The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-08-05
GRANT CUT THE LEVEE
An Exciting Incident Of the Campaign
Of YiCkSburs.
FLOODING A VAST TERRITORY OF LAND
Another Anec dole OF Abe Lincoln
How the President made n Friend
OF "a Rough Miner-Osher Matters
Of Interest.

Charles ii. COTE, now a well known
citizen of Springfield, NO., was a lad
when the war broke out, and lived on his
mothers plantation in Louisiana, sixty.
five miles above Vicksburg. Among the
many exciting events connected with
General Grants operations against the
famous rebel stronghold in 1868 which
young COTE witnessed was the cutting of
the levee OF the Mississippi river at Lake
Providence, when the Federal command.
er sought to open up passage for his
gunboats around the enemys works.
Mr.. COTE describes the attempt to
change the current of the mighty stream
as follows:
Lake Providence is about seventy
miles above Vicksburg, on the louisa ma
side of the river. II is an old river lake
and in 1868 was about IL miles long and
q half mile wide, semicircular in shape.
II was at one time the bed Of the Missis.
sippi river. When the levee was cut the
lake was separated from the river by a
narrow neck of land about half mile
in width, on which the town of Provi-
dence then stood. When the war opened
the town contained about 1000 inhabitants
and was the parish seat Of Carroll parish.
The lake had for it's outlets Bayous Box
ter and Macon, and these bodies of water
were connected with the Tensas and Boef
rivers, which then reached the Mssissip-
pi at point about APO miles below Vicks-
burg. The outlet of Lake Providence at
the source Of the Tensss was about 80
feet wide and 10 feet deep. The object
in cutting the levee WAS to food Lake
Providence and the bayous ope ming into
the discharging rivers, and thereby divert
enough of the current of the Mississippi
in that direction to float the war vessels
operating with Grants army above Vicks
burg.
"The levee at Lake Providence was
about 16 feet high, 90 feet broad at the
base and 10 feet wide on top. A large
tract OF low land around the lake was
protected from overflow by the levee.
General Mcpherson was camped west
OF the river, near Lake Providence. Gen
eral Grants headquarters being near Mil
iken's Bend some distance below. A
survey of the course OF the proposed
channel had been made. and the engi-
neers reported that the enterprise was
possible. Before the levee WAS cut Gen
eral Mcpherson had warned all the people
living in the threatened territory of the
coming danger, and most OF the white
families moved out OF the lake region to
places of safety.
II was at the river when General Grant
came up in his dispatch boat and met
General Mcpherson just before the cut
ting of the levee. think Generals Logan
and Ransom were also present. The
work OF cutting the levee was easy for 30
many hands, and soon ditch about ten
feet wide had been dug from the head of
the lake to the base of the wall of earth
along the river. When the great levee
W 40 abtdthOh Wy iiC VI sdpptfc tue
army OF spectators became very much
excited. As shovelful after shovelful OF
earth WAS thrown out, all ewes were eager
ly watching for the first break of the
river. When spade touched the wall
Of water within and little stream squirt.
ed down into the ditch, shout went up
from a thousand soldiers, and in few
seconds resistless current WAS flowing
through the widening cyevasse. The le-
wee on either side OF ths bank melted
away as the river rushed through the
cut, and in less than ten minutes a sream-
boat could have passed ont OF the Missis-
sippi into Lake Providence.
THE torrent tore a passage through
the lowlands bordering the lake, and
soon flooded some OF tho neighboring
plantations. Trees fully four feet in di.
smeter we're uprooted by the swift wall
of water that plunged through the great
forest. The people who had not needed
the warning OF the commanding general
were now forced to fee for their lives,
and the levee of the Mississippi was
thronged with men, women, children and
dogs.
'Soon after the levee was cut six sol.
diers got into a skitf and -owed out on
the back water for amusement. The men
grew holder and started their light craft
toward the main current only a short
distance from the opening in the levee.
Officers saw the danger OF the rash boat
men, and called to them to 90 back, but
the reckless fellows did not heed the
warning, and continued to pull their oars
in the direction OF the bounding current.
When the skif struck the swift water it
was capsized in a second, and five of the
tnen were drowned. The survivor es-
capped by catching hold OF floating tree
and drifting out OF the strong current
where he could be rescued
That night the country for miles
around Lake Providence was flooded. |
went to a camp of Michigan troops to
stay till morning, as the road to my
mothers place was partly under water,
hitcbed nv mule under a shed and made