A Mississippi Gunner at Perryville

     Stanford’s Mississippi Battery galloped into action on one of the hottest spots of the Perryville battlefield on the afternoon of October 8, 1862. “Stanford’s battery was brought into action on the very ground a retiring battery had just occupied and formed under a terrible fire of shot and shell from a large battery of twelve-pounders, Napoleons, and James’ rifled pieces, the best artillery that is used,” wrote Corporal Benjamin W.L. Butt. “Soon the shrill report of our six-pounder rifled pieces responded to the heavier boom of the enemy’s guns. Each battery was in plain view of the other on the opposite hills one mile distant. Every flash from the distant guns was followed at intervals of five seconds by a report and the next instant a conical shell or solid shot would come screaming and plunging into our midst, tearing up the earth or riving the timber into fragments. Fortunately for us, most of their shots were aimed too high to strike us. In a short time after we formed, however, one of our horses was killed and soon a fatal shell struck down three of our brave boys.”

Stanford’s Mississippi battery was formed at Grenada, Mississippi in November 1861 as a six-gun battery originally armed with two 12-pound howitzers, three 6-pound smoothbores, and a single 3-inch rifle. Four of these guns were lost in action at Shiloh and the battery was re-equipped with fresh horses and four brass rifled pieces which the battery took on campaign into Kentucky.  Benjamin Watkins Leigh Butt was born in 1837 in Duck Hill, Mississippi and enlisted in Stanford’s Battery on March 17, 1862 at Corinth, Mississippi. A gifted writer, his frequent missives to the Memphis Daily Appeal were published under the penname of “Leigh” and provide a remarkable portrait of life in the western Confederate army. He survived the war but died in October 1876 in Brownsville, Mississippi.

Corporal Butt’s letter describing the Battle of Perryville was originally published in the November 4, 1862 edition of the Memphis Daily Appeal which at this time was being published in Grenada, Mississippi.

 

In their long range duel with Federal artillery batteries at Perryville, Stanford's four rifled brass pieces would have fired 12-lb solid shots or Mullane shells to knock out their opponents. 

Camp near Knoxville, Tennessee

October 26, 1862

          Since my last communication from Bardstown, important events have transpired, and the Army of the Mississippi has been compelled by the force of circumstances to fall back from Kentucky upon what we know to be Confederate soil. While in Kentucky, we fought one hard and bloody battle and as the victory has been claimed by both parties, it would not be uninteresting perhaps to your readers to have a faithful account of what I saw and heard for myself on the sanguinary field.

          Our army had fallen back from Bardstown to Harrodsburg by way of Danville followed by the enemy when it was ascertained by our scouts that a large body of Federals were in the vicinity of Perryville some ten miles distant. In accordance with this information, our generals determined to give them battle. Our division, commanded by General Frank Cheatham, with the exception of Preston Smith’s brigade, left Harrodsburg at 5 p.m. on the 7^th instant and at about midnight we took a position on the outskirts of Perryville and slept on our arms, expecting the fight to open early in the morning. About daybreak, a scattering fire of pickets was heard some two miles distant which was soon discontinued. Presently a cannon and then another and still another boomed in the distance and we thought the action had opened in earnest, but not yet. Thus, an occasional cannonading was kept up for several hours, the object being on our part to ascertain the exact position of the enemy.

          About noon, we learned that the Federals were in heavy force on our right. Consequently, our whole line was put in motion and, indeed, the entire front changed. We marched about a mile northwest of town when the action commenced at one o’clock by cannonading at long range. The position of the enemy was well chosen. They were posted on a range of hills in the edge of a large old field about a mile in width, their left flank resting upon a skirt of woods. On the opposite side of the field upon a similar elevation, two or three of our batteries took position and opened the fight. Our guns were six-pounder smoothbores and howitzers, both ineffective at such a long range so that they could not cope on fair terms with the superior artillery of the enemy. Consequently, one of these batteries [Carnes’ Tennessee Battery], which was most exposed, was compelled to retire from the heavy fire of the enemy’s guns, some of the cannoneers and even the gunners having left their posts though afterwards they took a better position, and it is said fought well.

General Benjamin Franklin Cheatham at center surrounded by portraits of his staff.

          General Cheatham, seeing the condition of affairs, called for a battery which could stand when our brigade commander General Alexander P. Stewart remarked that he had one he thought would do for the emergency. So, Stanford’s battery which had been seeking a suitable position for half an hour was brought into action on the very ground the retiring battery had just occupied and formed under a terrible fire of shot and shell from a large battery of twelve-pounders, Napoleons, and James’ rifled pieces, the best artillery that is used.

          A new knight had now entered the lists, and soon the shrill report of our six-pounder rifled pieces responded to the heavier boom of the enemy’s guns. Each battery was in plain view of the other on the opposite hills one mile distant , the intervening space being as before mentioned an open field. Every flash from the distant guns was followed at intervals of five seconds by a report and the next instant a conical shell or solid shot would come screaming and plunging into our midst, tearing up the earth or riving the timber into fragments. Fortunately for us, most of their shots were aimed too high to strike us. In a short time after we formed, however, one of our horses was killed and soon a fatal shell struck down three of our brave boys, two to rise no more, and the third so dangerously hurt that his recovery is doubtful.

          Our battery, in connection with two others, now fought a regular artillery duel with a corresponding number of the enemy’s guns for an hour and a half, the loss on our side being small. We do not know for certain how much damage we did the enemy, but Major Bankhead, who conversed with the Federal chief of artillery after the capture of the battery (see the story of the capture of Major Charles S. Cotter here) says that we succeeded in exploding a caisson, killing a number of men and horses, besides doing considerable damage with other shots.

The implied ferocity of the Bowie knife is offset by the boyish face of this teenaged Confederate artillerist. 

After we had fired from 40-60 rounds per gun, we ceased firing for the guns to cool when it was determined to storm the enemy’s lines with infantry. This was about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Our brigade, from which we had been separated, formed a part of the right wing under General Cheatham on which part of our line the heaviest fighting was done. The 30^th Mississippi regiment under Colonel Neill lay immediately behind our battery while the 33^rd Mississippi, belonging to Buckner’s division, followed it as a reserve when the charge was made. We were in an excellent position to observe the movements of our troops in the fight and watched them with the deepest interest as they were led on to the assault. There were several brigades in plain view marching across the old field to attack the enemy in his strong position.

 

“I soon found a favorable position on the border of the old field. From this point the infantry of the enemy were distinctly to be seen at a distance of a half mile behind a stone fence to near to some stacks of corn or fodder. At this juncture I had some fears about firing lest I should disturb the right of General Hardee’s command, but finding that these troops held in check by superior numbers of the opponents, I determined to risk the effects of the fire and threw one or two shots by way of a feeler which passed about 100 yards to the right of our friends and into the rank of the foe. The effect was such as was anticipated. Their flags immediately went out and waved in order that we might know them as friends. This signal was promptly answered by my flag which immediately restored confidence. It was then I gave the command to the battery to commenced firing. This was heartily responded to and with such terrible effect as to produce confusion in their ranks after the discharge of four rounds.” ~ Captain Thomas J. Stanford, Stanford’s Mississippi Battery

 

Oh, it was a noble, a glorious sight to see our gallant boys marching on undaunted apparently into the very jaws of death. When they had arrived to within 600 yards of the enemy’s lines, a terrible fire of cannister and musketry poured into their ranks, but they pressed on bravely without returning a shot until they were at close range when they opened fire with such terrible energy and execution that the enemy’s line was soon thrown into confusion. The Federals fought well but could not stand before the fierce charges of our gallant troops. Their artillerymen were shot down and the infantry driven back leaving several fine guns in our hands. But they fell back, slowly disputing every inch of ground as they were repeatedly reinforced.

The battle now raged with terrible fury. The very heavens were rent with the continuous crash of small arms interrupted only by the thundering boom of the artillery and the fearful explosion of shells. Our battery now took a new position much nearer the enemy and were so situated that our fire, together with the infantry on our left, subjected the enemy to a terrible crossfire. We directed our pieces toward a body of Federals behind a stone fence which had withstood the assault of our troops for more than an hour and threw among them several rounds of percussion shells with great precision and effect. (see story of 3^rd Ohio click here) In less than five minutes, they broke in great confusion and disorder, our troops immediately taking possession of the ground they had just occupied and pursuing the now routed foe.

By 4:15 p.m., Stanford's Mississippi had deployed forward with Maney's and Stewart's brigades and was providing close support by blasting away at a stonewall behind which the Federals were holding the Confederate advance in check. (Map by Hal Jespersen)

This was the last fighting our battery did during the action. The fight was now carried on mainly by the infantry in the woods, the enemy constantly retiring before our troops. Once only did our forces fall back before a heavy reinforcement of the enemy estimated at 16,000 troops, but being themselves also reinforced, they soon regained the ground they had lost and drove the enemy a full two miles from the original scene of action.

Night now closed in upon us and put an end to the sanguinary conflict. We were in full possession of the field, having captured 16 guns, hundreds of stands of arms, and several hundred prisoners. We slept on the battlefield soundly and sweetly, while the peaceful moon looked calmly down upon the late scene of strife and the gentle Southern breeze lightly fanned the features of the slain.

We had in the fight parts of three divisions numbering in all 15,000 men; the enemy had at least 30,000, many of these being new recruits. Our loss in killed, wounded, and missing was about 2,200 men of which General Cheatham’s division lost 1,436. This division is composed entirely of Tennesseans with the exception of two Mississippi batteries and one Texas regiment, and be it said to their credit never did men fight better. The 30^th Mississippi conducted itself nobly in the fight; indeed, the entire force we had engaged displayed the greatest determination and bravery. The enemy’s loss is estimated at between 5,000-6,000 which I think a moderate figure.

During the night, the enemy fell back to Springfield some ten miles distant and in the morning sent in a flag of truce asking permission to bury their dead. On the morning of the 9^th, our forces with the exception of the cavalry fell back to Harrodsburg. Most of the artillery we captured was disabled and left behind as we had no munitions in the ordnance department available for such pieces. A large number of our wounded afterwards fell into the hands of the enemy as we did not have transportation sufficient for the removal of all. Our surgeons remained with them, however, and no doubt they will receive the best attention that circumstances will afford.

 

 Sources:

Letter from Corporal Benjamin Watkins Leigh Butt, Stanford’s Mississippi Battery, Memphis Daily Appeal (Tennessee), November 4, 1862, pg. 2

Report of Captain Thomas J. Stanford, Stanford’s Mississippi Battery, Memphis Daily Appeal (Tennessee), November 8, 1862, pg. 2