A Most Bloody and Foolhardy Charge: A Buckeye Recalls the First Crack at Vicksburg

    William Bakhaus was a mere lad of 17 when he joined the predominantly German ranks of Co. C of the 47th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He started off as a musician but ended up being reduced to the ranks as a private, serving out his three year enlistment and mustering out August 20, 1864. The 47th Ohio saw extensive service in western Virginia before joining General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee and taking part in the Vicksburg campaign. Bakhaus witnessed firsthand the folly of the first assault on Vicksburg which occurred on May 19, 1863 and was unsparing in his criticism of the generalship displayed on that bloody day.

    "Our path was pointed out to us by General Frank P. Blair, then commanding our division, who occupied a very strong position behind a big oak tree and with curses that came near withering the leaves urged us forward and to "go in and give 'em hell," Bakhaus recalled. "Well we went in as directed and later on I will show who it was that got the hell. In justice to General Blair, I must here state that he was perfectly justified in holding on to the tree for his legs were very weak from an overdose of commissary."

    The 47th Ohio, along with the 30th and 37th Ohio, and the 4th West Virginia formed Hugh Ewing's brigade of Blair's division. Bakhaus' reminiscences were published in the June 2, 1888 issue of the Ohio Soldier.


Private Robert M. Burnard, Co. A, 47th Ohio Volunteer Infantry served more than four years with the regiment, mustering out in August 1865. 

Vicksburg- what old soldier of the old Army of the Tennessee can recall to his mind this name without a shudder? Grant and his army started with a succession of victories, closed in around this citadel, which Sherman in his memoirs says “was stronger than Sevastopal,” on the night of May 18, 1863, and so confident were we of success that the throwing up of defenses was not considered necessary. The morning of the 19th opened up clear and bright and the boys were all anxious to be led forward at once, but the inevitable delay, which for some unaccountable reason occurs at every battle and which causes more demoralization in the ranks than bullets do, also occurred here and the consequence was that the slaughter did not commenced until 2 p.m. when the bugles sounded forward.

General Frank P. Blair

Then one of the most bloody and foolhardy charges took place, only exceed perhaps by the Burnside blunder at Fredericksburg and the greater fizzle at Petersburg. Our path was pointed out to us by General Frank P. Blair, then commanding our division, who occupied a very strong position behind a big oak tree and with curses that came near withering the leaves, urged us forward and to “go in and give ‘em hell.” Well, we “went in” as directed and later on I will show who it was that “got the hell.” In justice to General Blair I must here state that he was perfectly justified in holding on to the tree for his legs were very weak from an overdose of commissary. Some of the boys claim that as a rule he could not get in that condition but there are exceptions to every rule.

47th Ohio Battle Banners
Ohio History Connection

But to return to my mutton as the dog said. The path pointed out to us lay directly to the right of the graveyard road leading into Vicksburg, down a steep hill into a valley, all thickly covered with tangled vines and fallen timber, then up another steep hill about 20 yards from the brow of which were our friends waiting to received us with open arms and the usual well known Southern hospitality. Of course we got over the ground in less time than it takes to write this and so confident were we of straddling the works that one vied with the other as to who should get there first and those who did get there are mostly still there for, as we rushed over the brow of the hill and into the open space, yes, even to within 15 feet of the Rebel guns, we received a well-directed volley which came near wiping us out.

 

Here we stood, however, like a flock of sheep grazing at a ditch that was not less than ten feet wide and of the same depth; not knowing what to do. But here we stood for fully a minute- it seemed an hour. Not a Rebel was in sight, they had all skedaddled after the first volley but we could hear their officers urging them to return and they did and we gave them Hail Columbia for all there was in it. How I got away from there I don’t know to this day, but I suppose in the excitement I went with the crowd. I have a recollection of rolling down the hill some 60 feet and after satisfying myself that I was still in the ring and fit fir duty, I crawled up again to the brow to get a peep at the place and see where I came from. But what a sight! There lay my comrades in heaps, writhing with pain and crying for help. But we were utterly powerless. Those of the wounded that were abled crawled into a strong frame house that stood in the vicinity which, as soon as darkness set in, was set on fire and consumed with all its human contents. Who is the author of this outrageous and damnable deed was I was never able to ascertain, but am inclined to think that some of our own shells did the work. Grant and Sherman both make no mention of this in their books, for which they probably have good reasons.

 


As we had no desire for making another attack on this day, we retired under cover of darkness to our position that we held in the morning, sadder and much wiser. The wounded that we could not recover were kindly taken care of by the Rebels, but the dead lay in the broiling sun until the 23rd unburied when Pemberton (not Grant) who had some feeling for his fellow man though an enemy, asked for a suspension of hostilities for two hours in order to bury our heroes that lay in front of his works. This was graciously granted by Grant and the men were then covered with dirt where they feel as the bodies were too much decomposed to stand removal. The Johnnies assisted us in this work.

 

Source:

“Vicksburg 1863,” Private William Bakhaus, Co. C, 47th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Ohio Soldier, June 2, 1888, pg. 658

The torn regimental colors of the 47th Ohio boldly showcase the regiment's service in the assaults and subsequent siege of Vicksburg. (Ohio History Connection)


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

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

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

The Wizard of Oz and the Civil War

Image
T he 1939 film The Wizard of Oz has delighted viewers for 85 years and ranks as a personal favorite, especially during the Halloween season. While watching it with the family the other night, I wondered if there were any connections between the film and the Civil War. Not surprisingly, the answer is yes and those connections touch both the blue and the gray.           Interestingly both “witches” in the film not only had Civil War ancestors but had connections with Civil War soldiers from Ohio. Margaret Hamilton, the “Wicked Witch of the West,” was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 9, 1902, to attorney Walter Jones Hamilton and his wife Mary Jane Adams; Margaret’s grandfather was Judge Edwin Timothy Hamilton. Judge Hamilton had served as a private in Co. D of the 84 th Ohio Infantry during the summer of 1862. The 84 th Ohio, a three months’ regiment, served nearly the whole of its service attached to the Railroad District in western Maryland, performing provost duty at Cumberlan
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

In front of Atlanta with the 68th Ohio

Image
  The arrow corps badge of the 17th Army Corps was worn by many members of the 68th Ohio in the latter days of the war.       Private Edward A. Bigelow of Co. F of the 68th Ohio Volunteer Infantry wrote this brief account of the Battle of Atlanta just two days afterwards to his father back home in Henry County, Ohio. The regiment formed a part of Colonel Robert K. Scott's three regiment all-Ohio brigade consisting of the 20th, 68th, and 78th regiments, being designated the Second Brigade of the Third Division of Frank Blair's 17th Army Corps. Bigelow's letter originally appeared in the Napoleon Press newspaper and was copied in the Toledo Daily Commercial which was providential as no known copies exist today of the wartime Napoleon Press.  
Read more

Charging Battery Robinett: An Alabama Soldier Recalls the Vicious Fighting at Corinth

Image
W riting 30 years after the Battle of Corinth, James A. McKinstry of the 42 nd Alabama recalled his experiences storming Battery Robinett with Colonel William P. Rogers of the 2 nd Texas and expressed guilt that it was perhaps his action that brought about the colonel’s demise. “On seeing a line of Federals approaching, and before giving the situation a thought, I immediately raised my gun and fired full into the breast of a Federal sergeant, who was in front of the column, and only a short distance from us.  'Twas then that Captain George Foster shouted, "Cease firing, men! cease firing!" and waved his handkerchief, then I realized the true situation. 'Twas too late! That fatal volley had been turned on our little band from the muzzles of 1,500 muskets. I was still standing just as I was when I fired my last shot, and within a few feet of Colonel Rogers, when a Minie ball went crashing through my left hip and turned me half round; another went tearing through my
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

Cook & Brother of New Orleans

Image
    The lockplate of a New Orleans-made Cook & Brother Enfield rifle produced in 1862 shows the fine craftsmanship that became the hallmark of the maker throughout the Civil War. Note the stars and bars flag at left, an emblem used on C&B's production throughout the war and the Cook & Brother, N.O. 1862 markings. Earlier production weapons at New Orleans had the flag located just above the maker's name while later weapons produced in Athens, Georgia would have a modified flag and Athens on the plate followed by the serial number.        In the spring of 1861, two English-born businessmen, Ferdinand and Francis Cook of New Orleans, perceived the need for the South to have its own domestic production of firearms and  set out to prove "that rifles could made here as well as in Yankee land or in Europe." The brothers  elected to produce copies of the British Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield rifle as this was considered the benchmark longarm at the outset of the
Read more

Revisiting Snodgrass Hill: Memories of a 21st Ohio Officer

Image
Captain Isaac Cusac, Co. G, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry proudly displaying his rank as captain in an image likely dating from early 1863. One of his shoulder straps was shot off in the final stages of the 21st Ohio's fight atop Snodgrass Hill on September 20, 1863. Cusac brought it back to Chickamauga 50 years later.  I n September 1913, 83-year-old Isaac Cusac, a retired Presbyterian minister from the little town of McComb, Ohio, returned to Chattanooga to attend the national G.A.R. encampment. The former captain of the 21 st Ohio returned to Snodgrass Hill on the old Chickamauga battlefield on the 50 th anniversary of the battle carrying with him a precious relic of his wartime experiences. “He carried with him there an epaulet that was shot from his shoulder at the battle,” it was reported. “The bullet clipped off the epaulet and then struck him on the left hand, injuring two fingers.”           The flood of memories as he walked the grounds must have been overwhelming. The f
Read more