with his arms full of fine bottled wine.

SOURCE: Edwin L. Drake, Editor, The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and Early Western History, Vol. 1, p. 68

Diary of Private W. J. Davidson, February 25, 1863

We took one hundred and five prisoners on board the Indianola, and a few are said to have gone down the river on a coal barge. The Beatty was sent down to look after them, and, on her return, she was run into by the Queen of the West, who mistook us for a gun-boat from above, which was reported as having passed Vicksburg a short time before. On our return we had passed the fleet in the darkness unobserved, and when we turned again, the Queen ran at us with the full speed of her powerful engines [they were the most powerful on the river], and did not discover her mistake until too late, although we signalled with might and main. At the last moment she managed to sheer a little, and only took off our larboard quarter, carrying all of the cotton bales into the river on that side. The Beatty then careened to the heavy side, and we had to throw off the cotton in haste to keep her trim.

I have just been aboard the Indianola, and find her to be a splendid craft, mounting four guns: two 11-inch Columbiads forward, and two 9-inch Parrots aft. She is heavily ironed. We rammed her in the only vulnerable place, and if she could have worked her guns and her men had been more gallant she would have blown us into the middle of next week. However, she had little chance to work her guns, for the action was fought at close range, and our infantry poured a constant stream of bullets into her port-holes. Thousands of balls had flattened on her sides, particularly in the neighborhood of the port-holes. The prisoners themselves say that she was their best iron-clad.

The boys, following the example of the officers, have stripped her of every thing portable, from a fine sofa down to old newspapers. We didn't get much in the way of commissary stores, as the water was too deep in the hold this morning. A few barrels of flour and a box of soap were fished out. We will get a great many articles if we succeed in raising her, which is extremely doubtful unless we go about it with more energy than has yet been shown. We have two men at work making pumps, but every one is too intent on plunder to think of raising a gun-boat worth millions of dollars to our government at this particular time.

The affair is now being badly managed, and I fear that the Yankees will run another boat past Vicksburg and recapture our prize before we can get her up. We are only twenty-five miles below this place, and they could plainly hear the firing. In our present crippled condition we couldn’t make much of a fight, if we were to attempt it at all.

The Webb is in almost a sinking condition, from damage to her prow. The Queen of the West is the only one of the fleet uninjured. She is now up the river reconnoitering, and if danger approaches, will give us timely warning.

SOURCE: Edwin L. Drake, Editor, The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and Early Western History, Vol. 1, p. 68-9

Diary of Private W. J. Davidson, February 25, 1863—7 p.m.

About 4 o'clock this afternoon we went up the river to bring down a company of artillery, and one of cavalry, to assist us in raising and repairing our prize. When we had taken the last man aboard, the Queen of the West was descried coming down stream under a full head of steam, and signalling violently that a gunboat was in close chase of her. Lest we might not understand the signal, some one aboard called out for us to follow at once.

We now had a panic. The officer in command of the Beatty, Captain McDonald, of the Fifty-fifth Tennessee, ordered the two companies just taken aboard to get off. The order was misunderstood, and every man of the expedition, even to the cabin boy, started ashore, but the mistake was rectified, except as to five of them, who failed to return. We are now in full retreat, the Queen of the West taking the lead, the Webb following in her wake as fast as her crippled condition will allow.

The Grand Era is some mile and a half behind the Webb, while the Beatty is bringing up the rear, and covering the retreat. She has thrown off some cotton to make her more trim and increase her speed. What is to become of our prize we haven’t the remotest idea, and the natural inference is that she will fall into the hands of the enemy again. We made no attempt to destroy her; and, in fact, the attempt would have been useless, unless we could have gotten to her magazine and blown her up; she would have only burnt to the water, which was deep in her. I am surprised at the precipitateness of our officers in abandoning the boat without an attempt to hold it. If they had placed some artillerymen on board, they could have made an impregnable battery of it. Such is not their judgment, however, and it becomes not a private soldier to set up his opinions in opposition to superiors.

SOURCE: Edwin L. Drake, Editor, The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and Early Western History, Vol. 1, p. 69-70