"Samuel Day the the 22nd Iowa"
by

Chapter 4

The Battle of Port Gibson, Mississippi

M^cClernand’s forces, except his cavalry units who had not yet arrived at Bruinsburg, began the march east toward the town of Port Gibson. Grant ordered M^cClernand to reach a line of bluffs, about three miles inland, which the 13^th Corps did just before sunset of April 30. Determined to surprise the enemy he expected to find at Port Gibson, General M^cClernand ordered his men to continue to march late into the evening. By pressing further inland, M^cClernand hoped to prevent the destruction of the bridge over Bayou Pierre on the road leading to Grand Gulf and Jackson.

General Pemberton chose to mount a defense at Port Gibson, sending General Edward Tracy’s and General Martin Green’s brigades from Grand Gulf to stop the Union advance into Mississippi. There, they lie in wait for the advance forces of General M^cClernand.

At 1 o’clock in the morning, the 13^th Corps reached the vicinity of Magnolia Church, 13 miles inland from Bruinsburg and only four miles from Port Gibson. From their advanced position, General Carr’s Division encountered light fire from Confederate infantry and artillery. M^cClernand sent the 21^st Iowa out as skirmishers and brought up Harris’ Brigade with the 1^st Iowa (Griffiths’) and 1^st Indiana (Klauss’) batteries to return the enemy’s fire. After exchanging fire for nearly two hours, the enemy was silenced and driven away. Colonel Stone of the 22^nd Iowa recalled:

This artillery duel was one long to be remembered by those who witnessed it. The fire of the Rebel batteries, on account of their knowledge of the ground, was quite accurate, and many of our men and horses were disabled by them. The extreme darkness, the screaming and bursting shells, and the rattle of grape through fences and timber, conspired to render the scene presented by this midnight battle one of the most terrific grandeur(54).

 

Colonel William M. Stone, Commander of the 22^nd Iowa, temporarily in charge of the 14^th Division wrote:

About 10 o’clock on the night of the 30th ultimo, when the Fourteenth Division was on its march from Bruinsburg to Port Gibson, the Second Brigade being in advance, I was called upon to take command of it, and went immediately to the front. My instructions were to reach Port Gibson at as early an hour as possible, and occupy the several bridges across Bayou Pierre at that place. Four companies of the Twenty first Iowa and one howitzer from Captain Griffiths’ battery were sent forward as an advance guard. Two of these companies, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Dunlap, a brave and skillful officer, were deployed as skirmishers, and the other two, under command of Major Van Anda, to whom I am under great obligations for his coolness and promptitude, were left back as a support to the howitzer; the balance of the brigade, the Twenty-first Iowa leading, moved in column in supporting distance behind.

The road over which we marched passed through a country much broken by gorges and ravines, and thickly covered with tall timber, underbrush, and cane, so peculiar to the Southern country. While moving forward in this order, and about three-quarters of a mile from Magnolia Church, our skirmishers were fired upon by a heavy picket force of the enemy, posted in an angle of the road. I immediately formed the advance companies in line on the right and left of the road, and ordered Colonel Merrill forward with the other companies of his regiment. I then moved them slowly forward, covered by skirmishers, until I became satisfied that we had not yet reached the immediate vicinity of the enemy’s main force. We then moved forward in column in the previous order, and as our skirmishers reached the head of the lane in front of Magnolia Church they received a tremendous volley of musketry from the enemy, strongly posted on the right and left of the church. I again formed the advance companies in line, and sent an order back for the entire brigade to move forward into line(55).

 

Major J.B. Atherton, temporarily in charge of the 22^nd Iowa due to Colonel Stone’s absence to command the 14^th Division, described the regiment’s role in the battle:

On the evening of the 30th ultimo, on our march toward Port Gibson, after our advance guard became engaged with the enemy, I received an order from you [Col Stone] to hurry my regiment forward and form it in line on the left, our artillery then hotly engaged with the rebel batteries. This order was promptly obeyed, and the men came up quickly and in good order, forming at the point designated. We were then under the enemy’s fire, yet my men manifested great coolness and self-possession. We remained in line for two hours, in support of the batteries, until the battle ceased for the night, and we laid down upon our arms, but not to sleep, as we were in momentary expectation of a renewal of the combat(56).

 

S.C. Jones wrote in his diary,

The soldiers slept on their arms in line of battle, if sleep we could. The excitement we had just gone through and the anticipations of the morrow disturbed our rest, yet the long and tedious march caused a weariness that demanded rest in sleep, of which some of us made good use(57).

 

By 6:30 a.m., the enemy had returned to their position at Magnolia Church. Jones recalled, "We were awake before dawn. It was a beautiful clear morning. There was a stillness that was ominous. Birds and beetles only had the right of way. About 7 a.m., the battle began with a shot here and there by the sharpshooters, who caught the first glimpses of the wily enemy. Then came the rattle of musketry all along the line(58)." General Carr’s Division again attacked, this time supported by General Hovey’s Division. General Carr reports:

I kept the enemy employed with my Second Brigade and the two batteries on the left of and in the road, while I sent the First Brigade, Brig. Gen. William P. Benton commanding, through ravines, canebrake, and timber to the right of the road, to press on his left flank. Some of the regiments of General Hovey’s division came up, and, with their assistance, the First Brigade charged and routed the enemy, capturing two guns, a stand of colors, some prisoners, and small-arms. The enemy retreated about 2 miles, and took up a new position. In conjunction with the other troops, we pursued and continued fighting him until night, when he retreated across Bayou Pierre, destroying the bridges(59).

 

The 14^th Division held the center of the line during the battle. General Carr ordered Colonel Stone to hold his men in readiness for a charge while both the left and right of the line were hotly engaged with the enemy. At about 10 o’clock, the Rebels opened their attack on the Union center. Colonel Stone wrote:

Soon after sunrise the battle was renewed by the enemy, who held their position during the night. Their batteries opened upon us with great vigor, and their infantry moved forward to the attack. My command was promptly in line, and Captain Griffiths vigorously returned their fire with his admirable battery. Other brigades and batteries were soon engaged on our right and left, and the two contending forces became hotly engaged. Our position being in the center of our line, I was ordered by General Carr to hold my infantry in readiness to charge the enemy’s lines when the decisive moment should arrive, though we were all the time in range of the rebel artillery and musketry.

About 10 o’clock it became evident that the enemy were massing their forces upon our immediate front, as their musketry was increasing in volume and rapidly advancing toward us. At this juncture I moved my brigade forward in double lines of battalions, for the purpose of charging upon the advancing columns of the enemy. We were compelled to cross a deep hollow, thickly covered on both slopes with underbrush and cane, but my men moved forward with the spirit and steadiness of veteran troops, and with unbroken lines. When the thicket was passed, and as we advanced into the open field close to the enemy’s lines, we opened our fire upon them with such rapidity and precision that, unable to resist it, they soon broke and retreated in utter confusion. This ended the battle of the morning. Our victory was complete(60).

 

The Confederates left their dead and wounded thickly scattered across the field, as well as hundreds of prisoners and many small arms. The enemy withdrew to the top of a thickly wooded hill with a commanding view of the field, and were strongly re-enforced and ready to make another stand. The 14^th Division left the victorious field to pursue the enemy and about a mile from the field again came under Confederate fire. Colonel Stone’s official report continues:

My regiments were soon in line, with Captain Griffiths’ battery in position, which soon opened with its usual spirit upon the enemy. Simultaneously with this the rebel batteries also opened with accurate range, and for about half an hour we sustained alone the concentrated fire of their infantry and artillery. Finally other brigades and batteries became engaged, and the battle raged with terrific fury along our lines. My command, however, remained in front during the entire engagement, and all the time under the enemy’s fire. They retired only after the battle had ceased and the enemy had again retreated from the field(61).

 

Major Atherton recorded the 22^nd Iowa’s action on May 1, 1863, against the enemy at Port Gibson:

Soon after sunrise we were again in line, and under the enemy’s fire in support of our batteries until near 10 o’clock, when we were led forward to charge on the rebel lines. This movement was executed with alacrity by my regiment; not a man faltered or fell back. Our fire was delivered upon the enemy with great deliberation and accuracy, and when their lines were broken and they driven in rout from the field we were the first to occupy the ground.

In the long and hotly-contested fight of the afternoon my regiment was all the time in face of the enemy and under his severest fire. Three several times [sic] we were ordered against the rebel infantry and under the range of his batteries. Each time we drove them from the field. Late in the afternoon, by your order, we charged up the hill, in conjunction with the Twenty-first Iowa and on the left of General Burbridge’s brigade, against the enemy’s lines, there strongly posted in almost impenetrable timber and underbrush. Though unable, from the character of the ground and the raking fire of the enemy’s batteries, to reach the extreme summit of the hill, we reached the point to which I was ordered and remained there, receiving and returning the enemy’s fire, until about sundown, when, by your order, we returned to our former position, and remained upon the field until the firing had entirely ceased and quiet reigned along our whole line(62).

 

Captain C.N. Lee of the 22^nd Iowa added the following comments of the 22^nd Iowa’s role in the battle:

In the battle of Port Gibson, on May 1, the Twenty-second Iowa played a conspicuous part throughout the entire engagement, and retired from the field on the evening of the same day, after a hard-fought battle of twenty hours under a burning sun, throughout which time they were exposed to the fire of the enemy; and notwithstanding the fatigues to which the men were subjected the day previous, and the loss of sleep during the whole night, they unflinchingly bore the hardships, and gave true evidence to the world of their gallantry, endurance, and bravery on the field of duty.

 

During the night, the enemy retreated across Bayou Pierre, destroying the bridges after they crossed. The Battle of Port Gibson was over. In their after action reports, both Colonel Stone and Major Atherton wrote of the bravery of the men of the 14^th Division. Colonel Stone said:

With me there is a higher significance attached to the victory of yesterday than the mere defeat and rout of the enemy. We fought the veteran troops of the Confederacy, who gloried in the laurels won upon the earlier fields of the war. They were gathered from several States, and were led by a general who fought us at the memorable battle of Shiloh, over one year ago. We met them again upon more equal terms, and in a contest as fierce as Shiloh, considering the numbers engaged. Hand to hand we fought them, and demonstrated the fact beyond all dispute that the fiery valor of the South is no match for the cool and stubborn courage of the Western soldier(63).

 

Major Atherton stated,

Throughout these series of engagements the officers and men of my regiment behaved with great coolness and gallantry. I found them always ready and eager to obey the order to move on the enemy.

So well did the entire command acquit themselves that I cannot, without seeming invidious, enter into particulars. It is sufficient to say that they acted nobly, and well sustained the honors already so well earned by Iowa soldiers.

Great care was taken to shelter our men from the enemy’s fire, which the unevenness of the ground enabled us to do with comparative success; yet the loss in this regiment being greater, with but one exception, than any other regiment in the brigade, shows clearly where we were in this long and hotly contested engagement, and that my men did not shrink from their duty(64).

Union casualties included 1 officer and 130 enlisted killed in action, 44 officers and 675 enlisted wounded, and 25 enlisted men captured or missing. The 14^th Division lost 42 killed and 222 wounded while the 22^nd Iowa reported 2 killed and 17 wounded. One of the regiment’s casualties, Sylvester S. Garrison of Company E, was severely wounded and died two days later of his wounds.

The following is a summary of the next two weeks’ activities for the 14^th Division and the 22^nd Iowa, compiled from General Carr’s itinerary and S.C. Jones’ diary(65):

May 2¾ The division marched into Port Gibson. The town was abandoned after the Confederate retreat and most of the wounded Rebels were left behind. The 22^nd Iowa camped west of town.

May 3¾ The regiment was sent to the railroad crossing of Bayou Pierre, 3 miles distant, to establish a picket line. Company A set up a picket line on the ridge across from the bridge. General Lawler arrived and assumed command of the division.

May 5¾ Began the march at 4 A.M. and moved 11 miles to Willow Springs, setting up camp on a large ridge. The 22^nd Iowa remained in camp from 5-6 May.

May 7¾ At 3 A.M., the regiment marched on the road to Cayuga, halting at Big Sandy, 14 miles distant. "Roll call" was sounded every three hours to prevent foraging. Remained in this camp through 10 May.

May 10¾ Marched 9 miles, stopping 15 miles from the Jackson Railroad. Remained in camp through 12 May.

May 12¾ Reveille sounded at 3 A.M. and the division was on the move by sunrise. Marched by way of Cayuga to Fourteen-Mile Creek, 12 miles. Went into camp 6 miles from Edward’s Ferry on the Jackson Railroad.

May 13¾ Marched to near Raymond, 11 miles. The Battle of Raymond was fought and won before the 14^th Division arrived. S.C. Jones said, "We went into camp six miles from Raymond. Evidence of the recent battle were seen on every side, the wreckage of all arms of the service, broken wagons, scarred trees, new made graves, all indications of a short desperate struggle(66)."

May 14¾ The regiment marched past Raymond to Mississippi Springs, formerly a resort, 10 miles from Jackson. It rained all day, the roads were very bad, and part of the division failed in getting into camp. Word arrives that Sherman has taken Jackson.

May 15¾ Moved back to within 3 miles of Raymond, and camped across a road leading to Edwards Station; distance, 10 miles.

May 16¾ Marched 6 miles and near the plantation of Sid Champion, were ordered to leave knapsacks under guard and form in line of battle. The 22^nd Iowa was on the extreme left flank of the army and remained at arms but were not engaged except for one shell that exploded near their position. This was the Battle of Champion’s Hill.

54. Official Records, Vol XXIV, Part 1, pgs. 628-629. Grape refers to a cannon projectile consisting of 9 iron balls held between two iron plates connected by a spring. When fired, the balls spread, and had the same effect as a modern day machine gun.

55. Ibid., pgs. 628-629.

56. Ibid., p. 632.

57. Jones, 22^nd Iowa, pgs. 30-31.

58. Ibid., p. 31.

 

59.Official Records, Vol XXIV, Part 1, pgs. 615-616.

60.Ibid., p. 629.

61.Ibid., p. 630.

 

62.Ibid., pgs. 632-633.

63.Ibid., pgs. 630-631.

 

64.Ibid., p. 633.

65.Official Records, Vol XXIV, Part 1, p. 616, and and Jones, 22^nd Iowa, pgs. 32-33.

66.Jones, 22^nd Iowa, p. 33.

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