The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-02-02
PERSONAL REC0LLEOTIONs
OF a Private Soldier Vioksburg in 1862
3--the Battle Of Ohiokasaw Bayou.

3--the Battle Of Ohiokasaw Bayou.
We arrived at Vicksburg on Dec.
2Sth with our brigade scattered
from Duck Hill to Vicksburg. The
big drunk scattered the men as
badly as battle. We went into
camp and the officers began trying
to get everything in order, and by
the morning of the 29sh most Of
the stragglers were in their places.
We were camped in the head OF
one Of the numerous hol!ows shat
make out from Vicksburg, and that
night real Mississippi river rain
fell, regular water spolt, and we
were all well wet. Several compa-
MES were sleeping along the banks
of small branch which was Sc
swollen thet some OF the men came
near washing away. Many of the
3rd will remember Kiz. Childery anu
Tom Bryant of Co. E. About light
on the 29th you could hear Ton
Bryant yelling "Oh, Kizr' at the
top of his voice, and after repeated
calls Kiz. answered a halt mile
down the stream. ''W hat the devil
are you doing down thereY Kiz.
answered, II am looking for my
boots" Tom and Kiz. were mess
mates and had retired, using drift
Of corn stalks as a bed, and the
freshet took Tom, Kiz. and DRIFT
along, and after getting out of the
water Kiz. missed his boots and was
moplng about looking for them; no
doubt while he was looking for
them they were in the father OF
waters moving on to the gulf. AT
ter cooking and eating our scanty
break fast we fell into line and mov-
ed out to the front. Vicksburg is
situated on hill, or rather a num-
Der OF hills, running back from the
river. Yszoo RIVER empties into the
Mississippi above the city, and run
ming parallel with Yazoo river and
IRON one TO two mics theretrom Is
a range of hills running as far up
the YaZoo az Snyder's bluff, me
fifteen miles or more above its
nouth. The confederates held this
range of hills and the federals the
liver and the bottom betY, en- the
lills and the river. The confeder-
ate force in yicksburg 1t the time
was small, most Of the troops never
having been under fire. While
| Sherman had large army, besides
The whole upper mississippi river
leet. We moved out on the SOth
and took position at the loot Of the
bills. The soil here is sandy and
the ROAD tnat ran al tie eege oil iiIv
ullls had been worn mo deep Gu 5
md in this ROAD We formed, using
.he cuts as breast Work. All DAY
on the Both
| THE ENEMY SHELLED US
from his guy Doa,s ana lsnd bate
rice, but aside from some brisk
skirmishing We had nothing but ar
tillery firing this day. The confed
crates were commended by Gen
| Stephen ID. Lee who afterwards was
| made a lieutenant general. He 81
| disposed his men that he could con
! ..enGGte them at any new poin'
quickly Up TO night on the 2aLh
sherman had not uncovered himself
sufficiently to show where he in
tended to make the attack. We
we're moved further east on the
night of the 3Oth and on the 3IsI
Sherman developed his hand, which
was to attack and carry the c0nted-
crate position at Chickasaw Bayou
Here Gen. Lee placed Gregg's ano
Vaughn's brigades, al Tennesseans
and the Both Louisiana and Enc
| Texas. The confederates buil'
works and used the road, trees anC
:. everything else that would AFFORD
any protection. Sherman kept vi
u furious Smelling and literally tore
he earth TO pieces in our rear. We
had line OF fortification on the TOT
of the bill but we occupied the line
at the foot of the bill. After The
Skirmishing and artillery firing con
tinued for some time we could see
the yanks coming. The woods be-
You'd the field in our front was per-
ectly blue with them and they
moved in fine style, huzzaing as
they came. The federal soldiers
never learned how to yell, but then
cheering was by rote-a sort o.
"hip-hip hurrah." As they left the
woods and entered the level fed in
our front we answered them with
that soul-impressing yell that in
voluntarily Ieaped from the throats
of our men when under fire, and
from our line few q sheet OF lead
which moved them down like chaff
They rallied and tried again and
again, but only 20 be driven from
the field. Our men never finched
nut delivered their fire with pre-.
cision that was perfectly appalling
To the federals. They failed in eve
ry attempt, but be it said to their
credit
THEY FOUGHT LIKE MEN.
Sherman's whole army could MOI
have broken that line. When night
came on the attack ceased. The
men who charged US were the finest
soldiers of the western army, COM
manded by Maj. Gen Frank z.
Blair in person, and they left halt
their number on the field dead and
wounded. On no battle field of the
war were the federals more COM
pletely whipped and demoralized
than at Chickasaw Bayou. We
captured several stands of colors
and number of prisoners and IL
the short time the engagement last
ed we covered the ground in oui
front With their dead and wounded
while our regiment had only two
men killed and ten or twelve
wounded. One of the dead wa!
Mai. Tucker of the 3rd. He wal
not twenty years old but he was al
noble and gallant soldier as eve
wore . sword. Our men loved hin
like a brother and many was tn
tear shed when he fell. Poor fel
low, he was trying to stop the trims
on a group OF the enemy in GU
front who had apparently surren
dered. He jumped up on the work