Opening Shots In Vicksburg

Early Civil War opening shots near Vicksburg, Mississippi on January 13^th 1861 were fired at the steamboat, the A O Tyler which was thought to be carrying Union related supplies.

On the evening of January 13^th 1861 the steamboat the A O Tyler was making a regular run down the Mississippi River between Cincinnati, Ohio and New Orleans, Louisiana with general cargo.  As the Tyler rounded a bend near Vicksburg and came opposite of Fort Hill, the Captain John Collier was surprised when he was fired on.  Collier didn’t understand that the shots fired into the water near his ship where an order to stop.

Shortly after this the A O Tyler made a routine stop at the port in Vicksburg.  It was here that Collier was given orders to turn his ship around and return up river to Fort Hill, to report to the officers in charge of the battery which had fired on his ship.  Collier tied the A O Tyler up at a small dock at Fort Hill, where he was met by uniformed Mississippi militia.  The militia stated that they were going to search the A O Tyler for weapons and armed soldiers.  None were found and Collier was allowed to proceed on his way.

The firing on the A O Tyler turned out to be the response to a rumor that a steamboat with 500 armed men, known as “Wideawakes” was on its way down the river with plans to attack Vicksburg.  The A O Tyler would just seven month latter become a Union gunboat when she was purchased and commissioned at the USS Tyler.

A Lincoln Supporter

Smith Dykins Atkins was nominated by President Abraham Lincoln to be promoted to Brevet Brigadier General January 12^th 1865.

Smith Dykins Atkins was born June 9^th 1836 in Horseheads, New York the son of Adna S and Sarah (Dykins) Atkins.  His family moved to Illinois in 1845 where he attended the Rock River Seminary in Mount Morris, Illinois.  He had a law practice and was the editor of the Mount Morris Gazette.  He worked for Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860.

At the call for Union troops following the firing on Fort Sumter, Atkins became the first man from Stephenson County, Illinois to enlist.  He was appointed Captain of the 11^th Illinois Infantry April 30^th 1861, and then Major in early 1862.  Due to illness he resigned in April 1862, but was back in service by September 1862 as the Colonel of the 92^nd Illinois Mounted Infantry.  In February 1863 Atkins was commanding a brigade in the Union Army of Kentucky.  He led a brigade of cavalry during the March to the Sea.  President Abraham Lincoln nominated Atkins to receive the promotion grade of Brevet Brigadier General January 12^th 1865, which was confirmed by the United States Senate in February of that year.

Following the war Atkins returned to Illinois, but not before meeting and marrying Ella Swain the daughter of David Swain who was the president of the University of North Carolina.  Atkins became the editor of the Freeport, Illinois newspaper and the city’s postmaster.  He wrote two books, and served as the first president of the Freeport Public Library.  Atkins died March 27^th 1913 in Freeport, Illinois and is buried in the Freeport City Cemetery. 

We Are The Alabama

The USS Hatteras a Union gunboat was sunk off the coast of Galveston, Texas January 11^th 1863 by the CSS Alabama.

The USS Hatteras was a1450 ton iron hulled side wheeled steamer, which was outfitted with four 32 pounder cannon as a gunboat.  She started life as the St Mary and was purchased by the Union Navy September 25^th 1861.  Fitted out at the Philadelphia Navy Yard she was commissioned the USS Hatteras and place in command of Commander George F Emmons October 1861.

Serving as a part of the blockading fleet near the coast of Galveston, Texas on January 11^th 1863 the USS Hatteras was ordered to give chase to as unknown ship that had been sighted on the horizon.  Beginning the pursuit about 3 pm the Hatteras followed the other ship as it moved closer to shore.  Finally coming into hailing distance of the other ship Hatteras’ Captain Homer C Blake made a request of identity.  The reply was, "Her Britannic Majesty’s Ship Vixen."  The commander of the Hatteras was suspicious and ordered the British inspected.  Once the longboat from the Hatteras moved toward the mysterious ship, a new reply came, "We are the CSS Alabama."

At this point the CSS Alabama which was commanded by Raphael Semmes pulled down the Union Jack and raised the Confederate flag.  She opened on the Hatteras with heavy cannon.  For 20 minutes the two ships exchanged fire at a distance of less than 200 yards.  Hearing the guns and seeing the flashes the Union squadron now about 15 miles away sent the USS Brooklyn a cruiser to find out what was going on.

By this time the Hatteras was already on fire and beginning to go down.  The Captain had the magazines flooded to prevent an explosion, then had a single shot fired with the bow gun to admit surrender and request assistance.  The Alabama sent over boats to remove the Hatteras’ crew, removing the last of them as the ship went under.  The whole action took only about 45 minutes.  Of the 126 crew members on the Hatteras 2 were killed and 5 wounded.  Six men managed to escape back to the squadron.  The Alabama had only 2 men wounded in the action.

Hold Out Until Help Arrives

The Battle of Arkansas Post [Battle of Fort Hindman] a part of the Vicksburg Campaign was fought January 9^th through 11^th 1863 near the mouth of the Arkansas River.

The Confederate Army had an earthwork fort near Arkansas Post a bluff on the Arkansas River, built to prevent river passage to Little Rock, Arkansas.  The fort had a great view and was named Fort Hindman in honor of Confederate General Thomas C Hindman.  The fort was held by about 5,000 infantry from Arkansas and Texas under command of Confederate Brigadier General Thomas J Churchill.

Union political Major General John A McClernand ordered Major General William T Sherman Corps joined with his into the Army of the Mississippi, totaling about 33,000 men.  On January 4^th 1863 McClernand ordered this force with navy support to move on Arkansas Post.

Union boats beginning landing troop about 3 miles below Arkansas Post at Notrebe’s Plantation on January 9^th 1863.  These men moved up the river toward Fort Hindman.  Sherman’s Corps took the Confederate trenches forcing them back into the Fort.  By eleven on the morning of January 10^th 1863 all the Union troops were on land.  Churchill made a request for reinforcements when he saw the overwhelming size of the Union force advancing on him.  From his superior Churchill was told to “hold out till help arrived or until all dead.”  The Union troops split to make a flanking movement, but were unable to do so because of swamps and impassible roads.  With McClernand’s troops moving on the Fort, the Union Navy’s gunboats commanded by Rear Admiral David D Porter pounded the Fort from 400 yard away.  This bombardment inflicted heavy damage on the Confederate guns.

The next morning McClernand’s troops deployed in an arc around Fort Hindman.  The infantry attacked at about 1pm.  At the same time the Union gunboats also moved into attack.  By 4:30 when McClernand was planning a massive assault, the Confederates began to show surrender flags.  As the Fort fell Porter accepted the surrender of Confederate Colonel John Dunnington who was in charge of the Confederate artillery.

The defeat of the Confederates at Arkansas Post took away a quarter to the deployed military force west of the Mississippi River.  Confederate losses were about 5,500 men.  Union losses were numbered at 1,047.

Exposed His Life

Thomas Saltus Lubbock a Texas Ranger and Confederate Colonel, died January 9^th 1862.

Thomas Saltus Lubbock was born November 29^th 1817 in Charleston, South Carolina the son of Henry T and Susan Ann (Saltus) Lubbock.  He moved to New Orleans, Louisiana in 1835 to work in a cotton factory.  When the Texas revolution started Lubbock marched with a company raised by Captain William G Cooke to Nacogdoches, Texas, and took part in the siege of San Antonio de Bexar.  He took work on the upper Brazos River on a steamboat before joining the Santa Fe Expedition.  When captured with his company in New Mexico, he escaped and made his way back to Texas.  He was elected First Lieutenant in the Texas Rangers and was at the head of a company that drove the Mexicans back across the Rio Grande.

Lubbock was a firm secessionist.  At the beginning of the Civil War Lubbock traveled with Thomas J Goree, James Longstreet, Benjamin Franklin Terry and John A Wharton from Galveston, Texas to Richmond, Virginia, where he petitioned Confederate President Jefferson Davis for permission to raise a company.  While in Virginia Lubbock and Terry along with about 15 other Texans organized into a band of scouts to work for the Confederate Army.  He was still a civilian during the First Battle of Manassas where he "exposed his life in bearing messages during the contest."

Lubbock and Terry finally received authority to raise a regiment of cavalry, and they returned to Texas where they raised the 8^th Texas Cavalry known as “Terry’s Texas Rangers”.  Lubbock was made the Lieutenant Colonel of the 8^th.  Finding himself in failing health Lubbock traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to recover.  When Terry was killed at the Battle of Rowlett’s Station on December 17^th 1861, Lubbock was promoted to Colonel of the 8^th.  He never took command of the regiment however, as he died from typhoid fever in Nashville, Tennessee January 9^th 1862.  He is buried in the Glenwood Cemetery in Houston, Texas.

Surrendered With A Receipt

The Confederate Florida State Militia took position of Fort Marion in St Augustine, Florida on January 7^th 1861, three day before the state seceded from the Union.

Twenty-five Florida State Militia from the town of Fernandina, Florida captured Fort Marion on January 7^th 1861 from one lone Union Army Sergeant.  The Sergeant wouldn’t surrender the Fort until he given a receipt.  All but five of guns located at the Fort were moved to other Confederate forts.  Three days later the state of Florida seceded, but the news didn’t reach St Augustine until January 12^th 1861.  The town celebrated by raising flags, ringing church bells and firing church bells, followed that night with a torchlight parade.

Fort Marion and the town of St Augustine was reclaimed by Union Marines and Navy, who landed unopposed from the USS Wabash and USS Mohican on March 11^th 1862.

A Horse Breeder

Sanders Dewees Bruce an expert on horse breeding was made the Colonel of the Union 20^th Kentucky Infantry January 6^th 1862.

Sanders Dewees Bruce was born in Lexington, Kentucky August 18^th 1825, the son of John Bruce.  He graduated in 1846 from Transylvania University and went in the mercantile business.  He served in the Kentucky State Militia as a Captain of the Lexington Chasseurs.

When the Civil War started Bruce decided to fight for the Union, despite other family member choosing to side with the Confederacy [his sister Rebeca was married to Confederate General John Hunt Morgan].  Bruce started his service as the Union Inspector General of the Kentucky Militia.  When the 20^th Kentucky Infantry; which he helped recruit, was raised, he was mustered in as their Colonel on January 6^th 1862.  In February of 1862 Bruce was in command of a Brigade in Union General William Bull Nelson’s Division of the Army of the Ohio.  Bruce led his Brigade when Nelson was ordered to reinforce Union General Ulysses S Grant at Pittsburg Landing during the Battle of Shiloh.  He would serve as post commander in Bowling Green, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee.  When he resigned from Union service June 24^th 1864, due to a stroke, he was serving as the Provost Marshal of Lexington, Kentucky.

After the war ended Bruce moved to New York City.  He published “The Turf, Field and Farm” a magazine where he used his knowledge of horse breeding.  He became a member of the Coney Island Jockey Club, and wrote the “American Stud Book” and “The Horsebreed’s Guide and Handbook”.  Bruce died January 31^st 1902 in New York City; and is buried in Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky.