Storming Vicksburg by Earl J. Hess

Author:Earl J. Hess
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 2020-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

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It Made the Tears Come to My Eyes

STEELE, MAY 22

When Sherman persuaded Grant to renew assaults in an effort to help McClernand, he was thinking mostly of Blair’s and Tuttle’s divisions as the units to call on. Sherman had earlier given Steele wide latitude to conduct operations along the north face of Lockett’s line as he saw fit, only recommending a possible point of attack. That point was the place Thayer’s brigade had approached without an attack on May 19. The ground at the foot of Fort Hill Ridge and at the bottom of Mint Spring Bayou offered a large sheltered spot for the assembly of an assault force because the ridge happened to bulge out considerably here, shielding a considerable area from Confederate view. Steele consumed most of the day in moving troops to that point and was not ready to assault until Blair and Tuttle had nearly finished their work that afternoon.1

Simply moving to the attack point proved to be dangerous because portions of the route were exposed to Confederate fire. Col. Charles R. Woods left behind the 76th Ohio to hold the brigade line near the river while moving his other five regiments in a roundabout way to the left. He was careful to choose a route that was covered from Confederate view as much as possible and in the process consumed several hours of precious time. Col. Francis H. Manter also left behind some troops—the 27th Missouri, 29th Missouri, and 32nd Missouri—before taking his other three regiments to the left behind Woods. Manter started later but had a shorter distance to move.2

As these troops made their way to the assembly area, batteries on both sides maintained a spirited exchange of fire along Steele’s sector. Brig. Gen. William E. Baldwin was hit “rather severely” in the shoulder by an artillery burst about noon. Col. Allen Thomas of the 28th Louisiana took control of his brigade for the rest of the day. Thomas’s regiment returned to Brig. Gen. Francis A. Shoup’s Brigade on May 23, whereupon Col. Robert Richardson of the 17th Louisiana managed Baldwin’s Brigade until Baldwin recovered and returned to duty by June 13.3

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