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

     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 7th 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 7th Minnesota Infantry, his account appearing in the August 5th 1864 edition of the Weekly Pioneer & Democrat published in St. Paul.

 


 

Memphis, Tennessee

July 23, 1864

          The first report of as battle is usually exaggerated. It is either a very great victory or an overwhelming defeat; our troops have been cut to pieces or they have sustained trifling loss. There was no exception to this rile in the case of General Smith’s late raid into Mississippi.

          On returning from Tupelo flushed with victory and laden with the spoils of war (namely a couple hundred contrabands, a few sheep, swine, cattle, a very few horses leaner than the Confederacy itself), we learned to our utmost astonishment that we had been defeated by Forrest with a loss of 6,000 men! This report corrected was followed by another that we were the victors; that we had utterly routed Forrest and had killed, wounded, or captured 4,000 of his men and that we had captured part of his supply train. This was nearer to the truth but required some modification.

I do not propose a correct statement of losses and gains as that will be given in the official reports. But we know to a certainty our own losses and as we remained in possession of the field after the battle of the 14th, it was an easy matter to count the dead of the enemy. We are sure that they lost five to our one. What was really captured consists of 56 prisoners, a larger number of Rebel wounded, two flags, and one of the guns taken from Sturgis.

The fight commenced on the 13th. A Rebel force of four brigades opened a furious fire on our trains from the woods and bushes on the right of the road. The writer had filled his canteen at a well by the wayside and got under a tree waiting for his regiment to come up. There was a cabin nearby in the vicinity of which a hundred or more stragglers were lolling in the shade, unconscious of the leaden storm that about to burst upon them. Suddenly the air was filled with whizzing messengers of death and roar like the crash of a falling forest. The stragglers got off in double quick. Your correspondent fell back in good order to his regiment which at that time was ordered to charge into the chapparal and dislodge the foe. The sight of gleaming bayonets was too much for the Rebs and they fled leaving six or seven wounded and our men masters of the field. Some of our men commenced gathering blackberries which are found here in rich abundance.

The 7th lost one man killed, Surgeon L.B. Smith, and four wounded. The enemy were for a time silenced but soon commenced shelling the town from a hidden battery. They had perfect range of the road and fired with great rapidity. It was their evident aim to cut the train in two and prevent the latter part from reaching the encampment and finally to capture it. In this design they utterly failed. Our men marched briskly through the storm of iron, bowing reverently as the shells shrieked above them, or dodging as they flew through the ranks. Our loss, considering our exposure, was not heavy and we reached camp in good time and good condition.

Cap pouch used by Hans Danielson of Co. G of the 7th Minnesota Infantry
(Minnesota Historical Society)


On the morning of the 14th, the battle proper commenced. Our pickets were driven in and the whole Rebel force moved upon our lines which were drawn up ready to receive them. The word was given “leaden rain and iron hail let their welcome be!” The clangor of small arms was followed by the roar of cannon and for three hours the battle raged, after which the Rebels ceased firing and fell back, leaving their dead and wounded in our hands.

 

“When they reached a point sufficiently near, the enemy commenced firing musketry. We laid low with bayonets fixed and when they came as near as they dared, we were ordered to charge. The 7th Minnesota led off but the Rebels being too fleet for us could not come near enough to stain our bayonets. The 7th gave them 40 rounds on the 14th without stopping. Our guns were then so hot that we could not hold them and we were relieved by the 12th Iowa.” ~ unknown soldier, 7th Minnesota Infantry

 

During the battle, the 7th Minnesota with the other regiments of the Third Brigade made a successful bayonet charge. Officers and men behaved with coolness and great courage. Colonel Marshall, while waving his hat caught a bullet in it, which was too nearly spent to go further. The feat was more than rivaled by Sergeant Lancaster of Co. K who caught a bullet in his teeth. I am sorry to add that made an ugly wound in his cheek though fortunately not of a dangerous character. In this action, the 7th Minnesota lost seven men killed- good men and brave soldiers. They were buried with the exception of Henderson in one grave not far from the spot where they fell.

The Third Brigade was by no means the only one engaged, but the principal losses were in this brigade as they bore the brunt of the battle. The regiments composing the brigade are the 12th Iowa, 35th Iowa, 33rd Wisconsin, and the 7th Minnesota. The colored troops fought gallantly and were never once beaten. The artillery, of which there were several batteries, was handsomely managed. The cavalry also performed their part well. In fact, there was not a regiment on the field that misbehaved.

 

“The bullets were flying thick and fast. Colonel Wilkin sat on his horse and when he was struck, he was giving his orders as coolly as he ever did on dress parade. He was shot under the left arm, the ball passing through the body and coming out under his right arm. He was instantly killed. I had left him but a moment before with an order and before I had delivered it, heard that he had fallen. He never spoke after being hit but fell from his horse and was dead before reaching the ground.” ~ Captain John K. Arnold, Co. A, 9th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry

 

Almost every part of our lines had been attacked and everywhere the enemy had been repulsed. Every part of the encampment had been under fire either from musketry or cannon and bore sad evidence of it. There lay the dead or dying steed, his rider perchance pulseless beside him. There lies, as in in a gentle slumber, all that remains of our brave Colonel Alexander Wilkin. Beside him lies the lifeless form of a slender lad, evidently an officer, but I know not of what rank or name. I only hear the order to bury the youth beside the man. The very trees bear evidence of the strife. They are scarred and broken by the storm or shot and shell. One oak tree, two feet thick, was pierced through by a cannon ball which killed a horse and rider after its passage through the tree. We had one gun carriage broken and the artillerists are making a bonfire of its wheels as they do not intend to leave them to support Rebel guns.

The 7th Minnesota mustered into service in the fall of 1862 and spent its first year of service combatting the Sioux during the Dakota War. The first two battle honors on the flag are for Wood Lake (September 23, 1862) and Big Mound (July 24, 1863) fought against the Sioux. The 7th transferred to St. Louis in October 1863 and then to Paducah, Kentucky. Sturgis' defeat at Brice's Crossroads led to the regiment being sent to Memphis as reinforcements and they subsequently took part in A.J. Smith's campaign in northern Mississippi. 


The cannons are now silent and there before them is the field of death, a long grassy slope skirted with straggling bushes. The white cloud of battle has lifted from its surface and melted into thin air. Scattered at intervals over the field of a few yards are dull gray blotches half shaded by grass. 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.

Some Southern women come upon the field and discovering the bodies of a brother or lover raise a piteous cry. Alas, this piteous cry shall rise from homes a thousand miles away. Such is war- a horror of horrors, only relieved by the soldier’s faith and devotion to his country. To the true patriot, it is still sweet and honorable to due for the native land.

The battle was fully renewed on the morning of the 15th, but a show of fighting was kept up by the artillery and one or two brigades, the remainder of the corps moved out of camp. The rear guard followed and the bloody field of Tupelo was left to the enemy who found there only their unburied dead. When six miles on our journey, they shelled our train, but the guns were soon silenced and they did not again renew the attack.

We are now in Memphis expecting marching orders but to what point has not transpired.

 

Yours,

E.

 

Sources:

Letter from unknown officer of 7th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, Weekly Pioneer & Democrat (Minnesota), August 5, 1864, pg. 3

Letter from “Seventh,” 7th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, Weekly Pioneer & Democrat (Minnesota), August 5, 1864, pg. 3

Letter from Captain John K. Arnold, Co. A, 9th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, Weekly Pioneer & Democrat (Minnesota), August 5, 1864, pg. 2

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 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