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Cu. VIII.]

THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION.

411

collected, at the mouth of the Red then given to charge, which was suc River, the most formidable fleet of gun boats ever seen in the western waters. There were twenty powerfully armed steamers of all classes, from the light to the heaviest draft.

cessfully accomplished. Between 200 and 300 prisoners were made, including twenty-four commissioned officers. Ten guns were taken, beside 2,000 barrels of powder, 1,000 muskets, etc., with a loss, on our part, of only four killed and thirty wounded. Several of the gun boats arrived just after the surren der of the fort.

1864.

The way was now open to Alexandria, 145 miles from the Mississippi, which was immediately occupied, the advance of Smith's forces, under Mower, accompanied by Admiral Porter, with his fleet of gun boats, taking possession on the evening of the 16th of March. A large quantity of cotton, more than 4,000 bales, was captured, and brought in by the gun boats, aided by the negroes. Fort De Russy was stripped, and its works blown up. A few days after, Banks, with the remainder of his forces, under Gen. Frank

On the 10th of March, Gen. A. J. Smith left Vicksburg, with about 10,000 men, in twenty transports, and the next day joined Porter and his fleet at the mouth of the Red River. The day following, Saturday the 12th, 1864. he moved up the river into the Atchafalaya, and anchored in the afternoon at Semmesport, which was now in ruins. Not having heard as yet from Banks, Smith, on the 13th, landed a portion of his troops, and sent forward Gen. Mower, with a brigade, to reconnoitre the enemy's position at Bayou Glace, where they occupied a fortified camp. On his approach, the enemy fell back toward Fort De Russy, a formidable fortification which they had erected with great skill and labor to com-lin, arrived at Alexandria, and having mand the Red River. Smith, seizing his opportunity, pushed rapidly forward by forced marches the intervening distance of about thirty miles to a land attack upon the fort, before it could be reinforced. By a strenuous effort, he reached the vicinity on the afternoon of Monday, March 14th. An immediate attack was determined upon, which was commenced by our skirmishers, and a sharp cannonade was kept up for some two hours, the rebels replying with the two guns which they had brought into position. The order was

to co-operate with Admiral Farragut in an attack

upon Mobile.-See "Report of Lieutenant General 1. S. Grant, pp. 6, 7, 37, 38,

taken command, preparations were made for the advance upon Shreveport.

On the 21st of March, our cavalry advance marched upon Natchitoches, eighty miles from Alexandria, and gained possession of it without loss. Two hundred prisoners and four pieces of artillery were taken, the rebels as heretofore retiring as our troops advanced. On the 26th, Smith left Alexandria for Shreveport, to be followed directly by the troops of Banks. This place, in the north-western corner of Louisiana, was at the head of navigation on the Red River, about 450 miles above the Mississippi, and was reported to be strongly fortified and held by a rebel force un

der Gen Dick Taylor. Cotton and of Sabine Cross Roads, concealed in the military stores in great abundance edge of a dense wood, with an open would be taken there, it was supposed, field in front, the Shreveport road passby our army. Banks's column now ing through their lines. Gen. Ransom marched to Natchitoches, which was arriving on the field with his command, reached on the 4th of April, the fleet formed his line as well as circumstances under Porter accompanying it to Grand would permit. Col. Emerson's 1964 Ecore, the river station in that vicinity. brigade, of the 13th corps, was Thus far success had attended the stationed on the left of the line, with expedition; but thenceforth it met with Nim's Massachusetts battery; Col. Lanserious reverses. On Wednesday morn- drum's forces, parts of two brigades, ing, the army moved from Natchitoches were placed on the right and centre, on the Shreveport road, the cavalry be with two batteries. Col. Dudley's briing in advance. Crump's Hill was gade of cavalry supported the left, and reached by the cavalry that night, the held itself in readiness to repel any atinfantry, which had marched seventeen tempt to flank; while Lucas protected miles, halting four miles in their rear. the right flank. Col. Robinson, with At daybreak, the cavalry again started, his brigade, was in the rear of the cen keeping up a constant and sharp skir- tre, protecting the wagon train which mishing with the enemy, until they ar- was on the Shreveport road. Gen. rived at a position two miles beyond Banks and staff rode upon the field by Pleasant Hill. Here, Col. Robinson, the time this disposition of our forces in command of the cavalry advance, was effected, and couriers were sent met the rebel troopers, some 2,500 in back, about nine miles, to Gen. Franknumber, and an engagement ensued di- lin to make all speed for the scene of rectly. It lasted about two hours and the momentarily expected battle. a half, when the enemy gave way, and retreated to Bayou du Paul, where they were strongly reinforced. Col. Robinson not deeming it prudent to make an attack, halted for the night, and awaited the coming up of our forces. During the night a brigade of infantry under Col. Landrum arrived, and early on Friday morning, April 8th, the march was resumed, and the rebels were pushed forward seven miles. This was about two o'clock P.M.

The main force of the rebels now appeared, Taylor in command. They far outnumbered our men, and were occupying a strong position, in the vicinity

At five o'clock, P.M., heavy firing commenced; our skirmish line was quickly drawn back, and the engagement became general on the right and centre. The left having been weakened, in order to sustain the other portion of the line, the enemy massed against the left, dashed furiously upon it, and the horses having been killed, captured four guns of Nim's battery. The battle was hotly contested; but soon after, the centre was pressed back, ar d the right also gave way. A fresh brigade came up; Franklin rode on the field in advance of his division; and Banks did all that a brave commander could do:

CH. VIII.]

BATTLE AT PLEASANT HILL.

413

ed to the attack. Emory's troops were pressed back up the hill, although bravely contesting every inch of ground. Just behind, as we have stated, was the 16th corps, which, opening, allowed the men of the 19th to pass through, and confronted the rebels with bristling can non, and troops ready for any emer gency. Onward came the exulting foe,

but it was of no avail. The line continued to fall back, being thrown into confusion and a partial panic, by the baggage-trains blocking up the roads, and pursued by the enemy for three miles and a half. Here the 19th army corps, which had been ordered to stop and form its line of battle, did so, and our wearied troops passed through and formed in the rear. The rebels when the order was given to "fire." rushed forward, but Gen. Emory, who reserved his fire until they were within short range, checked them, with fearful slaughter; and the conflict was closed for that day.

Gen. Banks, in the condition of affairs, having lost heavily in men and artillery, determined to fall back to Pleasant Hill, where Smith had halted with the 16th and 17th army corps under his command. This was accomplished silently and expeditiously during the night, without cognizance on the part of the rebels. They, however, followed on the morning of April 9th, and counted on an easy victory. The battle ground was a large open field near the town of Pleasant Hill, on the Shreveport road, with an elevation of no great extent, and surrounded by a belt of timber. Emory formed his line on the side facing the woods, having in his rear, concealed by the rising ground, Smith's division, in two lines of battle, fifty yards apart, with all his artillery in the front line. The 13th corps, under Cameron, was in the reserve in the rear. Skirmishing of an active character was kept up during the most of the day; but between four and five o'clock in the afternoon, the rebels, having completed their arrangements, advanc

1864.

"It is impossible," says a spectator,
"for words to describe the awful effect
of this discharge. Seven thousand rifles,
and several batteries of artillery, each
gun loaded to the muzzle with grape
and canister, were fired simul-
taneously, and the whole centre
of the rebel line was crushed down as
a field of ripe wheat through which a
tornado had passed. It is estimated
that 1,000 men were hurried into eter-
nity, or frightfully mangled by this one
discharge." A rapid charge put the
rebels to flight, who were driven to the
woods, where they broke in confusion,
some 500 having been taken prisoners,
and a considerable number of guns re-
captured.

The losses of the campaign, thus far, were stated to be twenty pieces of artillery, 3,000 men, 130 wagons, and some 1,200 horses and mules. As an offset, the gains were put down as fol lows:-the capture of Fort de Russy, Alexandria, Grand Ecore, and Natchitoches, the opening of Red River, the capture of 3,000 bales of cotton, 2,300 prisoners, twenty-five pieces of artillery, chiefly taken by the fleet, and a quantity of small arms and stores.

In consequence of these reverses, and unable to carry out his original de

sign of permanently occupying this a previous page (p. 410), began his portion of Louisiana, Banks ordered a retreat to Grand Ecore, some forty miles below.* Porter, in his efforts to co-operate with the army movements, had advanced, with six gun boats and twenty transports, as far as Springfield Landing, which was reached on the 7th of April. Obstructions in the river, and the disasters to the army immediately following, as narrated above, led to Porter's giving up the attempt to make a further advance. On his way back, he was greatly annoyed by guerrilla parties on the bank of the river. On reaching Grand Ecore, Porter found several of the vessels of his fleet above the bar, by the fall of the water in the Red River. One of these, the gun boat Eastport, he was subsequently compelled to destroy, to prevent her falling into the hands of the rebels. Banks next found it necessary to fall back to Alexandria, and, accordingly, on the 21st of April, he abandoned his present position. The enemy followed, but not in force, and after some slight contests, Banks reached Alexandria, on the 27th of April, where he waited, for a while, for reinforcements.

Gen. Steele, of whose intended share in this expedition we have spoken on

According to Pollard's account, "the results of this campaign were for us the most substantial ever achieved in the Trans-Mississippi. The expedition of Banks had proved a failure, and nothing was left for him but to retreat to Alexandria, after losing several

thousand prisoners and thirty-five pieces of artillery. The expedition of Steele into Western Arkansas had ended in a complete disaster. The immediate points of our victories, as summed up in the official report of

Kirby Smith, were, 8,000 killed and wounded, 6,000 prisoners, 35 pieces of artillery, 1,200 wagons, one gun

boat, and three transports."-"Third Year of the War,"

p. 252.

march from Little Rock, Arkansas, on the 23d of March, with a combined force of about 20,000 men. At first, his movements were attended with success. After dispersing the rebels under Price, at various positions, Steele, by a rapid march, gained possession of Camden, a fortified post on the Washita, 120 miles from Little Rock. This was in the latter part of April; but Banks's reverses speedily endangered Steele's command, by allowing the rebels to devote their attention to him. This they began to do at once, and Steele had no alternative but to seek to make his way back to Little Rock. The enemy pressed upon him closely from several points, endeavoring to cut off his communications and capture his forces. On the 27th of April, Steele evacuated Camden, and crossed the Washita over a pontoon bridge. The enemy followed of course, and two days afterwards a battle was fought, which lasted for seven hours, accompanied by heavy loss. It resulted, however, in a repulse of the rebels, and a return of Steele, without further loss, to Little Rock, on the 2d of May.

The water in the Red River continuing to get lower and lower, it speedily became a question of grave importance, how, if at all, to carry the gun boats over the falls at Alexandria. Porter was almost in despair; for, unless the fleet could be extricated, the vessels must be abandoned to the rebels, or blown In the emergency, a happy up. thought occurred to Col. Bailey, acting engineer of the 19th army corps, who proposed building a series of dams

CH. VIII.]

GUN BOATS CARRIED OVER THE FALLS.

across the rocks at the falls, and raising the water high enough to let the vessels pass over. The plan was ridiculed by some of the best engineers; but as Porter and Banks were willing to make the experiment, the troops were set at work, and in ten days' time the dams were built, and the fleet was saved. Porter, in his official report, May 16th, gives a very interesting account of the whole matter and its entire success: "Words are inadequate to express," he says, "the admiration I feel for the ability of Col. Bailey. This is, without doubt, the best engineering feat ever performed. Leav ing out his ability as an engin

1864.

eer-the credit he has conferred upon the country-he has saved the Union a valuable fleet, worth nearly $2,000,000; more, he has deprived the enemy of a triumph which would have emboldened them to carry on this war a year or two longer; for the intended departure of the army was a fixed fact, and there was nothing left for me to do in case that event occurred but to destroy every part of the vessels, so that the rebels could make nothing of them. The highest honors the government can bestow on Col. Bailey can never repay him for the service he has rendered the country."*

The last of the gun boats having passed over the falls on the 12th of May, Alexandria was evacuated the next day. In some unexplained manner the town was set on fire, and though

*For the report in full, which is well worth reading, see Duyckinck's "War for the Union," vol. iii. pp. 322-325. Col. Bailey we may here mention, was at once raised by the president to the rank of brigadiergeneral for these distinguished services.

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efforts were made by Gen. Banks to extinguish the flames, they were unsuc cessful, and our forces left the people and the town to their fate. Two small light-draft gun boats were fired into by rebel masked batteries, about thirty miles below Alexandria, and were lost; but the army, though attacked several times, repulsed the enemy, and having crossed the Atchafalaya in safety, on the 19th of May, soon after reached New Orleans. The fleet, under Porter, resumed its station on the Mississippi, the season having passed for any further operations in this part of Louisiana.*

.

The sending of troops from Vicksburg to join the Red River expedition afforded an opportunity for the rebels under Forrest, and others, in Northern Mississippi and South-western Tennes see, to make an attack on our posts in West Tennessee and Kentucky. Accordingly, on the 23d of March, Forrest left Jackson, Tennessee, with about 5,000 men, and advanced north some sixty miles to Union City, on the railroad, which place he reached the next day. It was garrisoned by a small force of less than 500 men, under command of Col. Hawkins, who, contrary to the advice of his officers, surrendered on Forrest's demand. The rebel leader next occupied Hickman, and after sev eral threatening demonstrations, advanc ed rapidly upon Paducah, Kentucky,

* By an order of the war department, dated May 7th, Gen. Canby was assigned to the command of the military division of West Mississippi, including the departments of Arkansas and the Gulf, thus relieving Gen. Banks. Some regiments were recruited from the plantations, but no military operations of any extent took place within the state during the remainder of the year.

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