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Follow the strategic movements of General Grant's army as they run the gauntlet of Confederate defenses in Vicksburg and secure their position on the east side of the Mississippi.
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Vicksburg Running the Gauntlet, Grand Gulf, Bruinsburg, Port Gibson
Agenda • Running the Gauntlet • Grand Gulf • Successful Confederate defense • Bruinsburg • Turning movement bypasses Grand Gulf • Port Gibson • Federal victory secures Grant’s position on east side of Mississippi
New Plan • After his failed attempts of Dec 1862 through Mar 1863, Grant decided to march his army down the west side of the Mississippi to a point below Vicksburg where river transports could ferry the men across • To make this work, the transports would have to run past the gauntlet of the Vicksburg batteries
Running the Gauntlet • To improve his chances of success, Grant’s created several diversions • Sent cavalry under Frederick Steele to Greenville, MS and destroyed Confederate supplies in an effort to convince Pemberton Grant had abandoned Vicksburg in favor of operations upriver • Pemberton saw Federals boats heading back to Memphis to relieve traffic congestion around Vicksburg and misinterpreted this as a sign Grant was giving up and pulling back
Running the Gauntlet • Sent Benjamin Grierson on a large cavalry raid that began in LaGrange, TN, slashes through Mississippi, and ended up at Baton Rouge, LA • Pemberton’s already unreliable intelligence service could not track Grierson’s movements and reported Federals everywhere at once • Pemberton confused and paralyzed
Running the Gauntlet • On the night of April 16, Porter led seven gunboats followed by three transports loaded with thousands of men • The transports towed ten barges loaded with coal and ammunition to be used in future operations down river • The Confederate batteries observed the flotilla, lit up the river with flares, and opened up with their cannon • Only one ship was lost • On the 26th Grant ran the gauntlet again with six more transports laden with coal and rations
Land Movement to New Carthage • While Porter was moving by river, the army was moving on land • On Mar 29, Grant had ordered McClernand to march his four divisions from Milliken’s Bend to New Carthage • Grant joined him there on Apr 17 • On Apr 22, Grant ordered the rest of his army to move to New Carthage
Move to Hard Times • Reconnaissance showed there was no suitable landing sites where high ground could be seized between New Carthage and Grand Gulf so Grant ordered the march continue to Hard Times
Diversion • By Apr 27, McClernand was at Hard Times • McPherson was closing rapidly • Sherman was still opposite Vicksburg • This dispersal of Federal troops kept Pemberton guessing • Grant confused Pemberton more by having Sherman send a strong force back up the Yazoo to create a diversion around Hayne’s Bluff The USS Black Hawk was one of the ships participating in the Hayne’s Bluff diversion
Diversion • Sherman loaded 10 regiments worth of troops on transports and instructed every man to “look as numerous as possible.” • Sherman then moved the transports within view of the Confederate forces at Hayne’s Bluff, moved them out of sight, reboarded and repeated the process three times. • This gave the appearance of 30 regiments instead of 10 and resulted in the Haynes Bluff commander wiring an urgent message to Pemberton: “The enemy are in front of me in force such as has never been seen before at Vicksburg. Send me reinforcements.” • In the meantime, Sherman was moving out to join Grant south of Vicksburg.
Grand Gulf • Grant had a truly joint plan for Grand Gulf • Porter and the navy would silence the Confederate batteries followed by rapid landings by McClernand’s Corps to seize the fortifications and secure a foothold for the rest of the army
Grand Gulf: Confederate Defenses • Brigadier General John Bowen commanded the Confederate forces at Grand Gulf • He built two fortified batteries, approximately 1,000 yards apart, on either side of Grand Gulf’s ruins (Admiral Farragut had burned the town in 1862) • Just upstream of the town was Fort Cobun and downstrean was Fort Wade
Grand Gulf: Confederate Defenses • Fort Cobun • Built by cutting a notch into the face of the bluff forty feet above river level, and piling the spoil to form a parapet forty feet thick. • One 8-inch Dahlgren, one 30-pounder Parrott, and two-32 pounders • Fort Wade • About twenty feet above river level and approximately 300 yards back from the river • One 100-pounder Blakeley rifle, one 8-inch Dahlgren, and two 32-pounder rifles • Several more field pieces stood between the forts • Some of Bowen’s infantry manned a line of rifle pits that connected the forts, but most were behind the crests of the hills
Grand Gulf: April 29, 1863 • Admiral Porter’s ironclads opened fire on Grand Gulf • Fort Wade was silenced, but Fort Cobun remained active • Porter declared, “Grand Gulf is the strongest place on the Mississippi.” • Grant decided to outflank Grand Gulf by moving south to Bruinsburg View from Fort Cobun
Crossing at Bruinsburg • Grant received intelligence from a local slave that there was an unguarded landing site at Bruinsburg, roughly halfway between Grand Gulf and Rodney • Early on the morning of April 30, McClernand's corps boarded Porter's ironclads and transports and steamed downstream to Bruinsburg
Rodney and Bruinsburg Roads • Unopposed landing of over 17,000 men • Largest amphibious operation in American history until the Allied invasion of Normandy during WWII • Grant advanced on Rodney and Bruinsburg Roads toward Port Gibson
Confederate Missed Opportunity • Although the landing was unopposed the bluff line that represented high, dry ground was about a mile inland from the Bruinsburg landings. • If the Confederates could establish defensive positions at the bluffs before Grant reached them it would be a repeat of Chickasaw Bayou • However, the Confederates had misread Grant’s intentions • Pemberton was confused by all the diversions and conflicting reports • “Thus, the Battle of Bruinsburg, potentially the most important engagement of the Vicksburg campaign, never took place.” (CGSC Vicksburg Staff Ride Handbook)
Advance on Port Gibson • Grant eventually met Confederate outposts after midnight and subsequent battles ensued for about three hours • After 3:00 am, the fighting stops and Union forces renewed their advance on Rodney Road at dawn The Windsor Ruins are 14 miles southwest of Port Gibson. The Federals used the captured plantation as a hospital and observation station.
Battle of Port Gibson • At 5:30 am, the Confederates engaged the Union advance and another battle began • The Confederates established new defensive positions at different times during the day but they could not stop the Union advance
Result of Port Gibson • Ultimately Grant reached Port Gibson and defeated Confederates there under the command of Brigadier General Bowen • Victory secured Grant’s position on Mississippi soil and forced the evacuation of Grand Gulf Grant declared Port Gibson was “too beautiful to burn”
Bruinsburg and Port Gibson as a Turning Movement A turning movement is a form of maneuver in which the attacking force seeks to avoid the enemy’s principal defensive positions by seizing objectives to the enemy rear and causing the enemy to move out of his current positions or divert major forces to meet the threat.
Vicksburg Logistics
Civil War Logistics • Depots • Material was moved from the factory to base depots to advanced depots • Advanced depots were generally a city on a major transportation artery safely within the rear of the department • During campaigns, armies established temporary advanced depots served by rail or river transportation • From there wagons carried supplies forward to the field units The enormous Federal supply depot at Nashville was connected by rail with Louisville to the north, and Murfreesboro, Chattanooga, and ultimately, Atlanta, to the south.
Civil War Logistics • Wagons • A wagon was drawn by a standard six mule team • A standard-drawn corps wagon train would spread out from five to eight miles based on the terrain, weather, and road conditions • Under ideal conditions, a wagon could haul 4,000 pounds; half that over difficult terrain
Civil War Logistics • Sustenance for the animals was a major concern • Each animal required up to 26 pounds of hay and grain a day • Foraging was one way of partially relieving the requirement to use wagon space to carry animal food • Foraging became command policy during Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign
Civil War Logistics • Herds of beef cattle also accompanied the wagon trains and provided fresh, but tough, meat for the troops • However, the herds also slowed and complicated movement • Such a long and tenuous supply system was vulnerable to attack, especially by cavalry Army of the Potomac wagon trains en route from Chickahominy to James River, Va.
Logistics Vulnerabilities • In Dec 1826, MG Earl Van Dorn’s cavalry destroyed Grant’s advanced depot at Holly Springs and LTG Nathan Bedford Forrest conducted a raid on the important railroad junction in Jackson, TN
Logistics Vulnerabilities • The twin raids wrecked Grant’s plan for an overland, railroad-centered attack to support Sherman’s Chickasaw Bayou expedition • It also forced Grant to rely on foraging and requisition in the surrounding countryside to feed his army in the weeks surrounding the raid • This showed Grant that the Mississippi Valley, though relatively underpopulated, was agriculturally rich in beef, hogs, and grain • Decides to change his plan
The Challenge • “the principal difficulty in any campaign against Vicksburg remained logistical” • Hattaway and Jones, How the North Won, 341
The Solution • “Up to this time my intention had been to secure Grand Gulf, as a base of supplies, detach McClernand’s corps to Banks and cooperate with him in the reduction of Port Hudson.” • Now Grant “determined to move independently of Banks, cut loose from my base, destroy the rebel force in rear of Vicksburg or invest or capture the city.” • Grant, Memoirs
Grant “Cuts Loose” • “… breaking away from the line of communication was not so much an innovation as Grant’s account make it seem. Scott had essayed a similar gamble in Mexico. Indeed, Grant had been there to observe it and no doubt learned and remembered the lesson.” • Russell Weigley, The American Way of War As a lieutenant in Mexico Grant had been a quartermaster in Scott’s army
Logistics Lessons learned by Lieutenant Grant in Mexico • Major General Winfield Scott faced a similar threat to his extended lines of communications as he advanced inland from Vera Cruz to Mexico City • Securing the various depots along the way was draining Scott of needed manpower • He decided to cut his line of supply and live off the land • Grant saw it could be done
Grant “Cuts Loose” • Grant says he “cut loose” from his line of supply, but he didn’t mean this completely • He still had a strong system that brought wagons from Young’s Point to Bower’s Landing where the supplies were loaded on steamboats and carried to Grand Gulf • From Grand Gulf huge wagons escorted by brigades brought the supplies forward to the main force Winslow Homer Print of Civil War Wagon Train
“Convoy Operations” • So really what Grant meant by “cutting loose” was that he did not occupy and garrison the supply route • Instead he conducted something similar to today’s convoy resupply system
Grant “Cuts Loose” • Grant continued to use wagon trains for war materiel (weapons, ammunition, medical supplies, etc) and some limited food items like coffee and bread • The countryside however would sustain his army with bulky animal forage, meat, and other provisions The “forage cap,” as the name suggests, was used not only as a hat but also as a “bag” to put vegetables, eggs, etc. in while foraging during a campaign.
Grant “Cuts Loose” • “We started from Bruinsburg with an average of about two days’ rations, and received no more from our supplies for some days; abundance was found in the meantime.” • Grant, Memoirs • To survive in a foraging environment, speed would be essential • Had to keep moving to avoid exhausting local supplies • Grant wrote Sherman, “I believe we can be in Vicksburg in seven days.”
Effect on Pemberton • Grant’s efforts to move south had left him with two well-stocked advance depots • One below Vicksburg and several just above it • As Grant moved away from his new base at Grand Gulf, Pemberton expected him to stay close to the river to take advantage of these depots • Grant’s move inland caught Pemberton by surprise • Johnston, Pemberton’s superior, placed his main reliance on defeating Grant on cavalry raids against Grant’s now largely non-existent supply line
Effect on Pemberton • “I naturally expected that Pemberton would endeavor to obey the orders of his superior, which I have shown were to attack us at Clinton. This, indeed, I knew he could not do; but I felt sure he would make the attempt to reach that point. It turned out, however, that he had decided his superior’s plans were impracticable, and consequently determined to move south from Edward’s station and get between me and my base. I, however, had no base, having abandoned it more than a week before.” • Grant, Memoirs
Effect on Pemberton • With Grant closing in, Pemberton was left with a choice— defend from Vicksburg or strike Grant. • Johnston ordered Pemberton to unite his forces and attack Grant, even if that meant abandoning Vicksburg. • President Davis instructed Pemberton to “hold both Vicksburg and Port Hudson.” • Pemberton lacked the flexibility to deal with such a confused and complicated situation. Crossing at Bruinsburg placed Grant between Vicksburg and Port Hudson, LA which was being threatened by Federal General Banks
Token Confederate Attempt • While Pemberton remained primarily on the defensive, he did make one offensive attempt on May 15 to strike south from Edwards toward Dillon’s Plantation • If he’d been successful he could have very likely found Grant’s ammunition train • However, heavy rains, confusion, and indecision led instead to the battle of Champion Hill
Logistical Focus of Grant’s Strategy • While Pemberton missed his opportunity to strike Grant’s logistics, Grant focused on Pemberton’s • Grant’s objective was to cut off Pemberton’s communication and supplies by controlling the railroads • Feint toward the Big Black with the true objective being the Southern RR that connected Jackson and Vicksburg • Once the Southern was in his control, Grant could turn and attack Vicksburg
Logistical Focus of Grant’s Strategy • Led to the Battle of Raymond on March 12 • After Raymond, Grant shifted his decisive point to Jackson which would further impact Confederate logistics by interrupting Confederate rail and communications
Pemberton’s Logistical Problems • Inefficiency of, and competing priorities between, the Confederate quartermaster and commissary departments • Union naval superiority • Pemberton’s own lack of overall vision for the campaign
Impact on Siege Operations • With the loss of Jackson, all supplies became critical to Pemberton • Still had large stockpiles within Vicksburg • However as the siege progressed, the armies’ logistical situations moved in opposite directions • Confederate stockpiles dwindled • Union forces, situated alongside North America’s greatest transportation artery, received reinforcements and supplies in seemingly limitless quantities • “…we had an inexhaustible supply of ammunition to draw upon and used it freely.” (Grant, Memoirs)
Vicksburg Battle of Raymond THE BATTLE OF RAYMOND—REBEL CHARGE ON LOGAN’S DIVISION
A Photographic Tour Of Civil War Vicksburg Like a spirit land of Shadows They in silence on me gaze And I feel my heart is beating With the pulse of other days; And I ask what great magician Conjured forms like these afar? Echo answers, ‘tis the sunshine, By its alchymist Daguerre. Caleb Lyon, Photographic Art Journal, 1851 Jefferson Davis remarked after the fall of Vicksburg “The clouds are truly dark over us,” and I believe this is a most apt description of the impact the fall of Vicksburg had on the war. Through the photographs that follow I will try to transport the viewer to that “Spirit land of Shadows” and walk the streets of wartime Vicksburg. All of the photographs in this tour are from the collections of the Old Court House Museum. Vicksburg Circa 1860 This photograph is one of the earliest known views of the Hill City. Founded by the Reverend Newit Vick in 1819 and incorporated in 1825, by 1860 Vicksburg was a major transportation hub that catered to steamboats and the railroad. Boats left daily providing connections to the major towns in the Mississippi River Valley, and rail service linked the city with Monroe, Louisiana to the west and Jackson, Mississippi to the east. In 1860 Vicksburg had a population of 4600 and was the second largest city in the state after Natchez. The rugged hills of Vicksburg made the city a natural defensive point on the Mississippi River. One Union soldier on seeing the terrain for the first time wrote his sister, “Tis the opinion of all that Vicksburg is the strongest fortified place in the Confederacy.” Corner of Washington & Clay Streets, Circa 1864 Note the Washington Gallery Banner upstairs over William Tillman’s Saddle Shop – it was one of many photographic establishments operating in Vicksburg during the Union occupation of the city. Photography was invented by Frenchman Louis Daguerre in 1839, and his invention spread very quickly to America. The earliest documented photographer in Vicksburg was a Mr. Gibbs who owned “Gibbs Sky-Light Gallery” on Washington Street in 1849. Trick Image by Vicksburg Photographer Henry J. Herrick, Circa 1860. Among the photographers who came to Vicksburg was Canadian Henry J. Herrick in 1854. When the war started Herrick closed his shop and joined a local unit, the Warren Dragoons, as a First Lieutenant. Most of the local photographers in Vicksburg joined the army like Herrick, or were forced to close because of the scarcity of supplies; thus photographs of the city during the time it was held by the Confederacy are almost non-existent. But with the surrender of the city on July 4, 1863, a number of photographers entered the city with the victorious Union army. These men made their living by providing their art to both soldiers and civilians alike, and they contributed to a rich visual legacy of life in Vicksburg during the occupation. View of Vicksburg taken from the top of the Court House looking to the southwest. In the distance with the tall spire is St. Paul’s Catholic Church, and just opposite on the lofty prominence was the home Sky Parlor Hill, known for it’s wonderful view. During the siege citizens went there at night to watch the Union shells in flight over the city. Watching the action from Sky Parlor Hill was exciting, but it could also be dangerous: The other day while standing on Sky Parlor Hill a shell exploded and pieces struck in the flagstone near the steps. This was from a machine. Then a parrot shell from the eastern side passed over us and into Washington Street – between them a shot from a gunboat missed the batteries and struck the hill just below where we were standing – at the moment there was firing all around us – a complete circle from the fortifications above all around to those below and from the river. Mrs. Emma Balfour Vicksburg A City Under Siege Four Mile Bridge on the Southern Railroad, four miles east of Vicksburg, circa 1864. Note the Union soldiers camped on the far side of the bridge. West of Vicksburg a small railroad line began at Monroe, Louisiana and terminated on the banks of the Mississippi River. From there passengers and freight were brought into the city on ferries, transferred to railroad cars and sent to points east. Vicksburg was the funnel through which men and supplies flowed from the Trans-Mississippi into the eastern Confederacy. The Marine Hospital Battery at Vicksburg, taken after the siege. Located in the southern part of the city, this battery was one of the most powerful in the river defenses, mounting three 42-pounder smoothbores, two 32-pounder smoothbores, and two 32-pounder rifles. To maintain control of the Mississippi River in front of Vicksburg, the Confederates built a series of artillery positions along the Vicksburg waterfront. Mounting 37 heavy guns and stretching for over three miles in length, the Confederate River Batteries made certain that any Union vessel attempting to pass Vicksburg would have to run through a gauntlet of fire. Steamboats docked at Vicksburg, circa 1866. As long as the Confederacy controlled Vicksburg, they could deny use of the Mississippi River to Northern shipping. Steamboatmen who follow a legitimate business, and who have manhood enough to attend to their own business, without carrying into our midst the weapons of destruction, wherewith to murder our citizens and destroy our young Confederacy, will ever be allowed, without let or hindrance, to navigate the free waters of the Mississippi... Vicksburg Evening Citizen, January 31, 1861 Mr. Tom Lewis standing in front of a cave on Grove Street, Circa 1890’s. To escape the hail of iron being thrown into the city during the siege, citizens dug caves into the sides of the hills for shelter. The caves did their job very well – during the siege less than 20 civilians were killed by the bombardment. The cave was an excavation in the earth the size of a large room, high enough for the tallest person to stand perfectly erect, provided with comfortable seats, and altogether quite a large and habitable abode (compared with some of the caves in the city) were it not for the dampness and the constant contact with the soft earthy walls. Mary Webster Loughborough My Cave Life in Vicksburg One of the most unique homes in Vicksburg – The Castle, circa 1863. Note the Union soldiers camped on the lawn. Constructed in the early 1850’s by Thomas Robbins, the Castle was one of the most interesting homes in Vicksburg. Built like a real castle, the home boasted a moat and was surrounded by an Osage Orange Hedge. In 1859 the home was sold to Armistead Burwell, an outspoken Unionist. Burwell was an outcast in Vicksburg because of his views and once wrote a friend, “I dare not go any place in the interior (would be hung or imprisoned if I did). Despite his allegiance to the United States, after the siege the Federals destroyed Burwell’s home and built an artillery battery on the site, known appropriately enough as the Castle Battery. The Castle Battery was part of the Union defenses of Vicksburg built after the siege to protect the garrison from Rebel attack. Note the pile of artillery carriages in the foreground. Grant’s Strategy • After Grant’s victory at Port Gibson, Pemberton expected him to head directly north to Vicksburg • Instead, Grant decided to move northeastward • By cutting loose from his own communications, Grant could focus on Pemberton’s by attacking the railroads A Double-Banded Brooke Rifle in the Vicksburg river defenses, taken after the siege. There were two Brooke Rifles in the river batteries, a 6.4 inch gun in the appropriately named Brooke Battery, located in the southern part of the city, and a 7 inch gun in Battery Five in the northern part of town. The Brooke Rifle was invented by Confederate naval officer John M. Brooke, and were produced in two locations: Tredegar Foundry in Richmond, Virginia, and the Confederate Naval Ordnance Works in Selma, Alabama. The fire from the 7-inch Brooke, manned by cannoneers of the 1st Tennessee Heavy Artillery, played an important role in helping to sink the U.S.S. Cincinnati. The U.S.S. Cincinnati, sunk at Vicksburg on May 27, 1863. After the siege the Federals raised the ship and put it back into service. The U.S.S. Cincinnati was ordered on May 27, 1863, to try and neutralize the Wyman’s Hill and Water Batteries in the northern part of the Confederate river defenses. Soon after coming in range of the Rebel artillery the ship was struck below the waterline by a 128-pound bolt fired from a 7-inch Brooke Rifle. The ship tried to withdraw upriver to safety, but was struck repeatedly by the Confederate guns and sank, with a loss of five killed, fourteen wounded, and fifteen missing. The Willis-Cowan Home, circa 1850’s. This house was John C. Pemberton’s Headquarters during the siege. There are no known wartime photographs of the structure. During a heavy shelling on May 30, 1863, Pemberton’s Headquarters was struck several times by Federal shells. Mrs. Emma Balfour, who lived next door, noted in her diary: I never saw anything like it. People were running in every direction to find a place of safety. The shells fell literally like hail. Mrs. Willis’ House was struck twice and two horses in front of her door were killed. General Pemberton and his staff had to quit it. It was in this house that General Pemberton met with his generals on the evening of July 3, 1863, and made the decision to surrender Vicksburg the next day. The Warren County Jail on the corner of Grove and Cherry Streets in Vicksburg, Circa 1864. Captured Union soldiers were confined in the courtyard of the jail during the siege. During the occupation period, the Federals kept Confederate soldiers and civilians in the jail. Horace Fulkerson, a Confederate Cotton Agent, was captured in October 1864 and sent to the Vicksburg Jail. He recorded his description of the inmates in his memoirs: The prisoners numbered some three hundred, representing Federal and Confederate soldiers and civilians, common thieves, highway robbers, murderers, blockade runners – in fact every class of criminals known to the calendar of crime. There were in the crowd young men and old men, boys, a few white women, and a number of negroes. It was indeed a grand medley of humanity with dark secrets locked up in many a breast. Battery Sherman, one of the Union Fortifications defending Vicksburg after the siege, circa 1864. After Vicksburg surrendered, General Grant ordered that all of the ditches and approaches used by the Union Army during the siege be filled in so that they could not be used by an attacker against the city. In the winter of 1863-1864, a new defensive line was dug, much shorter than the first, only five miles in length that could be held by a small garrison. Battery Sherman was one of the artillery emplacements along this new line, located on the Jackson Road entrance to the city. Captured Confederate Artillery at Vicksburg, Circa 1864. When Vicksburg fell, the Federals took possession of a huge amount of Confederate Artillery, consisting of 50 smoothbore field guns, 31 rifled field guns, 22 howitzers, 46 smoothbore siege guns, 21 rifled siege guns, 1 siege howitzer, and a 10-inch mortar for a grand total of 172 artillery pieces of all types. Captured Confederate Ordnance at Vicksburg, Circa 1864. Along with the artillery, the Federals captured 38,000 artillery projectiles, 58,000 pounds of powder, and 4,800 artillery cartridges. In 1864 a reporter from the Vicksburg Daily Herald toured the Federal Ordnance Department and wrote, “We then visited the yard in which are piled over one hundred thousand cannon balls, shot and shell, of different kinds.” Union Soldiers on the lawn of the Warren County Courthouse after the siege. Note the cupola support column on top of the clock tower with a large chunk removed by a shell fragment. On July 4, 1863, the victorious Union Army marched into Vicksburg, and the United States flag was raised over the courthouse. Having to surrender was bad enough, but doing it on Independence Day made things worse for the citizens, and they didn’t forget the pain of surrender. The city did not celebrate the holiday again for 82 years – July 4, 1945, at the end of World War II was the next official celebration in Vicksburg. We suppose it is well enough to remind the absent-minded reader the Fourth of July puts in an appearance this morning, the day on which the Continental Congress at Philadelphia adopted the Declaration of Independence...In old times it was customary to celebrate the day with considerable pomp and spread-eagle vaporing; but now, in this unfortunate section where the great natural rights of safety, life, liberty, and property have been almost swept away by our bayonet rulers, but few are found to do the occasion reverence. Vicksburg Herald, July 4, 1872 Unidentified gathering on the courthouse lawn, circa 1865. On seeing the United States flag flying over the courthouse, Unionist Dora Miller wrote, “Now I feel once more at home in mine own country.” More typical was the reaction of Alice Shannon, who wrote to her sister that she could see “that hateful flag flying from the Court House Hill.” Anne Shannon Union Soldiers at Brierfield, Jefferson Davis’ home south of Vicksburg, Circa 1864. Note the sign the soldiers erected over the front door, “The House Jeff Built.” According to a newspaper account, there was another sign over the back door saying, “Exit Traitor.” The “Jeff Place” is also a very fine plantation. The residence has not been injured, except the door locks and one or two marble mantels broken up, apparently for trophies. The Jeff furniture has been removed, but the rooms are still furnished with furniture brought here. Vicksburg Daily Herald, 6 July 1864
A Photographic Tour Of Civil War Vicksburg Like a spirit land of Shadows They in silence on me gaze And I feel my heart is beating With the pulse of other days; And I ask what great magician Conjured forms like these afar? Echo answers, ‘tis the sunshine, By its alchymist Daguerre. Caleb Lyon, Photographic Art Journal, 1851 Jefferson Davis remarked after the fall of Vicksburg “The clouds are truly dark over us,” and I believe this is a most apt description of the impact the fall of Vicksburg had on the war. Through the photographs that follow I will try to transport the viewer to that “Spirit land of Shadows” and walk the streets of wartime Vicksburg. All of the photographs in this tour are from the collections of the Old Court House Museum. Vicksburg Circa 1860 This photograph is one of the earliest known views of the Hill City. Founded by the Reverend Newit Vick in 1819 and incorporated in 1825, by 1860 Vicksburg was a major transportation hub that catered to steamboats and the railroad. Boats left daily providing connections to the major towns in the Mississippi River Valley, and rail service linked the city with Monroe, Louisiana to the west and Jackson, Mississippi to the east. In 1860 Vicksburg had a population of 4600 and was the second largest city in the state after Natchez. The rugged hills of Vicksburg made the city a natural defensive point on the Mississippi River. One Union soldier on seeing the terrain for the first time wrote his sister, “Tis the opinion of all that Vicksburg is the strongest fortified place in the Confederacy.” Corner of Washington & Clay Streets, Circa 1864 Note the Washington Gallery Banner upstairs over William Tillman’s Saddle Shop – it was one of many photographic establishments operating in Vicksburg during the Union occupation of the city. Photography was invented by Frenchman Louis Daguerre in 1839, and his invention spread very quickly to America. The earliest documented photographer in Vicksburg was a Mr. Gibbs who owned “Gibbs Sky-Light Gallery” on Washington Street in 1849. Trick Image by Vicksburg Photographer Henry J. Herrick, Circa 1860. Among the photographers who came to Vicksburg was Canadian Henry J. Herrick in 1854. When the war started Herrick closed his shop and joined a local unit, the Warren Dragoons, as a First Lieutenant. Most of the local photographers in Vicksburg joined the army like Herrick, or were forced to close because of the scarcity of supplies; thus photographs of the city during the time it was held by the Confederacy are almost non-existent. But with the surrender of the city on July 4, 1863, a number of photographers entered the city with the victorious Union army. These men made their living by providing their art to both soldiers and civilians alike, and they contributed to a rich visual legacy of life in Vicksburg during the occupation. View of Vicksburg taken from the top of the Court House looking to the southwest. In the distance with the tall spire is St. Paul’s Catholic Church, and just opposite on the lofty prominence was the home Sky Parlor Hill, known for it’s wonderful view. During the siege citizens went there at night to watch the Union shells in flight over the city. Watching the action from Sky Parlor Hill was exciting, but it could also be dangerous: The other day while standing on Sky Parlor Hill a shell exploded and pieces struck in the flagstone near the steps. This was from a machine. Then a parrot shell from the eastern side passed over us and into Washington Street – between them a shot from a gunboat missed the batteries and struck the hill just below where we were standing – at the moment there was firing all around us – a complete circle from the fortifications above all around to those below and from the river. Mrs. Emma Balfour Vicksburg A City Under Siege Four Mile Bridge on the Southern Railroad, four miles east of Vicksburg, circa 1864. Note the Union soldiers camped on the far side of the bridge. West of Vicksburg a small railroad line began at Monroe, Louisiana and terminated on the banks of the Mississippi River. From there passengers and freight were brought into the city on ferries, transferred to railroad cars and sent to points east. Vicksburg was the funnel through which men and supplies flowed from the Trans-Mississippi into the eastern Confederacy. The Marine Hospital Battery at Vicksburg, taken after the siege. Located in the southern part of the city, this battery was one of the most powerful in the river defenses, mounting three 42-pounder smoothbores, two 32-pounder smoothbores, and two 32-pounder rifles. To maintain control of the Mississippi River in front of Vicksburg, the Confederates built a series of artillery positions along the Vicksburg waterfront. Mounting 37 heavy guns and stretching for over three miles in length, the Confederate River Batteries made certain that any Union vessel attempting to pass Vicksburg would have to run through a gauntlet of fire. Steamboats docked at Vicksburg, circa 1866. As long as the Confederacy controlled Vicksburg, they could deny use of the Mississippi River to Northern shipping. Steamboatmen who follow a legitimate business, and who have manhood enough to attend to their own business, without carrying into our midst the weapons of destruction, wherewith to murder our citizens and destroy our young Confederacy, will ever be allowed, without let or hindrance, to navigate the free waters of the Mississippi... Vicksburg Evening Citizen, January 31, 1861 Mr. Tom Lewis standing in front of a cave on Grove Street, Circa 1890’s. To escape the hail of iron being thrown into the city during the siege, citizens dug caves into the sides of the hills for shelter. The caves did their job very well – during the siege less than 20 civilians were killed by the bombardment. The cave was an excavation in the earth the size of a large room, high enough for the tallest person to stand perfectly erect, provided with comfortable seats, and altogether quite a large and habitable abode (compared with some of the caves in the city) were it not for the dampness and the constant contact with the soft earthy walls. Mary Webster Loughborough My Cave Life in Vicksburg One of the most unique homes in Vicksburg – The Castle, circa 1863. Note the Union soldiers camped on the lawn. Constructed in the early 1850’s by Thomas Robbins, the Castle was one of the most interesting homes in Vicksburg. Built like a real castle, the home boasted a moat and was surrounded by an Osage Orange Hedge. In 1859 the home was sold to Armistead Burwell, an outspoken Unionist. Burwell was an outcast in Vicksburg because of his views and once wrote a friend, “I dare not go any place in the interior (would be hung or imprisoned if I did). Despite his allegiance to the United States, after the siege the Federals destroyed Burwell’s home and built an artillery battery on the site, known appropriately enough as the Castle Battery. The Castle Battery was part of the Union defenses of Vicksburg built after the siege to protect the garrison from Rebel attack. Note the pile of artillery carriages in the foreground. Grant’s Strategy • Feint toward the Big Black with the true objective being the Southern RR that connected Jackson and Vicksburg • Once the Southern was in his control, Grant could turn and attack Vicksburg • Cut Pemberton off and then destroy him View of China Street showing the Washington Hotel, circa 1876. During the siege the building was pressed into service as a hospital. Reverend William Lovelace Foster, Chaplain of the 35th Mississippi Infantry, spent time in the Washington Hotel ministering to sick and wounded soldiers. He wrote of the hotel, It was comparatively secure from those troublesome mortar shells – for the most of them passed over & it was too far from our lines to be disturbed by firing from that direction. Dr. Whitfield with several assistants attended to the invalids. All the rooms were soon crowded with the sick & dying – Some in bunks & some upon the floor. Everything was conducted as well as possible but O the horrors of a hospital! A Double-Banded Brooke Rifle in the Vicksburg river defenses, taken after the siege. There were two Brooke Rifles in the river batteries, a 6.4 inch gun in the appropriately named Brooke Battery, located in the southern part of the city, and a 7 inch gun in Battery Five in the northern part of town. The Brooke Rifle was invented by Confederate naval officer John M. Brooke, and were produced in two locations: Tredegar Foundry in Richmond, Virginia, and the Confederate Naval Ordnance Works in Selma, Alabama. The fire from the 7-inch Brooke, manned by cannoneers of the 1st Tennessee Heavy Artillery, played an important role in helping to sink the U.S.S. Cincinnati. The U.S.S. Cincinnati, sunk at Vicksburg on May 27, 1863. After the siege the Federals raised the ship and put it back into service. The U.S.S. Cincinnati was ordered on May 27, 1863, to try and neutralize the Wyman’s Hill and Water Batteries in the northern part of the Confederate river defenses. Soon after coming in range of the Rebel artillery the ship was struck below the waterline by a 128-pound bolt fired from a 7-inch Brooke Rifle. The ship tried to withdraw upriver to safety, but was struck repeatedly by the Confederate guns and sank, with a loss of five killed, fourteen wounded, and fifteen missing. The Willis-Cowan Home, circa 1850’s. This house was John C. Pemberton’s Headquarters during the siege. There are no known wartime photographs of the structure. During a heavy shelling on May 30, 1863, Pemberton’s Headquarters was struck several times by Federal shells. Mrs. Emma Balfour, who lived next door, noted in her diary: I never saw anything like it. People were running in every direction to find a place of safety. The shells fell literally like hail. Mrs. Willis’ House was struck twice and two horses in front of her door were killed. General Pemberton and his staff had to quit it. It was in this house that General Pemberton met with his generals on the evening of July 3, 1863, and made the decision to surrender Vicksburg the next day. The Warren County Jail on the corner of Grove and Cherry Streets in Vicksburg, Circa 1864. Captured Union soldiers were confined in the courtyard of the jail during the siege. During the occupation period, the Federals kept Confederate soldiers and civilians in the jail. Horace Fulkerson, a Confederate Cotton Agent, was captured in October 1864 and sent to the Vicksburg Jail. He recorded his description of the inmates in his memoirs: The prisoners numbered some three hundred, representing Federal and Confederate soldiers and civilians, common thieves, highway robbers, murderers, blockade runners – in fact every class of criminals known to the calendar of crime. There were in the crowd young men and old men, boys, a few white women, and a number of negroes. It was indeed a grand medley of humanity with dark secrets locked up in many a breast. Battery Sherman, one of the Union Fortifications defending Vicksburg after the siege, circa 1864. After Vicksburg surrendered, General Grant ordered that all of the ditches and approaches used by the Union Army during the siege be filled in so that they could not be used by an attacker against the city. In the winter of 1863-1864, a new defensive line was dug, much shorter than the first, only five miles in length that could be held by a small garrison. Battery Sherman was one of the artillery emplacements along this new line, located on the Jackson Road entrance to the city. Captured Confederate Artillery at Vicksburg, Circa 1864. When Vicksburg fell, the Federals took possession of a huge amount of Confederate Artillery, consisting of 50 smoothbore field guns, 31 rifled field guns, 22 howitzers, 46 smoothbore siege guns, 21 rifled siege guns, 1 siege howitzer, and a 10-inch mortar for a grand total of 172 artillery pieces of all types. Captured Confederate Ordnance at Vicksburg, Circa 1864. Along with the artillery, the Federals captured 38,000 artillery projectiles, 58,000 pounds of powder, and 4,800 artillery cartridges. In 1864 a reporter from the Vicksburg Daily Herald toured the Federal Ordnance Department and wrote, “We then visited the yard in which are piled over one hundred thousand cannon balls, shot and shell, of different kinds.” Union Soldiers on the lawn of the Warren County Courthouse after the siege. Note the cupola support column on top of the clock tower with a large chunk removed by a shell fragment. On July 4, 1863, the victorious Union Army marched into Vicksburg, and the United States flag was raised over the courthouse. Having to surrender was bad enough, but doing it on Independence Day made things worse for the citizens, and they didn’t forget the pain of surrender. The city did not celebrate the holiday again for 82 years – July 4, 1945, at the end of World War II was the next official celebration in Vicksburg. We suppose it is well enough to remind the absent-minded reader the Fourth of July puts in an appearance this morning, the day on which the Continental Congress at Philadelphia adopted the Declaration of Independence...In old times it was customary to celebrate the day with considerable pomp and spread-eagle vaporing; but now, in this unfortunate section where the great natural rights of safety, life, liberty, and property have been almost swept away by our bayonet rulers, but few are found to do the occasion reverence. Vicksburg Herald, July 4, 1872 Unidentified gathering on the courthouse lawn, circa 1865. On seeing the United States flag flying over the courthouse, Unionist Dora Miller wrote, “Now I feel once more at home in mine own country.” More typical was the reaction of Alice Shannon, who wrote to her sister that she could see “that hateful flag flying from the Court House Hill.” Anne Shannon Union Soldiers at Brierfield, Jefferson Davis’ home south of Vicksburg, Circa 1864. Note the sign the soldiers erected over the front door, “The House Jeff Built.” According to a newspaper account, there was another sign over the back door saying, “Exit Traitor.” The “Jeff Place” is also a very fine plantation. The residence has not been injured, except the door locks and one or two marble mantels broken up, apparently for trophies. The Jeff furniture has been removed, but the rooms are still furnished with furniture brought here. Vicksburg Daily Herald, 6 July 1864
A Photographic Tour Of Civil War Vicksburg Like a spirit land of Shadows They in silence on me gaze And I feel my heart is beating With the pulse of other days; And I ask what great magician Conjured forms like these afar? Echo answers, ‘tis the sunshine, By its alchymist Daguerre. Caleb Lyon, Photographic Art Journal, 1851 Jefferson Davis remarked after the fall of Vicksburg “The clouds are truly dark over us,” and I believe this is a most apt description of the impact the fall of Vicksburg had on the war. Through the photographs that follow I will try to transport the viewer to that “Spirit land of Shadows” and walk the streets of wartime Vicksburg. All of the photographs in this tour are from the collections of the Old Court House Museum. Vicksburg Circa 1860 This photograph is one of the earliest known views of the Hill City. Founded by the Reverend Newit Vick in 1819 and incorporated in 1825, by 1860 Vicksburg was a major transportation hub that catered to steamboats and the railroad. Boats left daily providing connections to the major towns in the Mississippi River Valley, and rail service linked the city with Monroe, Louisiana to the west and Jackson, Mississippi to the east. In 1860 Vicksburg had a population of 4600 and was the second largest city in the state after Natchez. The rugged hills of Vicksburg made the city a natural defensive point on the Mississippi River. One Union soldier on seeing the terrain for the first time wrote his sister, “Tis the opinion of all that Vicksburg is the strongest fortified place in the Confederacy.” Corner of Washington & Clay Streets, Circa 1864 Note the Washington Gallery Banner upstairs over William Tillman’s Saddle Shop – it was one of many photographic establishments operating in Vicksburg during the Union occupation of the city. Photography was invented by Frenchman Louis Daguerre in 1839, and his invention spread very quickly to America. The earliest documented photographer in Vicksburg was a Mr. Gibbs who owned “Gibbs Sky-Light Gallery” on Washington Street in 1849. Trick Image by Vicksburg Photographer Henry J. Herrick, Circa 1860. Among the photographers who came to Vicksburg was Canadian Henry J. Herrick in 1854. When the war started Herrick closed his shop and joined a local unit, the Warren Dragoons, as a First Lieutenant. Most of the local photographers in Vicksburg joined the army like Herrick, or were forced to close because of the scarcity of supplies; thus photographs of the city during the time it was held by the Confederacy are almost non-existent. But with the surrender of the city on July 4, 1863, a number of photographers entered the city with the victorious Union army. These men made their living by providing their art to both soldiers and civilians alike, and they contributed to a rich visual legacy of life in Vicksburg during the occupation. View of Vicksburg taken from the top of the Court House looking to the southwest. In the distance with the tall spire is St. Paul’s Catholic Church, and just opposite on the lofty prominence was the home Sky Parlor Hill, known for it’s wonderful view. During the siege citizens went there at night to watch the Union shells in flight over the city. Watching the action from Sky Parlor Hill was exciting, but it could also be dangerous: The other day while standing on Sky Parlor Hill a shell exploded and pieces struck in the flagstone near the steps. This was from a machine. Then a parrot shell from the eastern side passed over us and into Washington Street – between them a shot from a gunboat missed the batteries and struck the hill just below where we were standing – at the moment there was firing all around us – a complete circle from the fortifications above all around to those below and from the river. Mrs. Emma Balfour Vicksburg A City Under Siege Four Mile Bridge on the Southern Railroad, four miles east of Vicksburg, circa 1864. Note the Union soldiers camped on the far side of the bridge. West of Vicksburg a small railroad line began at Monroe, Louisiana and terminated on the banks of the Mississippi River. From there passengers and freight were brought into the city on ferries, transferred to railroad cars and sent to points east. Vicksburg was the funnel through which men and supplies flowed from the Trans-Mississippi into the eastern Confederacy. The Marine Hospital Battery at Vicksburg, taken after the siege. Located in the southern part of the city, this battery was one of the most powerful in the river defenses, mounting three 42-pounder smoothbores, two 32-pounder smoothbores, and two 32-pounder rifles. To maintain control of the Mississippi River in front of Vicksburg, the Confederates built a series of artillery positions along the Vicksburg waterfront. Mounting 37 heavy guns and stretching for over three miles in length, the Confederate River Batteries made certain that any Union vessel attempting to pass Vicksburg would have to run through a gauntlet of fire. Steamboats docked at Vicksburg, circa 1866. As long as the Confederacy controlled Vicksburg, they could deny use of the Mississippi River to Northern shipping. Steamboatmen who follow a legitimate business, and who have manhood enough to attend to their own business, without carrying into our midst the weapons of destruction, wherewith to murder our citizens and destroy our young Confederacy, will ever be allowed, without let or hindrance, to navigate the free waters of the Mississippi... Vicksburg Evening Citizen, January 31, 1861 Mr. Tom Lewis standing in front of a cave on Grove Street, Circa 1890’s. To escape the hail of iron being thrown into the city during the siege, citizens dug caves into the sides of the hills for shelter. The caves did their job very well – during the siege less than 20 civilians were killed by the bombardment. The cave was an excavation in the earth the size of a large room, high enough for the tallest person to stand perfectly erect, provided with comfortable seats, and altogether quite a large and habitable abode (compared with some of the caves in the city) were it not for the dampness and the constant contact with the soft earthy walls. Mary Webster Loughborough My Cave Life in Vicksburg One of the most unique homes in Vicksburg – The Castle, circa 1863. Note the Union soldiers camped on the lawn. Constructed in the early 1850’s by Thomas Robbins, the Castle was one of the most interesting homes in Vicksburg. Built like a real castle, the home boasted a moat and was surrounded by an Osage Orange Hedge. In 1859 the home was sold to Armistead Burwell, an outspoken Unionist. Burwell was an outcast in Vicksburg because of his views and once wrote a friend, “I dare not go any place in the interior (would be hung or imprisoned if I did). Despite his allegiance to the United States, after the siege the Federals destroyed Burwell’s home and built an artillery battery on the site, known appropriately enough as the Castle Battery. The Castle Battery was part of the Union defenses of Vicksburg built after the siege to protect the garrison from Rebel attack. Note the pile of artillery carriages in the foreground. Advantages of Grant’s New Plan • The open terrain east of Vicksburg would allow Grant to make good use of his artillery • The unfordable Big Black River would secure Grant’s left flank • An attack directly on Vicksburg would allow Pemberton to concentrate his army, but an attack toward Edwards would force him to divide it in order to protect his railroad supply line Four Mile Bridge on the Southern Railroad, four miles east of Vicksburg View of China Street showing the Washington Hotel, circa 1876. During the siege the building was pressed into service as a hospital. Reverend William Lovelace Foster, Chaplain of the 35th Mississippi Infantry, spent time in the Washington Hotel ministering to sick and wounded soldiers. He wrote of the hotel, It was comparatively secure from those troublesome mortar shells – for the most of them passed over & it was too far from our lines to be disturbed by firing from that direction. Dr. Whitfield with several assistants attended to the invalids. All the rooms were soon crowded with the sick & dying – Some in bunks & some upon the floor. Everything was conducted as well as possible but O the horrors of a hospital! A Double-Banded Brooke Rifle in the Vicksburg river defenses, taken after the siege. There were two Brooke Rifles in the river batteries, a 6.4 inch gun in the appropriately named Brooke Battery, located in the southern part of the city, and a 7 inch gun in Battery Five in the northern part of town. The Brooke Rifle was invented by Confederate naval officer John M. Brooke, and were produced in two locations: Tredegar Foundry in Richmond, Virginia, and the Confederate Naval Ordnance Works in Selma, Alabama. The fire from the 7-inch Brooke, manned by cannoneers of the 1st Tennessee Heavy Artillery, played an important role in helping to sink the U.S.S. Cincinnati. The U.S.S. Cincinnati, sunk at Vicksburg on May 27, 1863. After the siege the Federals raised the ship and put it back into service. The U.S.S. Cincinnati was ordered on May 27, 1863, to try and neutralize the Wyman’s Hill and Water Batteries in the northern part of the Confederate river defenses. Soon after coming in range of the Rebel artillery the ship was struck below the waterline by a 128-pound bolt fired from a 7-inch Brooke Rifle. The ship tried to withdraw upriver to safety, but was struck repeatedly by the Confederate guns and sank, with a loss of five killed, fourteen wounded, and fifteen missing. The Willis-Cowan Home, circa 1850’s. This house was John C. Pemberton’s Headquarters during the siege. There are no known wartime photographs of the structure. During a heavy shelling on May 30, 1863, Pemberton’s Headquarters was struck several times by Federal shells. Mrs. Emma Balfour, who lived next door, noted in her diary: I never saw anything like it. People were running in every direction to find a place of safety. The shells fell literally like hail. Mrs. Willis’ House was struck twice and two horses in front of her door were killed. General Pemberton and his staff had to quit it. It was in this house that General Pemberton met with his generals on the evening of July 3, 1863, and made the decision to surrender Vicksburg the next day. The Warren County Jail on the corner of Grove and Cherry Streets in Vicksburg, Circa 1864. Captured Union soldiers were confined in the courtyard of the jail during the siege. During the occupation period, the Federals kept Confederate soldiers and civilians in the jail. Horace Fulkerson, a Confederate Cotton Agent, was captured in October 1864 and sent to the Vicksburg Jail. He recorded his description of the inmates in his memoirs: The prisoners numbered some three hundred, representing Federal and Confederate soldiers and civilians, common thieves, highway robbers, murderers, blockade runners – in fact every class of criminals known to the calendar of crime. There were in the crowd young men and old men, boys, a few white women, and a number of negroes. It was indeed a grand medley of humanity with dark secrets locked up in many a breast. Battery Sherman, one of the Union Fortifications defending Vicksburg after the siege, circa 1864. After Vicksburg surrendered, General Grant ordered that all of the ditches and approaches used by the Union Army during the siege be filled in so that they could not be used by an attacker against the city. In the winter of 1863-1864, a new defensive line was dug, much shorter than the first, only five miles in length that could be held by a small garrison. Battery Sherman was one of the artillery emplacements along this new line, located on the Jackson Road entrance to the city. Captured Confederate Artillery at Vicksburg, Circa 1864. When Vicksburg fell, the Federals took possession of a huge amount of Confederate Artillery, consisting of 50 smoothbore field guns, 31 rifled field guns, 22 howitzers, 46 smoothbore siege guns, 21 rifled siege guns, 1 siege howitzer, and a 10-inch mortar for a grand total of 172 artillery pieces of all types. Captured Confederate Ordnance at Vicksburg, Circa 1864. Along with the artillery, the Federals captured 38,000 artillery projectiles, 58,000 pounds of powder, and 4,800 artillery cartridges. In 1864 a reporter from the Vicksburg Daily Herald toured the Federal Ordnance Department and wrote, “We then visited the yard in which are piled over one hundred thousand cannon balls, shot and shell, of different kinds.” Union Soldiers on the lawn of the Warren County Courthouse after the siege. Note the cupola support column on top of the clock tower with a large chunk removed by a shell fragment. On July 4, 1863, the victorious Union Army marched into Vicksburg, and the United States flag was raised over the courthouse. Having to surrender was bad enough, but doing it on Independence Day made things worse for the citizens, and they didn’t forget the pain of surrender. The city did not celebrate the holiday again for 82 years – July 4, 1945, at the end of World War II was the next official celebration in Vicksburg. We suppose it is well enough to remind the absent-minded reader the Fourth of July puts in an appearance this morning, the day on which the Continental Congress at Philadelphia adopted the Declaration of Independence...In old times it was customary to celebrate the day with considerable pomp and spread-eagle vaporing; but now, in this unfortunate section where the great natural rights of safety, life, liberty, and property have been almost swept away by our bayonet rulers, but few are found to do the occasion reverence. Vicksburg Herald, July 4, 1872 Unidentified gathering on the courthouse lawn, circa 1865. On seeing the United States flag flying over the courthouse, Unionist Dora Miller wrote, “Now I feel once more at home in mine own country.” More typical was the reaction of Alice Shannon, who wrote to her sister that she could see “that hateful flag flying from the Court House Hill.” Anne Shannon Union Soldiers at Brierfield, Jefferson Davis’ home south of Vicksburg, Circa 1864. Note the sign the soldiers erected over the front door, “The House Jeff Built.” According to a newspaper account, there was another sign over the back door saying, “Exit Traitor.” The “Jeff Place” is also a very fine plantation. The residence has not been injured, except the door locks and one or two marble mantels broken up, apparently for trophies. The Jeff furniture has been removed, but the rooms are still furnished with furniture brought here. Vicksburg Daily Herald, 6 July 1864
