A Concert on So Grand A Scale- The Tennessee River Expedition of March 1862

Recently while indexing the Woodsfield Spirit of Democracy from Monroe Co., Ohio, I came across the following account of the Tennessee River expedition that took place in mid-March 1862 where a flotilla of nearly 75 steamships carried 30,000 Union troops from Paducah, Kentucky to Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. The expedition was under the command of Major General Charles F. Smith, a legendary Regular soldier that was fast gaining a reputation for bravery and competence based on his performance at Fort Donelson. Smith's expedition included two Federal divisions, one under Major General John A. McClernand, and the second a new division led by William Tecumseh Sherman.
Major General C.F. Smith

 This account, written by a civilian aboard the flagship of the expedition, the Leonora, provides the most complete listing of vessels I've yet seen. Given this blog's deep interest in Ohio troops, I have noted the vessels on which Ohio troops sailed to the best of my ability, relying on regimental histories, letters, and even ol' Cump's memoir for guidance. 

 The author G.L. Tyler also makes some interesting observations of the denizens of Savannah, Tennessee and provided this little nugget about how whiskey was smuggled to the front lines. "Whiskey, being contraband, is bottled in Cincinnati, packed in barrels, and marked ‘eggs.’ Altogether an enlightening letter and a fun read.

Paducah, Kentucky at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers in 1862
Woodsfield Spirit of Democracy, March 26, 1862, pg. 2

Headquarters, on board Leonora, Savannah, Tennessee
March 12, 1862

          Having been permitted to witness the sailing progress and arrival at its destination of this expedition, which in number and capacity of steam vessels, amount of equipment, and means of land transportation, field artillery, and numerical strength of land forces, was never equaled by any river expedition in any age or country; I thought some account of it from an eye witness would be acceptable to you and your readers. The fleet left Mineral Point (a plantation belonging to John Bell four miles above Fort Henry) at 10:30 a.m. March 10, 1862. The sun (the sun of Austerlitz we hope) put on its brightest face as the fog raised from the Tennessee and the stars and stripes went up to many a peak as the Leonora, with the commanding general on board, swept past to take her place in the van of the fleet. ‘Yankee Doodle’ and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ executed by numerous regimental bands and calliopes resounded through the hills, to which they have been for some months strangers, and if the natives love the notes of ‘Dixie’ they ought to thank Uncle Sam for a concert on so grand a scale.
 
U.S.S. Tyler (formerly A.O. Tyler)

The fleet consisted of the following boats:
          Gunboat A.O. Tyler as convoy escort
          Gunboat Lexington as convoy escort

Leonora, flagship with Major General C.F. Smith and staff
          Alexander Scott
Aurora
Fanny Bullitt
Marengo [part of 70th Ohio was aboard this vessel]
 Poland [troops from Third Brigade, Sherman’s Division]
D.A. Jannery
Champion No. 3
Emerald
Goody Friends
Baltic [editor note: the 72nd Ohio was aboard this vessel]
John Raine
Empress [troops from Fourth Brigade, Sherman’s Division]
Bostona No. 2
Diamond Westmoreland
Patun Gladiator with General McClernand and staff,
Ohio No. 2
Silver Moon
Bay City
Atlantic
Uncle Sam
T.L. McGill
Cricket No. 2
Lady Pike
Clara Poe
Hannibal [troops from Second Brigade, Sherman’s Division]
Fort Wayne
Lancaster No. 3 [troops from First Brigade, Sherman’s Division]
Shenango [part of 70th Ohio was aboard this vessel]
Sunny South
Telegraph No. 3
Rose Hambleton
Hazel Dell [part of the 71st Ohio was aboard this vessel]
Chancellor
Empire City
John H. Dickey
Anglo Saxon [the 53rd Ohio was aboard this vessel]
Edward Walsh
Minnehaha
B.J. Adams [troops from First Brigade, Sherman’s Division]
Ohio No. 3 [the 77th Ohio was aboard this vessel]
J.B. Ford
Jim K. Bell
Continental [the 57th Ohio and part of the 20th Ohio were aboard this vessel along with General William Tecumseh Sherman and staff]
Horizon
Argyle
E.H. Fairchild
Ocean [part of the 71st Ohio was aboard this vessel]
Universe [troops from Second Brigade, Sherman’s Division]
Glendale
St. Louis
Daulieth (used as dispatch boat)
Melnotte
Sallie List [troops from First Brigade, Sherman’s Division]
R.W. Cheeseman [troops from Second Brigade, Sherman’s Division]
Prairie Rose [troops from Second Brigade, Sherman’s Division]
Commercial
Key West
Golden State [also listed as Golden Gate, troops from First Brigade, Sherman’s Division]
Rocket
Eugene
Jatan
Boston
J.J. Roe
Rocket (towing barge with battery)
St. Louis
Conswaga.
(a total of 69 vessels including the Tyler).
         
U.S.S. Lexington

The force on board is not far from 30,000, with a fair complement of artillery and cavalry, and such an amount of ordnance and commissary stores, camp equipage and land transportation, as shows that the ‘vandals’ have come to stay. We saw some cheering demonstrations of Union sentiment at one point where we landed. The few people gathered, fairly danced with joy; one lady shouted in true camp meeting style ‘Thank God! The deliverance for which I have prayed during ten long months has come at last!’ Several refugees joined us at different points. One man, who took refuge on the gunboat Tyler on her former trip, learned yesterday as he passed his home (where the boat landed to allow him to see his family) that his nephew was taken prisoner by the Rebels a few days ago and was last seen by his friends being led by a rope around his neck.
          At this place (Savannah, the county seat of Hardin County) the citizens who remain and undoubtedly sincerely loyal. Upwards of 80 men enlisted here yesterday. I can testify to the fact for I saw them on drill. They, as well as all of the citizens here, can be distinguished by their butternut colored linsey clothing. (Coloring matter appears to be scarce except among the ‘people of African persuasion’ as Artemus Ward would say). Hundreds of the country people have been in town today to see the Yankees. They are very ready to give any information they possess, but are woefully ignorant as to what is going on among ‘outside barbarians.’ A man requested me yesterday to tell him truly which party gained the battle at Fort Donelson.

General William Tecumseh Sherman
          They report a large Rebel force at Corinth, Mississippi 30 miles from here; some say 6,000, some 150,000. Such estimates show what prodigious swallows these people have come to have since the chivalry took to lying for a living. There is a probability that General Smith will pay his respects to any such assemblage as that at Corinth within a few days if they will stay to see it.
          The gunboat Tyler, with General Smith on board, went up the river this morning to reconnoiter. They found a battery at Chickasaw Bluff, 20 miles from here, and after exchanging a few shots with the Rebels, returned to this point. A squad of Rebel cavalry was captured last night on the opposite side of the river. Prisoners are brought in hourly by our scouts which have now scoured the country for several miles. There will probably be warm work and somebody hurt in this part of Secessia pretty soon. It is generally though that this expedition aims to open at certain cotton port in West Tennessee, but those in command keep their own counsel.
          The men appear to be ‘spilin’ for a fight,’ are proud of their leaders, and have especial confidence in General Smith. He is every inch a soldier, of commanding presence, thorough business habits, decisive and reticent, and he led his men into Fort Donelson. He likes good grub and good wine, banishes women from the camp, and swears like a trooper, the army in Flanders, or any other man. The natives here, his army, and the rest of mankind look for glorious results from this expedition. The health of the army is reported to be excellent.
          Spring is fairly set in here. Early flowers are in blossom and peaches and apricots are ready to bloom. The country around is as fine as anyone need to see nature and kind heaven have blessed this happy land and scattered blessings with a wasteful hand out the people and the peculiar institution have done but little to develop it. They appear to be satisfied with their linsey and hog and hominy and don’t care whether school keeps or not. Everything and everybody appear to be lying around loose and everybody letting that kind of well enough alone. The fair sex take to grandily flowered and brightly colored calico and judging from what I have seen today they have not conceived such a mortal terror of the ruthless Northern invaders as might have been expected if they have read General Beauregard’s or Governor Harris’ proclamation. Wonder if such old fogies don’t know that such paper blockades are of no account against brass buttons and shoulder straps, when backed by good looks and good manners.

In less than a month, these same Federal troops would play a large role in the Battle of Shiloh. 
          
    The 77th Ohio is here and I had the pleasure of meeting with Company A (Captain Stevens) composed mainly of citizens of Clarington and vicinity. They are all well, and in fine spirits, having received their arms and a visit from the paymaster a few days ago.
          This place is just now a perfect paradise for sutlers. Whiskey is worth $1 a pint; stoga cigars 10 cents, cheese 10 cents a fistful, cider (water in which dried apples have been soaked) 10 cents a spoonful, and other groceries in proportion. Whiskey, being contraband, is bottled in Cincinnati, packed in barrels, and marked ‘eggs.’
          I never saw so many people who would ‘suck eggs’ in all my life as I have seen during the last week. It is the worst habit that our men have fallen into since they have gone to the wars. They are also taking to confiscating Rebel property, in a way which bids fair to cause a short crop of real eggs in this vicinity for some time to come. It was noticed that turkeys and chickens took to the higher branches tonight, mindful of the aforesaid Proclamation of Governor Harris, and the experiences of last night. They may well sigh for deliverance from their friends and you for deliverance from further continuance of this incoherent and hastily written letter.

G.L. Tyler

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Arming the Buckeyes: Longarms of the Ohio Infantry Regiments

Image
     A common question that comes up in conversation about Civil War Buckeye regiments is "What were they armed with?" We are fortunate in that the state of Ohio kept good records of how the regiments were armed when they went into service, this being especially true for those regiments which went into service in 1861 and 1862. The state adjutant general's reports for 1861 and 1862 have been heavily drawn upon to construct this article, as well as consultation with Phil Spaugy who has done extensive research on how Ohio's troops were armed during the war.      Buckeyes carried a fairly wide variety of weapons into the field, and the below article breaks this down into weapons of both domestic manufacture and imported arms. The early days of the war found the state of Ohio practically bereft of longarms; as an example, when the 1st and 2nd Ohio Volunteer Militia left the state in late April 1861, they left unarmed, being armed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania on their way to
Read more

Dressing the Rebels: How to Dye Butternut Jeans Cloth

Image
     In the early days of the Civil War,  the Southern states found themselves with an abundance of cotton but a shortage of cloth with which to make army uniforms. The trade in cloth prior to the war had largely been to send raw cotton or wool north to New England (or Great Britain) where it was converted into usable cloth; but now that trade was broken and the Southern states were thrown upon their own resources in their efforts to properly clothe the Confederate army.  This collection of Confederate enlisted men's frock coats and shell jackets gives some indication of the variety of shades of butternut worn during the war. All of them are shades of yellow brown, some heavier on the yellow and some heavier on the brown. The blue used around the collar or as rank insignia indicates that the soldier was in the infantry. Surviving Confederate uniforms are considered rather rare and command quite a healthy price in the collecting market. For an in-depth study of how Confederate jacke
Read more

Bullets for the Union: Manufacturing Small Arms Ammunition During the Civil War

Image
       Civil War bullets are perhaps the most common item collected from the era; the two armies expended bullets by the millions during the four years’ conflict and spent or deformed bullets of all shapes and sizes have made fascinating and affordable collectibles since the guns went silent in 1865.       I recently acquired a display piece featuring 35 different types of small arms ammunition used during the Civil War, including everything from a small .28 caliber ball up to a .69 caliber three-ring Minie and it triggered some questions: how did the Federal army obtain its small arms ammunition during the war? Where did the lead come from to make the bullets, and where and how was the ammunition manufactured? This post seeks to answer those questions. A typical .58 caliber 3-ring Minie bullet   “Whenever the blasts of war blow in the ears of men who trade in the implements of destruction, they are apt to experience more joy than the true warrior, for then comes the harvest of gain.
Read more

The Cannons are Now Silent: The Field of Death of Tupelo

Image
       The smoke of battle had drifted away from the battlefield at Tupelo, Mississippi on the hot afternoon of July 14, 1864, but the carnage of war lay spread across the open fields. “Scattered at intervals over the field of a few yards are dull gray blotches half shaded by grass,” an officer from the 7 th Minnesota Infantry recorded. “These are the Rebel dead. They have fought their last battle and lie generally in attitudes of rest; some of them look as if they had welcomed death. On the faces of two is imprinted a smile. One is a boy of 16 with delicate features, almost girlish in their beauty. His last gaze seems to have been directed toward his hand on the forefinger of which was a ring. A circle of purer white indicates its place; the ring was carried off as a trophy of the field.” The following account of the Battles of Tupelo and Old Town Creek was written by an unknown officer of the 7 th Minnesota Infantry, his account appearing in the August 5 th 1864 edition of the
Read more

The Vaunted Enfield Rifle Musket

Image
     The English-made Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield Rifle Musket was widely regarded as the best infantry arm in the world at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. Favorable international press describing its efficiency in the Crimean War and in suppressing the Indian rebellion led to the widespread desire of American infantrymen (both Federal and Confederate) to be armed with these accurate and well-made arms. The lock plate of this well-worn P1853 Enfield rifle musket produced in 1862 shows the typical markings of a British-made weapon that made it through the Federal blockade.  ( Army of Tennessee Relics ) Enfield-pattern weapons were imported into the states by the tens and hundreds of thousands during the war years; one estimate stated that the Federal government purchased 500,000 while the Confederates purchased another 400,000. The Confederate government dispatched Captain Caleb Huse to Europe in April 1861 to purchase weapons and Huse focused on securing all the Enfi
Read more

Straw Already Threshed: Sherman on Shiloh

Image
  W illiam Tecumseh Sherman was enjoying retired life in New York City when just before Christmas in 1889 he was presented with an article written by John Cockerill, a former drummer boy in the 24 th Ohio who was visiting his father Colonel Joseph Cockerill of the 70 th Ohio of Sherman’s division when the Battle of Shiloh began. Cockerill’s article, originally published in the New York Journalist and later featured in the January 1893 issue of Blue & Gray Magazine, Sherman later pronounced as “the best war story ever written” and the truest account of Shiloh.           On New Year’s Day 1890, General Sherman composed the following letter to his friend Marshall P. Wilder thanking him for sending along Cockerill’s article and giving his own explanation of Shiloh. “This to me is straw already threshed for we have fought this battle on paper several times, a much more agreeable task than to fight with bullets,” he concluded. “When in England some years ago I was gratified to liste
Read more

Federal Arms in the Stones River Campaign

Image
  T he following list, constructed after many years of research, lists unit by unit which type of weapons were carried by the Army of the Cumberland during the Stones River campaign. A number of sources were consulted including state ordnance reports, Federal quarterly ordnance reports (thank you Research Arsenal ), Ken Baumann’s Arming the Suckers, regimental histories and memoirs, captured ordnance reports, and consultation with knowledgeable experts in the field of firearms. Some of this information has been shared on the blog before in “ Rosy’s Heavy Metal: Artillery of the Army of the Cumberland ” or “ Shoulder Arms: How Sheridan’s and Davis’s Divisions Were Armed at Stones River ” but this is the first time the army as a whole has been presented. The overall conclusion I drew from looking at this data is that the Army of the Cumberland in December 1862 was an organization in the midst of transformation as far as arms. Many of the regiments still retained their original issue
Read more

Escape of Captain Henry H. Alban of the 21st Ohio Infantry

Image
Captain Henry H. Alban was among the dozen officers of the 21 st Ohio Volunteer Infantry who were captured on September 20, 1863 at the Battle of Chickamauga. The regiment had held its position atop Snodgrass Hill against repeated Confederate assaults and now battered and without ammunition, with the darkness of evening enveloping the hill, the remainder of that gallant band found themselves at the mercy of the 54 th Virginia. A total of 12 officers and 121 enlisted men surrendered; the regiment’s colors were taken, and the men marched off the field into captivity. Captain Henry Harvey Alban, Co. F, 21st O.V.I. Captain Alban along with the rest went through a series of Confederate prison camps before arriving at Columbia, South Carolina in October 1864. Determined to make an escape, he watched for his chance and one night made his leap for freedom, successfully eluding the local camp guard and setting out along the railroad to head for the mountains of eastern Tennessee and
Read more

Knapsack Compression: Wilbur Hinman recalls the first step of becoming a veteran

Image
L ooking back on his experiences during the war, Captain Wilbur Hinman of the 65 th Ohio (perhaps best known as the author of Si Klegg and His Pard ) recalled that the first road along which his regiment marched was strewn “with debris. A pair of six-mule wagonloads might have been gathered of notions that had been flung aside by a thousand suffering “tenderfeet.” “The average young patriot started for the war with a wheelbarrow load of clothing, a bed quilt or two, books, photograph albums, toilet articles, and gimcracks of every sort,” he wrote. “Neither he nor the good homefolks had the slightest conception of the capacity of a knapsack, nor did they for a moment imagine that before the close of his first day upon the road every pound he carried would seem a hundred.” To the true mark of a veteran soldier was one who “learned to dispense with every unnecessary ounce of weight, and just in the ratio that he did this he increased his efficiency as a soldier. It was of the highest
Read more

Federal Arms in the Chickamauga Campaign

Image
T he ordnance returns of the Army of the Cumberland at the end of September 1863 show the results of a transformational year in weaponry. Since taking command of the army at the end of October 1862, General William S. Rosecrans had repeatedly pestered the War Department to supply his regiments with better firearms both to improve the command’s efficiency as well as expand its striking power. The results speak for themselves: for the infantrymen at the end of September 1863, 90% of them now carried Class I long arms (36,058 out of 39,959), 8.3% carried Class II arms, and a mere 1.5% carried Class III weapons. Most of the foreign-made weapons (except Enfields) were gone, and by and large the army had settled on a single common .58 caliber ammunition, although a few .54 caliber and .69 caliber weapons remained within the ranks. The English-made Enfield rifle musket was by far the most common arm, carried by 56% of the men while the second-most common arm was the .58 caliber M1861 Spring
Read more