I have wondered the same thing. Could it be the Wyman's Hill batteries? Looking forward to seeing other's ideas on this.Any speculation as to which batteries these two are? My guess is two of the 1st TN batteries on the North side of town:
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This woodcut has me curious about some other things as well. I had read where an artilleryman defending the East side of the city said that sometimes you couldn't "prick the cartridge" without getting your hand shot (for a breech-loading cannon). Given the Union sharpshooting, surely you couldn't have had muzzle-loading cannon along the outer defenses (see man at far right who would have been very exposed-also, is he standing on a ledge outside of the embrasure?).
Sharpshooters were a big problem in the rear lines, and on the Northern River batteries where sharpshooters occupied the area where the National Cemetery is now, and around the bend of the river. But the River Batteries in the middle of the line didn't have much trouble with sharpshooters because the Mississippi River was appx a mile wide in front of Vicksburg.This woodcut has me curious about some other things as well. I had read where an artilleryman defending the East side of the city said that sometimes you couldn't "prick the cartridge" without getting your hand shot (for a breech-loading cannon). Given the Union sharpshooting, surely you couldn't have had muzzle-loading cannon along the outer defenses (see man at far right who would have been very exposed-also, is he standing on a ledge outside of the embrasure?). I thought Columbiads were moved from the river to the outer defenses at times, which doesn't make sense due to exposure of the artillerymen.
I have also read that men in the rifle pits of the river defenses also had to worry about sharpshooters (though not as much) - so how did the Columbiad (muzzle-loading) artillerists in the river defenses protect themselves from sharpshooters across the river, when firing during daylight? I know they didn't fire much during daylight, but it did happen, and they lost very few men to sharpshooters.
The above is probably all very elementary to the artillery experts here, so I appreciate you indulging me. I just purchased a 10" Columbiad resin model and have been studying my Confederate field guide, so hoping to get a better feel for what was involved in manning them.
That's a good point. Since this print was published in March, the positions were probably based on guesswork - I have collected some information regarding Union guesswork about batteries during 1862, and they are all over the place.Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this from a Northern newspaper? In which case I would have reservations about how literally to take the representation of the Southern gun positions...
Good question. My speculation would be, that those big guns produced enough smoke for rammers to do their part, however, once the cartridge was about to be pricked, most of the smoke probably cleared for the sharpshooters.
They certainly wouldn't have had much to worry about in the way of sharpshooters from Union gunboats running the batteries. Standard procedure as it evolved for that process was basically to batten down the hatches, bring steam up to maximum, and try to get by as quickly as possible, rather than to stop to engage with any caliber of weapon.
but I don't believe there was any Union presence on the opposite shore.
Sharpshooters were a big problem in the rear lines, and on the Northern River batteries where sharpshooters occupied the area where the National Cemetery is now, and around the bend of the river. But the River Batteries in the middle of the line didn't have much trouble with sharpshooters because the Mississippi River was appx a mile wide in front of Vicksburg.
If you measure the distance today across the Yazoo canal then across Lake Centennial it is about a mile. As it is across the river at the present day bridges.The width of the Mississippi was a touch over 1/2 mile + the distance between the shore and the batteries.
You're quite correct; apart from the attempted canal a little farther up- and down-river, there was no lasting Union presence on the point opposite Vicksburg (DeSoto Point, I think). (I doubt there was much of a Confederate presence either, frankly, given its status as a sort of swampy no-man's-land...)
Actually Desoto peninsula was inhabited. Many of the homes were burned to expose the ironclads running the batteries in 1863. And the Union Army placed Parrott Rigles there during the siege. There used to be some cisterns still visible there.You're quite correct; apart from the attempted canal a little farther up- and down-river, there was no lasting Union presence on the point opposite Vicksburg (DeSoto Point, I think). (I doubt there was much of a Confederate presence either, frankly, given its status as a sort of swampy no-man's-land...)
If you measure the distance today across the Yazoo canal then across Lake Centennial it is about a mile. As it is across the river at the present day bridges.
At the time the Indianola went past, it's really the 1862-like conditions we're talking about. I'm not sure I was aware of the DeSoto Point batteries during the siege, but conditions had changed at that point, as you point out.