Two Miserable Presidents by Steve Sheinkin

Author:Steve Sheinkin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Published: 2011-06-06T04:00:00+00:00

“I will bring back these colors in honor, or report to God the reason why.”

Anselmo Planciancios

As soon as the charge toward Port Hudson began, André Cailloux was shot through the left arm. He held his sword high in his right hand and shouted, “Follow me!”—and charged at the guns again.

“They charged and re-charged and didn’t know what retreat meant,” said a white soldier who fought at Port Hudson.

But the Confederate fort was just too strong. Cailloux was shot again and killed. Planciancios was hit in the head and died instantly. The attack ended in failure as darkness fell.

Though the black soldiers had not captured Port Hudson, their bravery and skill changed minds all over the country. “They fought splendidly,” reported General Nathaniel Banks.

Black soldiers soon saw more action when they were attacked at Milliken’s Bend, a Union supply post on the Mississippi River. In brutal hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets and rifle butts and fists, they helped defeat the Confederate attack.

Grant was impressed—and convinced he could rely on African American soldiers. And the recent action helped him tighten his grip around the throats of Port Hudson and Vicksburg. Both places started running out of food. A Confederate officer at Port Hudson remembered eating the army mules (“quite tender and juicy”), and then getting even more desperate:

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.