Union News, Union, NY, Broome Co. NY, February 26, 1863
We have been handed the following private letter, written by Mr. C.C. Robbins, formerly of this place [Union, Broome Co., NY] to his mother. He was in the battles at Vicksburg and Arkansas Post. It is a very interesting letter.
Arkansas Post, Thursday, Jan. 15th, 1863
Dear Mother: I seize the present opportunity of writing a few lines to you. I am tolerable well at present and have been since I last wrote you. I left Memphis, Tenn., on the 19th of Dec. in company with the fleet, consisting of some over 100 Steamers, preceded by quite a number of gunboats and arrived at the mouth of the Yazoo River, near Vicksburg, on the 29th of the same month. On the same afternoon, there was some considerable fighting, as the enemy were prepared for us. We were some twelve miles up the Yazoo, and the same distance the enemy had fortified some bluffs, and their position was very strong. We landed Friday about noon. Saturday, we spent in making preparations and on Sunday commenced a fearful struggle for the possession. the Rebels held a position considerable in advance of their works on the bluffs. And they were soon obliged to leave, and retreat behind their stronger works on the Hills. Our boys driving them over a ravine [-unreadable-] and across a swamp at the point of the bayonet, but when they reached their works on the hills it was impossible to make much impression on them, as they had so much advantage of position. The battle raged for mostly all day. Our loss in killed and wounded was considerable, which that of the enemy was not known. Our boys fought bravely and charged nobly into the very teeth of the enemy. Our Regiment was not in the fight, but I was on the field of battle and saw the awful work going on there.
Night coming on, both armies ceased firing, the enemy safely covered by their breastworks and our troops lying on the field of the previous days fight and throwing up strong breastworks to protect them in case retreat should become necessary. In the morning the battle was resumed and raged all day mostly by our Artillery, and theirs, though one bayonet charge was made by D. Dorsey's Brigade, and it is thought it would have been successful if the 31 Michigan Battery had not just at the moment become short of ammunition having only one shell left. Night again put an end to the conflict, neither party gained much during the day, though a shell from one of our guns, had hit one of their magazines, causing considerable loss of life to them.
On Tuesday there was no firing on either side. Our General (Sherman) asked for the privilege of burying our dead but was refused by the Rebels. Our men worked hard all day on building breastworks and rifle pits and in getting our large guns in position. Thus passed Wednesday, with the exception of 4 hours, which time the enemy granted to carry off the dead from under their guns during which time all work on our side was to cease. We then resumed our work, expected that in the morning firing would commence, but it did not, and New Years Day was spent in making further preparations for driving the foe from his strong position, expecting surely that we would open the fight on the next day. But nothing was done on Friday, and just after we had got to bed in our tent the order came to pack up everything and get on the boats without delay. No one could tell what it meant, but at it we went, and by midnight we had everything on board of our boat ready for starting. We then received an order to go up the river a little further and take on some more horses. We did so and by about 8 o'clock A.M. on Saturday, everything was ready for a start on all the boats.
There was some 3 pieces of artillery left on shore, and two gunboats remained with us, the rest having moved down the river. We still continued to remain waiting for something; no one could tell what, unless it was to give the enemy an opportunity to discover our move, and to attack our rear as our picket guard had been all called early in. About noon we could see some men in the distance coming toward our boat which lay furthest up the stream, and nearest the enemy, they proved to be the enemy's skirmishers, and in the distance could be seen a heavy body of men, a Battery, and some Cavalry coming towards us. We continued to lie there until the advance of the Rebels opened fire upon us and the bullets fell thick, killing 3 and wounding one. Just at this time our gunboats opened upon them, so did the 3 guns on the shore, and the shells and canister shot poured in upon them so that they were glad to leave as fast or faster than they came. Our boys on the boats also opened upon them with small arms and two or three of our gunboats came up from down the river and poured upon them the contents of their guns and they received so warm a reception that they could not get their artillery into position, and therefore could not use it at all.
We cut loose from the shore and steamed down the river and from there we were ordered to go to the mouth of Write River some 60 miles below Helena to await further orders. We lay there until last Friday morning when we received orders to prepare 2 days cooked rations and to move immediately up the White River. When some 12 miles up the river we took a shoot across the piece of ground between that and the Arkansas, as they are connected by a sluice which is navigable in high water. It was a great mystery to us where we were going as we knew of no place this side of Little Rock, Ark., and we did not think we were going there, as the stream was too small for our large boats and gunboats to go up that high. We ran up some 40 miles and stopped and learned that just ahead of us was an old Government fort or trading post, that the Rebels had fortified and made very strong, and that our object was to capture the place.
We landed our forces on Friday in the P.M. and were drawn up in battle array. We stood thus until most night, when we were permitted to lie down on the field with our arms by our sides. No, I am wrong, this was Saturday, and on Saturday we lay on the field, our gunboats having on Friday moved up near the fort and shelled them for two or three hours, the rebels replying from their guns in the fort. The noise of this cannonading as awful, though we were some two miles away from it, and it caused the enemy to abandon a line of strong earth works that they had constructed, some one and a half miles from the main works.
Sunday morning came clear and beautiful, and little betokened the scene of blood and carnage that was to be enacted before it should sink to rest behind the western horizon. Our morning meal of coffee and crackers was soon partaken, and we were marched forward until we were within about one mile of the fort, where we were halted on order to allow the artillery to take their position and to give the first Division time to take their position on the right, so as to cut off their retreat. We were in hopes that both armies would desist firing until Monday. A force had been thrown across the river to advance above the fort and cut off their retreat in that direction about noon, and just as we were placing a battery of heavy artillery in position, the firing commenced the first shell from the enemy being fired in the direction of us and killing one and wounding one of our Regiment and striking quite near where I stood. I assisted in carrying them off the field, the balls and shells of the enemy in the meantime falling quite thick around us but none of them hitting us. In the meantime, our batteries opened upon the fort, assisted by our gunboats and such a terrific roar of artillery is seldom heard on this continent. It lasted for about two hours, when the fire of the enemy seemed to grow less, and then began a fearful roll of musketry from one end of the line to the other and as our lines gradually drew closer and closer, the battle of small arms became more fearful, and thus the battle raged all the afternoon until after 4 o'clock. We had been drawn very close and the rebels had tried to make their escape in various directions, having been drawn up in line three times to cut their way through our lines, but each time were thrown into disorder by our firing. They were expecting reinforcements and were quire desirous of holding out until they should arrive, but they were doomed, and a little past 4 o'clock P.M. they struck their rebel rag and soon the glad cry of victory ran along our lines and a shout went up that made the welkin ring.
We were soon within the fort, when an awful scene presented itself to our view. Men and horses, cannon and wagons, and shot and shells lay all around in indescribable confusion. The fort was torn to pieces in such a way as it was impossible for anyone to remain in it. There were two block houses built of timber, the walls of which were four feet thick, and cased on the exposed sides with railroad iron and so constructed that a ball could not strike square but glancing, with only a small opening toward the river for the muzzle of the guns to go thro'h when they were fired. These guns were 120 pounds, the largest I have yet seen, and each block house had one of them in it. But our gunboats played smart with them, as they would send their balls and shell directly in the port holes and disabled them both, also another, a pivot gun of the same size, besides a number of smaller ones, which were disabled by our batteries. The walls of the fort were some six feet high, surrounded by a ditch some four or five feet deep, and twelve to fifteen feet wide, to the rear of the fort. Extending away back from the river was a long line of entrenchments or rifle pits, behind which were posted the rebel infantry, which protected them from the fire of our muskets. But though they fought bravely, they had to surrender.
We captured some seven thousand prisoners and a large amount of guns and ammunition, together with a large amount of supplies, horses, mules, wagons and all other things pertaining to an army who had gone into winter quarters as they had here. The rebels that we took here were most all Texans and were a pretty hard looking set of men, dressed in all kinds of clothes, mostly of gray homespun.
We were ordered into camp here and supposed we would stay here some time, but now we have orders to go on board of the boats immediately. Last night it began to snow here after having rained for two days. Our boys are suffering considerable, but the prisoners must suffer more, as they are crowded on the boats and have not much clothing. The weather for the most of the time has been quite pleasant, but it is cold and unpleasant now. We are now evacuating the place, as it is not deemed of sufficient importance to us to garrison and hold, but it was of great importance to the enemy, as they had large supplies of provisions and munitions of war stored here for their winter use A good share of the munitions were captured some three or four weeks ago from us, on the steamer Blue Wing, at the mouth of this river, together with a large amount of mail matter, which created great merriment among the rebels, but they had to pay for all of it with interest, for we also took a good many of their letters and a good many of those they took from us. Our troops are now busy destroying the rebel works and carrying on board the ammunition and guns we took from them. It is a big job to destroy their works, but we are doing it effectually so that we will leave nothing to do them much good. It looks hard to see so much property destroyed, but we have to do it to reap fully the benefit of our victory. the magazines are to be blown up with their own powder. Their barracks which were newly made all burned to the ground and most of the buildings have been fired and are now burning and the rest will be fired today. Two our divisions the 1st and 2d, have already gone down to the mouth of the river, where it is reported there is some forty-five more boats from the Ohio River waiting for us to join them, and then we are to move upon Vicksburg again. We will, in all probability, reach them this evening, when the combined forces will move down the Mississippi River.
I receive letters from home quite frequently. Louisa writes that they are well, and have been since I left them, and that they get along quite well. I enjoy myself quite as well as I expected, but I shall be very glad when this war shall be closed and those who are now compelled to leave the comforts of home shall be again permitted to return to their families and their homes. As for me, I shall put my trust in God, believing he will shield me from the evils of life, and lead me to mansions of bliss in the world to come. He is my support and my only hope.
I should like to hear from some of you soon. Give my love to all of the brothers and sisters. Direct your letter to me, thus.
C.C. Robbins, Co. A, 118th Rev. Il's Vols, Cairo, Ills.
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