Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-05-23
Copyright, 1903. by G. L. Kilmer.]
q A4 -. 1863, turned out red
q" day in the history of Banks
~ Army Of the Gulf. After

" day in the history of Banks
x Army Of the Gulf. After
FL looking the ground over for
some days and reaching the conclusion
1nat the task was hopeless the troops
were sent forward to storm the Con-
Iederate works at Port Hudson, on the
.M1ss1ss1ppi, in the style artists delight
10 portray. The plan called for a
grand simultaneous assault by four d.
VISIONS, but when the hour came the
'1e1t column, led by General Thomas
w. Sherman, had not formed it's lines
BANKS rode to Sherman's bivouac in a
mgh temper and found Sherman calm
~ taking lunch with his officers. Hot
words followed, and Banks rode back
to headquarters, sending his chief of
staff to the front to supersede the dila-
tory commander.
When the officer reached Sherman's
line, the troops were already in motion,
and he wisely let we'll enough alone
The division moved in in column of two
brigades, with an interval in the Gen.
ter. Sherman, in full dress, attended
Dy his staff and escort superbly mount
ed and equipped, galloped forward at
the blast of the trumpet and closed the
Interval. Then the line marched out
from screen Of trees and dashed for
the enemy's ramparts.
In front of the column were four
fences, and before these distractions
had been removed the Confederates
opened fire upon the assailants. Not
satisfied with ordinary missiles, the
gunners loaded some heavy naval guns
mounted upon the works with broken
railway bars, chains and rusty scrap
iron. In spite of the terrible fusillade
:Sherman's line charged up to the aba
with pointed limbs, had caught fire
from the shells. The brave fellows
who attempted to mount the huge
trunks or cut away the branches to
open path were brought down by bull
lets fired at close range from the para
pet.
Sherman rode unscathed through the
storm until his horse was stopped by
the abatis, although hot fire was d.
Tected upon him and the mounted Off
GERS in his train. Reaching the abatis.
he was shot from the saddle, with
shattered leg, and two of his staff went
down at the same time. The second in
command. General Neal Dow, having
also fallen, Banks staff officer took
command of the division and saved the
indomitable soldiery from useless an
Inhalation by ordering retreat.
When the sound of Sherman's guns
was heard on the left, Banks ordered
the center column under General Au-
CUR to charge. The brigade of Colonel
Edward P. Chaplin, One Hundred and
Sixteenth New York, led the division,
its front covered by skirmishers of the
Twenty-frst Maine. In rear of the
<skirmishers marched a storming col
umn Of 200 volunteers, with Lieuten-
ant Colonel O'Brien of the Forty eighth
Massachusetts at their head. The
zstormers carried in their hands bags Of
cotton and fascines to fill the ditch In
advance of the main column.
Colonel Chapin's own regiment, the
One Hundred and Sixteenth New York.
held the right of the line, with the
Forty-eighth Massachusetts on the left.
These were supported by the Forty
ninth Massachusetts, the Second Loui
=siana and the reserve of the Twenty
first Maine. An eyewitness, Colonel
r. B. Irwin of Banks staff, thus de-
=scribes Chapin's charge:
"O'Brien shook hands with the officer
who brought him the last order, and.
durning to his men, who were lying or
sitting near by, some on their cotton
bags, others on the ground, said in the
coolest and most businesslike manner,
Pick up your bundles and come on
The movement of the stormers was the
signal for the whole line. A truly
magnificent sight was the advance Of
these battalions with their colors flying
and borne steadily toward the front,
yet not for long.
"Hardly had the movement begun
when the whole force, officers, men,
.colors and all, became inextricably en-
tangled in the dense abatis, under q
fierce and whitening fire Of artillery
Besides the fieldpieces bearing directly
on the front of the column two "a
FOUNDERS poured upon its flank storm
= of missiles Of all sorts, with fragments
of railway bars and broken chains OF
grape, rusty nails and the raktngs OF
"a scrap iron heap for canister. No part
of the column ever passed beyond the
:abatis, nor was it even possible to ex.
tricate the troops In any order without
greatly adding to the list Of casualties
already of fearful length. Banks was
for putting in the supports, but before
%|;:I'R RIDER ! !!