The Campaigns of Walker's Texas Division; Containing a Complete Record of the Campaigns in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas ... Including the Federal's (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1875 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XXVIII. THE FEDERAL REPORT OF THE BATTLES OF MANSFIELD AND PLEASANT HILL, AND THE RETREAT OF THE FEDERAL ARMY. fN the 13th of March, 1864, one division of the 13th Corps, under Brigadier-General Mower, and one division of the 17th Corps, under Brigadier-General T. Kilby Smith--the whole under command of BrigadierGeneral A. J. Smith--landed at Simmsport, on the Atchafalaya, and proceeded at once toward Fort De Russy, carrying it by assault, at 430 P. M., on the afternoon of the 14th. Two hundred and sixty prisoners and ten heavy guns were captured. Our loss was slight. The troops and transports under General A. J. Smith, and the Marine Brigade under General Ellet, with the gun-boats, moved to Alexandria, which was occupied without opposition on the 16th of the same month. General Lee, of my command, arrived at Alexandria on the morning of the 19th. The enemy, in the mean time, continued his retreat through Cheneyville, in the direction of Shreveport. Officers of my staff were at Alexandria on the 19th, and I made my headquarters there on the 24th, the forces of General Franklin arriving on the 25th and 26th of March; but, as the stage of the water in Eed River was too low to allow the passage of the gun-boats or transports over the falls, the troops encamped near Alexandria, General Smith and his command moving forward twenty-one miles to Bayou Eapids, above Alexandria. There were but six feet of water in the channel, while seven and one-half feet were necessary for second-class boats, and ten feet for first-class boats. The river is narrow, the channel tortuous, changing with every rise, making its navigation more difficult and dangerous, probably, than any of the Western rivers, while pilots for the transports were reluctant to...