Breaking the Clouds of Gloom: The 83rd Ohio at Arkansas Post

    It was the afternoon of January 11, 1863, and after an initial repulse from Fort Hindman, General A.J. Smith rode amongst his troops steeling them for the task ahead.

          “There was no panic, nobody was scared, all wondering why we fell back,” recalled Orderly Sergeant Thomas B. Marshall of the 83rd Ohio. “General A.J. Smith and his staff rode to and fro, pistols in hand, to realign the troops and start them in again and oh how he swore! For artistic and effective profanity, General A.J. Smith had no superior and coming from him, it never sounded wicked. His every word hit the nail on the head while all the air was blue. We soon reformed and moved forward in good order, going to the edge of the slashing and to the top of the little rise. The fort was now in plain sight and the bullets were singing their songs as they flew both ways. We dropped to the ground, loaded, and fired as fast as we could, or when we could see something to shoot at, all the time edging towards the fort. Most of the artillery had been silenced so that we had only musketry to face.”

          The 83rd Ohio, later called the Greyhound Regiment, along with the other regiments of General Stephen G. Burbridge’s brigade of A.J. Smith’s division, reformed under the barrage of Smith’s profanity, eventually took Fort Hindman later that afternoon. As Sergeant Marshall recalled, the victory at Arkansas Post was the “first break in the great cloud of gloom which had settled over the land since the preceding summer.” Sergeant Marshall’s detailed account of the Battle of Arkansas Post is culled from his regimental history of the 83rd Ohio published in Cincinnati by the regimental association in 1912.

         

The 83rd Ohio earned its nickname as "the greyhounds" during a march in Kentucky when the regiment left the rest of the brigade in the dust while marching with full packs. The term didn't start as one of endearment but the men embraced it with pride as time went on. It is even chiseled into their regimental monument at Vicksburg. The regiment was presented the above set of regimental colors, paid for by the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad Co., in October 1862 while the regiment was in Kentucky. At Arkansas Post, the regiment's new national colors were shot to ribbons. 

Sergeant Marshall starts the story of the capture of Arkansas Post on the morning of January 2, 1863, aboard a steamer in the Yazoo River. His regiment had pulled out the night before from Chickasaw Bayou near Vicksburg and now, safely aboard the steamboat, morale plummeted as the men pondered the army’s next move.

We steamed out of the Yazoo and turned up stream for some destination unknown to us. Fuel for the boilers was very scarce and it was part of our duty to bring to the riverbank rail fences, parts of trees, anything, and chop them into convenient lengths and pile them on board for the furnaces. It was not always wood that demanded our care, for sometimes when we steamed away a mound or two of fresh earth was seen, silent witnesses of grief in some home. It was during these days, from the time of leaving the Yazoo until we arrived at White River, that the army became very much discouraged. It got to be a general thing for men of all companies to go foraging, to allow themselves to be captured and paroled, so as to have a chance to get home. Sometimes the parole would be accepted from a woman, at least it was so reported. For several days, we kept this up so as to get a surplus of wood in time of need. While we were busily engaged one day in the rail business, Archie Young said, “I don’t mind the work, but it is the sin of it. Think of it! If it was only night, I would not care so much, but in broad daylight when everybody is looking, it makes me blush.”

First Sergeant Thomas B. Marshall, Co. K, 83rd O.V.I.

          Early on the 9th of January we were told we must have 20 cords of wood on board before breakfast. Well, we did it and started up White River, which my diary says was “the crookedest stream in seven states.” At 5 o’clock, we reached the “cut off” which was a safe passage into the Arkansas River. This river empties into the Mississippi River some 25 or 30 miles below the mouth of the White River. It was far easier to steam up the broad Mississippi and use this cut off than to attempt the crooked Arkansas, especially when there was a large sand bar at its mouth. All this time, our destination was well known to our general officers, and it was Fort Hindman, but always called by us Arkansas Post. Being in the Arkansas River we would have threatened Little Rock had it not been for the above-named fort.

Lieutenant Colonel William H. Baldwin, 83rd O.V.I.

          A little after noon on January 10th, we disembarked and marched about three miles and halted in front of a deserted Rebel stockade and prepared to pass the night. We were not allowed to stay long, however, and after dark were quietly moved forward and laid down in line of battle. It was a very cold night, and many were far from comfortable to say the least. We were called up early of the 11th, moved forward, and ordered to lie down.  We were now getting very close to the fort, and they began to hunt for us with their artillery. Balls came screeching through the woods occasionally with limbs falling in profusion. We were in range all night if the enemy had only known it.

          The forenoon passed in making preparation and getting into position for the assault. As soon as the land forces were ready, the gunboats moved up in range and opened fire on the water side while the land batteries limbered up and added their powers. Soon the Rebel artillery was practically silenced and the infantry moving forward began with musketry. The 83rd Ohio was placed on the left of the first line of Smith’s Division, and we were ordered forward with instructions to keep in line with the 16th and 67th Indiana regiments on our right. The woods were thick with underbrush and with a small stream flowing toward the river, the line was badly broken. We finally reached a fence at the edge of the woods and climbing over it, moved forward, and opened fire. From some cause, the Indiana regiments on our right broke and fell back and we followed as we had been ordered. There was no panic, nobody was scared, all wondering why we fell back.

General Andrew Jackson Smith
"For artistic and effective profanity, General A.J. Smith had no superior." 


          General A.J. Smith and his staff rode to and fro, pistols in hand, to realign the troops and start them in again and oh how he swore! For artistic and effective profanity, General A.J. Smith had no superior and coming from him, it never sounded wicked. His every word hit the nail on the head while all the air was blue. We soon reformed and moved forward in good order, going to the edge of the slashing and to the top of the little rise. The fort was now in plain sight and the bullets were singing their songs as they flew both ways. We dropped to the ground, loaded, and fired as fast as we could, or when we could see something to shoot at, all the time edging towards the fort. Most of the artillery had been silenced so that we had only musketry to face.

First Lieutenant Gershom L. Tomlinson, Co. D, 83rd O.V.I. 

          A force also came up on the south side of the river and with their artillery knocked about two feet off the muzzle of a large pivot gun in the southwest corner of the fort. We were reinforced by the other brigade and allowed to be quiet for a while. We did not lie idle very long but moved forward and taking the front of the line, kept up a steady fire so that the enemy could not even look over the parapet. At one time there was a lull, and all rose up to see the cause, but when the bees began to hum again, we dropped down and kept up our steady fire.

“I never heard such cannonading in my life. The ground fairly shook, the air was filled with smoke. The Rebels replied vigorously and the shells fell thick and fast. After a while the fire from the fort almost ceased and musketry commenced on our right. Soon the word came to advance, and we moved into the open field on double quick. We were then in the rear of the 83rd Ohio; they faltered and partially broke, we passed by them and were in the advance then dropped down, the balls falling like hail. Some of our regiment came up behind us and fired so wildly that we were placed between two fires.” ~ unknown member of 96th Ohio

 

          The enemy seemed determined to hold the fort and fought like so many tigers. We kept our lines formed as well as we could. We were about out of ammunition, and none could be gotten to us. The 96th Ohio and the 77th Illinois came to relieve us, but the three regiments were so badly mixed up that no one could tell one from the other, and no commands could bring order out of chaos. This may not be understood by those who never saw a real battle but have formed ideas from pictures which put the soldiers all in line. In modern warfare, such a line would be cut down like grass before a scythe. When the real battle is on, while all try to keep together, everyone looks out for himself. A stump or tree is always made use of, and under a heavy fire one of the best points about a good soldier is to be able to save himself while he fights and kills the enemy. The regiment was never under a heavier fire than for the few hours on that day.


This period map shows the dispositions of Sherman's and Morgan's corps during the assault on Arkansas Post, along with the position of the gunboats on the Arkansas River who did much to silence the fort's artillery pieces. 


          This terrible fighting did not cease until 5 o’clock in the afternoon when, without warning, white flags were hoisted above the works of the enemy. All firing instantly ceased. Cheer upon cheer followed, while all order being cast aside, every effort was made by everyone to be the first in the fort. The flag of the 83rd Ohio was the first one planted on the rampart. For two hours and 50 minutes we had been under fire and having received this baptism, we were full-fledged soldiers. The regiment went into the engagement with about 400 men and lost ten killed and 80 wounded, over 20%. The regiment was honorably mentioned in official reports, while the Ohio legislature showed its appreciation by a unanimous vote of thanks. This victory was the first break in the great cloud of gloom which had settled over the land since the preceding summer.

          It would be scarcely possible to give an accurate description of the inside of the fort. The shot and shell had torn it all to pieces. Dead and wounded were everywhere. The casemate with its large gun was rendered utterly useless; headquarters buildings were totally wrecked, field artillery dismounted. The loss in the fort was 50 killed, 300 wounded, and 6,000 prisoners, 1,000 mules, and large amount of commissary stores. The regiment remained on the ground during the 12th and 13th, burying the dead, caring for the wounded, leveling the earthworks, and transferring the captured property to the boats.

 Sources:

Marshall, Thomas B. History of the 83rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, The Greyhound Regiment. Cincinnati: The 83rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Association, 1912, pgs. 54-59

Letter from unknown member of 96th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Delaware Gazette (Ohio), January 30, 1863, pg. 3


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