Pittsburg landing

[atlantis]

When Johnston withdrew from Nashville why didn't he entrench his army at Pittsburg landing with the river in his front serving as a barrier to any force seeking to cross?

 

[scooter748driver]

Good question. Would he have been able to supply his forces better there vs. Corinth?

 

[atlantis]

Good question. Would he have been able to supply his forces better there vs. Corinth?

The supply question is a good one, I am guessing here but I think so.

 

[16thAL]

The objective was to keep the invader out of Corinth . The federal army originally intended a different route so if Johnston would have been in Tennessee he would have been ineffective to stop grant from coming from eastport as originally planned .

 

[jepridgen]

Keep in mind that Johnston only had a portion of his army with him at Nashville. He had to pull divisions and smaller elements from all over his department, and Corinth was the meeting point for about every major railroad in that region. It took time to build this force into a somewhat coherent army. He just didn't have time to do all that and occupy a forward position. Considering how awful the roads were, Pittsburgh Landing would not have been a good spot to push troops to as they arrived in Corinth.

Supplying them would've been a horrendous task as I doubt the Confederates could have pulled together a reliable enough supply system to get stuff from Corinth to there especially early on.

 

[Sid J.]

When Johnston withdrew from Nashville why didn't he entrench his army at Pittsburg landing with the river in his front serving as a barrier to any force seeking to cross?

Immediately upon the defeat of Ft Henry, US gunboats moved up the Tennesse River to the head of navigation near Florence AL. Any fortified points were shelled,

Subsequently, the Federals maintained patrols on the river. In early March there was a small scale battle at Pittsburg landing where the US Gunboats silenced a rebel battery and landed a small infantry force. The next Federal patrol found the position abandoned.

 

[atlantis]

Immediately upon the defeat of Ft Henry, US gunboats moved up the Tennesse River to the head of navigation near Florence AL. Any fortified points were shelled,

Subsequently, the Federals maintained patrols on the river. In early March there was a small scale battle at Pittsburg landing where the US Gunboats silenced a rebel battery and landed a small infantry force. The next Federal patrol found the position abandoned.

Any idea what the rebel battery was equipped with?

 

[Sid J.]

Any idea what the rebel battery was equipped with?

Unclear.

This account appeared in The NY Times a few days later:

CAIRO, Monday, March 3.

The discovery of a new rebel battery on the Tennessee River, mentioned by telegraph, was made in this wise. Hearing that the rebels were planting a new battery somewhere near Savannah, the wooden gunboats Taylor and Lexington were ordered to make a reconnoissance up the river and shell them out. The boats left Fort Henry Friday morning, and proceeded slowly, examining the shores carefully as they went along. They were accompanied by the transport Izetta, with two companies of the Thirty-second Illinois Regiment. They passed Savannah about 10 o'clock Saturday morning, having as yet discovered no signs of the expected battery. But now the transport was ordered to keep well in the river, as at any moment a shell or round shot might announce the unpleasant proximity of the object they were in quest of.

Eight miles above Savannah we came to a little town called Pittsburgh, a miserable looking little hamlet, as they nearly all are in this region. There is an island here in the river, called Diamond Island, and just as we came out of the channel at its head, bang! went a rebel cannon, and a 24-pound shot came plunging toward us from the rebel battery situated less than half a mile in our advance. It was followed by two other shots from smaller guns, before our big guns responded. We steamed right on toward them, and opened at about six hundred yards, with shell. Their battery consisted of one 24-pounder rifled gun, and three 12-pounder howitzers. The 24-pounder fired only six shots, when it was silenced, either by our fire or from some other cause. The three smaller guns blazed away for about twenty minutes, when they also ceased firing, not a single one of their shots from the beginning having touched either of our boats. Our gunboats kept up their fire for half an hour longer, shelling the woods in all directions.

When the firing commenced, a small body of rebel infantry was also discovered, who undertook to put in practice the plan which some Memphis newpaper editors proposed, viz.: To conceal themselves on the bank and pick off the pilots of our gunboats. They soon found they might as well attempt to swallow an oyster without opening the shell. A few discharges of grape sent them helter skelter over the brow of the hill.

After the woods had been shelled pretty thoroughly, and nothing more been seen or heard of the enemy, about forty soldiers and marines, under command of a lieutenant, were sent ashore to reconnoitre the neighborhood. They proceeded up the long slope of the hill to the distance of a thousand yards or more from the landing, when they suddenly found themselves face to face with two or three regiments of rebel infantry, who immediately shot at them. Our men returned the compliment, and immediately retired to the shelter of a log house, some five hundred yards from the shore, where they made a stand, and peppered away at the rebels as vigorously as if they expected to drive back the rebel ten or fifteen hundred.

UP THE TENNESSEE RIVER.; The Late Engagement at Pittsburgh Landing. Probable Loss of the Enemy Twenty Killed and Two Hundred Wounded. The Union Strength in Southern Tennessee. DISPATCHES FROM FLAG-OFFICER FOOTE THE GUNBOAT FIGHT IN TENNESSEE. Trouble

Reports from Tennessee

www.nytimes.com

 

[atlantis]

Unclear.

This account appeared in The NY Times a few days later:

CAIRO, Monday, March 3.

The discovery of a new rebel battery on the Tennessee River, mentioned by telegraph, was made in this wise. Hearing that the rebels were planting a new battery somewhere near Savannah, the wooden gunboats Taylor and Lexington were ordered to make a reconnoissance up the river and shell them out. The boats left Fort Henry Friday morning, and proceeded slowly, examining the shores carefully as they went along. They were accompanied by the transport Izetta, with two companies of the Thirty-second Illinois Regiment. They passed Savannah about 10 o'clock Saturday morning, having as yet discovered no signs of the expected battery. But now the transport was ordered to keep well in the river, as at any moment a shell or round shot might announce the unpleasant proximity of the object they were in quest of.

Eight miles above Savannah we came to a little town called Pittsburgh, a miserable looking little hamlet, as they nearly all are in this region. There is an island here in the river, called Diamond Island, and just as we came out of the channel at its head, bang! went a rebel cannon, and a 24-pound shot came plunging toward us from the rebel battery situated less than half a mile in our advance. It was followed by two other shots from smaller guns, before our big guns responded. We steamed right on toward them, and opened at about six hundred yards, with shell. Their battery consisted of one 24-pounder rifled gun, and three 12-pounder howitzers. The 24-pounder fired only six shots, when it was silenced, either by our fire or from some other cause. The three smaller guns blazed away for about twenty minutes, when they also ceased firing, not a single one of their shots from the beginning having touched either of our boats. Our gunboats kept up their fire for half an hour longer, shelling the woods in all directions.

When the firing commenced, a small body of rebel infantry was also discovered, who undertook to put in practice the plan which some Memphis newpaper editors proposed, viz.: To conceal themselves on the bank and pick off the pilots of our gunboats. They soon found they might as well attempt to swallow an oyster without opening the shell. A few discharges of grape sent them helter skelter over the brow of the hill.

After the woods had been shelled pretty thoroughly, and nothing more been seen or heard of the enemy, about forty soldiers and marines, under command of a lieutenant, were sent ashore to reconnoitre the neighborhood. They proceeded up the long slope of the hill to the distance of a thousand yards or more from the landing, when they suddenly found themselves face to face with two or three regiments of rebel infantry, who immediately shot at them. Our men returned the compliment, and immediately retired to the shelter of a log house, some five hundred yards from the shore, where they made a stand, and peppered away at the rebels as vigorously as if they expected to drive back the rebel ten or fifteen hundred.

UP THE TENNESSEE RIVER.; The Late Engagement at Pittsburgh Landing. Probable Loss of the Enemy Twenty Killed and Two Hundred Wounded. The Union Strength in Southern Tennessee. DISPATCHES FROM FLAG-OFFICER FOOTE THE GUNBOAT FIGHT IN TENNESSEE. Trouble

Reports from Tennessee

www.nytimes.com

Thanks, it appears the pieces were not protected by earthen berms. It also seems based on this article the rebels fired too soon.

 

[MarkZim]

Following the March 1st skirmish at Pittsburg Landing between Mouton's troops and the USS Lexington and USS Tyler, subsequent Union landing parties would find two 32-pounder cannons unmounted near the so-called fortified house at the landing, according to naval historian Chuck Veit, indicating the Confederates were in the process of building a heavy fortification there. Gunboat confrontations with Confederate forces on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers are covered in my book Iron Maidens and the Devil's Daughters, Zimco Publications LLC.

 

[Ole Miss]

Johnston's objective was to defend and perserve Corinth his base of supplies. He only moved upon Pittsburg Landing when he had sufficient men to attack and drive the Federals from Corinth and the railroad juction described as "The backbone of the Confederacy".

Excellent question and a very good thread. The purpose of our posts is to study and share our ideas, and occasional ideas, with others.
Regards
David