CHAPTER XVI.
On the morning of April 2d, 1865, we heard heavy cannonading in front. We began marching at eleven o’clock, and when we had gone six miles we came in range of the enemy’s heavy batteries and ironclad gunboats, which lay at Tennsas Bay. We advanced at two p. m., under a heavy rain of shot and shell. We moved up and formed in line of battle with a loss of one man in Company E killed.
We now formed our lines around Fort Blakely, one of the strong defenses of Mobile. Our troops were stationed under a heavy artillery fire from forts and gunboats, on the lines as follows: Our colored division was placed on theright (severalof them were going to the rear with bloody heads) next to the bay; our division commanded by C. C. Andrews, came in next on the line; and Osterhos, Carr, and Veach were to our left.
We were furnished with shovels and soon went down into the earth like moles. The laziest man that lives will work under circumstances like these. The rebel forts mounted some very large Brooks rifles, which threw thirty-two to one hundred eighty-four pound shots. They also had three ironclad gunboats.
Our force, which was commanded by General Granger, was at Fort Spanish, seven miles to our left. There had been fighting there for several days. We could hear our fleet bombarding at night. The jar from the heavy guns almost shook the ground. But we also had plenty here to draw our attention.
April 3d, 1865, we strengthened our earthworks all alongthe line. Our artillery was not in position yet, but our sharpshooters kept up a lively racket. A continual roar was still kept up by our gunboats and heavy guns at Fort Spanish. Colonel Spicely and three out of our regiment were wounded that day. This was the first time since we had left Pensacola that we drew full rations.
On the 4th we heard heavy fighting at Fort Spanish. Our land forces were making it hot for them and charging was going on. We could hear them cheering all around their lines.
On the 5th there was sharp fighting all along our lines. Two men were killed and one wounded in our regiment. We tried to advance our rifle pits. At night our company moved forward one hundred yards to establish a new line.
On the morning of the 6th our batteries being in position, opened on the rebels. They did not reply for some time, but when they did let loose it was a sight. The air was full of iron and one could see the dirt and limbs of trees flying in all directions. There was a solid crash and roar from the big guns on the rebel forts.
On the 7th, at four a. m., our company took position in the advance pits. We were advancing our works well. I was one of the three vedettes who were stationed in the extreme advance, two hundred yards from the fort and eighty yards from the rebel sharpshooters. During the day five bullets cut the sod above the loop hole through which we were shooting, but we escaped their deadly message. After dark we crawled out and advanced fifty yards and established other pits. But we discovered just now that we were running into a nest of torpedoes, and they were dangerous things to dig around.
We were relieved at nine p. m. At twelve our artillery opened all along the line, and the rebels soon replied. The two artilleries had quite a duel.
On the morning of the 8th there was a general engagement all around the line. Some heavy shells which were thrown by the rebels’ gunboat fell in the rear of our rifle pits. They went ten feet into the ground and exploded, throwing up a cloud of dust and leaving quite a hole in the ground. We had a simple recruit in our company by the name of Murray. He jumped out of our pit and stepped up to the edge of the hole.
Captain Taylor called out, “Murray, get down from there! You will get your fool head blowed off.”
He answered. “Guess not. Captain; they can’t hit that hole again.”
But several more shots were put in too close to feel comfortable.
Four of our thirty-two pound Parrot guns, manned by the Twenty-first Indiana, had an hour’s engagement with two rebel gunboats. One of the boats was disabled and drew off down the bay. The other one took warning and did not stay long. Our regiment began digging quarters pits and received marching orders to go to Fort Spanish, but they were countered. We then lay in the pits all night and supported the Pioneers.
An assault was made on Fort Spanish at six o’clock in the evening. A desperate struggle, which lasted four hours, followed. General Granger’s brave boys then charged over the rebels’ strong fortifications and captured seven hundred prisoners and one hundred heavy guns. This put a damper on the rebel army at Blakely.
April 9th, 1865, everything was quiet in the fort. Some rumors were going that the rebels were evacuating the fort. At three o’clock all of us fell in line and moved into our advance rifle pit. The colored troops made a charge on our right, and the rebels opened concentrated fire on them. They were repulsedwith heavy slaughter. They fell back to a deep hollow and were not able to make a second attack.
Our skirmish line was ordered to charge all along our lines at five o’clock. We had to go two hundred fifty yards, through three picket fences and over hundreds of torpedoes, to gain their main forts. I was on the skirmish line, and looking back, I saw our entire force coming, everyone trying to get across that field of death and destruction.
At first many brave comrades planted their colors on the rebel fortifications, to pitch over into the rifle pits, with a bullet crashing through their heads. Scores were blown out of existence by torpedoes. The air was full of cannister and minnie balls, but the work was short and decisive. As soon as the rebels found out that nothing would stop our determined assaultthey hoisted upwhite flags all along the line. But it was not before they were covered with the blood of brave boys who were shot and had fallen over into the pits on them.
This charge had lasted about fifty minutes. The rebel troops in front of the colored troops surrendered to our division, for they knew that the negroes would not show them any quarters, as they came up with the shout of “Fort Pillow,” and they continued to shoot at the rebels even after they raised the white flags.
The loss in our division was four hundred killed and wounded. The loss in our regiment was fifteen. Captain Merchant of Company G fell dead on the field. Colonel Spicely’s horse was blown up by a torpedo.
We captured four thousand prisoners and one hundred heavy Brooks’ cannon. Three thousand of the rebel troops had made their escape on trees felled across the swamp to the Sand Battery. It was about sunset when we got into the fort.
Three rebel ironclads were lying out in the bay, awaiting abarge load of marines who had been in the rifle pits. George Williamson, of our company, wheeled a little brass gun into position and fired a shell over the marines. It bursted forty feet too high, but it had the effect all the same. They came back to shore faster than they had gone out, with white flags fluttering in the air. The gunboats moved on down the bay towards the sand batteries.
Our regiment moved down and took charge of the commissaries, which were well supplied. Two old messmates, Clark and Tolliver and I saw the upper room lighted up. We went upstairs, and it proved to be the officers’ dining room. A colonel, for supper.
The table was the best supplied one that we had seen for months. There was chicken and other good things too numerous to mention.
Clark called out, “Hello, rebs! Thanks for your good supper. We are in need of something of that sort after a hard day’s work. Get out of here!”
They pleaded for more time but had to be contented to go with a piece in hand. Two of our soldiers came in and wanted the honor of capturing some officers. We turned the officers over to them and took our places at the table. We enjoyed as good a meal as we had eaten for months.
As I passed out and downstairs, I picked up a caddy of old Virginia tobacco to divide up with the boys at a dollar a plug.
The Sixteenth corps charged on our left. Their loss was not as heavy as ours. Several of them were blown up by torpedoes at night. On the morning of the 10th we marched out to where our quarters were on the line. We passed over that ragged battle field, and a rebel major and a squad of prisoners were raising torpedoes. They were as thick as pumpkins on newground. They exploded several by means of a battery. There were long rows of them which were fastened together by wires.
Heavy bombarding was going at the sand batteries, which is about half way between Forts Blakely and Spanish. On the 11th we had general inspection. Heavy clouds of smoke were seen in the direction of Mobile. Much was going on at that place. The rebels evacuated the sand batteries and Mobile at eleven a. m., leaving all of their heavy guns and monitors of war in our possession.
We received marching orders at five p. m. and marched all night. After traveling a distance of thirteen miles we reached the landing below Fort Spanish. All was quiet now, except the cheering that went on over our great victories. Our recruiting officers returned and we got the news that Richmond had fallen into our possession April 2d, 1865, and the Stars and Stripes now waved over the southern Confederacy.
We lay here until the 14th of April, when we marched back to Blakely. On our way back we met some prisoners whom we had taken at Blakely. We went into camp inside the fort at two o’clock. On the evening of the 15th we had general inspection. Heavy details were at work, getting up all of the artillery and small arms which we had captured.
Sunday, the 16th, church was held throughout our entire army, and many prayers went up to God for his kindness in saving so many of our lives through the past butchery and hell.
On the 17th a national salute was fired over the success of our armies in the surrender of Forts Spanish, Blakely, Tracy, and Huger, which placed Mobile in our possession. We had also received the news of General Lee’s surrender. He surrendered to General Grant, April 9th, 1865 (the same time at which we captured Fort Blakely) at Appomattox Court House, in Virginia.
On the 19th one of our boys in Company G stepped on a torpedo, just outside of camp, and was blown up in the air fifteen feet. One leg was blown off, his ribs mashed in, and one arm shattered to the shoulder.
On the morning of the 20th we marched on board a boat and ran six miles down the bay to Mobile. We saw several torpedoes explode in the bay, throwing the water fifty feet high. We had several torpedo rakes at work knocking them off. The “St. Mary” had been blown up at the mouth of the pass which is known as Grant’s Pass. These monsters of destruction were planted all over the bay.
Our department was commanded by General E. S. Canby. The surrender of the defenses around Mobile were the last hard battles of the great Civil war.
On the evening of the 21st we went up above the city and anchored in the mouth of the Mobile river. At this place we first heard the news of the assassination of our beloved president, Abraham Lincoln. His life was taken by John Wilkes Booth, at Ford’s theater, on the night of April 14th, 1865. This sad news put a damper over our army. Our flags were all dropped to half-mast, and many of the boys shed tears and were mourning. These same boys had shouted themselves hoarse a few days before over our great victories, which aided in putting down the rebellion, for we well knew that peace was near at hand. The chief cornerstone of our American government had now been stilled for all time by the hands of a wicked assassin.
Two of our gunboats and thirteen transports, loaded with troops, had gathered at this place. On the morning of the 22d we pulled up the river to the mouth of theTombigbee river, to await the arrival of the remainder of our fleet. Here we found one of our gunboats, lying on guard duty. During the day several flat boats loaded with citizens passed us on the way back to Mobile.
On the morning of the 23d we hoisted anchor and ran on up the Alabama river to Chocktaw Bluffs, which was sixty miles away. The rebels had had this place fortified, but had gone, leaving two heavy guns on the fort.
On the morning of the 24th we started on up the river and landed at Clayburn, sixty miles distant, at four p. m. We found some of our cavalry here, who had been left as safeguards. Three heavy guns had been planted at this place. We landed and the boys soon brought in plenty of pork and chickens for supper.
On the morning of the 25th we moved on up the river at six a. m. After we had gone seventy miles we anchored at nine o’clock. This is a beautiful country and has very large plantations. The colored troops got off of the boats here and marched through by land.
On the 26th we ran along by the side of the “Mustang” and drew rations, as this was a commissary boat. We passed Mattee’s landing at nine o’clock and Prairie Bluff at ten. We captured a flat boat, which was loaded with rebel supplies, and was trying to get away from our cavalry. Our advance boat was fired into by a squadof guerrillas andone man was killed. We landed, got off of the boats and found where their horses had just been fed, but now they were fleeing for safer quarters. We burned all of the buildings on several plantations.
We got on the boats and moved on up the river. Many dead rebel soldiers and horses floated past us during the day. They had been drowned at the time of Wilson’s raid. We landed at ten o’clock at night.
On the morning of the 27th we passed Cahawba, where wetook three of our men from the rebels, who they had made prisoners. Some of the citizens of this place cheered our brave boys while they played national airs. We landed at Selma at two o’clock. We went into camp on the river bank opposite the town. This is a beautiful little town, situated on the bank of the Alabama river. The surrounding country is also very beautiful.
The boys went out and soon returned with plenty of good things to eat. We lay here until the morning of the 28th. We then broke camp, crossed the river and marched through the town. We went into camp near the rebel fortifications, which General Wilson’s cavalry had charged and captured a few days before. They had blown up the arsenal and burned many stores. They then continued on their raid, and went in the direction of Montgomery, the capital of the state. This was called Wilson’s Raid.
There had been strong fortifications around this arsenal, as we could see. Many heavy guns and hundreds of pounds of ammunition had been turned out of this arsenal. Many of the citizens were now coming in and taking the oath of allegiance to our government.
April 29th we sent a force out on a scout to look for rebels. They found several paroled prisoners whom Wilson had captured. April 30th we were mustered for eight months’ pay. In the evening a small force of rebels came in bearing a flag of truce. They were bringing provisions to their sick and wounded in the hospitals here. We were busy all day cleaning and straightening up our quarters.
May 3d, 1865, a general order was read at dress parade. It was as follows: “There will be a cessation of hostilities until further orders, by order of General E. S. Canby, commander of the Department of the Gulf, and there will be forty-eight hours’ notice given before going into hostilities again.”
On the 5th of May an official report said: “There will be no more fighting done east of the Mississippi.” That day cheering and music were kept up throughout our camps.
Dick Taylor had surrendered the last armed force east of the Mississippi to General E. S. Canby at Demopolis on theTombigbee river. On the morning of the 6th a train of cars came in from Demopolis. This was the first train that we had seen for a long time. After this two trains ran each day.
On the morning of the 7th the prisoners who had been captured at Blakely came into camp and we gave them a good, square meal. They started on their way home, rejoicing. They claimed that we treated them better than the old southern planters, in dividing rations.
General Kirby Smith, with his command, skipped out for Mexico to join the French army, which was at war with Mexico. May 8th we had grand review by General C. C. Armstrong, the commander of our division.