Battle of Milliken's Bend | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
![]() An illustration of the Milliken's Bend battle from the Harper's Weekly periodical, showing black U.S. soldiers battling Confederates. | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
![]() | ![]() | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Hermann Lieb | Henry E. McCulloch | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
African Brigade 23rd Iowa Infantry Regiment Two gunboats | McCulloch's brigade | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1,100 | 1,500 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
652 | 185 |
The Battle of Milliken's Bend was fought on June 7, 1863, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army had placed the strategic Mississippi River city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, under siege in mid-1863. Confederate leadership erroneously believed that Grant's supply line still ran through Milliken's Bend in Louisiana, and Major General Richard Taylor was tasked with disrupting it to aid the defense of Vicksburg. Taylor sent Brigadier General Henry E. McCulloch with a brigade of Texans to attack Milliken's Bend, which was held by a brigade of newly-recruited African American soldiers. McCulloch's attack struck early on the morning of June 7, and was initially successful in close-quarters fighting. Fire from the Union gunboat USS Choctaw halted the Confederate attack, and McCulloch later withdrew after the arrival of a second gunboat. The attempt to relieve Vicksburg was unsuccessful. One of the first actions in which African American soldiers fought, Milliken's Bend demonstrated the value of African American soldiers as part of the Union Army.
In the spring of 1863, [2] Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army began a campaign against the strategic Confederate-held city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Grant's troops crossed the Mississippi River from the Louisiana side into Mississippi at a point south of Vicksburg in late April. [3] By May 18, the Union army had fought its way to Vicksburg, surrounded it, and initiated the Siege of Vicksburg. [4] During the campaign, Grant had kept a supply base at Milliken's Bend in Louisiana as part of his supply line. Soldiers had been housed at the site before being deployed in the campaign, and a number of hospitals had been established there. [1] During the siege, however, Grant had a different supply line opened: the Union Navy took control of part of the Yazoo River in the Chickasaw Bayou vicinity and established a point from which supplies could be sent overland behind the Union lines. [5] While a position at Milliken's Bend was still held, its importance was greatly reduced, since the Yazoo River position had become Grant's primary supply depot. [6]
Meanwhile, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was pressuring General E. K. Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department, to attempt to relieve Vicksburg's garrison. Smith was unaware that Grant had moved his supply line to the Yazoo River, and still believed that Milliken's Bend was a primary Union supply depot. Immediate command of the offensive fell to Major General Richard Taylor, who was given a division of Texans known as Walker's Greyhounds. Taylor moved the 5,000-man force to Richmond, Louisiana, but did not believe that the coming expedition had any real chance of disrupting Grant's siege of Vicksburg. [6] On June 5, Taylor learned that Milliken's Bend was no longer a significant supply point, but the planned offensive continued, with hopes of retaking control of the west bank of the Mississippi River and gaining the ability to send food across the river into Vicksburg. [7] At Richmond, on June 6, Taylor detached the 13th Louisiana Cavalry Battalion on a raid against Lake Providence, Louisiana, while Walker's Greyhounds continued to the site of Oak Grove Plantation, where there was a road junction. One Confederate brigade split off to move against a Union position at Young's Point, while Brigadier General Henry E. McCulloch's brigade advanced against Milliken's Bend. A third brigade was held in reserve at Oak Grove. [8]
The Union posts at Milliken's Bend, Young's Point, and Lake Providence had become training grounds for African American soldiers. These soldiers were primarily newly-recruited freed slaves. [9] Union leadership's plan had been to use these soldiers as laborers and camp guards rather than front-line soldiers, [10] [11] so they had only received basic military training. [10] At this time, the Colored Troop units were commanded by white officers. [12] Mustering these soldiers into the Union Army faced some opposition, with some believing that they would not fight. [13] The support of several officers, including Major General John A. Logan, however, helped to reduce some of the resistance. [12] The soldiers at Milliken's Bend had no prior experience with firearms before joining the Union Army, and demonstrated very poor marksmanship during training. Colonel Hermann Lieb commanded the camp, which was manned by an infantry brigade of African American soldiers and some cavalry from Illinois. [9]
Both Lieb and Brigadier General Elias Dennis, who commanded the Union troops in the area, suspected that the Confederates were preparing to attack Milliken's Bend. [9] Lieb's 9th Louisiana Infantry Regiment and 10th Illinois Cavalry Regiment had encountered Confederates near Tallulah on June 6 during an expedition towards Richmond. Lieb requested reinforcements, and the 23rd Iowa Infantry Regiment and the ironclad USS Choctaw were sent to Milliken's Bend. [1]
On June 7, McCulloch's 1,500 Confederates marched to Milliken's Bend in the cooler nighttime, and by 02:30 arrived within 1.5 miles of Milliken's Bend. [2] By 03:00, they were within 1 mile (1.6 km) of the Union position. Lieb's 1,100 Union soldiers had constructed a defensive position by forming a breastwork out of cotton bales on top of a levee. [14] The Union pickets were quickly driven back by the Confederates. [1] McCulloch aligned his regiments with the 19th Texas Infantry Regiment, 17th Texas Infantry Regiment, and the 16th Texas Cavalry Regiment, from right to left; the 16th Texas Infantry Regiment was held as a reserve. Lieb's defensive line was held by the 23rd Iowa Infantry Regiment and the U.S. Colored Troops of the 8th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, the 9th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, the 10th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, the 11th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, the 13th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, and the 1st Mississippi Infantry Regiment. [15] The main Union line fired a volley that temporarily slowed the Confederate attack, [16] [17] but the poorly trained African American soldiers were largely unable to reload their weapons before the Confederate charge continued and became close-quarters fighting. Bayonets were used in the fighting, and the Union defenders were driven back. [17] Lieb's men fell back to a second levee, and the Confederates charged, yelling that no mercy would be given. [16]
During this stage of the fighting, few shots were fired, as the use of rifles as blunt weapons and bayonets was more common. By 04:00, the Confederates seemed to have victory, but they then made the mistake of exposing themselves on the top of the levee. Heavy fire from the large guns of USS Choctaw drove McCulloch's men back off the levee. Confederate leadership was unable to get the Texans to attack the levee again. [18] McCulloch requested reinforcements to continue the fighting, but another Union vessel, the timberclad USS Lexington, arrived around 09:00. [17] [19] McCulloch withdrew his men off the field back to Oak Grove Plantation in the face of the gunboats. [17] [20]
The fight at Milliken's Bend cost the Union 652 men: 101 killed, 285 wounded, and 266 missing. [17] [19] [21] [lower-alpha 1] Many of the missing men were African American soldiers who had been captured and returned to slavery. [22] All but 65 of the Union casualties were incurred by the Colored Troops, with the 9th Louisiana Infantry suffering the worst with 68 percent of its strength becoming casualties. [20] The Confederates lost 185 men. [19] [20] Rumors of the execution of captured Union soldiers reached Grant, who asked Taylor about the reports. Taylor denied that any executions occurred. [lower-alpha 2]
Unit | Officers Killed | Men Killed | Officers Wounded | Men Wounded | Officers Missing | Men Missing | Totals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16th Texas Infantry Regiment | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
17th Texas Infantry Regiment | 1 | 20 | 4 | 61 | 0 | 3 | 92 |
19th Texas Infantry Regiment | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
16th Texas Cavalry Regiment | 1 | 8 | 6 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 67 |
The other two prongs of the coordinated Confederate attacks accomplished little at the Battle of Young's Point and the Battle of Lake Providence. [22] The column sent to Young's Point was delayed by bad guides and a washed-out bridge, and did not reach the Union camp until 10:30. After watching additional Union troops arrive at the camp, along with the gunboats, the Confederates withdrew without a fight. [25] After Milliken's Bend, the Confederates fell back to Monroe, Louisiana, and Taylor travelled to Alexandria, Louisiana, where he focused more attention on the Union forces at New Orleans, Louisiana, than Vicksburg. [10] Smith and the Trans-Mississippi Confederates no longer were able to influence the outcome of the Siege of Vicksburg. The city surrendered on July 4. [26] The position at Milliken's Bend had fallen out of relevance not long after the battle when the men and supplies stored there were transferred to Young's Point. [27]
Parts of the site of the battle have been destroyed by changes in the course of the Mississippi River. [2] A 2010 study by the American Battlefield Protection Program found that of the over 17,000 acres (6,900 ha) of the battlefield, about 2,000 acres (810 ha) were potentially eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [28] At the time of the study, there was no public interpretation of the battle at the site. [29] As of March 2021 [update] , a commemorative plaque for Milliken's Bend exists on a roadside near Richmond, and exhibits discussing the battle are present at Vicksburg National Military Park. [30] Additionally, an interpretive exhibit exists at Grant's Canal in Louisiana. [2]
Leaders on both sides noted the performance of the African American troops at Milliken's Bend. Unionist Charles Dana reported that the action convinced many in the Union Army to support the enlistment of African American soldiers. [22] Dennis stated "it is impossible for men to show greater gallantry than the Negro troops in this fight." [19] Grant described the battle as the first significant engagement in which the Colored Troops had seen combat, [lower-alpha 3] [20] described their conduct as "most gallant" and said that "with good officers they will make good troops." [21] He later praised them in his 1885 memoir, stating "These men were very raw, having all been enlisted since the beginning of the siege, but they behaved well." [31] Confederate leader McCulloch later reported that while the white Union troops had been routed, the Colored Troop had fought with "considerable obstinacy." [16] One modern historian wrote in 1960 that the fighting at Milliken's Bend brought "the acceptance of the Negro as a soldier", which was important to "his acceptance as a man." [27]
U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton also praised the performance of black U.S. soldiers in the battle. He stated that their competent performance in the battle proved wrong those who had opposed their service:
Many persons believed, or pretended to believe, and confidently asserted, that freed slaves would not make good soldiers; they would lack courage, and could not be subjected to military discipline. Facts have shown how groundless were these apprehensions. The slave has proved his manhood, and his capacity as an infantry soldier, at Milliken's Bend, at the assault upon Port Hudson, and the storming of Fort Wagner.
The siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate Army of Mississippi, led by Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton, into the defensive lines surrounding the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi.
The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi River. The Union Army of the Tennessee under Major General Ulysses S. Grant gained control of the river by capturing this stronghold and defeating Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton's forces stationed there.
The Battle of Jackson was fought on May 14, 1863, in Jackson, Mississippi, as part of the Vicksburg campaign during the American Civil War. After entering the state of Mississippi in late April 1863, Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army moved his force inland to strike at the strategic Mississippi River town of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Battle of Raymond, which was fought on May 12, convinced Grant that General Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate army was too strong to be safely bypassed, so he sent two corps, under Major Generals James B. McPherson and William T. Sherman, to capture Johnston's position at Jackson. Johnston did not believe the city was defensible and began withdrawing. Brigadier General John Gregg was tasked with commanding the Confederate rear guard, which fought Sherman's and McPherson's men at Jackson on May 14 before withdrawing. After taking the city, Union troops destroyed economic and military infrastructure and also plundered civilians' homes. Grant then moved against Vicksburg, which he placed under siege on May 18 and captured on July 4. Despite being reinforced, Johnston made only a weak effort to save the Vicksburg garrison, and was driven out of Jackson a second time in mid-July.
Grant's Canal was an incomplete military effort to construct a canal through De Soto Point in Louisiana, across the Mississippi River from Vicksburg, Mississippi. During the American Civil War, United States Navy forces attempted to capture the Confederate-held city of Vicksburg in 1862, but were unable to do so with army support. Union Brigadier General Thomas Williams was sent to De Soto Point with 3,200 men to dig a canal capable of bypassing the strong defenses around Vicksburg. Despite help from local plantation slaves, disease and falling river levels prevented Williams from successfully constructing the canal, and the project was abandoned until January 1863, when Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant took an interest in the project.
The Battle of Raymond was fought on May 12, 1863, near Raymond, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Initial Union attempts to capture the strategically important Mississippi River city of Vicksburg failed. Beginning in late April 1863, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant led another try. After crossing the river into Mississippi and winning the Battle of Port Gibson, Grant began moving east, intending to turn back west and attack Vicksburg. A portion of Grant's army consisting of Major General James B. McPherson's 10,000 to 12,000-man XVII Corps moved northeast towards Raymond. The Confederate commander of Vicksburg, Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, ordered Brigadier General John Gregg and his 3,000 to 4,000-strong brigade from Jackson to Raymond.
The Battle of Grand Gulf was fought on April 29, 1863, during the American Civil War. During Major General Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg campaign, Union Army forces had failed in attempts to bypass the strategic city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Grant decided move his army south, cross the Mississippi River, and then advance on Vicksburg. Seven Union Navy ironclad warships commanded by Admiral David Dixon Porter bombarded Confederate fortifications at Grand Gulf, Mississippi, in preparation for a crossing of the river. Union fire was able to silence one of the two Confederate fortifications at Grand Gulf, but the position was still strong enough that Grant decided to cross the river elsewhere.
Major-General John George Walker was a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He served as a brigadier general under Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet, before commanding the Texas Division unit in the Trans-Mississippi Department, known as Walker's Greyhounds for their speed and agility. He was ordered to disrupt U.S. Grant's supply-line opposite Vicksburg, Mississippi, but Grant had managed to cross to the East Bank, and Walker was reduced to minor operations, one of them against some of the first African-American troops to serve in battle. He was able to make a bigger contribution to the Red River Campaign in support of General Richard Taylor.
The 9th Louisiana Infantry (African Descent), later reorganized as 1st Mississippi Colored Heavy Artillery and then renamed 5th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, was an African-American regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It famously fought in the Battle of Milliken's Bend; one of the earliest Civil War battles with African-American troops involved.
The 8th Louisiana Regiment Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was composed primarily of freed or escaped slaves from Louisiana's plantations and was commanded by white officers.
Hermann Lieb was a Swiss immigrant to the United States who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is best remembered as the commander of the Union forces at the Battle of Milliken's Bend in 1863.
The Battle of Richmond was fought on June 15, 1863, near Richmond, Louisiana, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Major General John George Walker's division of Confederate troops, known as Walker's Greyhounds had attacked Union forces in the Battle of Milliken's Bend and the Battle of Lake Providence earlier that month in hopes of relieving some of the pressure on the Confederate troops besieged in Vicksburg, Mississippi. While both of Walker's strikes were failures and the Confederates withdrew to Richmond, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant still viewed the presence of Walker's men at Richmond to be a threat. On June 14, the Mississippi Marine Brigade and the infantry brigade of Brigadier General Joseph A. Mower were sent to attack the Confederates at Richmond.
The Battle of Lake Providence was fought on June 9, 1863, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate troops from the Trans-Mississippi Department were trying to relieve Union pressure during the Siege of Vicksburg. Major General Richard Taylor, primarily utilizing Walker's Greyhounds, prepared a three-pronged attack against Union positions at Milliken's Bend, Young's Point, and Lake Providence. The strike against Lake Providence was conducted by 900 men led by Colonel Frank Bartlett.
The 16th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers from Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was recruited in early 1862 and mustered into Confederate service in April 1862. The unit fought as cavalry at the Battle of Cotton Plant but it was dismounted in the summer of 1862. The 16th Cavalry served as infantry in Walker's Texas Division for the remainder of the war. The regiment fought at Milliken's Bend, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry. The unit marched to Texas in early 1865 and disbanded in May 1865.
The Duckport Canal was an unsuccessful military venture by Union forces during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Ordered built in late March 1863 by Major General Ulysses S. Grant, the canal stretched from the Mississippi River near Duckport, Louisiana, to New Carthage, Louisiana, and utilized a series of swampy bayous for much of its path. It was intended to provide a water-based supply route for a southward movement against the Confederate-held city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, as high water levels made overland travel difficult. Manual digging was provided by 3,500 soldiers from Grant's army and was finished on April 12. The next day, the levee separating the canal cut and the Mississippi River was breached, and water flowed into the canal. Trees that had grown up in the bayous and falling water levels that reached as shallow as 6 inches (15 cm) at one point hampered the use of the canal, and the project was abandoned on May 4. Grant moved men and supplies through the overland route, which had been made more accessible by the same falling water levels that doomed the canal. After some inland maneuvering and a lengthy siege, Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, marking a significant turning point in the war.
The 13th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers recruited in Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was enrolled in Confederate service in February 1862 and served exclusively west of the Mississippi River. The unit was later dismounted and became part of the Texas infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. The regiment fought at Milliken's Bend in 1863 and Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry in 1864. The regiment disbanded in May 1865, but its official surrender date was 2 June 1865.
The 18th Texas Infantry Regiment was a unit of volunteers recruited in Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was enrolled in Confederate service in May 1862 and always campaigned west of the Mississippi River in the region known as the Trans-Mississippi Department. The unit was assigned to the Texas infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. The regiment fought at Milliken's Bend, Richmond (La.), and Bayou Bourbeux in 1863 and Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry in 1864. The regiment disbanded in mid-May 1865, but its formal surrender date was 26 May 1865.
The 11th Texas Infantry Regiment was a unit of volunteers recruited in Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment organized in the winter of 1861–1862 and always served west of the Mississippi River in the Trans-Mississippi Department. The unit was assigned to the 2nd Brigade of the Texas infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. The regiment fought at Milliken's Bend and Bayou Bourbeux in 1863 and Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry in 1864. The regiment disbanded in mid-May 1865, but its formal surrender date was 26 May 1865.
1st Texas Field Battery or Edgar's Company was an artillery battery from Texas that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The artillery company formed in November 1860, but was not formally taken into Confederate service until April 1861. The unit participated in the disarming and surrender of United States soldiers and property in Texas in early 1861. The battery marched to Arkansas where in 1862 it joined the infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. The battery fought at Milliken's Bend and Richmond (La.), shelled a Federal river transport, and campaigned in south Louisiana in late 1863. The 1st Texas Battery was captured at Henderson's Hill in March 1864. The soldiers were later exchanged, and the unit disbanded in 1865 at the end of the conflict.
The 28th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers recruited in east Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. In May 1862, the regiment entered Confederate service and served the entire war west of the Mississippi River in the region known as the Trans-Mississippi Department. The unit was soon dismounted before being assigned to the 2nd Brigade of the all-Texas infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. In 1863, the regiment played a secondary role at Milliken's Bend. The regiment fought in three major battles during April 1864, at Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry. The Trans-Mississippi Department surrendered on 26 May 1865, but the survivors dispersed to their homes before that date.
Steele's Greenville expedition took place from April 2 to 25, 1863, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Union forces commanded by Major General Frederick Steele occupied Greenville, Mississippi, and operated in the surrounding area, to divert Confederate attention from a more important movement made in Louisiana by Major General John A. McClernand's corps. Minor skirmishing between the two sides occurred, particularly in the early stages of the expedition. Over 1,000 slaves were freed during the operation, and large quantities of supplies and animals were destroyed or removed from the area. Along with other operations, including Grierson's Raid, Steele's Greenville expedition distracted Confederate attention from McClernand's movement. Some historians have suggested that the Greenville expedition represented Union war policy shifting more towards expanding the war to Confederate social and economic structures and the Confederate homefront.