Manuscript of Civil War Lieutenant W. R. McComer

5 union. The Fugative ^slave^ was to be returned to his master as though it was our especial business to perpetuate that the institution ^of slavery^ to the end of time. The policy creating the contraband and counter marches over the territory effaced all pleasing features, so that taken The returned Confederate later would with difficulty recognise the home of his childhood.

The march to Florance over the old Jackson trail, the picturesque camp on the shelving side of the river bluff—the place where Old Hickory slept while his army was crossing the Tennessee river on its way to New Orleans, were doubly interesting ^to me^ because ^it was where^ ^it was there that^ I said good bye to ^my^ companions to assume the duties of a recruiting officer in Cincinnati.

On the 2^d of September 1862 nine companies of the unorganized 83^d Ohio at Camp Dennison were ordered into Kentucky to oppose the advance of Kirby Smith with several regiments of volunteers and a battalion of the 13^th Infantry, an aggregation of militia squirrel hunters and companies of citizens of the Queen City who were to be unwilling workers with pick and spade

6 we felt we were in a great big mob and that The whole a grand farce ^I venture this^ not withstanding the serious^ness^ of the matter in a paper, recently submitted by that eminent General and auther Lew Wallace.

When the scare subsided and after the battles of Richmond and Perryville, A Brigade fully organized with regiments a thousand strong and twelve wagons to each marched through Lexington and Frankfort to Louisville under the command of Gen^l Burbridge and there embarked for Memphis to join the army operating against Vicksburg. A force of 2twenty thousand under Sherman left Memphis on the 20^th of December, in an expedition intended to co operate with Grants land forces, working in the rear by way of Holly Springs and Granada

Our first landing was in Louisana on Christmas day. The objective a bridge over the Tensas river, where the Vicksburg Shreveport and Alexandria railroad crosses that stream. Immense quantities of cotton was were stored all over the country and in the vicinity of the bridge, branded Confederate States of America and presumbed to be security for loans advanced by the English to aid the rebellion The bridge flanked by

7. pyramids of that precious commodity loomed up against the sky in grand proportions ^as we approached^ The torch was relentlessly applied and Englands security went up in smoke and the railroad was permantently disabled. We returned to our transports the same night and the following morning steamed into Yazoo river with a convoy of several iron clads. The country between the Chickasaw ridge on which Vicksburg is situated and the Yazoo river, is low and swampy and is intersected with bayous, the largest near the base of the bluff, forming a natural ditch for the fortifications. one or two fords were found but were well defended by the earthworks that extended along the face of the almost perpendicular bluff.

Rain continued with little intermission during the five days that were spent in attempts to make a lodgment on the enemys side of the bayou, over pontoons that were thrown across it. Heavy guns requiring twenty oxen to draw them over the corderoy roads constructed for the purpose, were placed in position, The first attack was made by the troops

8. of Gen^l George W Morgans command followed by those of Morgan [W?] Smith The gunboats fired continuous, but the intervening woods interfered with the effectiveness of their fire aim and endangered the lives of our men, by shells striking and exployding ^in^ the trees above their heads.

The shrill whistle of the locomotive and exultant cheers as the trains arrived, indicated that re enforcements were constantly arriving coming

The earthworks along the face of the bluff werewas outlined in the mist. by flame a blaze along its entire length ^by a blaze of flame^ The attacking parties in column of company were literally swept from the bridges and the few who succeeded in getting accross, were shot down in attempting to fall back. The disabled were digging in the sand some with bayonet others with only their hands, to protect them selves:—^the dead were piled in rows like cord wood^ all in full view of those who were to follow. Information of the The destruction of Grants depot of supplies of Holly Springs by Van Dorns cavalry, reached Sherman, who determined to withdraw. The skillful work of the many in covering the retreat enabled Sherman him

[left margin in pencil] My recollections of the hollidays spent in the Yazoo swamps will never be effaced and are incomparable with any subsequent experience during the remainder of our campaign

9 to reach his transports with his siege guns and supplies before the enemy was aware of his intentions to leave them abandon them to enjoy their rem???, [undisturbed?]their holes in the to leave them to the undisturbed enjoyment of their holes hillside

Our resourceful Sherman General at once decided upon a place to restore the spirit of his army, appreciating that the outlook for failure was success and the only cure for defeat victory was victory.

He proceeded up White river was a harbor for the aggressive craft of the enemy, who occasionally sallied forth to the great discomforture of our supply boats. Fort Hindman at Arkansas Post forty miles above the mouth, protected heretheir craft from falling our iron clads, and was regarded as of such importance that Churchill the commander was ordered to hold it at all hazards. The work was a [casemated?] square with bastions at the corners, mounting heavy guns, protected by a covering of railroad iron. A line of rifle pits extended from the fork at the river bank far into the interior.

Arriving at the mouth of White river we were met by re enforcements under McClemand, who ranked Sherman an assumed command, but carried out the plans, of the latter to attack Fort [Hindman?] by land while the naval vessels engaged the guns commanding the river