Grand Gulf's Role In the Civil War

Edwin C. Bearss, a native of Montana, served four years in the United States Marine Corps. He received his undergraduate training at Georgetown University and took his M.A. degree at Indiana. He is now the historian at the Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi. Grand Gulf's Role In the Civil War EDWIN C. BEARSS SEVKNTEEN months afte» Mississippi's withdrawal from the Union, armed hostilities initially visited the sleepy Mississippi River town of Grand Gulf. The town had been named for the large whirlpool or gulf formed by the current of the river being hurled to the left by the rocky headlandcalled Pointof Rock. This whirlpool often caughtand held flatboats for several days unless steamboats towed them out of it. A cyclone had devastated Grand Gulf in 1853, and apparently the town never recovered. It had been an important business center since it was the shipping point for Port Gibson, which lay eight miles to the southeast In the 1830's a railroad had been built between Port Gibson and Grand Gulf, but by 1862 the town was dying.1 With the capture of New Orleans, a portion of Flag Officer David G. Farragut's fleet proceeded up the Mississippi River, meeting no resistance more serious than the wordy protests of mayors of undefended cities. Raton Rouge was occupied on May 8, 1862, and Natchez five days later. No fortifications were encountered by the Federals south of Vicksburg , atwhichplacethe advanced flotilla, under Commander S. Phillips Lee, aboard the corvette "Oneida," arrived on May 18. Lee immediately called upon MayorLazarus Lindsay, as wellas BrigadierGeneral Martin L. Smith, commanding the defenses, to surrender; however, the demand was defiantly refused. Several days later Farragut arrived with additional warships. On the transports "Laurel Hill" and "Ceres," which accompanied him, were the Fourth Wisconsin and Sixth Michigan Regi1 Frank L. Riley, "Extinct Towns and Villages of Mississippi," Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, V ( 1902), 329-30. 6 EDWIN C. BEARSS ments and the Sixth Massachusetts Light Artillery Rattery—about 1400 men in all. RrigadierGeneral Thomas Williams hadbeen placed in command of the army personnel by Major General Benjamin F. Rutler, the Federal commander at New Orleans.2 A reconnaissance of the Confederates' position at Vicksburg was made, and then a council of war was held by Farragut and his commanders at which Williams was present. Williams was of the opinion that his force was altogether too small to accomplish anything against such defenses, and a large majority of the naval officers advised against Farragut's proposition to run by the batteries.3 Accordingly, the larger vessels of the Federal fleet, preceded by the "Richmond" and the two transports, commenced their withdrawal from Vicksburg on the morning of May 26. As the transports drew abreast of Grand Gulf, they were fired into by a masked Confederate battery of four6-pounders, commandedby Captain James A. Hoskins of the firookhaven Artillery. Before they could pull out of range, the Rebels' fire had succeeded in killing one and wounding two men aboard the "Laurel Hill." Relow Grand Gulf the transports rendezvoused with warships. These the Southerners had allowed to pass unchallenged, believing discretionthebetter partofvalor.4Pendingthe arrival of Farragut, Captain Thomas T. Craven of the "Brooklyn," accompanied by the "Kineo" and the "Katahdin," turned about and headed upstream with the objective of destroying Grand Gulf.5 As Craven's task force approached the village, his leading vessel, the "Kineo," opened fire. Almost immediately white flags were displayed from several conspicuous locations. Craven directed his signalman to hoist the cease-fire flag; however, before the command could be executed , almost twenty shots had been pumped into the village. With the cessation of the bombardment a delegation of citizens in a small boat 2 F. V. Greene, The Mississippi ("The Army in the Civil War," Vol. VIII; New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1882) p. 19; Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1894-1922 ), Ser. I, Vol. 18, pp. 491-94; The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (Washington : Government Printing Office, 1880-1901), Ser. I, Vol...