Lee Moves to Counter Hooker

It wasn’t long after Joseph E. Hooker crossed the Rapidan that Robert E. Lee got word of the movement. He was in a dangerous position – three Union corps were moving to his flank, while he was still facing a large Union force at Fredericksburg. Most generals in this position would have instantly decided to retreat, but not Robert E. Lee. He would go on the offensive. He decided to leave a skeleton force of 10,000 men to watch Sedgwick at Fredericksburg, while he moved with the other 50,000 men of the army to crush Hooker around Chancellorsville. The Confederates would begin moving on April 30^th, 150 yeas ago today, and only the next day the armies would meet in the thickets of the Wilderness.

Bombardment of Grand Gulf

As the Union troops under Grant worked to capture the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg on the Mississippi, their next obstacle would be Grand Gulf. The Union transports had run the formidable Vicksburg batteries with little losses, and the army had marched around on the western shore. Now Admiral David Porter with seven ironclads would attempt to silence the Confederate batteries at Grand Gulf, which commanded the Union’s planned beachhead, and then capture them with the troops of John McClernand.

The Union ironclads went out to battle at 8:00 am on April 29^th, 150 years ago today. Four of the boats would engage the lower Confederate battery of Fort Wade, and after subduing the rebel guns, they would join the other three ironclads in fighting the upper battery, Fort Cobun. Advancing to within 100 yards, the Union ships opened on the forts. The fight continued until 1:30 pm. The ironclads were successful in subduing Fort Wade, but were unable to achieve the same success at Fort Cobun. The ships took heavy damage. The USS Benton took one shot which killed or injured 25 men. Her steering crippled by a shot to her pilot house, she floated downstream. Seeing the Benton’s danger, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Hoel of the Pittsburg maneuvered his ship to cover the Benton, taking the fire from the fort while the Benton could be secured.

After five and a half hours of combat and 80 men lost, Porter decided that it was impossible to capture Grand Gulf. This Confederate victory was only a temporary setback for the Federals. It wasn’t long before the infantry crossed further downstream, and Grand Gulf had to be abandoned when threatened from the rear. 

Hooker Begins His Campaign

Hooker's Plan for the Campaign

General Joseph Hooker, commander of the Union Army of the Potomac, did not want to make the same mistake as Burnside had at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December. So he would not try a direct attack on the entrenched Confederates. This left him with two options - he could either cross the Rappohannock above, or below Fredericksburg. He chose to cross above so he could continue to cover Washington to prevent Lee from making a quick rush at the city. His plan was for George Stoneman to cross with the cavalry thirty miles north of Fredericksburg and sweep into Lee's rear, riding over JEB Stuart's outnumbered troops, and spreading havoc in rebel communications. The infantry corps of Slocum, Howard and Meade would then cross at Kelley's Ford. This ford appeared to be unguarded, and he hoped that he could cross and get in Lee's rear before his presence was discovered. As this Union force advanced south they would uncover Bank's Ford, where Couch's Corp would cross. Meanwhile Sedgwick, Reynolds and Sickles would cross just south of Fredericksburg, where Jackson had fought in December's battle, to hold those Confederates in place. If Hooker's plan worked as he hoped, he would envelope Lee and give him no choice but to fight on the ground of Hooker's choosing. "My plans are perfect," Hooker declared, "and when I start to carry them out, may God have mercy on Bobby Lee, for I shall have none."

Hooker had his men moving the last week of April, getting into position to cross the river. The cavalry was late in starting, and failed to cause the confusion in the southern plans that Hooker hoped for. The infantry crossed the river on the night of April 28th, 150 years ago today. The Union troops concentrated in an area called the Wilderness around a crossroads called Chancellorsville. The Wilderness was a large jungle of woods and underbrush that was destined become the scene of the bloodiest battles in Virginia. Hooker soon had four corps concentrating in the area, with another one, Sickels, on the way from the left. It seemed that everything was going perfectly in the Federal favor. Hooker proclaimed on April 30th:

Hooker

It is with heartfelt satisfaction the commanding general announces to the army that the operations of the last three days have determined that our enemy must either ingloriously fly, or come out from behind his defenses and give us battle on our own ground, where certain destruction awaits him. Lincoln remained sceptical. He had heard this talk before, particularity from John Pope, who had been whipped by Lee at 2nd Manassas. He commented, "The hen is the wisest of all the animals in creation because she never cackles until the egg is laid." Hooker’s plans would fall apart when Lee responded with one of Lee’s most daring plans of the entire war.

Lincoln Approves the Lieber Code

Francis Lieber

 150 years ago today, Lincoln issued General Order No. 100, implementing the Lieber Code for the humane treatment of prisoners. The Lieber Code is named after Francis Lieber, a German philosopher who immigrated to America. He was the first self-titled political scientist, as a professor at Columbia College. He sided with the North, and helped Lincoln draft the orders defining the laws of war.

Although the code was issued as only an order for the United States army, it was eventually adopted by the Confederacy, and other armies across the world. It became one of the foundational expressions of the international laws of war. It said that war was between societies, so that civilians of the opposing nation were indeed enemies, but it also said that they should be spared whenever militarily possible. It also established rules for dealing with captured property, both public and private, spies, deserters. You can read the entire order here.

Grierson’s Raid

Grierson and his staff

To support his latest attempt to capture Vicksburg, Grant planned several diversions to distract Confederate troops. One of these was a cavalry raid by Benjamin Grierson. Up to this point the Confederate cavalry had ridden circles around the Union cavalry, often literally. The Confederacy had produced officers like Forrest, Stuart and Morgan, but their northern counterparts were notably lacking. However, 150 years ago today, Grierson set out with 1,700 troopers to try to change that.

At first glance, Colonel Benjamin Grierson would not be considered an ideal cavalry officer. Before the war he had been a music teacher, and he hated horses after he was nearly killed by one at the age of eight. Nonetheless, his raid was very successful. He rode on routes not yet touched by Union armies, tearing up railroads, destroying stores and freeing slaves. Along the way he set off smaller unites to distract his pursuers. One of the reasons he did so well was because of a lack of major Confederate pursuit. Nathan Bedford Forrest was busy dealing with another Union raid, that one under Abel Streight.

Grierson's men on their raid, taken by a Confederate scout

Grierson brought an end to his raid on May 2, 1863, when he arrived at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He had lost only three killed, seven wounded, nine missing, and five who fell sick and had to be left behind. Grierson would go on to rise to the rank of Major General later in the war, obtaining more successes as a cavalry officer.

Porter Runs the Vicksburg Batteries

Porter

After determining on his plan to run the transports past the Vicksburg batteries, Grant moved quickly. The army worked on building a road over the swamps so they could march down the western bank, and it was completed by April 17th.

On the night of April 16th, David Porter was ready to try to sail his ships past the batteries. They were covered so they would be completely dark, and strict orders were given to make no noise. They would move slowly so their engines would not be heard. This plan started off working well. The boats were opposite Vicksburg before they were sighted. But, when they were discovered, the Southern guns opened on them with a tremendous fire. For ninety minutes the Confederates fired every gun they could, firing off over 500 shots. Even with all this resistance, Porter's fleet successfully ran the batteries. Most ships sustained only minor damage, though one transport was sunk. Altogether, it was a great success. Although one ship had been lost, no one had been killed and only 13 wounded. After receiving some repairs, the ships would be ready to transport Grant's men. A few more ships were sent through the next night, and, as before, all made it through except one.

Queen of the West Sinks

150 years ago today the Queen of the West was destroyed in an engagement on the Atchafalaya River in Louisiana. The Queen of the West was originally fitted out as a warship by the United States government. After running the Vicksburg she was abandoned by the Federals while assaulting Fort DeRussy, and was captured by the Confederates. She was used as the CSS Queen of the West by the Confederates, and assisted in the capture of the ironclad USS Indianola. However, her career would come to an end on April 14th, when she was attacked by three Union steamers, the USS Arizona, Calhoun, and Estrella. The cotton on board the Confederate steamer caught fire from a long range Union shot, and the ship burned to the water line and sank.

Destruction of the Queen of the West