Coonskins Tower

[KianGaf]

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

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

 

[BillWright]

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.

 

[flummery]

Great article. Do you know if "Coonskin" survived the war?

 

[KianGaf]

Great article. Do you know if "Coonskin" survived the war?

I'm having a look around to no avail yet. If anyone has access to genealogy software or website they might have better luck.

 

[Tom Hughes]

It's a shame there's not a marker in the park indicating the exact spot where the tower was located.

 

[Biscoitos]

The 1860 census for Clark County Indiana shows a Henry Foster living in Jeffersonville.
21 years old bricklayer with no real or personal estate listed.
Born in Kentucky. He and another bricklayer James Lemon or Lennox, or similar name were apparently boarders in the home of a shoemaker and his wife.

Yes, this is not post war, but it is a start.

The alphabetical index of Indiana volunteer soldiers shows that he was in Co. B 23rd Indiana with a rank of Sgt/1st Lt.
His actual CMSR is not available on microfilm (so not on Fold3) and unless someone already has those records, I suggest having James Bond obtain copies from NARA, preferably on a dark night.

Based on the one index card for him, I believe that he would have entered the 23rd as a Sgt or have become one almost immediately, as he is not listed as a private.

Just a start

 

[Biscoitos]

The 1860 census for Clark County Indiana shows a Henry Foster living in Jeffersonville.
21 years old bricklayer with no real or personal estate listed.
Born in Kentucky. He and another bricklayer James Lemon or Lennox, or similar name were apparently boarders in the home of a shoemaker and his wife.

Yes, this is not post war, but it is a start.
)
The alphabetical index of Indiana volunteer soldiers shows that he was in Co. B 23rd Indiana with a rank of Sgt/1st Lt.
His actual CMSR is not available on microfilm (so not on Fold3) and unless someone already has those records, I suggest having James Bond obtain copies from NARA, preferably on a dark night.

Based on the one index card for him, I believe that he would have entered the 23rd as a Sgt or have become one almost immediately, as he is not listed as a private.

Just a start

Apparently "Coonskin" was captured near Atlanta (Marietta area?) on June 21, 1864 and was in CSA prisons in Macon, Ga and Columbia South Carolina. I found no details of his exchange/release. Either his prison time or his service in the army ended on April 2, 1865.
The 23rd Indiana was mustered July 23, 1865.

The above was the best I could do on short notice.

 

[Johnny Shafto]

A "dead shot at eight hundred yards." Was that possible at the time? If so…WOW!

 

[KianGaf]

A "dead shot at eight hundred yards." Was that possible at the time? If so…WOW!

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

 

[Tom Hughes]

Even for a Sharps rifle that would've had to have been some crazy good shooting. They didn't have scopes back then either!! lol

 

[Bradley]

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.

 

[KianGaf]

If the tower was causing trouble for the CSA troops why didn't they fire on it with artillery.

 

[KianGaf]

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 cut. From the tower to the redan, we're talking a 200 yard shot at best.

Civilwaralbum.com

I found these pictures of the area online.

 

[Bradley]

I found these pictures of the area online.

This is a great picture. I need to take one like this on my next visit.

Unless I am very confused, the stone there is the vantage point used by Foster to shoot down the Jackson road into the redan before he built the tower, which was presumably in more or less the same position.

 

[Bradley]

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

 

[Bradley]

If the tower was causing trouble for the CSA troops why didn't they fire on it with artillery.

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.

 

[KianGaf]

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.

The opposing trench's must have got very close.

 

[KianGaf]

This in the LOC files under R. K. Sneden,

View attachment 429873

Naval battery ?

 

[Bradley]

Naval battery ?

Yes. There were two 8-inch Naval guns in battery SE of Hickenlooper's battery.

 

[Tom Hughes]

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