Monitoring the Waterways
From the editor: Buoyed by the early successes at Port Royal, Fort Henry, and New Orleans, hopes are high for the United States Navy. Bolstered by the new Passaic Class monitor, the Union has unquestionable control over the high seas and most of the inland river systems. Despite its unique design the monitor has a “conventional” hull and can be built by "ordinary mechanics and riveters." Its modest eleven-foot draft also permits operations “in Southern coastal waters and rivers" and, most importantly, a new monitor can be completed in ninety-days. The U.S.S. Passaic, the first of twenty-one new monitors ordered by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, was ready for action in August and has been joined in the Atlantic Blockading Squadron by eight sister ships. However, even though they have been fitted with new 15-inch guns, the monitors have shown themselves incapable of overpowering coastal batteries. At Savannah's Fort McAllister the new gunboats inflicted little damage, even during an extended cannonade and “generally all that bombardment did was plow up sand and dust." Despite pessimistic reports from his commanders, Assistant Naval Secretary Gustavus V. Fox has bragged that a single monitor can sail into Charleston harbor. This has fueled a "wave of newspaper clamor and ‘On to Charleston’ slogans," uncomfortably similar to the discarded ‘On to Richmond’ cry of a year ago. It will be up to Rear-Admiral Samuel Du Pont to incorporate these new vessels into his squadron and deliver on the promises made in Washington by Welles and Fox.
February 01 1863 (Sunday)
Prior to embarking on the Mississippi River expedition, William T. Sherman issued orders excluding reporters. Thomas W. Knox, a reporter from the New York Herald, and a well-known member of the *Bohemian Brigade, ignored the orders and filed a report very critical of Sherman's leadership and lack of concern for wounded soldiers. ‘Cump’ Sherman confronts Knox, and is told, "Of course, General Sherman, I had no feeling against you personally, but you are regarded the enemy of our set, and we must in self-defense write you down." Convinced that Knox, and reporters of his ilk, are spies and traitors, and despite Knox's abject apology, Sherman has him arrested, with a military court-martial set to begin on February 5th. He writes: "I am going to have the correspondent of the New York Herald tried by a court-martial as a spy, not that I want the fellow shot.... I want to establish the principle that such people cannot attend our armies, in violation of orders, and defy us, publishing garbled statements and defaming officers who are doing their best."
IN SIGHT OF VICKSBURG, February 1, 1863.
Major-General SHERMAN: During the operations on the Yazoo and on Chickasaw Bayou my sources of information were exceedingly limited. I had been informed that an order was in existence requiring my arrest and detention; accordingly I remained very quietly on board the boat where I was staying, going but twice to the battle-field during the entire time.... In my account of the battle published in the Herald...I gave what I supposed was the correct history of the affair.... I find to my regret that I labored under repeated errors, and made in consequence several misstatements.... Deeply deploring the existence of...errors in the history of operations on the Yazoo, and trusting that neither myself nor any other journalist may again be so unfortunate in the collection of data for a published record, I remain, respectfully, yours.
THOS. W. KNOX, Correspondent New York Herald.
*Editor’s Note: The Bohemian Brigade was a group of reporters from the North that covered Union affairs during the war that would, at times, resort to unethical practices, such as bribing telegraph employees, to get their stories published. Knox, a veteran reporter, ran into difficulty with several Union commanders during the war.
Commander John L. Worden brings the U.S.S. Montauk back to Ossabaw Sound for another attempt to silence Fort McAllister. From her position 1,000 yards from the fort, the Montauk begins a five hour cannonade. McAllister's commanding officer Major John B. Gallie, 22nd Battalion Georgia Artillery, who is decapitated by a shell fragment, is the only casualty of the engagement. One Rebel gunner reports: "The firing from the fleet was good. My men were frequently covered by sand, and shell and fragments of shell." After absorbing forty-six hits, the Montauk steams away, once again unable to silence the Confederate fort.
SAVANNAH, February 1, 1863.
General THOMAS JORDAN, Chief of Staff: The ironclad seems to have fired principally 15-inch shell, one of which went directly through the parapet (17 feet thick) in front of a 32-pounder on the left. At this point the parapet was mostly built of marsh mud, which I infer cannot offer sufficient resistance to these missiles. Two shells seem to have struck near the same point on the parapet (made of sand) in front of the columbiad and tore away about a third of it, covering several men with sand; one or two were dug out. The resisting power of sand is very great, and after thick iron it makes probably the protection most desirable....I am, with regard, your most obedient servant,
HENRY BRYAN [Major and Assistant Inspector-General].
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. U.S. Grant forwards his dispute with J.A. McClernand to “the General-in-Chief and the President.” However, he adds a caveat: “Whether I do General McClernand injustice or not, I have not confidence in his ability as a soldier to conduct an expedition of the magnitude of this one successfully.”
2. Admiral D.D. Porter orders Colonel C.R. Ellet’s ram Queen of the West, to go down the river and attack the gunboat City of Vicksburg.
3. A court of inquiry convened in Holly Springs, Mississippi, dismisses nine officers from the 109th Illinois for “disobedience of orders” and “straggling.”
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. In Charleston, South Carolina, Spanish Consul Munez de Moncada quickly replies to P.G.T. Beauregard’s “notification of the raising the blockade.” He writes, “I remitted a copy...to his excellency the minister plenipotentiary at Washington.”
2. A court of inquiry in Grenada, Mississippi “fully” exonerates Lloyd Tilghman for the destruction of his tents during the retreat from Abbeville.
February 02 1863 (Monday)
Nineteen-year old Colonel Charles R. Ellet, commanding the Queen of the West, a part of the U.S. Ram fleet originally commanded by his father Charles Ellet, embarks at dawn to brave the Vicksburg batteries. (Charles Ellet died from wounds received last June.) Colonel Ellet reports: "The rebels opened a heavy fire upon us as we neared the city, but we were only struck three times before reaching the steamer." After unsuccessfully attacking the City of Vicksburg, a 625-ton side-wheel steamer, Ellet finds his own ship set on fire and is forced to pull back and steam to safety below the city.
Report of Col. Charles Rivers Ellet, Ram.
U.S. STEAM RAM QUEEN OF THE WEST, Below Vicksburg, Miss., February 2, 1863.
Actg. Rear-Admiral DAVID D. PORTER, Commanding Mississippi Squadron: At the...moment of collision the current, very strong and rapid at this point, caught the stern of my boat, and... swung her round so rapidly that nearly all her momentum was lost.....As we swung around, Sergt. J.H. Campbell...fired his gun.... The discharge took place at exactly the right moment, and set the rebel steamer in flames.... At this moment one of the enemy's shells set the cotton on fire near the starboard wheel, while the discharge of our own gun ignited that portion which was on the bow. The flames spread rapidly, and the dense smoke, rolling into the engine room, suffocated the engineers.... I ordered her to be headed down stream, and turned every man to extinguishing the flames. After much exertion, we finally put out the fire by cutting the burning bales loose.... The Queen was struck twice in the hull, but above the water line.... I remain, very respectfully,
CHARLES RIVERS ELLET, Colonel, Commanding Ram
The failure of the two gunboat attacks on Fort McAllister has forced Rear-Admiral Samuel F. Du Pont to postpone plans for an assault on the even more formidable defenses at Charleston. A disappointed David Hunter, Department of the South, reports: "Reinforcements...from North Carolina [have] arrived safely here..., accompanied by Major-General [John G. Foster, Department of North Carolina] ..., expecting that operations against Charleston would commence immediately.... I regret to say, however, that...the Navy will not be ready to undertake its part for the next three or four weeks." Despite Foster's absence, operations along the North Carolina seacoast continue with the destruction of the salt works at Currituck Beach.
Report of Capt. Francis E. Porter, Eighth Massachusetts Infantry.
CAPTAIN: Pursuant to information received from you...of there being salt-works in operation on Currituck Beach, I...went with a force of 90 men on the United States steamer Halifax and succeeded in destroying the same, together with about 100 bushels of salt, without opposition. These same works are located at a place called Wale's Head and have before been destroyed by our forces, but were rebuilt and in full operation and, I should say, were manufacturing salt at the rate of about 50 bushels per day. My expedition was a perfect success. Trusting my actions may meet your approbation, I am, captain, respectfully, your obedient servant,
[Francis] E. PORTER, Captain [Eighth Massachusetts], Commanding Post.
Other Union activity that occurred on this date:
1. W.S. Rosecrans defends his request for “two thousand carbines and revolving rifles.” He writes: “I want superior arms…in place of pistols.”
2. S.P. Heintzelman is appointed commander of the Department of Washington.
Other Confederate activity that occurred on this date:
1. J.E. Johnston repeats his recommendation that all “furloughs and discharges” from the Army of Tennessee be “revoked.”
2. P.G.T. Beauregard reports “the movements of the enemy seem to indicate Savannah as their future objective point.” He continues, “The battery at Genesis Point, on the Great Ogeechee, has twice been unsuccessfully attacked.”
February 03 1863 (Tuesday)
Colonel Thomas W. Higginson, First South Carolina (U.S.), is pleased with the behavior of the black troops under his command in South Carolina. He reports: "The men have been repeatedly under fire... and have in every instance come off...with unblemished honor.... There is a fiery energy about them.... No officer in this regiment now doubts that the key to the successful prosecution of this war lies in the unlimited employment of black troops." Governor John A. Andrew of Massachusetts is in full agreement. Andrew is combing the Northeast for "representative of men of color in the North," to fill the ranks of the new 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment. Andrew hopes to have both black and white officers in the regiments and has offered Captain Francis G. Shaw, Second Massachusetts, a colonelcy in the unit. "I am desirous to have for its officers...young men of military experience, of firm Anti-Slavery principles..., and having faith in the capacity of Colored men for military service." As the first, "Colored Regiment to be raised in the Free States," he is sure that the performance of the 54th "will go far to elevate or depress the estimation in which the character of the Colored Americans will be held throughout the world."
BOSTON, February 3, 1863.
Hon. [Edward] M. STANTON [Secretary of War]: [The] Congressional bill passed [in the] House of Representatives does not prohibit colored officers in colored regiments. Will you withdraw prohibition so far as concerns line officers, assistant surgeons, and chaplain of my proposed colored regiment? It will avoid difficulty. Power would not be used except possibly for few cases of plainly competent persons recommended by the field officers, who shall be gentlemen and soldiers of highest merit and influence.
JOHN A. ANDREW.
Encouraged by Joe Wheeler's success at Harpeth Shoals, Braxton Bragg reinforces him with Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry brigade and sends them back to Palmyra, Tennessee, for a return engagement. However, apprised of Wheeler's intent, William Rosecrans halts all river traffic. Wheeler reports: "The scarcity of forage made it impossible for me to remain long on the south side of the river.... I... had but the alternative to remain idle or attack the fort at Dover." Over the protests of Forrest, ‘Fighting Joe’ decides to attack the small Union garrison at Fort Donelson. After completing the nine mile march, Wheeler sends in a flag of truce which is promptly refused. Forrest then attacks from the southeast, having two horses shot out from under him, while John A. Wharton leads the assault from the west. Despite gaining a foothold in the city, a lack of ammunition forces Wheeler to order a retreat shortly after dark. Upset with the handling of the entire affair, Forrest declares that he will never again go into battle under Wheeler's command. Colonel William W. Lowe, Fifth Iowa Cavalry, quickly announces the good news: "A glorious victory over Wheeler, Forrest, and Wharton.... The whole rebel force in full retreat."
Report of Col. Abner C. Harding, Eighty-third Illinois Infantry, commanding Fort Donelson.
SIR: After the enemy were foiled in their first attempt to charge from up the river, they soon rallied, and, led on by Forrest himself, they again moved forward in a solid, motley mass, moving...forward in successive lines of battle..., filling the whole open space with mounted men and the air with yells of triumph. In an instant the siege gun was doubled-shotted with canister, and turned upon them and discharged, tearing one man to atoms and two horses, within 10 feet of the muzzle.... The simultaneous discharge of 300 Springfield rifles and a double shot of canister from the siege gun was too much for them; the line gave way and their yells suddenly ceased.
A.C. HARDING, Colonel, Commanding.
Casualties at Dover, Tennessee:
U.S.: 128 (13 killed, 51 wounded, 46 captured/missing)
C.S.: 205 (100 killed and wounded, 105 captured/missing)
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. U.S. Grant reports that “one of the rams ran the blockade this morning.” He writes: “This is of vast importance, cutting off the enemy's communication with the west bank of the river.”
2. W.S. Rosecrans complains that “paymasters have arrived with funds for payment of my command to October 31 only.”
3. After repeated disputes with S.R> Curtis, his commander, J.M. Schofield requests removal from command of the Army of the Frontier. He writes: “Better [to] give the command to anybody, and leave him free to act, than to keep me here and forbid my doing anything.”
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. From Tullahoma, J.E. Johnston reports that his “confidence” in Braxton Bragg “is confirmed by his recent operations, which…evince great vigor and skill.”
2. South Carolina Governor M.L. Bonham reports that “the Ironsides is off Charleston Bar, and other ironclads are in the neighborhood.” He warns an attack on Charleston “may occur in forty-eight hours.”
3. In Charleston, F.D. Lee, Captain of Engineers, reports that work on the marine torpedo ram “is far advanced toward completion, and that the only cause of delay is in the iron work.”
February 04 1863 (Wednesday)
Army of Northern Virginia commander Robert E. Lee knows that he cannot keep his army concentrated near Fredericksburg for much longer. The area has little food or forage left to offer and the dilapidated R.F.&P. Railroad can't be relied upon to bring up adequate supplies for his hungry men. In addition, the Union buildup near Port Royal, South Carolina, has forced President Davis to shift troops from Wilmington, North Carolina to Charleston to meet this new threat. Secretary of War Seddon writes: "The presence of so many of the ironclads at Beufort, S.C.; the sailing lately of many transports with troops...southward..., all induce the conclusion that Charleston is the real object of attack.” However, the North Carolina coastline cannot be left unattended. Seddon continues: “Considering the line to Wilmington as really one line for the defense of the capital and the whole department under your command, I fell anxious to keep you advised of all movement." Lee obliges by offering to send some of his men to fill the void. "Should a sufficient force not be left in North Carolina to guard our lines...some regiments of General [Henry A. Wise's] brigade might be temporarily ordered to take their place? In case of necessity troops from this army can be sent to Richmond, and if you think the exigencies of the South more pressing there than here I will send them at once."
HEADQUARTERS, Fredericksburg, Va., [February] 4, 1863.
Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War, Richmond, Va.: I have received your dispatch...in reference to the propriety of sending re-enforcements from this army to North Carolina to replace those recalled to Charleston. I will do so if you deem the exigency requires it.... I am trying to be prepared for any movement that may be made by General [Joseph Hooker’s Army of the Potomac], but if the pressure on Wilmington is the more urgent it should be re-enforced.... I have the honor to be, with great esteem, &c.,
R.E. LEE, General.
Colonel William A. Phillips, Third Indian Home Guards, struggles to keep his small force available to protect pro-Union Indians from Colonel Stand Watie, First Cherokee Regiment, and his band of pro-Confederate Indians. He writes: "Forage is scarce, and has to be hauled some distance and economized. I can manage to subsist here for a week or two, perhaps three, and could move east or southeast into Arkansas again and live some way, until...March." Recent Rebel defeats in Arkansas and extremely poor living conditions in the Indian Territory have combined to bring the leaders of the Cherokee tribe together to decide if they will renounce their treaty with the Confederates and rejoin the Union.
HDQRS. 8TH AND 9TH DISTS., DEPT. OF THE MISSOURI, In the Field, Camp John Ross, February 4, 1863.
Major-General CURTIS, Commanding Department of the Missouri: I moved my main command 10 miles northeast. I did so...to be nearer forage and to protect the assemblage of the national legislature of the Cherokee Nation, which convenes today, and which had...to meet in the Nation. Besides protecting a loyal nation in its first exercise of civil authority since the rebels seized on them..., it cannot fail to have a happy effect on the other Indian nations.... The extreme want of the people below here steadily assumes a more serious cast.... I remain, with profound respect, your obedient servant,
WM. A. PHILLIPS, Colonel, Commanding Third Brigade.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. John Sedgewick supersedes W.F. Smith as commander of VI Corps, Army of the Potomac.
2. Lieutenant-Colonel J.H. Wilson, Chief of Topographical Engineers, reports the Yazoo Pass is open, “and a river 75 or 80 yards wide is running through it with the greatest velocity.” According to Wilson, “It will not be safe to undertake to run through the Pass for four or five days, on account of the great rapidity and fall of the water.”
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. Worried about the expected attack on Charleston, P.G.T. Beauregard orders all “prisoners of war in this city (except officers and negroes),” to be sent to Richmond.
2. Lieutenant J.S. Mosby reports he arrived in Fauquier County, Virginia, “about a week ago,” and has been “quite actively engaged with the enemy.” He writes, “The result up to this time has been the capture of 28 Yankee cavalry, together with all their horses, arms, &c.”
February 05 1863 (Thursday)
To Joe Johnston the logic is inexorable. President Jefferson Davis has told him that command of the Department of the West is the "highest military position in the Confederacy." If this is truly the case, Robert E. Lee, the highest ranking military officer, should have command. Precipitating Johnston's unhappiness is his conviction that command in the west places him in an untenable position. He writes: "The armies [in Tennessee and Mississippi] cannot...form one command. The mistake of the government has been, and is, trying to make them one." With Grant's army applying pressure near Vicksburg, Bragg's leadership crisis threatening to explode in Tullahoma, and the perpetual rivalry between Davis and Johnston poisoning their relationship, it is up to Secretary of War Seddon to soothe Johnston's ruffled feathers. Seddon writes: “It was thought that the armies in your department were not so...remote from each other, that combined movements among them might not be mutually supporting.... It was contemplated and expected that...wherever the exigency seemed most to demand, you would assume directly the supreme command of the army imperiled, and give to it the benefit of your prestige and superior ability.”
WAR DEPARTMENT, C.S.A., Richmond, Va., February 5, 1863,
General JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON: DEAR SIR: It has pained me to find...that you consider...your present command somewhat anomalous and unsatisfactory. You seem to consider the several armies within your department too far separated by distance...to be wielded as a whole, and that, while nominally controlling all, you can really have command of none.... I can well understand your position..., but I feel assured it was very far from the intention of the President.... Could you not...establish yourself permanently with the central and leading army in Middle Tennessee, with General Bragg an organizer and administrator under you, and direct all its field operations? Would this condition better suit you, or would you prefer to command separately, and without any such leading subordinate, that army alone? I should really be pleased to learn candidly from you your own preferences.... With the highest esteem, cordially, yours,
A. SEDDON.
After patching up the Queen of the West, Charles R. Ellet proceeds down the Mississippi River on a search and destroy mission. In Port Hudson, Louisiana, Franklin Gardner is warned about the prowling Federal vessel. "The gunboat which passed Vicksburg has...captured three of our boats--the Moro, the Baker, and the Berwick Bay.... She is an iron-clad, but is arranged...with cotton bales." Ellet ranges as far south as the mouth of the Red River, capturing steamers, river boats, and vast amounts of supplies.
MISS. SQUADRON, MOUTH OF YAZOO, February 5, 1863. VIA CAIRO, ILL.
Hon. GIDEON WELLES, Secretary of the Navy: After the ram Queen of the West...reported progress before Vicksburg, I ordered her down the river to sink and destroy all vessels she met with.... [She] destroyed...three large steamers loaded with pork, sugar, molasses, and army supplies.... Colonel Ellet came within two hours of catching General Dick Taylor [District of West Louisiana], with a transport load of troops. The Queen of the West went 10 miles up Red River, where there are many fine steamers that are supplying Port Hudson. They will likely not attempt to go out while the ram is about. She is now out of coal, and had to return on that account. I am going to supply her, either by drifting a barge around at night or by sending across the land.... Very respectfully,
DAVID D. PORTER.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. Major Christopher Kleinz, Fifth Pennsylvania Cavalry, skirmishes with enemy “pickets” near Olive Branch Church, Virginia.
2. Major F.W. Reeder’s scout encounters a C.S. guerilla band near Bollinger’s Mills, Missouri. He reports, “We took no prisoners from amongst them.”
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. J.C. Pemberton reports that “large numbers of deserters…are daily coming in.” He requests permission to “parole them and permit them to go home.”
2. In Columbia, Tennessee, G.J. Pillow reports that “this place is very much threatened by the enemy.” He reports, “The cavalry are ravaging and plundering the country.”
February 06 1863 (Friday)
Convinced that the De Soto Point canal project is a colossal waste of time and effort, Ulysses S. Grant struggles to solve the Vicksburg puzzle. He writes: "On examining the route of the present canal, I lost all faith in its ever leading to any practical results." Grant has three major projects in the works: "One of these is by the way of Yazoo Pass.... Another is by Lake Providence and the network of bayous connecting it with Red River.... A third is by the way of Willow and Roundaway Bayous, leaving the Mississippi at Milliken's Bend, and coming in at New Carthage." Grant assigns James B. McPherson’s 17th Corps, the task of opening the waterways near Lake Providence. Engineers are also sent to scout the meandering bayous west of the Mississippi River. Captain John W. Cornyn reports: "I explored about 4 miles of Roundaway Bayou.... I was here compelled to abandon my exploration from the fact that there was no possible pass on this side of the bayou." Yazoo Pass, 350 miles north of Vicksburg, is the most promising of the bayou experiments. Cut off by a levee built in the 1850's, this waterway leads, through various deep-water streams, to the Yazoo River and would allow Grant to attack Vicksburg from the east. Four days ago, Lieutenant-Colonel James H. Wilson set off explosives that opened a hole in the levee, allowing the flood-swollen river to breach the levee. He reports: "The opening was 40 yards wide, and the water pouring through like nothing else I ever saw except Niagara Falls.... The work was a perfect success." Captain George Brown, U.S.N., is preparing to brave the rush of water through the pass and take the gunboat U.S.S. Forrest Rose through the gap and into nearby Moon Lake.
BEFORE VICKSBURG, February 6, 1863.
Rear-Admiral DAVID D. PORTER, Comdg. Miss. Squadron: I would respectfully advise the following program to be followed...by the expedition through Yazoo Pass: They necessarily go through the Pass into Coldwater River, thence down that stream into the Tallahatchee, which, with its junction with the Yalabusha, forms the Yazoo, which it is the great object of the expedition to enter. At the town of Marion [Greenwood], on the Yazoo River, [the enemy] were said at one time to have had a battery, but it has been removed.... Below Marion [Greenwood] the river divides, forming a very large island, the right-hand branch, descending, being known as the Big Sunflower..., and the left-hand branch retains the name of Yazoo. On this is Yazoo City, where in all probability steamers will be found; and if any gunboats are being constructed, it is at this place.... I have directed 600 men, armed with rifles, to go up on transports to Delta, leaving here to-morrow, to act as marines to the expedition....
U.S. GRANT.
Despite the promises of the superintendent of the Virginia Central Railroad to deliver at least 90,000 pounds of forage per day, Robert E. Lee's army is only receiving 30,000 pounds daily, or about one-sixth of the amount necessary for all its animals. Lee orders his artillery officers to “attend closely to their horses,” and let them “browse on the stubble, twigs, &c.” He writes: “Life at least can be preserved." Lee is also forced to "send the horses wherever they can be foraged." The inefficiency of the railroads is exacerbated by Commissary-General Lucius B. Northrop's decision to prohibit the use of special messengers to travel with supplies. Instead, Northorp directs that “the commissary making the shipment shall immediately notify all the superintendents of railroads..., asking them to expedite the transportation of the supplies." Colonel William M. Wadley, A.A.G., the superintendent for all the Confederate railroads, goes further to insist that the government must assume a larger role in managing the country's rail system.
RALEIGH, N.C., February 6, 1863.
General [Samuel] COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector General, Richmond, Va.: Every day's experience confirms me stronger in the belief that...I can do but little toward expediting Government transportation.... In every direction there is an accumulation of freight that is being wasted or damaged for want of protection, and the number of Government agents and messengers accompanying it in the character of protectors and forwarders would, I have not the least doubt, form a full regiment.... The question will naturally be asked, what shall or can be done? I answer without hesitation..., let Congress pass an act making it obligatory upon the railroads of the country to perform promptly Government transportation. The law, without allowing men and supplies, will be of no use, for without these the roads cannot exist.... I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
WM. M. WADLEY, Assistant Adjutant-General.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. The U.S. government officially turns down an offer by Napoleon III to mediate the dispute between the U.S. and the C.S. governments.
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. President Davis advises Secretary Seddon that “Charleston and the railroad to Savannah should be covered with a larger force than heretofore.”
2. After a “rigid investigation,” Braxton Bragg discovers “several thousand officers and men are absent” in violation of his orders, and “upon permission granted...by every grade of commissioned officer.” He complains that “the country is full of scraggling officers and soldiers.”
February 07 1863 (Saturday)
John S. Marmaduke has been resting and refitting his command south on the White River near Batesville, Arkansas, since returning from his Missouri raid last week. He reports: "The expedition was an extremely hazardous and trying one.... The horses were…, for the most part, unshod, very poor, and unfit for any service.” A hundred miles away, in West Plains, Missouri, Colonel *George Waring, Fourth Missouri Cavalry, is given permission for a raid against Marmaduke’s unsuspecting command. Traveling through ever deepening snow, Waring’s men seize the ferries across the river and occupy the town. When he learns he is badly outnumbered by the Confederate forces across the river, Waring has his men build large fires along the riverbank and orders a withdrawal at daybreak. Waring marches quickly to Evening Shade, where he paroles his frost-bitten prisoners, before continuing on with the “few wagon-loads of forage and captured supplies. Colonel Isaac H. Elliott. 23rd Illinois, remarks: “If the campaign had any purpose, no one knew it.”
WEST PLAINS, Mo. February 7, 1863.
Major-General CURTIS: The dash on Batesville has accomplished all it was intended. Express is just received from [Colonel George E. Waring] commanding my cavalry division. He drove Marmaduke's forces out of Batesville..., killing and wounding many and capturing some prisoners.... Such of the enemy as could not crowd into the ferry-boats swam the river. Marmaduke's entire force is on the other side.... I am sending dragoons to...Van Buren. I have two good ferry-boats there.
[John] W. DAVIDSON, [District of Southeast Missouri] Brigadier-General.
*Editor’s Note: After the war, George Waring became the country’s foremost sanitary engineer. In 1895, he established New York City’s Street Cleaning Department, and outfitted them in white uniforms and pith helmets, in the first organized system for cleaning the city’s streets
‘Fighting Joe’ Hooker has won his reputation on the bloody battlefields at Glendale, Malvern Hill, Second Manassas, South Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg. Thus, it is an unexpected surprise to learn that he is also a gifted administrator. Ambrose Burnside has left him a beaten army, beset with huge sick lists, an ever growing desertion rate, terrible morale, and a general lack of faith in the officers chosen to lead them. In his first full week on the job, Hooker takes on these problems with a vengeance. First, he makes sure the men get paid and gets permission to revive the policy of granting occasional leaves. In his next move, Hooker gets rid of the organizational burden of Burnside's grand divisions, and concentrates his cavalry into one corps with one commander. "The division of the army into grand divisions, impeding rather than facilitating the dispatch of its current business...is discontinued, and the corps organization is adopted in its stead.... The cavalry of the army will be consolidated into one corps, under the command of Brigadier-General [George] Stoneman." For his coup de grace, fresh bread is issued to the men and the steady diet of salt pork and hardtack is supplemented with potatoes, onions and other vegetables.
GENERAL ORDERS, No. 9.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Camp near Falmouth, Va., February 7, 1863.
Flour or soft bread will be issued at the depots to commissaries for at least four issues per week to the troops. Fresh potatoes or onions, if practicable, for two issues per week. Desiccated mixed vegetables or potatoes for one issue per week. Commanders of army corps, divisions, brigades, and separate commands will require any commissary under their orders who fails to issue the above-named stores to the command to which he is attached, and as often as stated, to produce the written statement of the officer in charge of the depot from which he regularly draws his supplies to the effect that they were not on hand at the depot for issue to him, or otherwise to satisfactorily account for his failure. By command of Major-General Hooker:
[Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph] DICKINSON, Assistant Adjutant-General.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. From Cincinnati, H.G. Wright reports that there are “a hundred or more” officers and men “of the rebel army” in Owen County, Kentucky, who have “returned home for their own convenience.”
2. From Hilton Head, South Carolina, David Hunter reports that his command is ready to embark for “operations against Charleston.” However, Hunter must wait “three or four weeks” due to “the non-arrival” of the monitors Patapsco and Nahant.
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. Georgia Governor J.E. Brown informs Secretary Seddon that he fears “an early attack upon Savannah.” He writes, “There is strong reason to fear that the city must fall.”
2. D.H. Hill is assigned “assigned to the command of the troops in the State of North Carolina,” and will report to G.W. Smith.
3. Commander Ebenezer Farrand, C.S.N., reports the successful launching of two ironclads, the C.S.S. Tuscaloosa and Huntsville, at Selma, Alabama. Both warships are to be sent to Mobile.