The Battlefield Trust announced recently an opportunity to purchase over 1,000 acres at Chickasaw Bayou. This was the North's first major attempt to take the vital city of Vicksburg. Previous expeditions had failed without truly threatening the city with Holly Springs being the most notable.
On December 26, 1862, General William T. Sherman landed north of Vicksburg at Johnson's plantation. Troops disembarking from the transports would have been able to see the outskirts of the city in the distance. One of these soldiers was Almeda Hart, who had followed her husband, Henry, with the 127th Illinois Infantry. Both husband and wife performed duties for David Stuart's brigade. Henry was a blacksmith while his wife was serving as a mounted courier.
After organizing his forces, Sherman prepared for two days of assaults on the hills - known as the Walnut Hills - protecting Vicksburg. Opposing them were Confederates under the command of John C. Pemberton. The hills proved to be a daunting barrier to the Federals during these cold, rainy, miserable and bloody days and an asset to the Confederates given that they were outnumbered nearly three to one. Two major assaults by the Federals on the 28th and 29th led to little gain other than to the growing list of Union casualties. At the end of the 29th, the casualty list was one of the most lopsided of the war with the Federals losing nine times as many soldiers as the Confederates.
In the midst of this carnage, issuing orders to Union brigades was vital and incredibly hazardous. Mounted couriers, such as Almeda, had to ride all along the front line of battle, rendering them an easy target for the thousands of death missiles flying through the air. Not only did Almeda have to run the gauntlet of these projectiles but she also had to remember not only where the brigades were, who was commanding them, and what level a particular commander was. To illustrate this point, Almeda's division commander, Morgan Smith, was wounded and replaced by Stuart, her brigade commander. To complicate matters, there were three other Smiths in command at various levels. It is hard to envision the challenges Almeda and the other couriers faced and the intestinal fortitude needed to complete their missions. In the end, it was all for naught as the Federal forces began their withdrawal following their actions on the 29th.
General Sherman himself succinctly summed up the battle in his after action report with the following,
"I reached Vicksburg at the time appointed, landed, assaulted, and failed."
The land purchase opportunity includes the field covered by the vast majority of the fighting at Chickasaw Bayou and land over which Almeda rode. The target area is highlighted in yellow on the following Battlefield Trust map:
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| https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/chickasaw-bayou-dec-28-29-1862 |
The area today is farm fields bordered by dirt roads. See the following video I made showing this location:
As I point out in the video, the battlefield is in desperate need of interpretation. Preserving this land will be the first step in this endeavor.
Click [HERE] to learn more and make a donation to help preserve a part of history connected to women soldiers of the Civil War. This effort is part of three major land acquisitions the trust is working diligentlyto preserve. The other two are 84 acres at Gettysburg's South Cavalry Field and 9 acres at Brandy Station.
If you see me at an event, I typically have a copy of Almeda's letter she wrote to her mother on the eve of battle, which you are welcome to read. Vicksburg National Military Park also has a copy in their collection. Almeda wasn't the only woman soldier at Chickasaw Bayou. You can read more in my book Behind the Rifle: Women Soldiers in Civil War Mississippi.
Until next formation.....rest.
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