This Hard Life Has Told Heavily on the Men: Victory at Vicksburg

After more than 40 days of siege, Adjutant Henry O. Dwight and his comrades in the 20th Ohio had become hardened veterans, but it came at a cost. 

    "I am entirely weaned from any longings after houses for shelter, soft beds, or good things to eat- from everything but home society," he wrote to relatives back in Massachusetts. "A cup of coffee, a cracker, and a piece of salt pork cooked or raw as circumstances may require have made me many a welcome meal and have wiped out all yearnings for little niceties to eat such as I would have at home. The only luxury to me would be to get into camp once more and fix up a few camp luxuries. Since the 19th of April, we have had no camp, no tents, and for more than a week, no chance to clean up and look decent. This hard life has told heavily on our men: nearly 200 have been left sick in different hospitals and besides that, we have lost 119 killed and wounded in the past two months so that we have but 350 men with us now."

          Adjutant Dwight’s account of the final days of the siege of Vicksburg originally appeared in the July 31, 1863, edition of the Southbridge Journal published in Southbridge, Massachusetts where Dwight had relatives.

 Previous efforts to take Vicksburg by storm on May 19th and May 22nd proved so costly that Grant chose to take the slower but less costly route of siege. The endless exposure to the elements combined with the hot and humid conditions wore down the troops to such an extent that by early July, more than a third of the 20th Ohio was on the sick list. Dwight commented that "it is very romantic to live a soldier's life in the field, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing."

Near Vicksburg, Mississippi

July 2, 1863

 

          I suppose it may appear strange to you that I should be anywhere else than at Vicksburg at this time, but our duty is no less important than digging into the besieged city: it is keeping the rear clear. We are snugly fortified and are ready for Mr. Joe Johnston who, like a scarecrow, is continually before the eyes of the North to educe faith in Grant’s final success.

          It is very natural to wish to impart to me some of the luxuries that you speak of, but I am afraid that I could not appreciate them just now. I am entirely weaned from any longings after houses for shelter, soft beds, or good things to eat- from everything but home society. A cup of coffee, a cracker, and a piece of salt pork cooked or raw as circumstances may require have made me many a welcome meal and have wiped out all yearnings for little niceties to eat such as I would have at home. The only luxury to me would be to get into camp once more and fix up a few camp luxuries. Since the 19th of April, we have had no camp, no tents, and for more than a week, no chance to clean up and look decent. This hard life has told heavily on our men: nearly 200 have been left sick in different hospitals and besides that, we have lost 119 killed and wounded in the past two months so that we have but 350 men with us now.

          As I write, they are banging away at Vicksburg very briskly. Yesterday they exploded another mine, blowing up a large slice from out of Fort Hill, the Rebel stronghold in front of us. An unfortunate Negro standing with some Rebels inside was blown up and took a free passage to our lines where he alighted square on his head in a basket of earth. His head saved him as it was so thick, he was not hurt. The say the siege will not last much longer and after the 4th the Rebels will give up. I hope it is so for though it is very romantic to live a soldier’s life in the field, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

 

"A cup of coffee, a cracker, and a piece of salt pork have made me many a welcome meal and have wiped out all yearnings for little niceties to eat such as I would have at home," Dwight stated. For the besieged Confederates, a steady supply of hardtack would have been a Godsend as by July the men were reduced to eating mule meat and rodents. 

Near Vicksburg, Mississippi

July 6, 1863

 

          And so the victory is ours at last. On the morning of the 4th, I saddled my pony and made a triumphant entry into the city of Vicksburg. At 9 o’clock, the Rebels all came out in line of battle, stacked arms outside the fortifications and marched back to quarters, prisoners of war. And then it was that shouts such as were never heard before made the welkin ring for 15 miles around. First the troops in the trenches gave the cheer then the reserves took it up and almost as soon as the frenzy of joy reached the army of the Black River until the cheers rent the air on every side, dying out in the distance only to be renewed with more vigor.

At 10 o’clock, Logan’s division entered the city with flying colors and joyous music. At the same time, the fleet, decked in flags, pealed forth a grand salute to the Union. In our brigade, every man was growling because we had to remain at our post and miss the honor given to our division of being the first to enter Vicksburg. But the Rebels were threatening our lines from the east and we could not leave.

          It has never before been my fortune to see a large force on the march. We have always hitherto been in the advance. For two days, however, the troops have been constantly passing on their way to Johnston, that is, if Johnston is willing to wait for them and get another whipping. It is a fine sight to see them moving. Vicksburg is a miserable little town whose only ornament is a courthouse and that even is torn by sundry shots and pieces of shells. Every hill side is scooped out in little caves, dug by the people to escape our shots. In several camps I saw the mules that had been killed for their Fourth of July dinner and which would have been eaten had it not been for the surrender. As it was, they dined off Uncle Sam’s crackers and bacon. Most of the prisoners were entirely disheartened and glad to surrender.

 

Source:

Letter from Adjutant Henry O. Dwight, 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Southbridge Journal (Massachusetts), July 31, 1863, pg. 1


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 t...
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 ...
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 h...
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 Ma...
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 se...
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

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...
Read more

I Want to See a Battle: A Hoosier at Shiloh

Image
W riting in his diary, Private Manius Buchanan of the 29 th Indiana recalled the eagerness with which his regiment marched towards Savannah, Tennessee with the sounds of the battle of Shiloh ringing in their ears.           “The forced march was kept up until 2 p.m. when we were halted until 4 p.m,” he noted. “The rest was really needed, but the continual question is ‘Why are we stopped here?’ The sound of battle increased in volume and anxiety to be up and doing grows more intense. As I am weak from a late sickness, I am urged to fall to the rear; but no, in common with all, I want to see a battle and fear this will be my only chance.” The regiment would go into action the following afternoon, and of the four neighborhood boys who had enlisted together in Co. B, only Buchanan escaped unscathed. One afternoon's exposure to the horrors of battle was all it took to satisfy this Hoosier's desire to see the elephant. “I wanted to see a battl...
Read more

An Interview with Forrest in May 1864

Image
  “The noise of battle is the only music that ravishes the senses of Forrest.” I t was May 1864. Back east, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac were locked in the deadly dance of the Overland Campaign while in Georgia, General William Tecumseh Sherman's army squared off against General Joseph E. Johnston and the Army of the Tennessee in the campaign for Atlanta.       Based in relatively quiet northern Mississippi, General Nathan Bedford Forrest bided his time waiting for a Federal advance from Memphis. Earlier in the month, General Samuel Sturgis led a brief campaign into Mississippi but Forrest was sure Sturgis would venture out again. In the meantime, he tried to keep his reorganized command intact despite persistent demands from his superiors that he return the absentees and deserters who inflated his ranks (nearly 1,000 in number) to their original commands.      Around this same time,  an old acquaintance from Me...
Read more