The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-06-02

sesS-z tions destroyed and tb'
prisoners taken. removed formidable obstacle
to the prosecution of military operations agalns
Eicksburg.
1t is that certain important facts concernin:
the part taken therein by portion OF the iaRo
force-facts which have, through ignorance OF
preiudice been smothered-m2y be known, ano
that some of the alleged facts which grace the
pages of nearly if not all the published ms.
tories may be jisproved and corrected, thar
this article is written.
I wish TO state fact here-a fact which was
well known 80 the Thirteenth Corps before
operations against Ticksburg were closed, and
that is that the " Regulars" including Grant,
Sherman. and Porter, were disposed to Iook
with Gisfavor, If not distxust upon ana TO
withhold confidence from Gen McCleTnano.
However much prejudice may have had to do
with this il is not my purpose &c discuss, but
whatever it Eay have been, it did not JUS
fify those officials in Withholding honors from
those to whom they justly belonged simply be-
cause they were serving under volunteer
General who was dstasteful to tie aforesaid
"Regulars."
Fort Hindman was situated CT the left bank
of the Arkansas River, about 40 miles from its
mouth, at the head of q long oxboT- bend, and
at the time of its capture was some % feet
higher than the water in the river. j. Thomas
Scharf, author Of The Confederate States
Navy" says, PAGE 3Ss: at mounted IL guns
of various sizes" The diagram given by him
in said work shows that there were two 6-lnch
casemated guns and one 9-inch en barbet. The
other guns were smaller, some of them being
rifed keldpieces
1t is concerning the silencing of those larger
guns that j wish to correct history "as she is
writ"
fGreeley's Conflict is the only history that
has, so far as am able to ascertain, seen ut TO
mention the land batteries in connection with
- - o~al~- cax-S.
"Gen Morgzn's batteries had covered the
advance BY rapid fire, silencing part of the
eremy's artillery; Lieut.. WebSter's and
Blount's PARROT guns, with Hofmans. Wcods's,
and Barrett's batteries rendering efficient SER
vice"
The land force upon that expedition was des-
ignated as the First and Second Corps of the
Army Of the Mississippi, the former commanded
by Gen. ". T. Sherman aud the latter By Gen.
George W. Morgan. The relative positions OF
the two commands viii be better understood
from the following description as given by
Gen. Sherman ID his Memoirs, page 295, Vol. !:
+" When daylight broke it revealed TO US
new line of paraPet straight across the penin-
suls connecting Fort Eindman on the river
bank with the impenetrsble swamp about
mile to its left or rear. This peninsula was
divided into two nearly equal parts by road.
Ny command had the ground to the right OF
the road. and Mosgan's Corps to the left"
Gen. Sherman further says pages 1923:
"McClernanI's report OF the capture OF Fort
Hindm2n almos; ignored the action OF Porter's
feet altogether This was unfair. for / know
that the Admiral led his feet in person in the
river attack. aud that his guns siienced those
of Fort Hindnaa and drove the guuners into
the ditch"
W. Z. siclra,l. of the U. 6. Navy. in arti-
Gle published in THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE in
June, ISIS, said:
r. G.x.- h. nj afh 7
3sYilie, and the Cincinnati moved Up To within
900 yards Of tie fort, aud opened the bail in
earnest Each boat was assigned particular
casemated basiion, with orders to reduce it,
This plan was carried out completely. The
gunboats disnounted every gun in the fort"
The Military and Naval History o: the Re-
beliion, page 80 says: " II was not long be-
fore the beay: guns Of the fort were sileDeed
by the gEBboats."
'"The Gulf and Inland Waters" one of
series Of histories published by Chas. Scribner
& Sons. page 122, says;
cit was impossible that the work Of the
Navy could lie done more thoroughly than in
this instance. Every gun opposed TO it was
either destroyed or dismoUnted, and the case
mates were knocked 10 pieces, the fire Of the
10-inch guns OF the Dekslb being in the opin-
ion Of the enemy most injurious"
"Schmucker's History Of the Civil War;"
page go, says:
"The spirited and accurate firing CT the
Federal guaboaEs soon began 10 tear up and
penetrate the solid timber, three feet in thick
ness, which formed the classmates Of the fort,
and which were covered with railroad-iron.
The battered rails commenced 10 tumble from
their position, aud many Of the guns behind
them were disnloGnted. One shot penetrated
caisson Of The enemy. exploding it. destroying
six men and nine horses"
Lieut. Commander Walker, who commanded
10 10 Kafh in
says:
/" IN The attack on the1ith one Of the I0-ineh
guns WAS struck IN the muzzle and both gun
and carriage destroyed"
In the above excerpts from History" we
have had great deal Of fiction. Now for the
facts in the case.
It was my privilege and duty 10 command
the right section of the LIST Wis. battery Of
20-pounder PARROTS, which section was sta
Toned during tie engagement upon the bank
of the river about 600 yards below the fort.
This fact could not have been unknown TO
Admiral Porter. as Gen. McGlernand says in
his report: at the request Of Admiral Porter
Two 20-pounder PARROTS were placed as already
explained, for tie purpose OF disraounting the
guns Ia the lower casemates which had seTi-
ously annoyed the gunboats On the previous
eyening."
And ] wish 10 say right here, incidentally,
that those two guns, placed there at the request
OF Admiral Porter, accomplished just what he
had them pni there for, as viii bcs hown fur
1her on.
Oar guns Lad been run up under cover of
some brush and timber in the morning, with
instructions 10 keep under cover until the gum
boats should move up TO us and open the at
tack. We were then to run our guns out by
HAND, and confine work TO the lower case
nate-guns. A soon as the foremost boat came
opposite us we ran the PARROTS out in plain
sight OF the enemy and drew their fire, two or
three OF the first shells from the fort being
directed towards US. We. Of course, replied
promptly, the first shell going little too high,
the second little too low, but the third went
straight into the casemate, and from that on
we did not miss sending shell after shell into
the classmates nutl the guns therein were ST.
fenced
il the meantime there WAS feldpiece Just
at cur left Of tic lower casemate which had an
noyed Us little, and we put shot where it
dismountei IL and another into caisson, ex-
plodipg il and killing all six of the horses. All
this time we were religously ignoring that g.
inch barbct gun, notwithstanding the fact that
1t had invited our attention by sending one or
two OF its Shells unplcasantly close TO US. But
we had been told that that was game for the
gunboatS, aud that they wonld take care of it
in good shape. At last, when the DE kalb,
which was just abreast OF Us in the river, re-
ceived the shot which dismounted the gun
spoken Of by Commander Walker as quoted
above, Gen. 0.teriaus sent an Orderly to me
with a verbal order to !" silence that gun before
it sank the feet" The PARROTS were loaded