The Gods Are Smiling on Us: The Surrender of Vicksburg


“The news from Meade, Rosecrans, and Helena fills our cup of joy. The gods are smiling upon us and ruin hangs over the Southern Confederacy.” ~ Captain Robert P. Speer, Co. B, 31st Iowa Infantry on July 13, 1863

    Through the months of June and July 1863, readers of the Cedar Falls Gazette could keep up to date with the progress of Grant's siege of Vicksburg through the frequent letters penned by Captain Robert Patterson Speer of the 31st Iowa Infantry. Speer, a 35-year-old native of Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania, had moved to Iowa in the mid-1850s with dreams of opening a law practice, but found upon his arrival that his new neighbors didn't have much use for attorneys, so he used his two years of legal studies at Allegheny College and went into land surveying. In this Speer proved quite successful, and it was by building upon this success that he was able to pursue his first love of farming and running a fruit orchard. As a matter of fact, Speer would later serve as the president of the Iowa State Horticultural Society and Director of the Iowa Agricultural College Experimental Station.   

    The outbreak of the Civil War caused Speer to lay aside his business and agricultural pursuits to buckle on his sword to defend the Union. He was commissioned captain of Co. B of the 31st Iowa Volunteers on August 7, 1862 and would spend the next two years leading his company through seven Confederate states and take part in the fighting at Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, and the Atlanta campaign. 

    Captain Speer was truly an "accidental correspondent;" the editor of the local newspaper George Perkins had enlisted in Speer's company and for the first few months Perkins kept Cedar Falls up to date with all of the company news. But that winter, Perkins became so ill as to be discharged and Captain Speer rather reluctantly took up Perkins' task. The descriptiveness of his letters improved through the course of the war and as will be shown in this three-part series, Captain Speer offers some wonderful insights to life and death in the trenches around Vicksburg in that momentous summer of 1863. 

    I have chosen to present Speer's letters about Vicksburg in three parts as listed below. The first part concerns the marching phase of the campaign, covering the period from late April until around May 24th when the Federal army was firmly established around the city. The second part in the series focuses on the seemingly dull month of June where the two sides spent day and night hurling shells, bullets, and epithets at each other while waiting for the Confederates to surrender or for Joe Johnston to strike Grant's rear and lift the siege. The final part covers the surrender of the city and the immediate aftermath. 

    To help place Speer's commentary into proper context, it is worth noting that the regiment was assigned to Colonel Charles R. Woods' Second Brigade of General Frederick Steele's First Division of General William T. Sherman's 15th Army Corps. During the campaign, the regiment was under the command of Irish-born Colonel William Smyth then Major Theodore Stimming. 

Part 1: Marching to Vicksburg with the 31st Iowa

Part 2: Exhausting Pemberton’s Peas: The Siege of Vicksburg

Part 3: The Gods Are Smiling on Us: The Surrender of Vicksburg

 


Vicksburg, Mississippi

July 13, 1863

          Nothing transpired near Vicksburg that would interest the readers of the Gazette from the date of my last letter until the 4th instant when General Pemberton, commanding the Department of Vicksburg, was superseded by General Grant. The gallant Pemberton is not wanting in those qualities which enable us to distinguish the Southern gentleman from our Northern citizens or the people of other nations, but he certainly lacked peas and mule meat without which the most efficient and best disciplined Southern army would soon become a mob.

          Not only Federals but Rebels believe that Grant is a more able general than Pemberton; and I am of the opinion after conversing with many Rebels in this city that the late change in affairs here will give universal satisfaction except among Northern Copperheads. Pemberton surrendered to General Grant 31,400 men who have been paroled. They have been furnished with supplies or rations for eight days and marched yesterday towards Jackson. When they go beyond our lines, they will be disbanded and return to their homes. Rebel officers still talk fight, but the common soldiers are perfectly sick of the war. We captured at this place 30 siege guns, 108 pieces of heavy artillery, and 130 pieces of light artillery, also 60,000 stand of small arms and large quantities of ammunition.

Captain Robert J. McQuilkin, Co. D, 31st Iowa

Our gunners were ordered to save the city as much as possible and we find that it has been but little damaged. A large number of Negroes are now cleaning the streets, storerooms, etc. More than 100 steamers are lying at the wharf. Sutlers are arriving with large quantities of goods and in a few days this city will look like the Vicksburg of other years. General McPherson’s corps will hold the city and works and patrol the river as far up as Greenville and as far down as Grand Gulf. On the 4th instant, the 9th Army Corps, General Sherman’s corps, and General Ord’s corps were ordered to march to 2 a.m. on the 5th towards Black River and give Johnston battle or drive him beyond Jackson. The whole force marched at daylight. General Grant has established his headquarters in Vicksburg.

General Sherman commands the army which is in pursuit of Johnston and General Steele commands Sherman’s corps. After slow marching and considerable skirmishing, Sherman arrived at Jackson on the 11th instant and commenced another siege which I hope will be short. The city is now strongly fortified, and Johnston has 45,000 men. I have been sick during the past week but am now better and will start tomorrow in company with 60 or 70 convalescents of our regiment for Jackson. At the time Vicksburg fell into our hands, very many soldiers in Grant’s army had become unfit for duty through fatigue and exposure, but they are recovering rapidly and reporting for duty.

Port Hudson surrendered on the 10th instant. General Banks captured about 6,000 prisoners who will be paroled immediately. The Mississippi River is riding and is ours, open from Minneapolis and New Orleans. The troops under General Herron started up the Yazoo River yesterday to retake Yazoo City. The task will be an easy one. The news from Meade, Rosecrans, and Helena fills our cup of joy. The gods are smiling upon us and ruin hangs over the Southern Confederacy. Soon may it fall.

Source:

Letter from Captain Robert Patterson Speer, Co. B, 31st Iowa Volunteer Infantry, Cedar Falls Gazette (Iowa), July 24, 1863, pg. 2

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