Another Attack on Vicksburg

Although the May 19^th Union assault on the Vicksburg defenses had been a complete failure, that didn't stop them from trying it again. Another attack was launched on May 22^nd, 150 years ago today. It was preceded by an artillery bombardment from the entire Union line, and the gunboats in the river. At 10:00 am Federal troops advanced everywhere at once. Sherman wrote:

A small party, that might be called a forlorn hope, provided with a plank to cross the ditch, advanced at a run, up to the very ditch the lines of infantry sprang from cover, and advanced rapidly in line of battle. ... The rebel line, concealed by the parapet, showed no sign of unusual activity, but as our troops came into fair view, the enemy rose behind their parapet and poured a furious fire upon our lines; and, for about two hours, we had a severe and bloody battle, but at every point we were repulsed.

McClernand

As the bloody fighting continued, McClernand reported to Grant that he had secured a foothold on the Confederate line. To help him, Grant ordered the attacks to be renewed, loosing many men and gaining no more ground. McClernand's message had been misleading. He had only gained a new outlying works, not a portion of the main line. The attack was finally called off. The Union had lost 500 men killed, 2,550 wounded and 150 missing, and had gained nothing for these heavy casualties. It was evident that Vicksburg would not be captured with frontal attacks on the strong entrenchments. Other tactics would be necessary. Grant was not discouraged by the reverses. He wrote to Halleck:

Vicksburg is now completely invested. I have possession of Haynes' Bluff and the Yazoo; consequently have supplies. To-day an attempt was made to carry the city by assault, but was not entirely successful. We hold possession, however, of two of the enemy's forts, and have skirmishers close under all of them. Our loss was not severe. The nature of the ground about Vicksburg is such that it can only be taken by a siege. It is entirely safe to us in time, I would say one week, if the enemy do not send a large army upon my rear. With the railroad destroyed to beyond Pearl River, I do not see the hope that the enemy can entertain of such relief.

Confederate siege gun

Port Hudson Surrounded

The advance on Port Hudson

The only point that the Confederates held on the Mississippi River other than Vicksburg, on which Grant was closing, was Port Hudson to the south. But 150 years ago this other bastion was surrounded. The Union army under Nathaniel Banks had moved inland from the river, and now cut off Port Hudson from the rear. He thought he could quickly subdue the garrison under Maj. Gen. Franklin Gardner, and then more north to help Grant capture Vicksburg. As the Yankees advanced they met opposition from a small Confederate detachment under Colonel W. R. Miles. In what was called the Battle of Plains Store, the outnumbered reels gave a good account of themselves. They brought the Federals to a halt, and engaged them for six hours. Finally outnumbered and running out of ammunition, Miles fell back to the Confederate lines. Many of their artillery horses had been killed, so they pulled the guns off by hand, refusing to let them be captured. Port Hudson would put up a better resistance than Banks expected.  

Sherman Attacks Vicksburg

When Grant arrived at Vicksburg, he did not delay in making preparations for an attack. He hoped to crush through the strong defenses while the Confederates were discouraged from their defeats of the past few days. He positioned Sherman on the right, McPherson in the middle and McClernand on the left. Grant decided to assault the Stockade Redan on May 19^th, 150 years ago today.

Map of the May 19 attacks

At 2:00 pm the Union troops formed up in three lines with flags flying, and advanced against the Confederate fortifications. At first it appeared that the Confederate fortifications were deserted. But then as they pushed on the defenders stood up opened a terrific fire upon them. As Sherman said, "The heads of the columns have been swept away as chaff thrown from the hand on a windy day." One Union captain said that "the very sticks and chips, scattered over the ground jumping under the hot shower of Rebel bullets."

The assault on Vicksburg

The bluecoats pressed through the incredibly heavy fire. Two flagbearers made it to the wall, and planted the ensigns on the top, but their regiments were unable to follow. They were driven back, but came on again and again. In the three attacks, they were never able to make it over the walls. Some Federals were not even able to retreat. They lay hidden at the bottom of the parapet until night, when they were able to return to their lines. Sherman lost almost 1000 men, while the Confederates suffered less than 200. Pemberton was encouraged by the showing his men had made in driving back the Federals. They had redeemed themselves from their disgraces in the rest of the campaign, and the Confederate prospects for the siege seemed much improved.  

Vicksburg Surrounded

Siege of Vicksburg

After defeating the Confederate army yet again in the Battle of Big Black River Bridge, the Federal forces continued their pursuit. Pemberton had received orders from Johnston to abandon Vicksburg and save his army. He had written:

If Haines Bluff is untenable, Vicksburg is of no value and cannot be held. If, therefore, you are invested at Vicksburg, you must ultimately surrender. Under such circumstances, instead of losing both troops and place, we must, if possible, save the troops. If it is not too late, evacuate Vicksburg and its dependencies, and march them to the northeast.

That was something Pemberton would not agree to do. President Jefferson Davis had said the city would be held to the last ditch, and that's what Pemberton would do. He fell back to the city, and the Union forces moved in to surround him, 150 years ago today. The siege of Vicksburg had begun. The Confederates had 18,500 troops in the town's nearly impregnable 6 ½ miles of defenses, Grant had 35,000 with more coming, and the support of the navy. Grant had finally succeeded in crossing the river, and maneuvering to position himself in front of the city. Now he just had to capture it, but that would prove to take many more weeks.

 

Pemberton

Battle of Big Black River Bridge

Big black river. Photo from NPS.

Having been beaten by Grant at Champion's Hill, Pemberton fell back to the bridge over the Big Black River. Grant came up on May 17^th, 150 years ago today, and found the position even stronger than Champion's Hill. Three brigades held fortifications in front of the river to impede the Union advance. McClernand's corps advanced toward the Confederate position, and took shelter from their artillery fire. The position appeared to strong to be captured, but that didn't stop one Union brigadier from trying. An eyewitness wrote:

Col. Mike Lawler commanding the brigade on our right, with its right flank resting on the river, made one of his characteristic dashes across a small cotton field, plunged into the bayou in the line of battle where the mud ranged in depth from the men's knees to their armpits, scrambled through and out of it, stormed the rebel rifle pits and swarmed over their cotton-bale breastworks with irresistible impetuosity. Lawler's men suffered severely from the musketry fire on their advance, and from the rebel batteries on the opposite shore of the river covering the position, but nothing could check them for an instant. It was at the same time the most perilous and ludicrous charge that I witnessed during the war.

 The Confederates were defeated, and hurried to try to cross the river before the Federals were upon them. An entire brigade captured, but the rest of the army was able to cross, and burn the bridges behind them, preventing a fast Union pursuit. The Southerners had lost 1,751, to the Union's 276.

Battle of Champion Hill

Map of the Vicksburg campaign

After abandoning Jackson, Mississippi to the advancing Federals, Joseph E. Johnston's plan was to unite with Pemberton, and force Grant to attack them. But Grant did not stick around Jackson long enough for Johnston to march to Vicksburg. Johnston ordered Pemberton to march to join him. But Pemberton choose to march east to attempt to capture Grant's supplies. When Johnston repeated his order, Pemberton turned around and began marching the other way. But before he could get out, Grant was upon him.

Pemberton was caught at Champion's Hill on May 16^th, 150 years ago today. Fighting broke out at 7 am. The Confederates held a strong position, and Pemberton arrayed his men and artillery along the top of a hill. On the Union left and center, McClernand engaged in skirmishing, waiting for the situation to develop. Grant sent Hovey's division from McPherson in on the right to attack the rebels. One soldier remembered:

The fire grew heavier, and the air seemed too hot to be borne. "Forward!" came a second order, all along the line—" Forward! double quick!" Everybody shouted "double quick," as the noise was becoming terrific. ... A moment more and we were at the top of the ascent, and among thinner wood and larger trees. The enemy had fallen back a few rods, forming a solid line parallel with our own; and now commenced, in good earnest, the fighting of the day. For half an hour we poured the hot lead into each others' faces. We had forty rounds each in our cartridge-boxes, and, probably, nine tenths of them were fired in that half hour. For me it was the first real "stand up and fight," as the boys called it, of my life. Of skirmishes, I had seen many, and had been under fire; but this was a real battle, and what Grant himself might have called "business." I tried to keep cool, and determined to fire no shot without taking aim; but a slight wound in the hand ended my coolness, and the smoke of the battle soon made aim-taking mere guessing. ... Hotter and hotter grew the fight, and soon this same boy cried: "Look—look behind us," and, sure enough, the regiment to our left had disappeared, and we were flanked. 

"Stop! halt! surrender!" cried a hundred rebels, whose voices seem to ring in my ears to this very day. But there was no stopping, and no surrender. We ran, and ran manfully. It was terribly hot, a hot afternoon under a Mississippi sun, and an enemy on flank and rear, shouting and firing. The grass, the stones, the bushes, seemed melting under the shower of bullets that was following us to the rear. We tried to halt, and tried to form. It was no use. Again we ran, and harder, and farther, and faster. ... Like ten thousand starving and howling wolves the enemy pursued, closer and closer, and we scarcely dared look back to face the fate that seemed certain. Grant had seen it all, and in less time than I can tell it a line of cannon had been thrown across our path, which, as soon as we had passed, belched grape-shot and canister into the faces of our pursuers. They stopped, they turned, and they, too, ran, and left their dead side by side with our own.

A modern picture at the same location as the above sketch. Source.

 The fighting on the right continued in this fashion, with one line driving the other back and forth. A Federal officer out to reconnoiter discovered that Pemberton's left flank was in the air. But the information was not communicated to Grant, so no action was taken. If he had moved on the flank he could have got in Pemberton's rear and completely destroyed the Confederate army. Grant missing that opportunity didn't assure Confederates safety. Pemberton was reinforcing his left from his right, which was lightly attacked, but when he ordered Loring, who had caused Stonewall Jackson trouble in the Shenandoah Valley, to move to reinforce the left, he refused. Without Loring's troops to aid them, when Grant attacked again, the line crumbled. Pemberton ordered his army to fall back, which they were able to do successfully. It had been a costly battle. The Confederates had lost 381 killed, 1,018 wounded and 2,441 captured. The Federals 410 killed, 1,844 wounded and 187 captured. This was a very important battle. If Pemberton had won, Vicksburg would have been saved. The battle was lost through the failure of Loring to obey orders. The Federals were not without their problems as well. McClernand had not done his share of the fighting and he had not suffered nearly the causalities as McPherson.

Lee Proposes Invasion of North

Lee

Lee had won a glorious victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, but he had been unable to completely destroy the Union army. The war was not progressing well for the south in other theaters and Grant was making progress towards the capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi. It seemed that unless something was done, the city was doomed. Lee also believed that even only considering Virginia, he would eventually have to go on the offensive again, or the fighting would turn into a siege which the Confederacy would not be able to maintain.

This left the Confederacy with two options. Lee could fall back to the defenses around Richmond and send a large portion of his army to try to help Vicksburg, or he could embark on another invasion of the North. He chose the latter, and went to Richmond 150 years ago today for a multi-day conference with high ranking Confederates.

Jefferson Davis

It was hoped that an invasion would accomplish a few purposes. First, it would demoralize the northern populace, and it might convince the government in Washington to pull troops from Vicksburg to meet Lee's threat. Second, the food supply in Virginia was diminishing, and it was getting harder and harder to find supplies in the places through which the armies and marched and counter marched. Moving north he could live off the enemy's country. And third, always in the back of Lee's mind was the thought that if he gained a great victory on the Union's own ground, he might finally be able to follow up on his victory, capture Washington, and perhaps even end the war. Lee believed continued defeats would mean that Lincoln would loose the election next November, and if Lincoln lost the election doubtless the war would end. He wrote to his wife:

If we can baffle them in their various designs this year, next fall there will be a great change in public opinion at the North. The Republicans will be destroyed & I think the friends of peace will become so strong as that the next administration will go in on that basis. We have only therefore to resist manfully ... [and] our success will be certain.

It was for all these reasons that Lee decided, with the agreement of the government in Richmond, to attempt another invasion of the north.