Coonskins Tower

[KianGaf]

With such heavy artillery fire concentrated on the 3rd Louisiana Redan, it's surprising that Union artillery alone didn't make a dirt heap out of it

I'd say mortars were affective against such entrenchments. Where solid shot projectiles just absorbed by the soil and did they cause little damage ? . I not sure how affective explosive shells were against earth works. The fact that the union resorted to mining indicates that their artillery might not have been that damming to field works.

 

[Tom Hughes]

I'd say mortars were affective against such entrenchments. Where solid shot projectiles just absorbed by the soil and did they cause little damage ? . I not sure how affective explosive shells were against earth works. The fact that the union resorted to mining indicates that their artillery might not have been that damming to field works.

True. Lobbing shells over into the fort would certainly have a demoralizing effect.

 

[BillWright]

Timothy B. Smith says that by the time Coonskin's Tower was up, operating a battery in that sector was "a suicide mission" due to the sharpshooters in the area.

I wonder did he have a Sharps Rifle for that kind of accurate shooting.

Only indication from what I've read and physical recovery of a Henry cartridge case from that area convinces me he had a Henry.

 

[Irishtom29]

Timothy B. Smith says that by the time Coonskin's Tower was up, operating a battery in that sector was "a suicide mission" due to the sharpshooters in the area.

And the Federal artillery was so well organized and dominant that the firing of a rebel cannon brought forth a firestorm upon the gun's position in retaliation.

 

[Bradley]

Was at Vicksburg on Monday and tried to snap a picture of where I thought the tower must have stood.

What do y'all think? Am I way off?

#1 sniping position before building tower?
#2 tower location?

 

[Tom Hughes]

Was at Vicksburg on Monday and tried to snap a picture of where I thought the tower must have stood.

What do y'all think? Am I way off?

View attachment 433751


View attachment 433754

#1 sniping position before building tower?
#2 tower location?

That looks like a pretty good guess. It seems like the National Park would have a marker that would designate the location of the tower. What would be even better is if a recreation could be made of the tower and be put in the park.

 

[Tompre]

https://germansons.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F105813779060

I found this any interesting side story from the siege. Where on the battlefield was it located.

I have studied this photo many times, and have looked at the position from both sides. The tower is on the wrong side if one is looking from the Union lines. It is on the correct side if one is looking from behind the CS lines. So unless the image is reversed the LOC made an error when saying that the photo was taken from the Union lines.

 

[Bradley]

I have studied this photo many times, and have looked at the position from both sides. The tower is on the wrong side if one is looking from the Union lines. It is on the correct side if one is looking from behind the CS lines. So unless the image is reversed the LOC made an error when saying that the photo was taken from the Union lines.

I thought it matched up pretty well, but the topography is confusing and has changed a lot.

Do you think the photographer stood on the gorge of the redan?

 

[Tompre]

I thought it matched up pretty well, but the topography is confusing and has changed a lot.

View attachment 433992

Do you think the photographer stood on the gorge of the redan?

Your idea could work. The description that I have seen posted is that the large depression in the original photo is the redan

 

[Tompre]

Here is the map of the area.

 

[tony_gunter]

In todays world in the Vicksburg National Military park it would located on the west side of Illinois Monument. The sharpshooter was said to have had a Henry Repeating rifle. I spent a lot of SECRET time in that general area searching for any proof of this until I finally found a cartridge case which had been fired by a Henry rifle. Grant is reputed to have used the tower one time to take a shot at Confederates. A close smack of a minie ball changed his mind and he abandoned the tower.

There was another soldier who was using a Henry Rifle in that sector, C.L. Ruggles, 20th OH.

 

[Tompre]

I'd say mortars were affective against such entrenchments. Where solid shot projectiles just absorbed by the soil and did they cause little damage ? . I not sure how affective explosive shells were against earth works. The fact that the union resorted to mining indicates that their artillery might not have been that damming to field works.

 

[Tompre]

With such heavy artillery fire concentrated on the 3rd Louisiana Redan, it's surprising that Union artillery alone didn't make a dirt heap out of it

Lots of James ll were fired at it.

 

[Bradley]

I was at Vicksburg again, yesterday, and took another few pictures.

I moved another 25 yards or so to the right (north) of my last picture for this shot...

It seems to me for this to line up better, I would need to step another 50 yards to my right (north). I think the photographer was where the X is in the picture below, or thereabouts.

Because of the trees, taking a picture from over yon is rather pointless except to have another view of the bend in Logan's approach.

 

[James N.]

This in the LOC files under R. K. Sneden, the U.S. flag marks the tower's location.

View attachment 429873

Once again, remember that Sneden wasn't actually there and has copied this from another source of possibly questionable accuracy.

 

[huskerblitz]

This tower was mentioned in a letter to the Louisville Daily Journal in July of 1863.

 

[archieclement]

The tower was just south of Battery Hickenlooper. Terry Winschel places it on the left-hand side of the road in front of the Union marker right before the parking lot and cut. From the tower to the redan, we're talking a 200 yard shot at best.

I take alot of historic range claims sceptically, besides people being prone to exaggeration, alot of people's idea of ranges even today wouldn't stand up to a laser rangefinder.

 

[Bradley]

I take alot of historic range claims sceptically, besides people being prone to exaggeration, alot of people's idea of ranges even today wouldn't stand up to a laser rangefinder.

That's a good policy. The 600 yard claim doesn't make sense to me at this position, if Battery Hickenlooper the vicinity of the marskman. The Great Redoubt isn't even that far away.

I checked Google Earth and, like I figured, Coonskin's Tower, left or right of the road, was a 200 yard shot, at best, to the Third Louisiana Redan.

 

[John Horn]

In todays world in the Vicksburg National Military park it would located on the west side of Illinois Monument. The sharpshooter was said to have had a Henry Repeating rifle. I spent a lot of SECRET time in that general area searching for any proof of this until I finally found a cartridge case which had been fired by a Henry rifle. Grant is reputed to have used the tower one time to take a shot at Confederates. A close smack of a minie ball changed his mind and he abandoned the tower.

I've heard that story too in a couple different forms, but where does it come from?

A book by David Edward Wall called Always in the Middle of the Battle (2010) says: "General Grant once climbed Coonskin's Tower to see what there was to see. One of the defenders saw him and his superiors scolded him when he tried to warn the general. The reb was castigated not for warning the general but for the disrespectful manner in which he addressed him."

The above quotation has a footnote to Windschel, Vicksburg is the Key, 157.

But Windschel, Vicksburg is the Key, 157 (2003), says: "One day late in June Grant was atop the tower examining Confederate lines through his binoculars. He foolishly leaned too far forward and was noticed by a Confederate soldier, who advised him in very strong language to get his head down or get it shot off. Grant heeded the warning."

The quotation from Vicksburg is the Key has no footnote.

Does anybody know the source of these stories?

 

[Championhilz]

This is one of the best illustrations of the tower that I have seen: