Major-General Ulysses S. Grant: Special Orders, No. 180, July 4, 1863

SPECIAL ORDERS, No. 180.}

HDQRS. DEPT. OF THE TENNESSEE,        

Near Vicksburg, Miss., July 4, 1863.

I. On the surrender of Vicksburg, Major-General Herron will advance one brigade of his division to within the fortifications of the enemy. He will throw out guards to prevent all persons, soldiers or citizens, from entering or leaving the city. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan is assigned temporarily to the command of the city of Vicksburg, and will march his division within the intrenchments of the enemy, to a suitable camp-ground. He will furnish all the guards necessary to prevent the escape of citizens or prisoners from Vicksburg, or the entrance of soldiers and all outside parties into the city. One regiment will be immediately placed on guard in the city, to preserve order, and to prevent pillaging and other destruction of property. Five companies, commanded by a competent field officer, will report at once to Lieut. Col. J. D. Bingham, chief quartermaster, to collect and guard all captured property, and to superintend working parties of such negroes as may be collected and employed in discharging boats, and other labor in the quartermaster's department. No citizens will be permitted to land from steamers until authority may be given hereafter. All the able-bodied negro men in the city will be immediately collected and organized into working parties, under suitable officers. They will at once be set to policing the city and the grounds within the intrenchments. Captain Comstock, chief engineer, will direct the destruction of the outside approaches made to the enemy's works. All necessary details will be made for this purpose by the commander of the Seventeenth Army Corps, either from his pioneer corps, negroes collected, or by details from the ranks. All heavy artillery will be moved into the intrenchments and properly located for defense. Division engineer officers, or, in their absence, division quartermasters, will collect and save all mining-tools belonging to their respective commands.

II. Lieut. Col. William L. Duff, chief of artillery, will immediately collect and take care of all ordnance stores outside of the enemy's works at Vicksburg. He will call on Major-General McPherson and Major-General Herron for such details as he may require in carrying out this order.

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By order of Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant:

[JNO. A. RAWLINS,]        

Assistant Adjutant-General.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 24, Part 3 (Serial No. 38), p. 477

Major-General Benjamin F. Butler to Edwin M. Stanton, June 1, 1862

Head Quarters, Department of the Gulf,                   

NEW ORLEANS, June 1, 1862

Hon. E. M. STANTON,

Sec'y of War

SIR: I am so unfortunate as to have my Assistant Adjutant, General, Major Strong, chief of Staff and Ordnance officer, taken sick, so that I must send him home in the next transport. This is imperative to save the life of a valuable officer, of whose untiring industry, devotion to public service, conduct, gallantry, skill, efficiency, I cannot speak too highly. I must request that an assistant adjutant General of ability be detailed to me as a prime necessity. If Maj. Strong's reports are in arrears, his health is a full justification. We have captured a large amount of Ordnance and Ordnance stores, so that an Ordnance officer of the first-class is also an imperative necessity. May I ask a speedy detail, as my signal officers asked for in February reported to me yesterday for the first time. Lt. Turnbull of the topographical engineers has been sick and delirious for many weeks, so that I have been deprived of his valuable services. Owing to the thorough knowledge of the country here, had by Lt. Weitzel of the engineers, the loss of his services has not been irreparable. Capt. Kensel, chief of artillery, has had the ordnance duty ordered to his department, and cannot be much longer overworked.

I have the honor to be,

[Benj. F. Butler.]

SOURCE: Jessie Ames Marshall, Editor, Private and Official Correspondence of Gen. Benjamin F. Butler During the Period of the Civil War, Volume 1, p. 550.

Blog Editor’s Note: Contrary to the annotation on Major-General Benjamin F. Butler to Edwin M. Stanton, April 29, 1862 in the Official Records which states, “See Butler to Stanton, June 1, 1862 in Chapter XXVII,” I could not easily locate any other correspondence between Butler and Stanton on June 1, 1862 in the Official Records and instead I had to resort to Butler’s published correspondence to find this letter. Whether this is the letter which was alluded to in the previously mentioned notation I cannot positively say.