Thursday, July 16, 2015
Diary of Sarah Morgan: May 31, 1862
Monday, June 29, 2015
Diary of Sarah Morgan: April 12, 1862
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Diary of Judith W. McGuire: October 16, 1861
Monday, July 15, 2013
From Cairo
Friday, September 14, 2012
Our Success At New Madrid
Monday, August 22, 2011
From Memphis
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Capture of New Orleans
FURTHER NEWS via HAVANA.
NEW YORK, May 7. – The steamer Columbia arrived from Havana, on the 3d. The gunboat Dan’l Smith arrived at Havana on the 30th, and Fort Jackson on the 26th.
The attack on the Rebel forts commenced on the 18th, and on the 23d, Com. Faragut [sic], in the Hartford, with 13 steamers passed the Forts, and Gen. Butler landed 4,000 men above.
The Rebels lost 11 gunboats and Hollin’s Turtle, Manassas.
Our forces took 400 prisoners. We lost 150 men and our gunboat Vienna, was sunk on the 24th.
A flag of truce was sent to Com. Porter, asking conditions for the surrender, to which porter replied, “no conditions.”
Our flag now waves over the Custom house.
An American war steamer reports capturing three rebel Steamers, and sending them to Key West, and chased another into the Bahia Honda.
Twenty mortar, and three gunboats were engaged against the Forts, silencing them after six days incessant firing.
The chains across the river were removed by our gunboats.
The rebels sent fire rafts down the river but they did little damage. One set fire to the Hartford, but was speedily extinguished.
The Vienna, and the rebel iron-clad steamer Webster, and a splendid engagement, the Webster running into the Vienna, and sinking her, but before going under, the Vienna’s crew poured in a volley of eight guns, so destructive and crushing, that both the Webster and Vienna went down together.
Arrangements for the surrender, were to be made on the 27th, the day after the dispatch left.
The ram Manassas was sunk by the steamship Mississippi.
Our forces sent a small boat to the fire rafts and towed them out of the way before they could do any harm. Rebel loss unknown.
– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 10, 1862, p. 3
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Commodore Ram Hollins Amazed
Forts on the river and forts on the lakes, built by a Government which was aware of the Southern weakness, were manned by Southern hearts entirely unacquainted with fear, and every one of whom was equal to five Northerners. Yet our squadron of wooden vessels reduced the casemated forts on the river, and then the whole series of batteries went down like a row of bricks. Even the garrisons of the forts on the lakes were smitten with panic and took to flight. This surpassed all the exhibitions of [Southern] valor and of Southern proclivities for laying down their lives in the last ditch that we have had in this war. Like Commodore Hollins of the ram, we are amazed. – { Cin. Gazette.
– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 10, 1862, p. 1
Sunday, January 24, 2010
New Orleans
A correspondent of the Richmond (Va.) Dispatch, writing from New Orleans, says:
The Mississippi is fortified so as to be impassible for any hostile fleet or flotilla. Forts Jackson and St. Philip are armed with 175 heavy guns (68 pounders, by Barkley Britain, and received from England). The navigation of the river is stopped by a dam of about a quarter of a mile from the above forts. No flotilla on earth can force that dam in less than two hours, during which it would be within short and cross range of 170 guns of the largest caliber, many of which would be served with red hot shot, numerous furnaces for which have been erected in every fort and every battery.
In a day or two we shall have ready two iron cased floating batteries. The plates are four and a half inches thick, of the best hammered iron, received from England and France. Each iron cased battery will mount twenty 68-pounders, placed so as to skim the water, and striking the enemy’s hull between wind and water. We have an abundant supply of incendiary shells, cupola furnaces for molten iron, Congreve rockets and fireships.
Between New Orleans and the forts there is a constant succession of earthworks. At the plain of Chalmette, near Janin’s property, there are redoubts, armed with rifled cannon, which have been found to be effective at five miles range. A ditch thirty feet wide and twenty deep extends from the Mississippi to La Cypsiere.
In Forts St. Philip and Jackson there are 3,000 men, of whom a goodly portion are experienced artillerymen and gunners who have served in the navy.
At New Orleans itself, we have 32,000 infantry, and as many more quartered in the immediate neighborhood. In discipline and drill they are far superior to the Yankees. We have two very able and active Generals, who possess our entire confidence. Gen. Mansfield Lovell and Brig. Gen. Ruggles. For Commodore we have old Hollins, a Nelson in his way.
We are ready to give the Yankees a hot reception when they come. Around me all are mad excitement and rage. Our only fear is that the Northern invaders may not appear. We have made such extensive preparations to receive them that it were vexatious if their invincible armada escapes the fate we have in store for it.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p. 2
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
From Fort Pillow
OFF FORT PILLOW,
CAIRO, April 19, 1862.
The Enemy’s gunboats have laid behind Criaghead Point for two or three nights past, fearing an attempt on our part to run the blockade.
The firing upon both sides on Thursday, was very heavy. The mortars opens at noon, four being in operation. The enemy replied immediately and briskly from the land batteries, throwing shell clear over us, and nearly across the river to the Tennessee shore.
Their firing was very accurate and from very heavy guns.
The St. Louis, Carondelet and Cairo, stationed as picket stops near the extremity of the point, where obliged to move up the river several times to get out of range.
A skiff attached to a mortar raft was hit by a shell and dashed to pieces. The shells flew thick and all about our gunboats, but none were hit.
On Thursday night the mortars commenced firing at 8 o’clock, the enemy replying immediately, and the fire was kept up until midnight.
A rebel shell exploded directly above the stern awnings of the St. Louis, slightly injuring one man in the wrist, another shell struck the broadside casemate of the Cairo, but did no damage. The firing ceased at midnight.
Yesterday but little was done except a few shots fired by the mortars. In the morning the mortars were shifted form the Arkansas to the Tennessee shore for the greater protection. In their past locality they have been in great danger from bands of rebel scouts prowling through the woods. These scouts have already cut the levee in two or three places, to embarrass the operations of the mortars.
Deserters are being rapidly taken both from the rebel gunboats and from their batteries. They say that nearly all of the crews of the gunboats have been impressed, and so great is the fear of the officers lest they desert that they frequently muster them every hour in the day.
The batteries now mount about forty very heavy guns. They have sixty more guns which they are rapidly putting in position. Within the past few days Bragg has arrived and succeeds Gen. Villipage, hitherto in command. There are about 6,000 troops there. Both troops and guns are from Pensacola.
There are but four gunboats in the river – the Mariposa [sic], Macray [sic], Ponchartrain and Livingston, mounting a total of twenty-four guns. The Ivy has gone to New Orleans with Hollins on board. The Gen. Polk is at Memphis repairing. Capt. Engee is acting Commodore in Hollin’s absence.
An independent company at Memphis has five boats below Fort Pillow, intended to grapple on our fleet and take it down to Dixie.
There are four rams at New Orleans, among them the Manassas. Active preparations are not expected at present.
Commodore Foot suffers severely from his wound received at Donelson.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, April 22, 1862, p. 1
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The Latest News
It appears that Gens. Johnston, Beauregard, Polk and Bragg had effected a union of their forces at Corinth, Mississippi, a few days before the battle. Corinth is about 90 miles East of Memphis, Tenn., at that point on the Memphis & Charleston Railroad where the Mobile & Ohio Railroad crosses it.
Gen. Grant, commanding the left wing of the Federals, supposed to be 60,000 strong, had pushed his column up the Tennessee River, and landed at Pittsburg, Tenn., a small town on the river, about twenty miles from Corinth. Of this movement our generals were fully aware. The were also advised that Gen. Buell had pushed on his column of 70,000 from Nashville, South, but with the evident design of forming a junction with Grant, at Pittsburg.
Gen. Johnston therefore determined to attack Gen. Grant before Buell could re-inforce [sic] him, destroy his army and return to Corinth.
The Number of our forces is not known; some say 90,000, but we judge that is a large estimate. Our forces moved against Grant on the 6th instant, whose advance column was within 18 miles of Corinth, at Shiloh Church. At an early hour the troops were engaged, and the battle was fiercely contested on both sides during the entire day.
Where all did so well, it would be invidious to particularize, but Gens. Johnston, Polk, Pillow, Breckinridge and Gladden are specially spoken as signalizing themselves. About 2 ½ o’clock, General Johnston fell, a ball having cut the large artery of his leg; he continued in the saddle until he fainted with loss of blood, and expired very soon after. – Gen. Breckinridge is said to have had two horses killed under him, and his clothes were badly torn. Special mention is made of the great valor of the Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana troops, but we have no doubt all fought well. Dispatches state that only 35,000 of Grant’s forces were engaged. – How many of ours is not mentioned. The loss on both sides is said to be heavy, but nothing is mentioned except that our loss is about 3,000, and that we took between 4 and 6,000 prisoners, among whom was Gen. Prentice [sic] and a number of other officers. Eleven car loads of Federal prisoners arrived at Chattanooga on the 9th.
The enemy was completely routed on the 6th, and driven to their boats, leaving in immense amount of ammunition, stores, and guns in our possession, and 100 cannon captured.
On Sunday night Gen. Buell arrived with heavy re-inforcements and attacked Gen. Beauregard vigorously on Monday morning. The battle raged on until 1 o’clock, when both parties seemed to haul off. Gen. Beauregard fell back to Corinth according to General Johnston’s plan, not having been able to save all of his ammunition, supplies and cannon taken from the enemy the day before.
A dispatch from Corinth on the 9th, to the Richmond Dispatch, says, we still hold the battlefield, and it is not though that the enemy will advance. It says that Morgan’s Cavalry on the 8th attacked the enemy in camp and killed a large number of them, and burned the tents of our forces which they had left.
It says that Gens. Gladden, Bushrod Johnson and Hindman were wounded, and at 2 o’clock the firing ceased mutually on both sides on Monday, and both armies fell back.
It is also stated that Gen. Van Dorn had joined Beauregard at Corinth with re-inforcements. Near that point the great battle is yet to be fought.
A gentleman of this City has received a letter from a friend in the west, who states that Ft. Smith had been evacuated by our forces on account of the destitution of forage and provisions in that region, and that Gen. Price had retired to the Arkansas river to obtain supplies. This therefore discourages the rumor of another fight with Curtis.
We learn from dispatches received by the Charlotte Bulletin on the 10th, that Com. Hollins had communicated to the War Department at Richmond that three of the enemy’s gunboats had passed Island No. 10. Of course they will encounter breakers below.
It is states also, that five Yankee batteries commenced the bombardment of Fort Pulaski below Savannah at 6 o’clock A.M., on that day. No fears were felt for the Fort.
We have nothing from the neighborhood of Newbern, except the skirmish given in another article.
A rumor prevailed in Norfolk, which however was believed to be unfounded, that about 300 of our militia had been captured by the Yankees between Elizabeth City and South Mills.
It is also reported that the Burnside fleet was concentrating at Edenton for a supposed advance upon Suffolk. It needs confirmation.
No news about Norfolk or from the Merrimac.
The reported fights on the Peninsula are believed to have been only skirmishes. The enemy was said to be entrenching four miles below Yorktown.
– Published in The North Carolina Weekly Standard, Raleigh, North Carolina, Wednesday, April 16, 1862, p. 1