CAMP 15 MILES NORTH OF JACKSON, MISS.—Another month has
passed away since my last writing—a month big with events in the history of the
Forty-first Tennessee Regiment, and I regret exceedingly that I have not been
able to record the incidents as they occurred, while they were fresh in my
mind, and before succeeding eventse ffaced [sic]
them from memory. As it is, the reports will be meagre more so than their
importance deserves.
During the last week in April, I was in the country foraging
(and to that trip I intended to devote at least a page), and, on returning to
camp on the evening of the 1st of May, I found the Forty-first in fine spirits,
caused by an order to cook up four days' rations and be ready to march by the
morning of the 2nd of May. Those who have never been cooped up in a fortified
camp for four months, out of the pale of civilization and out of reach of home
and friends, living on half rations, with the prospect of having them reduced
still lower by the cutting off of future supplies, and in such a climate in
summer, can form but an imperfect idea of the joy with which we hailed the
prospect of a change of scene. Our happiness was not of a kind to be confined
to our bosoms, but found vent in long and oft-repeated cheers and other
demonstrations of satisfaction, as we were making our preparations to leave.
It would be impossible now for me to write a correct history
of the long and tiresome march from Port Hudson to Jackson, Miss. [Was a
soldier ever happy longer than twenty-four hours at a time?] How many of us
started with loads heavy enough to break down a mule; how Jack Smith went some
distance before he found out he had left his cartridge box, and the laugh we
had at his expense; how we trudged along through hot, dusty lanes, panting with
heat and thirst, breaking down under the unaccustomed loads, our feet blistered
and legs swollen; how on the first day we were refused water by a wealthy Louisiana
woman, whose servants kindly offered to sell it to us at twenty-five cents a
canteen full; how loth we were, at that time, to drink of the dirty pools by
the way-side, but had to. These form some of the incidents of the first day's
march of eleven miles. Each succeeding day we suffered an increase of these
hardships; our feet became so sore that we could hardly put them to the ground,
and many of us threw away our shoes and surplus clothing. We had to make longer
marches; our rations gave out, and the heat and dust became almost
insufferable; at the same time, we had to keep a sharp lookout for Yankee
cavalry; and, to crown our misery, on reaching Osyka, seventy-five miles from
Port Hudson, where we expected to take the cars, we found that the railroad had
recently been destroyed by a raid under Grierson as far as Brookhaven, except
about ten miles, and that we would get no more rations until we got to the
latter place. Parched corn and peas, with a little rice, constituted our ration
at Osyka; but the next night we succeeded in reaching Magnolia, where we took
the cars and rode to Summit, a distance of ten miles. At Summit we were most
kindly treated by the ladies, who vied with each other as to who could do the
most for us. They fed at least half of the brigade.
We took it afoot to Brookhaven, a distance of twenty miles.
Here we boarded the cars for Jackson, where we arrived on Saturday night, after
being one week on the route. At Jackson we were allowed to rest all of Sunday,
but at five o'clock Monday morning we were ordered under arms without a
moment's preparation, and had to start without cooked rations. Many of us left
our clothing, thinking that we were only going to move to a more suitable
camping-ground, and were not a little surprised when, after marching through
Jackson in column of platoons, we turned our faces westward, and it leaked out
that we were going to attack the enemy.
We had a hard march, and when the brigade filed into a field
near Raymond to camp, the men were too tired to stand in line long enough to
"right dress," and every one dropped to rest as soon as halted. I
went out foraging here, and was so fortunate as to meet up with some kind
ladies, who gave me something to eat and a magnificent bouquet of magnolias,
and one also of onions, both of which were very acceptable. At an early hour
the next day we were ordered under arms, and formed line of battle on the square
at Raymond. About 9 o'clock our forces met the advance of the enemy, some two
miles beyond, and the engagement began. At 12 o'clock the Forty-first, which
had been held in reserve, was ordered to advance and support the left wing,
which was said to be in danger of being flanked by the enemy. We advanced at a
quick step, under a broiling sun, through a dusty lane, for nearly a mile, when
a courier came up with orders for us to return to town and guard the ordnance.
We had hardly reached our destination when a second order came to file off on a
road leading to the center. After marching a mile in this direction, another
order turned us back to town, which we had hardly reached before we were again
ordered to return to the battle-field on the same road. On reaching this point
we were formed in line in the center, and then obliqued across a field to the
extreme left. Here we piled our knapsacks in a heap and double-quicked a mile
and a half. Lieutenant-Colonel Tillman performed a splendid maneuvre under the
fire of the enemy's artillery, forming line of battle on the tenth company with
great precision of execution and without the least confusion. We then advanced
under fire to our position across a field, and gained the edge of the woods in
which the enemy was concealed. Captain Ab. Boone's company was thrown out as
skirmishers, while we formed along the road in an excellent defensive position.
While waiting here for the advance of the enemy, we learned that Captain Boone
was killed while deploying his skirmishers. His death cast a momentary gloom
over the regiment, but the circumstance was soon forgotten in the excitement of
the hour. We remained in position something over an hour, waiting for the
enemy's advance, when an order came for the Forty-first to bring up the rear
and cover the retreat of the rest of the brigade. It was now ascertained that
Gregg's Brigade had been engaged all day, with a force eight or ten times its
superior in numbers, and had successfully held it in check until it had orders
to quit the field. The task assigned the Forty-first was performed in perfect
order, though a Federal battery, on observing the movement, had advanced to
within five hundred yards and opened fire on it as it crossed an open field. We
fell back to a point four miles from Raymond and eleven from Jackson, where we
met General Walker's Georgia Brigade, which had come out to reinforce us. We
bivouacked here until the next morning, and then marched and countermarched
along the road, expecting the enemy to attack, until five o'clock P.M., when we
learned that the Yankees were marching on Jackson in three columns, each of
which greatly outnumbered our force. General Gregg now ordered us to make time
to this place, or the enemy would beat us there, which we did in four hours,
without making a single halt.
Our sufferings during this engagement were such as perhaps
few soldiers have endured in this war. The day was unusually hot, and the roads
so dusty that we couldn't see our file-leaders on the double-quick. And, to
make our misery complete, we had no time to drink the cool water which the
ladies of Raymond had brought to the doors and the side-walks, though we were
parching with thirst. Our loss in killed and wounded was slight-not exceeding
twenty-five-but was heavy for the time we were engaged. We lost them all,
except Captain Boone, while crossing the open field in front of the enemy, and
it is surprising we escaped so well from a point-blank fire in plain, open
view. George Saunders and Billy Floyd were wounded at this point, also Captain
John Fly, who was color-bearer. Taken altogether, the behavior of the
Forty-first was all that could have been desired. The brunt of the battle was
borne by the Third, Tenth, and Fiftieth Tennessee Regiments and the First
Tennessee Battalion—all of which sustained a considerable loss. The loss in the
whole brigade is estimated at five hundred.
The morning after our arrival at Jackson, rations were
issued to us, but, before we had time to cook them, an order came to pack up
cooking utensils and get ready to move. I had just gotten a fire started and
one skillet of bread down, and I never did an act in my life which cost me a
greater effort than it did to throw out that dough, not knowing when I would
have a chance to cook again, as the enemy was in a mile and a half, and a
bloody battle was expected that day. The rain was pouring down that morning in
torrents, and the roads were ankle deep in sticky mud. Notwithstanding all
this, we were soon under arms, and marched from the left to the center; then
across fields, knee deep in mud, to the extreme right. We heard the artillery
booming away on the left as we plodded across the fields, but saw no Yankees.
About 12 o'clock we were ordered back to the city to guard the baggage train,
but, before getting there, learned that the enemy had possession of the place,
and that the army was then retreating. We then changed direction, and filed off
on a road leading north, and halted on top of a hill for the rest of the
brigade to get before us. On looking back, we saw a column of black smoke
rising over the city, caused by the burning of the ordnance stores. I couldn't help
a feeling of pity for the helpless women and children, though the citizens had
shown us very little sympathy on a previous visit.
The fight, I learn, was a very poor affair after all, as
some of our troops broke and ran at the first charge of the enemy, giving them
possession of the city almost without a struggle. It would have been folly to
have attempted a defense against such superior numbers. We retreated slowly and
in good order to a camping-ground seven miles north, where we rested and cooked
rations—both of which were sadly needed.
I never saw so many broken-down men as on that evening. The
mud and our wet clothing and blankets, together with a day's fasting and a very
hard march on the previous night, were too much for us. I had to eat raw, fat bacon,
without bread, on that day for the first time in my life.
The next day we made an easy march of eleven miles to a
depot ten miles south of Canton; rested here a day, and then took the road
again in a south-westerly course for two days, when our progress was checked in
that direction by a heavy force of the enemy; were drawn up in line of battle
once, but no engagement ensued. We then changed direction, going north one day,
then due east to within ten miles of Canton, where we are remaining at present,
being allowed a day to rest and clean up.
General J. E. Johnston assumed command of the forces on last
Sunday morning, and I think it is his intention to collect an army here from
Tennessee and the interior, and fall upon the rear of the enemy engaged in the
siege of Vicksburg. The forces are coming in at the rate of three brigades
to-day, the 21st.
While marching and counter-marching here in sixty miles of
Vicksburg, it is said that our forces have been badly whipped near that place,
but this wants confirmation.
SOURCE: Edwin L. Drake, Editor, The Annals of the
Army of Tennessee and Early Western History, Vol. 1, p. 166-70
