The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-02-23
HISTORY OF TIE CORPS.
Continued from first page.)

cas-16th, Goth, 9th Ind SD, Goth Ohio ;
23d Wis. 18th Ohio battery. Second Bri-
gade-Leut.-Co Col. John Cowan-77th, 9th,
130th H.. 10Th Ky; 4sgh Ohio; Chicago
Mercantile Battery.
Cavalry Brigade Col. rehn j. Mudd-2d
Ill. & Co.'S; 6th Ill. e Co.'S; 18th III. Go.
G.; Both Ill Go. A)5 list Ind Co. c.; 4th
Ind. Go. c.; Sd Mo- 80 Co}s)
At the close of July, 1868, a-Gen. Ma
| thaniel p. Banks, then in command of the De-
| partment of the Gulf with Headquarters at
New Orleans, made an,t1rgent appeal for troops
| to replace the nine months men in his COM
| mand whose term of service was about to
expire, and Gen. Grant was ordered to send
down corps of 10000 or $4,000 men. Ac-
cOrdingly the Thirteenth Corps was sent to
Carrollton, La, between the 10th and Goth
| of August Shortly thereafter Gen. Ord, the
corps commander, took sick leave, and the
corps was placed in command of Gen. Cad
| wallader C. Washburn, with Benton, Heron,
Lee and Lawler commanding the divisions.
On Sept. 10 Gen. Ord resumed command OF
the corps.
AT the end of August Banks had a force
of about 81 900 officers and men for duty, of
which about 10000 belonged to the Thir-
teenth Corps On Sept. Ii Gen. George +.
McGinnis was assigned to the command of
the Third Division, then at Opelousas, La.
With view to obtaining f0oihold in
Texas, Gen. Banks planned movement up
the Teche as far as Lafayette or Vermillion,
thence across the plains by Nibletts Bluff
into Texas, and during the latter part of
September Weitzels and Emory's Divisions,
of the Nineteenth Corps, supported by
Washburn's and McGinnis's Divisions of the
Thirteenth Corps, under Gen. Ord, were
concentrated on the lower Teche, near Camp
Bisland. Burbridge's Division, of the Thir-
teenth Corps, remained at Carrollton, and
Herron's Division had been posted at Nor
ganza TO prevent any movement of the Con-
tederates across the upper Atchafalaya. This
division was about $500 strong, and Heron
being i'll had just turned over the command
to Gen. N. J. T, Dana, when on Sept. 80 the
enemy swept down upon the outposts, kill
ing 16, wounding 45, and taking 454 prison.
ers, including nearly the full strength Of the
10Th Iowa and Goth Ind. regiments.
On Oct. the Nineteenth Corps, under Gen.
Franklin, broke camp at Bisand and moved to
q position near the south bank of the Bayou
Carencro.
At the same time the Thirteenth Corps,
which meanwhile had been joined by Bur-
bridges Division from Carrollton, moved out
from Berwick, and the 14th closed up on
Franklin at the Carencro. On Oct. Is, Gen.
Ord being i'll, Washburn took command of the
detachment of the Thirteenth Corps, his divis-
ion falling to the command of Gen. Lawler,
and on Oct. &c Gen. N. J. T. Dana assumed
command of the remainder of the corps.
The advance to the Carencro had brought
the Union forces face to face with those of the
enemy under Taylor, and with the view of
occupying and pushing him farther away
Franklin Oh Oct. Il marched to Opelousas,
skirmishing On the way, and during the re-
mainder of the month occupied a position
covering that town and Barres Landing.
On Oct. 26 Gen. Banks with the Second Di-
vision of the Thirteenth Corps, under Dana,
augmented by the 18th and 18th Me-, the lst
Eng, the 10th Corps d'Afrique, and the
LIST Tex. Cav, embarked at New Orleans for
the mouth of the Rio Grande, and after long
delays consequent upon bad weather landed at
Brazos Santiago between Nov. and 5, and on
the 9th occupied Point Isabel and Brownsville,
about 80 miles distant on the mainland
The fOothold in Texas having thus been Sc
cured, Gen. Banks planned for the occupancy
of all the passes or inlets connecting the Gulf
of Mexico with the lagoons or sounds of the
Texas coast from the Rio Grand to the Sabine.
He accordingly sent for the rest of the Thir-
teenth Corps, and by the close of December had
taken possession of the edge of the coast as far
east and north as Mstagorda Bay. During
these operations the 18th and 18th Me. formed
part of the Second Division of the Thirteenth
Corps.
In the latter part of October the First Dvis-
ion moved from Opelousas back to New Iberia,
followed by the Fourth Division, Gen. Bur-
bridge, who took the Teche road by Grand
Cotcau.
On Nov. g. while Gen. Burbridge was in
camp On Bayou Bourbeau, two brigades of the
enemy, under Green, came upon him, and after
q hard fight McGinnis Third Division) came
up, causing Green to withdraw, taking with
him one 10pounder Parrott which he captured
just as it was crossing the Bayou, the horses
having been shot. The engagement, though
brief WAS spirited one, and resulted In loss
to Burbridge Of 20 killed, 1873 wounded, and
562 captured or missing.
By the end of December the Thirteenth
Corps, except Sheldon's Brigade, First Division,
which was at Plaquemine, on the Mississippi
River, and the Third Division, which was at
Algiers, La, had been transferred to Texas.
No important movements occurred during the
months of January and February, except the
transfer of the Fourth Division from Texas to
Berwick, La.
On the Odd of January, 1864, Maj Gen. John
A. McClernand was. by direction of the Prcs-
dent, assigned to duty in the Department of
the Gulf. He reported TO Ma..Gen. Banks on
the 18th Of February, 1864 and on the Goth
was assigned to the command of the Thirteenth
Corps. He assumed command on the 23d, re.
lievng Mai. Gen. Ord. He was on March l,
1864, directed to proceed to Pass Cayalo, Tex,
and assume control of military affairs on tho
coast and frontier of Texas. He entered upon
these duties March 10, 1864. The troops of his
command consisted of the First and Second
Divisions of his corps and the attached troops.
Early in March. 1864 q movement against
Texas was begun by way of Red River. The
movements of the Third and Fourth Divisions
brought them to NatchitOches, La, on April 6,
on which date they moved out on the Sbreve-
port road, following the cavalry force under
Gen. Lee. At IL o'clock on the night of the
7th orders were given that brigade of infantry
be sent to reach Gen. Lee by daylight, and at
3 a. m. brigade started from Gen. Ransoms
command.
At $50 a. m. on the 9Th Gen. Ransom marched
with the remainder Of his command, to encamp
where Gen. Lee had encamped the night be-
fore. Upon their arrival at the point desig-
mated, at about 10 a. m, Gen. Franklin received
from Gen. Lee request for more infantry to
relieve that already sent to him, and the Second
Brigade of the Fourth Division, Col. j. w.
Vance commanding, was sent forward to re-
lieve the First Brigade who were reported as
worn0ut with marching and skirmishing
Gen. Ransom himself went forward, under
authority of Gen. Franklin, to that the
Second Brigade relieved the First, and on the
road received dispatch from Col. w. j. Lam
dram, commanding the Fourth Division stating
that his men had skirmished and marched
L. Il. h..-l. IT.