Battle of Goodrich's Landing

Battle of Goodrich's Landing
Part of the American Civil War
Plantations of Carroll Parish mapped after the war, showing location of Goodrich's Landing and Monticello Road
Date June 29, 1863 (1863-06-29)– June 30, 1863 (1863-06-30) Location Goodrich's Landing, Louisiana Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
United States (Union)	CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Alfred W. Ellet William F. Wood	William H. Parsons
Units involved
Mississippi Marine Brigade 1st Arkansas Infantry (African Descent) 10th Lousiana Infantry (African Descent) 1st Kansas Mounted Regiment	12th Texas Cavalry Regiment 19th Texas Cavalry Regiment 15th Lousiana Cavalry Battalion Cameron's Louisiana Battery Ralston's Mississippi Battery

The Battle of Goodrich's Landing, Louisiana, was fought on June 29 and June 30, 1863, between Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War as part of the Vicksburg campaign. Confederate forces operating in northeastern Louisiana were attempting to aid the defenders of besieged Vicksburg, Mississippi, by raiding plantations and disrupting military encampments along the Mississippi River. Major General John G. Walker's Confederate forces were reinforced by a brigade sent down from Arkansas under the commander of Colonel William Henry Parsons.

On June 29, Parsons led a force against the Union position at Goodrich's Landing, Louisiana. Parsons encountered two companies of the 1st Arkansas Infantry (African Descent) defending a fortified position on an Indian mound. The position was deemed too strong to take easily by assault, and after consultation with Brigadier General James C. Tappan, the Confederates accepted the surrender of the Union troops on the mound. Eyewitness accounts indicate that some of the Black enlisted men were killed after the surrender.

Parsons advanced towards Lake Providence, Louisiana, with the 12th Texas Cavalry Regiment and the 19th Texas Cavalry Regiment and skirmished with the 1st Kansas Mounted Regiment before returning to the Confederate camp. Union Brigadier General Alfred W. Ellet arrived with his Mississippi Marine Brigade, and along with the troops of the Goodrich's Landing garrison (the rest of the 1st Arkansas and the 10th Louisiana Infantry (African Descent)) pursued the retreating Confederates. The two sides skirmished at the crossing of Tensas Bayou before the Confederates broke contact and left. The Confederate operations caused significant damage, but did not assist the defenders of Vicksburg in a meaningful way; disruption to Union operations was only temporary.

Background

During the initial stages of the 1863 portion of the Vicksburg campaign, the Union troops of Major General Ulysses S. Grant had a supply base at Milliken's Bend, Louisiana. ^[1] By the time of the Siege of Vicksburg, Grant had established a different supply route, ^[2] and Milliken's Bend decreased in importance. ^[3] Milliken's Bend and other points remained as lesser supply points; United States Colored Troops were recruited and trained in those regions as well. ^[4] Training sites for United States Colored Troops were established at Goodrich's Landing, Louisiana; Milliken's Bend; and Lake Providence, Louisiana. ^[1] These units were poorly armed and trained, ^[5] and were not intended for front-line combat use. ^[6] Many former slaves who did not join the United States Colored Troops worked on government-leased cotton plantations. The United States government had confiscated plantations along the Mississippi River, and leased them to private businessmen, who used the former slaves as agricultural laborers. This setup was lightly regulated, and the laborers were often treated poorly. ^[7]

The Confederates, in support of the defenders of Vicksburg, used Major General John G. Walker's Texas division for offensive operations against Grant's positions along the Mississippi in Louisiana. ^[8] A portion of Walker's command was repulsed in the Battle of Milliken's Bend on June 7, ^[9] an assault against the Union position at Young's Point was called off, ^[10] and the June 9 Battle of Lake Providence was also unsuccessful. ^[11] Walker's troops temporarily retreated after the Battle of Richmond on June 15, but were reinforced by Brigadier General James C. Tappan's brigade of Arkansas troops and returned to operations against the leased plantations. Walker and Tappan's men burned cotton gins and plantation buildings, returned hundreds of former slaves to slavery, and affected around two dozen of the leased plantations. ^[12] The Confederate commander in Arkansas, Lieutenant General Theophilus Hunter Holmes, was ordered in June to send a force of at least brigade strength to support the operations in Louisiana. Holmes selected Colonel William H. Parsons for the task. ^[13] Holmes ordered the formation of a provisional brigade of cavalry for the campaign. ^[14] This force consisted of a portion of Pratt's Texas Battery, the 12th Texas Cavalry Regiment, and the 19th Texas Cavalry Regiment. ^[15] These units were at the time near Helena, Arkansas, and it was late in the month before the units gathered at Gaines Landing, Arkansas. ^[16]

Battle

Fight at the mound

Map of Goodrich's Landing Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.

Moving south into Louisiana, Parsons's men joined the forces of Walker and Tappan. ^[17] Lieutenant Colonel Isaac F. Harrison's 15th Louisiana Cavalry Battalion and two artillery batteries (Cameron's Louisiana Battery and Ralston's Mississipppi Battery) were attached to Parsons's two regiments. ^{[18] [19] [20]} The Union garrison at Goodrich's Landing consisted of the 1st Arkansas Infantry (African Descent) and the 10th Louisiana Infantry (African Descent); ^[19] the units occupied a fortified position. ^[21] To the northwest, on an Indian mound about 5 miles (8.0 km) were two companies of the 1st Arkansas. ^[22] This area was known as Mound Plantation. ^[23] The mound was about 50 feet (15 m) ^[21] or 80 feet (24 m) to 100 feet (30 m) high, ^[18] and in the words of the historian John D. Winters "the sides of the mound had been strongly fortified and were next to impossible to scale without great loss of life". ^[24] Some of the defenders were positioned in a ditch at the bottom of the mound, and a 30 or 40 foot square fort was located on top of the mound. The defenders of this position were sufficiently armed, having Enfield rifles. ^[25] Parsons's approach was split into two groups: Harrison and one artillery battery took one route, while Parsons with his two Texas regiments and the other artillery battery approached the position on the mound. Following behind were Tappan's brigade and a brigade of Texas infantry commanded by Colonel Horace Randal. ^[18]

Parsons's men approached the mound with the 19th Texas on the left, with the battery in the center and the 12th Texas on the right. Parsons's artillery opened fire on the mound at a range of 800 yards (730 m). Rifle fire between the Union defenders and a company of the 19th Texas which had taken position on a smaller mound in the area led to several Confederate casualties. Parsons determined that the position could not easily be carried by assault, but Tappan's troops soon arrived in support. ^[26] The Confederates had lost four men killed and eighteen wounded. ^[27] A flag of truce was offered to the defenders, and the White officers on the mound expressed a desire for surrender if the officers would receive proper treatment as prisoners of war; ^[28] the Black enlisted men were instead subject to unconditional surrender. Walker had provided instructions for armed Black troops to not be permitted to surrender, but Tappan and Parsons agreed to accept the surrender due to the difficulty that would be encountered in assaulting the mound. ^[22] This surrendered occurred agaisnt the backdrop of rumors of the slaughter of Black troops at Milliken's Bend. ^[29] Winters describes the surrender as "suspecting that their Negroes under their arms would be treated with barbaric cruelty, the officers nonetheless offered to surrender them unconditionally". ^[30] The historian Linda Barnickel writes "Though it may be difficult to see the Union commander’s decision to surrender his African American soldiers as anything but cowardly, it ironically may have saved many of their lives", as it would be much more difficult for the Confederates to justify a mass killing of the sudden influx of prisoners as compared to the likelihood of mass slaughter during the heat of battle. Barnickel also places the value of the captured Blacks as over $100,000 in the Confederate slave economy, providing an economic rationale for the Confederates to not kill the surrendered prisoners; Barnickel suggests that it is possible that the decision to surrender their men was "a calculated risk" by the officers. ^[31]

Walker later wrote that "I consider it an unfortunate circumstance that any armed negroes were captured". A Confederate infantryman from Texas later claimed that "12 to 15" of the Black prisoners died after the surrender. ^[29] The use of the word "died" by the soldier was likely a euphemism for the actual nature of the deaths. ^[32] Barnickel notes that "some may have died of exhaustion or wounds", that firsthound accounts left by the prisoners mention beatings and killings. Those who survived were marched to Delhi, Louisiana, where there was a railhead; it is uncertain if the killings took the form of executions for the Blacks in revenge for serving in the Union military, or if they were killings of stragglers who were slowing the march. ^[31] According to Confederate reports, 113 enlisted men were captured, while Barnickel notes that Union returns indicate that as many was 128 were; Barnickel notes that the difference between the two figures is roughly the number of prisoners who reportedly died in the immediate aftermath of the surrender. Previous to Barnickel's writing (2013), most scholars of the battle had concluded that three Union officers surrendered, but Barnickel's research indicated that the number was likely actually four. ^[33] There has been some debate as to if two of the Union officers were executed after the battle, ^[32] but Barnickel notes that one of the captured officers is known to have spent the rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp, while the other three she believes were captured later returned to their regiments. ^[33]

Move towards Lake Providence and June 30th fighting

Walker's men spent the night near the mound, ^[22] while Parsons's men moved on after destroying the structures at the mound. Parsons's cavalry burned buildings, cotton, and cotton gins on the way to Lake Providence, doing particular damage to properties under United States government leases. Union troops in the area the next day reported finding evidence of looting and charred bodies among the destroyed buildings. ^[34] Former slaves taken from the plantations were moved into the interior of the state and then either used as a labor force by the Confederate authorities or returned to slavery. ^[33] The 19th Texas Cavalry was mounted on worn-out horses, and the 12th Texas Cavalry was in the lead when it encountered the 1st Kansas Mounted Regiment, which had prepared an ambush. Parsons ordered a charge agaisnt the Union line, which was successful, and the 19th Texas Cavalry arrived later in the fight. ^[34] The Kansans fell back to Lake Providence. ^[30] The Union troops were able to outdistance the Confederates, and Parsons withdrew his men to rejoin Walker, destroying as they want. The gunboat USS Romeo and the armed transport John Raine fired on the Confederate troops. ^{[35] [a]}

Walker received orders to take his infantry to Berwick Bay, and the Confederate infantry withdrew from the area, reaching Bayou Macon by the end of June 30. Parsons's troops remained. ^[36] Brigadier General Alfred W. Ellet brought his Mississippi Marine Brigade ^[b] to Goodrich's Landing on the morning on June 30. Along with the two Black regiments at Goodrich's Landing, which were commanded by Colonel William F. Wood, Ellet sent his troops inland in pursuit of Parsons. After moving 5 miles (8.0 km) inland, Ellet determined that he had taken an incorrect route and the march was rerouted to Tensas Bayou. Ellet sent his cavalry ahead to scout, while the rest of his men stopped to rest and pick berries partway to the bayou. ^[21] At the bayou, the cavalry encountered the Confederate force. ^[37] Ellet was only able to bring up a portion of his infantry in time to engage in the skirmish. ^[38] Parsons attempted to turn the Union right flank, but was repulsed, and Ellet brought up artillery. Parsons broke off the engagement, burned the bridge over the bayou, and withdrew, covering the retreat of the Confederate infantry. ^[37] This skirmish resulted in three Union casualties and a similar number of Confederate losses. ^[39]

Aftermath

The historian Anne J. Bailey describes Parsons's casualties in the operation as "several [...] killed and a number wounded". ^[40] The overall operations resulted in the captured of at least 1,300 Blacks, ^[c] over 200 weapons, more than 400 horses and mules, and various equipment, but it did little to aid the defenders of Vicksburg, who surrendered on July 4. ^[41] The raids had only a temporarly impact on Union operations. ^[42] Walker's men reached Delhi on July 1, where they were ordered to remain for the time being. The Confederate initially intended to keep the infantry in northeastern Louisiana, but after news of the fall of Vicksburg arrived, Walker's infantry was ordered to march to the Red River. ^[43] Parsons's troops remained in area for some time. A Union force occupied Goodrich's Landing on August 21 and advanced to Monroe, but did not remain in the area. ^[44] Barnickel believes that a lurid story published in the Missouri Democrat newspaper and purporting to detail the discovery of charred skeletons of captured Union officers after the Battle of Milliken's Bend (including evidence of torture and crucifixion) is actually an exaggerated version of the finding of human remains in burned-out buildings by Ellet's men during the Goodrich's Landing operations. There is no consensus among scholars of the Vicksburg campaign as to what kernel of truth is at the basis of the newspaper report, or if it is even a complete fabrication. ^[45]

Notes

1. The historian Ed Bearss places the fighting with the 1st Kansas Mounted Regiment as occurring on the morning on June 30. ^[36]
2. The Mississippi Marine Brigade was a Union Army formation that used steamboats to increase its mobility. ^[33]
3. Barnickel places the number of former slaves taken from the leased plantations at roughly 2,000. ^[33]

References

1. Kennedy 1998, p. 173.
2. Miller 2019, p. 432.
3. Miller 2019, pp. 452–453.
4. Miller 2019, p. 453.
5. Smith 2021, p. 217.
6. Miller 2019, pp. 337–338.
7. Ballard 2004, p. 419.
8. Winschel 2004, pp. 165–167.
9. Winschel 2004, pp. 169–171.
10. Winschel 2004, p. 172.
11. Bearss 1991, pp. 1186–1187.
12. Lowe 2004, pp. 106–107.
13. Bailey 1989, p. 133.
14. Bearss 1991, p. 1198.
15. Bailey 1989, p. 136.
16. Bearss 1991, pp. 1198–1199.
17. Bailey 1989, pp. 136–138.
18. Bailey 1989, p. 138.
19. Bearss 1991, p. 1205.
20. Floyd & Lowe 1998, p. 45.
21. Hearn 2000, p. 174.
22. Bearss 1991, p. 1199.
23. Barnickel 2013, p. 122.
24. Winters 1991, p. 203.
25. Bailey 1989, pp. 138–139.
26. Bailey 1989, p. 139.
27. Burkhardt 2007, pp. 63–64.
28. Bailey 1989, pp. 139–140.
29. Bailey 1989, p. 140.
30. Winters 1991, p. 204.
31. Barnickel 2013, p. 123.
32. Burkhardt 2007, p. 64.
33. Barnickel 2013, p. 124.
34. Bailey 1989, pp. 141–142.
35. Bailey 1989, p. 142.
36. Bearss 1991, p. 1200.
37. Bailey 1989, p. 143.
38. Hearn 2000, p. 175.
39. Bearss 1991, p. 1201.
40. Bailey 1989, p. 144.
41. Bailey 1989, pp. 143–144.
42. "Goodrich's Landing, June 29-30,1863". National Park Service. April 14, 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
43. Bearss 1991, pp. 1201–1202.
44. Bailey 1989, pp. 144–145.
45. Barnickel 2013, pp. 126–128.

Sources

• Bailey, Anne J. (1989). Between the Enemy and Texas: Parsons's Texas Cavalry in the Civil War. Fort Worth, Texas: Texas Christian University Press. ISBN   0-87565-034-1.
• Ballard, Michael B. (2004). Vicksburg: The Campaign that Opened the Mississippi. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN   0-8078-2893-9.
• Barnickel, Linda (2013). Milliken's Bend: A Civil War Battle in History and Memory. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN   978-0-8071-4992-8.
• Bearss, Edwin C. (1991) [1986]. The Campaign for Vicksburg. Vol. III: Unvexed to the Sea. Dayton, Ohio: Morningside Bookshop. ISBN   0-89029-516-6. Note: ISBN printed in book is 0-89029-516-3.
• Burkhardt, George S. (2007). Confederate Rage, Yankee Wrath: No Quarter in the Civil War. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN   978-0-8093-2743-0.
• Floyd, Dale E.; Lowe, David W. (1998) [1993]. Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields:Technical Volume II: Battle Summaries (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Civil War Sites Advisory Commission.
• Hearn, Chester G. (2000). Ellet's Brigade: The Strangest Outfit of All. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN   0-8071-2559-8.
• Kennedy, Frances H., ed. (1998). The Civil War Battlefield Guide (2nd ed.). Boston/New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN   978-0-395-74012-5.
• Lowe, Richard (2004). Walker's Texas Division C.S.A.: Greyhounds of the Trans-Mississippi. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN   0-8071-3153-9.
• Miller, Donald L. (2019). Vicksburg: Grant's Campaign that Broke the Confederacy. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-4516-4139-4.
• Smith, Timothy B. (2021). The Siege of Vicksburg: Climax of the Campaign to Open the Mississippi River, May 23 – July 4, 1863. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN   978-0-7006-3226-8.
• Winschel, Terrence J. (2004) [1999]. Triumph and Defeat: The Vicksburg Campaign. Vol. 1. New York City: Savas Beatie. ISBN   1-932714-04-9.
• Winters, John D. (1991) [1963]. The Civil War in Louisiana. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN   0-8071-1725-0.

External links

• CWSAC Report Update

32°44′36″N91°10′45″W / 32.7432°N 91.1791°W / 32.7432; -91.1791