Category: Dan O’Connell’s Campaign Series

December 28 – Indian Mound On the trails and road leading to the crossing at Indian Mound the 116th Ohio labored overnight to clear the obstructions. By 4 a.m. all that remained was the abatis at the immediate crossing. The night’s work allowed six guns of Co B, 1st Illinois Artillery to take a position […]

December 28 – Lake House Road On the Lake House Road BG Morgan prepared for his renewed attack by assigning 7th Battery, Michigan Light Artillery, normally a 2nd Brigade asset, to DeCourcy. The six guns were placed on the south side of the road and took the 29th Louisiana under fire. Their exposed position was […]

December 28 – Blake’s Levee Overnight of the 27th-28th the Confederate line received its first appreciable reinforcement. Three brigades of troops arrived. Two brigades arrived from Grenada (Vaughn and Gregg) and one from middle Tennessee (Barton). These troops were rushed to the threatened area. BG John Vaughn’s three regiment brigade formed a line covering the […]

December 27th Safely ashore and anticipating the arrival of BG A. J. Smith’s division from Milliken’s Bend Sherman formulated a plan to seize crossings of Chickasaw Bayou on the 27th,but his initial plan was altered when Smith’s troops were delayed. Restructuring the plan Sherman ordered BG Steele to detach Blair’s brigade and embark his remaining […]

December 26 Early on the 26th the transports headed for the Yazoo under guard of the gunboats. The convoy ran unopposed to the vicinity of Johnson’s Plantation where they tied up to disembark. BG George Morgan’s division led the expedition ashore at the eastern limit of the Johnson property. After a brief bombardment by the […]

Scouting the River While the land component was conducting operations at Milliken’s Bend, Admiral Porter’s fleet began the reconnaissance of the Yazoo River. Porter directed Lt Commander William Gwin to take his powerful vessel, Benton, along with the timber-clad gunboats Lexington and Tyler, the tin-clads Romeo and Juliet, and the ram Lioness to sweep the […]

Movement to Contact The last of the Memphis contingent (A. J. Smith’s division) departed Memphis at noon on December 21st and arrived at friars Point at dark. Because the transports for MG Frederick Steele’s Arkansas based troops were not due to arrive until early on the 22nd Smith’s troops has a layover at Friars Point. […]