| Notes |
- NOTE 1./ Civil War Service: Enoch S Mathews ,
Residence: Crawford County, Georgia
Enlistment Date: 03 May 1862
Distinguished Service: DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
State Served: Georgia
Unit Numbers: 410 410
Service Record: Exchanged (1863)
Enlisted as a Private on 03 May 1862
Enlisted in Company F, 57th Infantry Regiment Georgia on 24 May 1862.
POW on 04 July 1863 at Vicksburg, MS
Paroled on 07 July 1863
Transferred Company F, 57th Infantry Regiment Georgia on 09 April 1865
Transferred in Company D, 1st Consolidated Infantry Regiment Georgia on 09 April 1865.
Surrendered Company D, 1st Consolidated Infantry Regiment Georgia on 26 April 1865 in Greensboro, NC
NOTE 2./ VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI ;SIEGE OF MAY 18TH - JULY 4TH, 1863
Both brothers, Enoch and Benjamin F Mathews fought together at this battle.
Vicksburg, Miss., Siege of, May 18 to July 4, 1863. Army of the Tennessee and the Mississippi Flotilla. By the reduction of New Madrid, the surrender of Island No. 10, the evacuation of Forts Pillow and Randolph, and the destruction of the Confederate fleet in front of Memphis the Mississippi river was opened to Vicksburg, which place presented a more formidable opposition than any of the points that had been overcome.
Vicksburg is situated on the east bank of the Mississippi, upon a range of bluffs about 200 feet high. On
the western side of the river is a low bottom and directly opposite is a long, narrow peninsula, formed by an abrupt bend of the river a short distance above the city. On this peninsula, at the time of the operations against Vicksburg, stood the little town of De Soto, the terminus of the Shreveport & Vicksburg railroad. At the bend referred to the bluffs trend away from the river into a range called Walnut hills, leaving a lowland through which flow the Yazoo river and numerous bayous. Near Warrenton, some 7 or 8 miles below Vicksburg, the bluffs again recede from the river, making the natural location one well suited for defense. Protected on three sides by the river and its low bottoms, it required only a line of intrenchments from the Warrenton ridge on the south to the Walnut hills on the north, to guard against an attack from the eastward, to render the position almost impregnable to assault. Added to these advantages was the fact that the plateau formed by the bluffs was full of deep ravines, which made it impossible to maneuver troops there with any degree of success. After the failure of the first campaign Grant moved his army to Memphis, and thence down the river to Young's point, 9 miles above Vicksburg on the Louisiana side of the river, where he arrived and assumed command on Feb. 2, 1863. The army in the Vicksburg campaign consisted of the 9th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th army corps, respectively commanded by Maj.- Gens. John G. Parke, John A McClernand, William T. Sherman, Cadwallader C. Washburn and James B. McPherson, and two brigades from the District of Northeast Louisiana under
the command of Brig.-Gen. Elias S. Dennis. At the beginning of the campaign the Union army numbered about 43,000 men, but it was increased by reinforcements until at the close of operations Grant had 75,000 men about the city and its environs.
A valuable adjunct to the army in the reduction of Vicksburg was the Mississippi Flotilla, under the command of Rear-Adm. David D. Porter. It was composed of the flag-ship Benton; the gunboat Essex; the ironclads DeKalb (former the St. Louis), Cairo, Carondelet, Cincinnati, Louisville, Mound City, Pittsburg, Choctaw, Lafayette, Chillicothe, Indianola and Tuscumbia; the Rodgers gunboats Conestoga, Lexington and Tyler; the Ellet rams Fulton, Horner, Lancaster, Lioness, Mingo, Monarch, Queen of the West, Sampson and Switzerland, the tinclads Brilliant, Cricket, Forest Rose, Glide, Juliet, Linden, Marmora, Petrel, Rattler, Romeo and Signal; the mortar boats Abraham, Clara Dolsen, Gen. Lyon, Grampus, Great
Western, Judge Torrence, New National and Red Rover, and the despatch boat William H. Brown. On March 14-15, the following vessels, belonging to the West Gulf Squadron and commanded by Rear-Adm. David G. Farragut, passed the batteries at Port Hudson and assisted in the siege of Vicksburg: Hartford
(flagship), Mississippi, Monongahela, Richmond, Genesee, Kineo, Albatross, Estrella and Arizona. In addition to these vessels various gunboats participated in some of the operations, viz.: Alexandria, Argosy, Black Hawk, Champion, Covington, Curlew, Hastings, Exchange, Key West, Kenwood, Moose, New Era, Naumkeag, Pawpaw, Peosta, Prairie Bird, Queen City, Reindeer, St Clair, Silver Cloud, Silver Lake, Springfield, Tawah and Victory. Opposed to this force was the Confederate army under the command of Lieut.-Gen. John C. Pemberton. The strength of the Confederate forces at Vicksburg has been variously estimated at from 40,000 to 60,000 men, the latter figure being Grant's estimate. Pemberton, in his report, says that when he moved within the defenses of Vicksburg his available force aggregated about 28,000 men, but as over 31,000 were surrendered as prisoners of war after a siege of nearly two months, it is evident that his statement of his force is to low.
The battle of Chickasaw bluffs had demonstrated the strength of the Confederate works on the north side of the city, and Grant decided to gain a foothold below and attack from the south. To do this it was necessary to transport the army and its supplies to some point down the river. The Queen of the West ran past the batteries in front of Vicksburg on the night of Feb. 2, and the Indianola on the night of the
13th. Although these single vessels had passed safely, it was regarded as too hazardous an undertaking to attempt the passage with a large number of transports loaded with men and supplies, and a channel for the boats was sought elsewhere. Three routes presented themselves for consideration. One was the canal that had been excavated by Gen. Williams across the southern part of the peninsula opposite the city, in June, 1862; the second was to connect Lake Providence near the Arkansas line, with the Mississippi by a canal about a mile long and send the fleet through Louisiana via the Tensas, Black and Red rivers to a point on the Mississippi below Natchez, the third was the Yazoo pass route on the eastern side of the river. Work was commenced on the Williams canal early in February, its course being changed to insure a better current, and its construction was pushed vigorously. Rainy weather set in and continued until March 7, just as the canal was about completed when the levee gave way, inundating the canal and the camps west of it, and forcing the abandonment of the enterprise. Attention was then turned to the Lake Providence route, which had been examined by engineers and pronounced practicable, and by March 16, a canal was completed connecting the lake with the river, but before it was turned to any account Grant determined to try the route via the Yazoo pass, the Coldwater and Tallahatchie rivers, in the hope of gaining the high ground on the Yazoo above Haynes, bluff. Yazoo pass was a bayou, connecting the Mississippi, through Moon lake, with the Coldwater river, nearly opposite Helena, Ark. In early times it had been used for the passage of boats from Memphis to Yazoo City, but some years before the beginning of the war it had been closed by a strong levee to reclaim a large tract of land subject to overflow. This route had been under consideration from the first. On Feb. 3, the levee was blown up by a mine and four days later a gunboat entered the pass.
The Confederate spies and pickets had kept Pemberton well informed regarding every movement Grant made, and when it was learned that the Federals were preparing to advance by the Yazoo, steps were taken to offset the movement. Yazoo pass, as well as the Coldwater river, ran through a forest. The
Confederates felled a large number of trees into the water, thus impeding the progress of the vessel and causing a tedious delay in removing the obstructions, the Coldwater not being reached until the 21st, when the 13th division of McClernand's corps, Brig.-Gen. Leonard F. Ross commanding, was ordered to
pass through to test the availability of the route for a larger body of troops. Ross was delayed in procuring boats and did not reach the Coldwater until March 2. On the 5th Grant ordered McPherson to move his whole corps, about 30,000 men, down to Yazoo City and there effect a lodgment, while two
divisions of cavalry were to move to the eastward and cut the enemy's communications. Pemberton in the meantime had sent Loring, with about 2,000 men and 8 heavy guns to the mouth of the Yallabusha to dispute the passage of the Yazoo. About 5 miles below the mouth of the Yallabusha where the waters of
the Yazoo and Tallahatchie are brought within a short distance of each other by a sharp bend, Loring constructed a line of works, to which he gave the name of Fort Pemberton. The delay encountered by the Federals in clearing the streams above gave Loring plenty of time to get the fort in a good state of
defense, and when the gunboats and transports with Ross' division arrived before the fort on March 11, they found the Confederates prepared to give battle. As the ground in front of the fort was under water a charge on the works was out of the question, and the only thing that could be done was for the gunboats to try to silence the enemy's guns. On the 12th a land battery was established about 800 yards from the fort and the next day the bombardment was continued, but without any perceptible injury to the fort.
While Ross was working his way down the Tallahatchie Grant was informed that Loring was being reinforced from Vicksburg and, fearing that Ross might be surrounded and captured, planned an expedition to relieve him and at the same time reach the Yazoo above Haynes' bluff. The route selected
was up the Yazoo to Steele's bayou; thence up that bayou for about 40 miles to Black bayou; through that to Deer creek; up Deer creek for about 30 miles, then through a cross stream known as Rolling Fork to the Sunflower river, and down that stream to the Yazoo. Porter, with the Pittsburg, Louisville, Mound City, Cincinnati and Carondelet, four mortar boats and two tugs, accompanied by Sherman, with one division of his corps, started up the Yazoo on March 16, preceded by the 8th Mo. to remove trees, etc., from the streams. On the evening of the 18th, Porter was within a few miles of Rolling Fork and
it began to look as if this expedition was to be successful. But the enemy had learned of the movement and sent a brigade of infantry, with several pieces of artillery, up the Sunflower to head it off. A battery was planted at the mouth of the Rolling Fork and an attempt made to get in the rear of Porter, with a view to cutting off his retreat and capturing his gunboats. Porter sent word to Sherman, who hurried forward his troops and on the 21st he had a sharp skirmish with the Confederates, driving them back and extricating Porter from his predicament. The expedition now turned back and on the 27th reached the Mississippi adding another failure to the efforts to gain a position on Pemberton's flank.
Two months had now been spent in futile efforts to find a way by which the army could be transferred to a point below or in the rear of Vicksburg. Although somewhat disappointed, Grant was not altogether discouraged. The situation was carefully canvassed and but three plans presented themselves as being at all feasible: 1st, a direct assault on the enemy's works; 2nd, to return to Memphis and reopen a campaign in the rear of Vicksburg; or 3rd, to find a way through the bayous and swamps on the western side of the Mississippi, cross that river and move against the city from the south in accordance with the original scheme. The idea of a direct assault was rejected as too hazardous, defeat being almost certain. Sherman urged the adoption of the second method as the one most practicable, but the press and the public at the north were clamoring for aggressive action, Grant was being daily characterized as failure, and many were urging the president to relieve him of the command of the army. To return to
Memphis would look like a retreat. Probably for this reason, more than any other, Grant resolved to try the third plan. It was full of risk, failure meant the destruction of his army, but if it succeeded at all the success would be overwhelming. A route was reconnoitered from Milliken's bend and Young's point via Richmond, La., to New Carthage, about 30 miles below Vicksburg. It was found that, by excavating a canal about 2 miles long a short distance below Duckport, the Mississippi could be connected with Walnut bayou, thence by the sinuous course of that stream and Roundaway bayou a passage could be
opened for light draft boats, by means of which the troops and supplies could be conveyed to New Carthage, but the gunboats and heavy transports would have to run the gauntlet of the Vicksburg batteries. The canal was opened and one steamboat and several barges passed through the channel, when the river began to fall rapidly, rendering the route useless. It was no longer needed, however, for with the receding of the waters it became possible to march an army across the country. Even while the canal was under construction Osterhaus' division moved over the route, occupying Richmond on March 31, after a short skirmish, and arriving at New Carthage on April 6.
On the night of April 16, the fleet ran past the batteries at Vicksburg. Porter, with the flag-ship Benton,
was in the lead. Then followed, in the order named, the Lafayette, Louisville, Mound City, Pittsburg and Carondelet. Next came three transports, the Forest Queen, Silver Wave and Henry Clay, barricaded with cotton bales, while the gunboat Tuscumbia brought up the rear. Leaving the mouth of the Yazoo at 10 o'clock, the vessels dropped slowly down the river and about an hour later came within range of the Confederate guns, which immediately opened a vigorous fire. As the gunboats went by each one delivered a broadside on the town. The aim of the Confederate gunners was fairly accurate as every vessel was struck a number of times, but the only one seriously damaged was the Henry Clay, on which the cotton was fired by a bursting shell, and the crew becoming panic-stricken escaped to the other vessels or the shore, allowing her to burn to the water's edge. The batteries at Warrenton were passed without difficulty and at 2 a m. on the 17th, the fleet landed at New Carthage. On that day Grant started Grierson on a cavalry raid from La Grange, Tenn., to Baton Rouge, La., as a diversion, and to prevent reinforcements from being sent to Pemberton. On the night of the 22nd the transports Tigress, Anglo-Saxon, Cheeseman, Empire City, Horizon and Moderator, loaded with army supplies, ran the batteries. Five of them were more or less damaged. The Tigress received a shot in her hull below the water line, but she was run to the Louisiana shore, where she sank soon after passing beyond the range of the guns.
Grant's objective point was Grand Gulf, a small village on the east side of the river on the first bluff south of Vicksburg, and about 50 miles from that city. The enemy had fortified the bluff by a strong line of earthworks, in two sets of batteries, one above and another below the landing, the two being connected by a covered trench. On April 24, Grant and Porter made a reconnaissance of the batteries and decided them too strong to attack from the position then occupied some 20 miles up the river. Accordingly the line was extended to Hard Times landing, about 3 miles above Grand Gulf, and on the 29th, everything was in readiness for the assault. At 7 a.m. Porter left Hard Times with his fleet, and proceeded down the river followed by three divisions of McClernand's corps in transports, with instructions to land and carry the works by assault as soon as the enemy's guns were silenced. The bombardment began at 8 a m. and continued without cessation until 1 p.m., when the Confederates ceased firing. In the action Porter lost 19 killed and 56 wounded. Every one of his vessels had suffered to some extent, the Tuscumbia having been struck 81 times, a number of the shells penetrating her armor and bursting on the inside, damaging her so much that for some time she was unfit for service. The enemy lost 3 killed and 15 wounded. Although the batteries were silenced Grant regarded it as a feint and refused to land his infantry. McClernand moved his men back to Hard Times, where they were disembarked and marched across the bend to a point about 3 miles below Grand Gulf, but on the opposite side of the river. That night Porter renewed the attack on the batteries and while it was in progress the transports managed
to get by without being seriously injured. At daylight the next morning McClernand commenced ferrying his troops across the Mississippi, and by noon his entire corps, numbering 18,000 men, was on Mississippi soil at Bruinsburg, about 8 miles below Grand Gulf. McPherson's corps soon followed,
three days, rations were issued to the men, and at 4 o'clock, that afternoon the advance was begun on Port Gibson, where the enemy was met and overcome the next day. Grierson's raid had kept Pemberton from sending reinforcements to Grand Gulf, and on the night of May 2, the garrison evacuated that place,
retiring toward Vicksburg. Porter took possession on the morning of the 3rd and later in the day Grant rode over from Bruinsburg to make preparations for the establishment of his base.
During the forenoon of the 19th, while the Union troops were getting into better position, there was constant skirmishing along the lines. Knowing that the enemy had been demoralized by his recent defeats Grant was of the opinion that the Confederates would make but a feeble effort in defense of Vicksburg, and at 2 p.m. ordered an assault. But the enemy put up a more stubborn resistance than was
anticipated, and the only advantage gained was to secure more advanced positions, where the men were covered from the fire of the Confederate batteries. The next two days were spent in strengthening these positions and in opening roads to the Yazoo river, where Grant had established a depot of supplies.
Notwithstanding the failure of the 19th, opinion was prevalent among the rank and file of the army that the works could be carried by assault. Orders were accordingly issued on the evening of the 21st for a general attack along the whole line at 10 o'clock, on the following morning. So complete were the arrangements for this movement that the corps commanders all set their watches by Grant's so that all
should begin at exactly the same moment. Precisely at the time designated the three corps advanced to the attack. Sherman had planted four batteries so as to concentrate their fire on the bastion of the fort in his front, and formed a storming party of 150 to carry materials for throwing a rough bridge across the ditch. At the given signal the storming party rushed forward closely followed by Ewing's brigade. As
the line advanced Hebert's brigade arose inside the parapet and opened a terrific fire on their assailants. But the storming party made a rush, crossed the ditch and planted their flag on the parapet, where it was maintained until nightfall in spite of several attempts of the enemy to capture it. The majority of the storming party were killed, and the supporting troops forced to seek the shelter of a friendly ravine about 70 yards from the fort. From this position they kept up the fight until dark. The right of McPherson's line was in a position where any attempt to advance would have been met by a cross-fire, and all that could be done by Quinby's and Logan's divisions was to make a strong demonstration to keep Forney from sending reinforcements to other parts of the line. On the left J. E. Smith's and Stevenson's brigades made a gallant charge up the slope against the fort north of the
Baldwin's Ferry road. Smith was checked by a galling fire, but Stevenson pressed on to the foot of the works, where the 7th Mo. planted their colors, but after losing six standard bearers in quick succession fell back about 200 yards to a more sheltered position.
In McClernand's corps Carr's division occupied the right, with Benton's brigade on the Baldwin's Ferry road and Lawler's just south of the Jackson railroad, with A. J. Smith's division in support. Osterhaus came next and one brigade of Hovey's division was on the extreme left, the: other having been left at Big Black river bridge. As the line advanced Osterhaus and Hovey were checked by a murderous cross-fire from a square fort on their left, and though they held their position were unable to approach any nearer the enemy's works. Benton and Lawler advanced, the latter's attack being directed against a fort on a hill near the railroad. Two regiments, the 21st and 22nd Ia., charged up the hill and gained the
ditch in front of the fort. Sergt. Joseph Griffith, with a small party, entered the work and engaged in a hand-to-hand fight, in which nearly all of Griffith's men were killed. The fort was abandoned by the Confederates, but it was commanded by a stronger work a short distance in the rear the Iowa troops were unable to hold it, though the flag of the 22nd waved over the parapet for the rest of the day. Benton's brigade also reached the ditch in their front and planted their colors on the parapet, while Landram's brigade, of A. J. Smith's division, joined Lawler, the colors of the 77th Ill. being planted by the side of those of the 22nd Ia. In repulsing the attacks of Benton and Lawler the Confederates used hand grenades with terrible effect. At 10:30 a.m. several Union flags were floating over the outer line of
works, but further progress seemed to be impossible. Toward noon McClernand sent a message to Grant, stating that he had part possession of two of the enemy's forts, and asking that McPherson strike a vigorous blow to cause a diversion in his favor. This despatch was shown to Sherman, who sent Tuttle
forward to the assistance of Blair, and ordered Giles Smith to join his brigade with that of Ransom, of McPherson's command, in an attack on the works near Graveyard road. Logan's division again advanced, but was forced back with heavy loss.
To conduct the siege successfully and the same time guard against an attack in the rear by the forces under Johnston, Grant called for reinforcements. These were promptly sent to him and at the close of the siege he had about 75,000 men about Vicksburg, the 9th and 16th corps and Herron's division having been added to his army. Johnston did begin the work of organizing an army at Canton for the relief of Vicksburg, but he spent so much time in correspondence with the Confederate authorities at Richmond, and was otherwise so slow in his movements, that he was not ready to begin his advance until July 1, and before be reached Vicksburg Pemberton had surrendered.
On May 13, the Union army began the work of intrenching Itself. During the siege nearly 12 miles of trenches and 89 batteries were constructed. These batteries mounted 248 guns, mostly field pieces. In the absence of mortars wooden coehorns were made from tough logs, banded with iron, and were
used for throwing 6 and 12 pound shells into the Confederate trenches. A few heavy siege-guns were brought up from the gunboats and worked by naval crews. The character of the ground between the lines made it easy to run covered ways up to and even under the enemy's works. On June 25, the mine was ready. It was charged with a ton of powder, two regiments were stationed under cover to charge through the breach, and at 3 p.m. the fuse was lighted. The explosion was a success, the two regiments rushed into the crater, which they held for 24 hours, when they were driven out with hand grenades from a second line of works which the Confederates had in the meantime thrown up in the rear of the parapet
destroyed. A second mine was exploded on July 1, but no attempt was made to charge the works. About this time a despatch from Johnston to Pemberton was intercepted. From it Grant learned that it was Johnston's intention to create a diversion on July 7, in order to give the forces at Vicksburg a chance to cut their way out. Grant, therefore ordered another assault for the 6th. Some days before Johnston's despatch was intercepted a report reached Grant to the effect that Pemberton was preparing to escape under cover of darkness to the western side of the Mississippi. Porter was directed to keep a close watch upon the river, batteries were planted on the Louisiana shore, and brushwood was arranged for firing, to light up the river in case the attempt was made. When the Union troops entered Vicksburg they found a large number of rudely constructed boats, showing that there was no doubt some truth in the report. A communication under the caption "Appeal for Help," and signed "Many Soldiers," was sent to Pemberton from the trenches. It was dated June 28, and the following extract shows the feeling that existed at that time in the Confederate ranks. "If you can't feed us, you had better surrender us. This army is now ripe for mutiny unless it can be fed." On July 1, Pemberton called on his division
commanders for information "as to the condition of your troops, and their ability to make the marches and undergo the fatigues necessary to accomplish a successful evacuation." Two of the generals were outspoken in favor of surrender, and the other two expressed the opinion that any attempt to evacuate would prove a failure. About 10 o'clock, on the morning of the 3rd white flags were displayed on the enemy's works and hostilities along that portion of the line ceased. A little later Gen. Bowen and Col. Montgomery were seen coming under another white flag toward the Union lines. Montgomery
bore a letter from Pemberton to Grant, proposing an armistice and the appointment of three commissioners from each army to arrange terms for the capitulation of Vicksburg. To this letter Grant replied as follows: " * * * The useless effusion of blood you propose stopping by this course can be ended at any time you may choose, by the unconditional surrender of the city and garrison. Men who have shown so much endurance and courage as those now in Vicksburg will always challenge the respect of an adversary and I can assure you will be treated with all the respect due to prisoners of
war. I do not favor the proposition of appointing commissioners to arrange terms of capitulation, because I have no terms other than those indicated above."
"In conformity with agreement of this afternoon I will submit the following proposition for the surrender of the city of Vicksburg, public stores, etc. On your accepting the terms proposed I will march in one division as a guard, and take possession at 8 a.m. tomorrow. As soon as rolls can be made out and paroles signed by officers and men, you will be allowed to march out of our lines, the officers taking
with them their side arms and clothing, and the field, staff, and cavalry officers one horse each. The rank and file will be allowed all their clothing, but no other property. If these conditions are accepted, any
amount of rations you may deem necessary can be takes from the stores you now have, and also the necessary cooking utensils for preparing them. Thirty wagons also, counting two-horse or mule teams as one, will be allowed to transport such articles as cannot be carried along. The same conditions will be allowed to all sick and wounded officers and soldiers as fast as they become able to travel. The paroles for these latter must be signed, however, whilst officers present are authorized to sign the roll of prisoners." The number of prisoners surrendered being 31,600, together with 172 pieces of artillery, 60,000 muskets and a large quantity of ammunition. The losses of the Union army during the siege, including the assault were 763 killed, 3,746 wounded, and 162 missing. The fall of Vicksburg opened the Mississippi to the Federal armies and coming just at the same time as Lee's defeat at Gettysburg the two victories marked the turning point in the fortunes of the Confederacy.
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1844 - Aft 1910 (> 67 years)
