Port Hudson 1862

[Zack]

Following the fall of New Orleans on April 29, 1862, the Union navy proceeded up the Mississippi River, taking first Baton Rouge on May 9 and then Natchez on May 12. When they reached Vicksburg on May 18 the city refused to surrender. Naval efforts to take the city continued until July 1862 at which point the navy withdrew to New Orleans and the army to Baton Rouge, which it successfully defended on August 5 1862.

Here's my question. Those cities on a map look like this:

So what was going on at Port Hudson this whole time? Did the navy bypass it? Was it even fortified yet? Did the Confederates not fortify it until after the navy was repulsed at Vicksburg? Were the guns at Port Hudson run twice? Was an effort made to trap the Union navy between Vicksburg and Port Hudson?

My understanding was always that the river between Vicksburg and Port Hudson was locked until 1863. But the Union controlled Natchez in May 1862. Were any efforts made by the Confederates to retake it? Was it largely ignored? Did the Union leave an occupying force there? I read that, though it had technically surrendered on May 12, 1862, Natchez wasn't occupied until Grant sent troops there during the Vicksburg Campaign in July 1863. Is that correct?

And seriously what was Port Hudson doing this entire time? Just watching the Union navy casually sail by and thinking, "hmmm, maybe we should have put some guns up here."

 

[NedBaldwin]

Fortifications were not built until October

 

[NedBaldwin]

After Williams gave up on Vicksburg in July, he withdrew everything back to Baton Rouge

Confederates came and attacked Baton Rouge and US pulled back to N O.

 

[Zack]

I read that the withdrawal from Baton Rouge only lasted a few months and the city was reoccupied in the fall of 1862. The troops were diverted because there was concern about New Orleans being attacked I believe.

 

[NedBaldwin]

Interesting tidbit: at the start of November 1862, when Lincoln/Halleck assigned Banks to lead a Corps size expedition of troops to New Orleans and take over from Butler, they did not know about Port Hudson and assumed that Banks would team up with Farragut and head right up to Vicksburg. When Grant sent Sherman against Vicksburg that December, Sherman looked for Banks and Farragut to show up. How different it would have been.

Instead, Banks arrived in NO, sent a force to reoccupy Baton Rouge and was told by Farragut that they were not going any further until Port Hudson was neutralized.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Following the fall of New Orleans on April 29, 1862, the Union navy proceeded up the Mississippi River, taking first Baton Rouge on May 9 and then Natchez on May 12. When they reached Vicksburg on May 18 the city refused to surrender. Naval efforts to take the city continued until July 1862 at which point the navy withdrew to New Orleans and the army to Baton Rouge, which it successfully defended on August 5 1862.

Here's my question. Those cities on a map look like this:
View attachment 399185

So what was going on at Port Hudson this whole time? Did the navy bypass it? Was it even fortified yet? Did the Confederates not fortify it until after the navy was repulsed at Vicksburg? Were the guns at Port Hudson run twice? Was an effort made to trap the Union navy between Vicksburg and Port Hudson?

My understanding was always that the river between Vicksburg and Port Hudson was locked until 1863. But the Union controlled Natchez in May 1862. Were any efforts made by the Confederates to retake it? Was it largely ignored? Did the Union leave an occupying force there? I read that, though it had technically surrendered on May 12, 1862, Natchez wasn't occupied until Grant sent troops there during the Vicksburg Campaign in July 1863. Is that correct?

And seriously what was Port Hudson doing this entire time? Just watching the Union navy casually sail by and thinking, "hmmm, maybe we should have put some guns up here."

The short answer would be terrain, IMHO.

The little hamlet of Port Hudson was never a thought by either side ... at first.

I believe the Confederates were the first to realize the strategic value of those Port Hudson bluffs.
I'm pretty sure the US Navy reached the same conclusion around the same time.

And the rest is history.

BTW, the maps of that area have not changed much at all .

 

[Zack]

After Williams gave up on Vicksburg in July, he withdrew everything back to Baton Rouge

So that includes Natchez being evacuated?

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

So that includes Natchez being evacuated?

Natchez was never actually evacuated.
There were really no troops to evacuate.

Most of the Natchez millionaires tried to stay out of the War.
Most remained loyal to the Union. (Economics were their primary concerns, not politics) .

However, some militia units and few official regiments were organized in Natchez.

But Natchez was never an original objective to capture or defend.

It was all about Vicksburg.

 

[bayouace]

Following the poor result of the Battle of Baton Rouge in August of 1862, Gen. John Breckinridge withdrew his troops and recommended fortifying the bluffs above the Mississippi at Port Hudson. The river at that time made a very sharp bend at Port Hudson, and any vessels trying to run past a fortified Port Hudson had to slow to a speed that was vulnerable to artillery from the bluffs. If the Union could not get past Vicksburg and Port Hudson on the river, then supplies of every sort could come down the Red River from Texas and Central and North Louisiana. Vicksburg alone was a hindrance to control of the river. With Port Hudson the combination of the two was a serious blow to the western strategy.

 

[Zack]

So the Union Navy really did just sail past Port Hudson twice in 1862?

 

[bayouace]

So the Union Navy really did just sail past Port Hudson twice in 1862?

Nothing much to stop Union vessels all the way to Vicksburg.

 

[Louisiana Jayhawker]

The ironclad ram ARKANSAS was a major factor of consideration until its destruction at the Battle of Baton Rouge. With its removal the Confederate were allowed to erect those guns at Port Hudson. There was a severe shortage of troops in Federal controlled Louisiana to allow continued occupation of Baton Rouge and preventing the formation of Port Hudson into a Confederate stronghold. There was no attempt to capture any Federal vessels between the two Confederate strongholds by their mere existence. They existed for protection of the valuable supply line of the Red River and prevent Federal complete control of the Mississippi River. Federal did lose a major war vessel or two in aborted raids in that area of concern. And yes the Federal Navy did get two free passes by Port Hudson. Good postings above.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

So the Union Navy really did just sail past Port Hudson twice in 1862?

It was a bit different the following year.

" With USS Hartford in the lead, Farragut's seven ship squadron steamed up river in pairs with USS Mississippi bringing up the van of the squadron alone. The operation did not go well as all the seven ships ran aground as they attempted to hug the west bank of the river. Hartford and Albatross got free and under the cover morning fog successfully passed the guns. The other five were not so lucky as the wind blew away the fog. Four of the ships received heavy damage, but successfully retreated back down stream.
https://civilwarnavy150.blogspot.com/2013/06/vicksburg-campaign-navy-shells-port.html
Mississippi, however, took several critical hits, caught on fire and sank. The frigate's executive officer and future Admiral of the Fleet, Lieutenant George Dewey stayed on board long enough to spike the guns. Thus ended the career of one of the Navy's most famous ships. Farragut did not hear about Mississippi's demise until he read about it in local newspapers. The movement was not one of the admiral's finest hours.
https://civilwarnavy150.blogspot.com/2013/06/vicksburg-campaign-navy-shells-port.html
After that operation, the Navy was much more cautious and respectful of Port Hudson's defenses "

https://civilwarnavy150.blogspot.com/2013/06/vicksburg-campaign-navy-shells-port.html

Yeah that's from a blog ... but is accurate.

For those interested, here's a very old thread about the same topic:
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/port-hudson-deserves-its-due.12984/

 

[Zack]

The more I read about these campaigns along the Mississippi, the more staggering the whole endeavor is. In July 1862 the only significant Confederate holdout on the entire Mississippi River was Vicksburg. Union navies had converged on the city from both directions - Foote (and then Davis when Foote went home to recuperate) from the north and Farragut from the south.

The Union withdrawal from Vicksburg allowed the Confederates to open a corridor from Port Hudson to Vicksburg that held on for another year. Imagine how different the war would have been if Vicksburg fell in July 1862....

 

[USS ALASKA]

Journal Article
"... There Is No Use in Trying to Dodge God Almighty": Farragut Runs the Port Hudson Batteries
Lawrence L. Hewitt
Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association
Vol. 26, No. 1 (Winter, 1985), pp. 23-40
Louisiana Historical Association

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4232389

Full article at above link on JSTOR with Google sign-in (In the upper right-hand corner of the linked page, there is a 'Log in' button. If you have a Gmail account, you have a Google sign-in and this will allow for free reading of 100 articles a month).

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[USS ALASKA]

Most of the Natchez millionaires tried to stay out of the War.
Most remained loyal to the Union. (Economics were their primary concerns, not politics) .

A Tale of Two Cities: Vicksburg and Natchez, Mississippi During the American Civil War
Ruth Poe White

NF - Looking for Info on Natchez (MS) During and After Civil War | Civil War Books, Stories, & Media

My wife and I spent our wedding anniversary at Magnolia Plantation back in 2005. Watched the Super Bowl in Bowie's Tavern but was disappointed to find we were the only Steeler fans.

civilwartalk.com

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[Biscoitos]

Following the fall of New Orleans on April 29, 1862, the Union navy proceeded up the Mississippi River, taking first Baton Rouge on May 9 and then Natchez on May 12. When they reached Vicksburg on May 18 the city refused to surrender. Naval efforts to take the city continued until July 1862 at which point the navy withdrew to New Orleans and the army to Baton Rouge, which it successfully defended on August 5 1862.

Here's my question. Those cities on a map look like this:
View attachment 399185

So what was going on at Port Hudson this whole time? Did the navy bypass it? Was it even fortified yet? Did the Confederates not fortify it until after the navy was repulsed at Vicksburg? Were the guns at Port Hudson run twice? Was an effort made to trap the Union navy between Vicksburg and Port Hudson?

My understanding was always that the river between Vicksburg and Port Hudson was locked until 1863. But the Union controlled Natchez in May 1862. Were any efforts made by the Confederates to retake it? Was it largely ignored? Did the Union leave an occupying force there? I read that, though it had technically surrendered on May 12, 1862, Natchez wasn't occupied until Grant sent troops there during the Vicksburg Campaign in July 1863. Is that correct?

And seriously what was Port Hudson doing this entire time? Just watching the Union navy casually sail by and thinking, "hmmm, maybe we should have put some guns up here."

Zack, you said "But the Union controlled Natchez in May 1862. Were any efforts made by the Confederates to retake it?
The Union did not really "control" Natchez. The US Navy stopped briefly at Natchez in May 1862, while on their way to Vicksburg, The city surrendered and as Natchez was no threat to them and it had no advantages for them, the USN basically ignored Natchez. Their mission was to take control of the Mississippi.

I guess you could say Natchez was technically under US control. Like the Union, the Confederates "had bigger fish to fry".
The Confederates did not fortify Natchez as there was no RR that could move heavy artillery.

Later, Natchez would be taken over by occupation troops.

Your map shows the land (Highway 61) route from Natchez to Vicksburg. The Mississippi river is the thin blue, crooked line to the west.

 

[Zack]

Zack, you said "But the Union controlled Natchez in May 1862. Were any efforts made by the Confederates to retake it?
The Union did not really "control" Natchez. The US Navy stopped briefly at Natchez in May 1862, while on their way to Vicksburg, The city surrendered and as Natchez was no threat to them and it had no advantages for them, the USN basically ignored Natchez. Their mission was to take control of the Mississippi.

I guess you could say Natchez was technically under US control. Like the Union, the Confederates "had bigger fish to fry".
The Confederates did not fortify Natchez as there was no RR that could move heavy artillery.

Later, Natchez would be taken over by occupation troops.

Your map shows the land (Highway 61) route from Natchez to Vicksburg. The Mississippi river is the thin blue, crooked line to the west.

Oh yah I just left the routes on cause it's an easy way to mark things on google maps. It's not meant to follow the river. I don't know how to mark multiple places in google maps without it showing the road route.

And good point re: Natchez:

On May 12, 1862, Union vessels of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron steaming north towards Vicksburg, Mississippi reached the undefended city of Natchez, Mississippi.

The local Confederate commander, Brigadier General Charles Dahlgren, tried to rally a force to stand against the Union armada, but only fourteen soldiers and 100 unarmed Virginians turned out. Disgusted at the unwillingness of Natchez to defend itself, Dahlgren left the city, and on May 13 the mayor notified the Union steamer Iroquois that he would informally accept Union terms.

In reality, this meant nothing more than agreeing not to attack any Union vessels that passed the city. No soldiers were landed in Natchez, newspapers still ran pro-Confederate pieces, and life continued generally as normal.

Only two incidents marred this time. A few days after Natchez surrendered, Union soldiers were landed at Vidalia, Louisiana directly across the river. Additionally, on September 2, 1862, the city was briefly shelled by the Union ironclad gunboat Essex after the local militia fired on a small party that had been sent ashore to collect water. One Union soldier was killed and five wounded, and in the shelling that followed two civilians were killed and several houses set aflame.

Otherwise, Natchez largely sat out the war for the next eight months as the Union military concentrated on capturing Vicksburg further to the north.

The citizens of Natchez even felt free to voice anti-Northern sentiments during this time. On Christmas Day, 1862, the Natchez Democrat mused:

CHRISTMAS
The peculiar situation of our country, forbids us realizing the usual pleasures and festivities of a Christmas Day, in all their bearings. Fathers and sons are absent in the tented field; many a family mourns the loss of some loved one, struck down by the invader; while others are suffering from the crushing and vindictive acts of the inhuman foe. Under such circumstances it cannot be expected that homes will look natural, or the inmates gathered about the hearth-stone appear altogether gay. Yet so much of us who may be permitted to greet each other on this occasion of Christmas, we cannot refrain from wishing a happy season. Let us remember those who are absent, and invoke the God of all mankind, that they may be returned to us before another Christmas, with the blessings of Peace to our glorious Confederacy.

Similarly, when the Emancipation Proclamation came into effect on January 1, 1863, the Natchez Courier published a poem denouncing the act and laughing at its ineffectiveness since it affected only areas of the South where the Federal Government had no influence:

Abraham Lincoln, the wily wretch,
Freed the slaves he could not catch.

But as the situation for the Confederacy deteriorated in 1863, the white citizens of Natchez became increasingly fearful of a Union occupation, with all the barbarism they believed it would entail. On March 17, 1863, Union Commodore William "Dirty Bill" Porter presented Natchez with an ultimatum demanding formal capitulation, which was agreed to, but Union soldiers still did not occupy the city.

This finally changed on July 13, 1863 when Union troops occupied the city in part to protect against the cavalry of Confederate Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest rampaging in the area. Union soldiers captured the city's supply of sugar, cotton, lumber, and a train loaded with ammunition while a patrol discovered and overtook 5,000 head of cattle being driven to Confederate lines.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Zack, you said "But the Union controlled Natchez in May 1862. Were any efforts made by the Confederates to retake it?
The Union did not really "control" Natchez. The US Navy stopped briefly at Natchez in May 1862, while on their way to Vicksburg, The city surrendered and as Natchez was no threat to them and it had no advantages for them, the USN basically ignored Natchez. Their mission was to take control of the Mississippi.

I guess you could say Natchez was technically under US control. Like the Union, the Confederates "had bigger fish to fry".
The Confederates did not fortify Natchez as there was no RR that could move heavy artillery.

Later, Natchez would be taken over by occupation troops.

Your map shows the land (Highway 61) route from Natchez to Vicksburg. The Mississippi river is the thin blue, crooked line to the west.

You are very correct.

There was never any serious CSA attempt to retake Natchez.
I believe there were a couple independent attempts by some cavalry units during 1864 (details escape me at the moment).
But it was much too little/too late.

By 1864, Natchez had thousands of Union troops occupying the city.

 

[Stryker65]

You are very correct.

There was never any serious CSA attempt to retake Natchez.
I believe there were a couple independent attempts by some cavalry units during 1864 (details escape me at the moment).
But it was much too little/too late.

Those forces were, I believe, under Col. Robert C. Wood, Jr., who succeeded Wirt Adams in command of the Central Mississippi Confederate cavalrymen.