Twas The Night Before Christmas At The Balfour's House. The Vicksburg Christmas Ball

UCVRelics

Brevet Brigadier General
Forum Host
Gold Patron
Regtl. Quartermaster Shiloh 2020
Asst. Regtl. Quartermaster Antietam 2021
Regtl. Quartermaster Stones River / Franklin 2022
Joined
May 7, 2016
Location
Alabama
A few weeks ago I got a notice from The Old Courthouse museum that the annual Christmas Ball was cancelled due to covid. For the last 29 years the ball was held as a fundraiser for the museum. The first fundraiser was held at the Belfour house but when the house was sold it was moved to the upstairs courtroom and the museum. It got me thinking about the original ball held in 1862.
1608509353865.png
1608509638947.png


One this date December 20, 1862, The Union army started its 2nd campaign to take Vicksburg. Gen Sherman with 32,000 men and sixty pieces of artillery, which, with Admiral Porter’s Mississippi gunboat fleet and about seventy transports headed south down the Mississippi river. The plan was for Gen Grant with over 30,000 troops to come overland and converge on Vicksburg with Sherman. Between Gen Van Dorn and Gen Nathan Bedford Forrest those plans were spoiled. With no way for Gen Sherman to know this, down the river he went.

On Christmas Eve, 1862, Dr. William Balfour and his wife Emma hosted a gala Christmas ball that included the Vicksburg elite as well as most of the high ranking officers of the CS Army to include Gen Smith, Gen. Pemberton, Gen S.D.Lee and my GGG Grandfather Lt. Col W.H. McCardle AAG to Gen Pemberton. The celebration was two fold, Christmas Eve and the defeat of Grant's forces in north Mississippi. The ball, however, was rudely interrupted when a wet, mud- covered courier named Phillip Fall barged in among the dancers and notified the Confederate commander of the imminent arrival of the Union Expeditionary Force led by William T. Sherman. The commander declared, "This ball is at an end; the enemy are coming down the river, all non- combatants must leave the city."

1608509858093.png
1608509926859.png


Gen. S.D. Lee who was in attendance picks up the story from here.
After the fall of Memphis the river was open to Union gunboats as far down as Vicksburg. As early as October, 1862, a telegraph station was established at DeSoto on the river bank opposite Vicksburg, with Col. Philip H. Fall as operator. It was connected with a station in the woods, eleven miles south of Lake Providence, with Major L. L. Daniel as operator. Daniel was to report the movements of boats on the river. The splendid scouting organization of General Pemberton had informed him and General Smith at Vicksburg of the assembling of boats and the concentration of troops at Memphis, but the exact plans of the enemy were not clearly known. The first reliable information on this subject was the telegram from Daniel to Fall, telling of the positive approach of the great army and flotilla. (The red stars are the telegraph lookout locations)
1608510093191.png


At my request Daniel and Fall have sent me their recollection of the incident. I will, therefore, let them tell the rest of the story. In a letter of November 28th, 1904, to P. H. Fall, at Houston, Texas, and transmitted to me, L. L. Daniel says:
“Major :Earnhearst, after telling me of the danger of a picket out post, asked me to go to Point Lookout, La., eleven miles below Lake Providence and sixty-five miles above Vicksburg, the terminus of the little private telegraph line owned by that rich planter Horace B. Tibbotts, and you [Philip H. Fall] were stationed at the Vicksburg end of it; that is, at DeSoto, just across the river * * ; and I was strictly instructed to watch the river day and night and report to you morning and evening.. * * And it was Christmas Eve about 8.45 P. M., dear old Major E. P. Earnhearst and I were in our ‘eerie’ playing ‘Old sledge,’ when a little negro girl, who lived on the place came in and said, ‘Marse Ainhart, you and Marse Daniel better come out here, I hears a boat a coming.’ ‘Come now,’ says the Major ‘you are dreaming, Arty.’ ‘No sah! I hears it say, choo, choo, pat, pat, pat.’ Thus illustrating the steam escape and pat of the wheels. We went on the porch and listened intently; the sounds which we had not heard for months, were just audible, the little one’s acute ears had detected it miles away.

"Major Earnhearst and I were smoking, Indian fashion, a large
meerschaum pipe (owned jointly) * * We went to the river bank, about one-eighth of a mile from our watch house, and waited perhaps thirty minutes. We could hear the panting and pat, pat; directly a monster turned the bend, two miles above us, and came slowly as if feeling the way. It was the gunboat. I was ready to send the news to you, [Fall] but no—’hello Major here came another,’ this in a whisper; just then some sparks flew out of the Major’s pipe, and I grabbed the pipe, extinguished the fire, telling him those * * * would fire a volley at the crack of a match. By now, the large black devil was abreast of us, in easy gun shot from our double barrels, but suicide to fire. We counted, counted, counted in all seven gunboats, fifty-nine transports loaded with blue coats.

“It was a dark, cloudy night, cold and drizzly; just as soon as we were satisfied the last one was by, I jumped on my little bay filly and fairly flew to the little telegraph office, three miles back in the woods and began calling you. This was just after midnight. I was so agitated at the prospect of the capture of my dear old home, Vicksburg, before I could give the alarm, that I thought it was almost daybreak when you answered; and I was simply frantic; now the fact is and after I called you but about twenty-seven seconds. You were right there and said: ‘Golly, old fellow, what’s up?’ Then it was for you to get frustrated. * * I gave you the fullest information possible in the fewest words possible, and they are indelible in my brain this hour. ‘Great God, Phil, where have you been. I have been calling, (I am afraid half an hour instead of half a minute) and the river is lined with boats, almost a hundred have just passed my lookout. Seven gunboats and fifty-nine transports chock full of men. God speed you, rush across and give the alarm.’ You said: ‘God bless you Lee, bye, bye, we may never meet again.’ You can best tell the remainder on your end, for after a short nap, I went again to the little telegraph hut and tried the circuit, but no battery. * * And I learned sometime afterwards that the huge flotilla landed at various points below, viz: Omega, Millikens Bend and Youngs Point and cut down the poles for a mile and chopped the wire into bits.

“Major Earnhearst, bidding farewell to his wife, two little daughters, myself and wife, rode rapidly through the awful muddy swamps to the hills, then to Delphi and wired the news to Gen. Kirby Smith, Gen. John G. Walker and others. History has the incident, but the minutiae interest but ourselves and families and friends. Next morning I was preparing to shoot some ducks near the house, when my wife came to the porch and said: ‘Look Lee! quick.’ Of course I looked for ducks or geese, but discovered drakes and ganders in some sixty blue-coated cavalry approaching from the North. I learned that two regiments had landed at Lake Providence and picketed the country for miles. This leader, Lt. Thompson of Kansas, jayhawker, halted at the gate, called me with an army colt six shooter cocked, held menacingly at my anatomy, while interrogating me. Question after question plied and answered promptly. The interview ended by: ‘Young fellow, you are truthful, our army is fully posted on every thing for a hundred miles, and you have answered me correctly; one lie would have laid you out; now you are my prisoner, I want your telegraph instruments and all records and your old shotgun with bayonet; and don’t you try to
escape for death is sure.’ * * *

"Well we were all held prisoners on the plantation from Dec. 26th, 1862, until 29th June, 1863, when Major Earnhearst with two squads of cavalry headed by Gen. Tom Harrison and Col. W. H. Parson came in from the hills, cleaned out the guards, took us to Delphi.”


Colonel Fall tells the rest: “Christmas Eve, the night of the ball, was a tempestuous night and I was in dread of my red light being extinguished by the high waves. The Mississippi was very rough; had my light gone out our batteries would have annihilated me, but with what information as I possessed, I would have made the attempt in face of certain death. A half hour after Daniel at Lake Providence gave me the news, it was imparted to Gen. Smith. No courier could have come seventy-five miles in half an hour. I was muddy and woebegone as I passed through the dancers and they gave me a wide berth, when I stopped in front of Gen. Smith, he scanned me critically and frowned with the exclamation, ‘Well sir, what do you want?’ I told him eighty-one gun boats and transports had passed Lake Providence and were still passing. He turned very pale, and in a loud voice exclaimed! ‘This ball is at an end; the enemy are coming down the river, all non-combatants must leave the city.’ He
had a presence of mind enough to thank me and apologize at the harsh tones. In regard to his report, I see no mention as to how he got his information. I suppose he lost sight of me in the excitement following. * * received a letter sometime ago from Mrs. Roach, of Vicksburg, reminding me of how I broke up the ball that never to be forgotten night.”


The details, as given above by the two participants, are essentially correct. My recollection is distinct as to this ball and its sudden collapse soon after midnight, December 24th, by the arrival of the bearer of the important information. The writer on Christmas day moved out of Vicksburg with six regiments of infantry and two batteries to check General Sherman in his landing on the Yazoo river, between the city of Vicksburg and Snyder’s Bluff on the Yazoo river, thirteen miles distant.

On December 29th was fought the decisive battle of Chickasaw Bayou, which compelled General Sherman to turn back his army and abandon the attack on the city. The movement on Christmas day was the result of the telegram sent by Daniel near Lake Providence and received by Fall at DeSoto, La., and delivered to General Smith at the ball in the city of Vicksburg.
 
I was lucky enough to attend that Christmas Eve Ball once . . . many years ago. (mid 1990's)

Literally that event was scene out of "Gone With the Wind".
It was better than any "Natchez Pilgrimage" production that I had ever seen.

While a great time was had by all, only a few attendees knew it was a reenactment of a real event.

All of the young people thought the Ball was a part of Vicksburg's Christmas Programs.
( And an excuse for the girls to wear hoop skirts & the boys to wear Confederate officer uniforms) .

There used to be videos of this event, but they have been taken down by the major video platforms.

:furious:
 
Last edited:
A few weeks ago I got a notice from The Old Courthouse museum that the annual Christmas Ball was cancelled due to covid. For the last 29 years the ball was held as a fundraiser for the museum. The first fundraiser was held at the Belfour house but when the house was sold it was moved to the upstairs courtroom and the museum. It got me thinking about the original ball held in 1862.
View attachment 385218View attachment 385220

One this date December 20, 1862, The Union army started its 2nd campaign to take Vicksburg. Gen Sherman with 32,000 men and sixty pieces of artillery, which, with Admiral Porter’s Mississippi gunboat fleet and about seventy transports headed south down the Mississippi river. The plan was for Gen Grant with over 30,000 troops to come overland and converge on Vicksburg with Sherman. Between Gen Van Dorn and Gen Nathan Bedford Forrest those plans were spoiled. With no way for Gen Sherman to know this, down the river he went.

On Christmas Eve, 1862, Dr. William Balfour and his wife Emma hosted a gala Christmas ball that included the Vicksburg elite as well as most of the high ranking officers of the CS Army to include Gen Smith, Gen. Pemberton, Gen S.D.Lee and my GGG Grandfather Lt. Col W.H. McCardle AAG to Gen Pemberton. The celebration was two fold, Christmas Eve and the defeat of Grant's forces in north Mississippi. The ball, however, was rudely interrupted when a wet, mud- covered courier named Phillip Fall barged in among the dancers and notified the Confederate commander of the imminent arrival of the Union Expeditionary Force led by William T. Sherman. The commander declared, "This ball is at an end; the enemy are coming down the river, all non- combatants must leave the city."

View attachment 385221View attachment 385222


Gen. S.D. Lee who was in attendance picks up the story from here.
After the fall of Memphis the river was open to Union gunboats as far down as Vicksburg. As early as October, 1862, a telegraph station was established at DeSoto on the river bank opposite Vicksburg, with Col. Philip H. Fall as operator. It was connected with a station in the woods, eleven miles south of Lake Providence, with Major L. L. Daniel as operator. Daniel was to report the movements of boats on the river. The splendid scouting organization of General Pemberton had informed him and General Smith at Vicksburg of the assembling of boats and the concentration of troops at Memphis, but the exact plans of the enemy were not clearly known. The first reliable information on this subject was the telegram from Daniel to Fall, telling of the positive approach of the great army and flotilla. (The red stars are the telegraph lookout locations)
View attachment 385223

At my request Daniel and Fall have sent me their recollection of the incident. I will, therefore, let them tell the rest of the story. In a letter of November 28th, 1904, to P. H. Fall, at Houston, Texas, and transmitted to me, L. L. Daniel says:
“Major :Earnhearst, after telling me of the danger of a picket out post, asked me to go to Point Lookout, La., eleven miles below Lake Providence and sixty-five miles above Vicksburg, the terminus of the little private telegraph line owned by that rich planter Horace B. Tibbotts, and you [Philip H. Fall] were stationed at the Vicksburg end of it; that is, at DeSoto, just across the river * * ; and I was strictly instructed to watch the river day and night and report to you morning and evening.. * * And it was Christmas Eve about 8.45 P. M., dear old Major E. P. Earnhearst and I were in our ‘eerie’ playing ‘Old sledge,’ when a little negro girl, who lived on the place came in and said, ‘Marse Ainhart, you and Marse Daniel better come out here, I hears a boat a coming.’ ‘Come now,’ says the Major ‘you are dreaming, Arty.’ ‘No sah! I hears it say, choo, choo, pat, pat, pat.’ Thus illustrating the steam escape and pat of the wheels. We went on the porch and listened intently; the sounds which we had not heard for months, were just audible, the little one’s acute ears had detected it miles away.

"Major Earnhearst and I were smoking, Indian fashion, a large
meerschaum pipe (owned jointly) * * We went to the river bank, about one-eighth of a mile from our watch house, and waited perhaps thirty minutes. We could hear the panting and pat, pat; directly a monster turned the bend, two miles above us, and came slowly as if feeling the way. It was the gunboat. I was ready to send the news to you, [Fall] but no—’hello Major here came another,’ this in a whisper; just then some sparks flew out of the Major’s pipe, and I grabbed the pipe, extinguished the fire, telling him those * * * would fire a volley at the crack of a match. By now, the large black devil was abreast of us, in easy gun shot from our double barrels, but suicide to fire. We counted, counted, counted in all seven gunboats, fifty-nine transports loaded with blue coats.

“It was a dark, cloudy night, cold and drizzly; just as soon as we were satisfied the last one was by, I jumped on my little bay filly and fairly flew to the little telegraph office, three miles back in the woods and began calling you. This was just after midnight. I was so agitated at the prospect of the capture of my dear old home, Vicksburg, before I could give the alarm, that I thought it was almost daybreak when you answered; and I was simply frantic; now the fact is and after I called you but about twenty-seven seconds. You were right there and said: ‘Golly, old fellow, what’s up?’ Then it was for you to get frustrated. * * I gave you the fullest information possible in the fewest words possible, and they are indelible in my brain this hour. ‘Great God, Phil, where have you been. I have been calling, (I am afraid half an hour instead of half a minute) and the river is lined with boats, almost a hundred have just passed my lookout. Seven gunboats and fifty-nine transports chock full of men. God speed you, rush across and give the alarm.’ You said: ‘God bless you Lee, bye, bye, we may never meet again.’ You can best tell the remainder on your end, for after a short nap, I went again to the little telegraph hut and tried the circuit, but no battery. * * And I learned sometime afterwards that the huge flotilla landed at various points below, viz: Omega, Millikens Bend and Youngs Point and cut down the poles for a mile and chopped the wire into bits.

“Major Earnhearst, bidding farewell to his wife, two little daughters, myself and wife, rode rapidly through the awful muddy swamps to the hills, then to Delphi and wired the news to Gen. Kirby Smith, Gen. John G. Walker and others. History has the incident, but the minutiae interest but ourselves and families and friends. Next morning I was preparing to shoot some ducks near the house, when my wife came to the porch and said: ‘Look Lee! quick.’ Of course I looked for ducks or geese, but discovered drakes and ganders in some sixty blue-coated cavalry approaching from the North. I learned that two regiments had landed at Lake Providence and picketed the country for miles. This leader, Lt. Thompson of Kansas, jayhawker, halted at the gate, called me with an army colt six shooter cocked, held menacingly at my anatomy, while interrogating me. Question after question plied and answered promptly. The interview ended by: ‘Young fellow, you are truthful, our army is fully posted on every thing for a hundred miles, and you have answered me correctly; one lie would have laid you out; now you are my prisoner, I want your telegraph instruments and all records and your old shotgun with bayonet; and don’t you try to
escape for death is sure.’ * * *

"Well we were all held prisoners on the plantation from Dec. 26th, 1862, until 29th June, 1863, when Major Earnhearst with two squads of cavalry headed by Gen. Tom Harrison and Col. W. H. Parson came in from the hills, cleaned out the guards, took us to Delphi.”


Colonel Fall tells the rest: “Christmas Eve, the night of the ball, was a tempestuous night and I was in dread of my red light being extinguished by the high waves. The Mississippi was very rough; had my light gone out our batteries would have annihilated me, but with what information as I possessed, I would have made the attempt in face of certain death. A half hour after Daniel at Lake Providence gave me the news, it was imparted to Gen. Smith. No courier could have come seventy-five miles in half an hour. I was muddy and woebegone as I passed through the dancers and they gave me a wide berth, when I stopped in front of Gen. Smith, he scanned me critically and frowned with the exclamation, ‘Well sir, what do you want?’ I told him eighty-one gun boats and transports had passed Lake Providence and were still passing. He turned very pale, and in a loud voice exclaimed! ‘This ball is at an end; the enemy are coming down the river, all non-combatants must leave the city.’ He
had a presence of mind enough to thank me and apologize at the harsh tones. In regard to his report, I see no mention as to how he got his information. I suppose he lost sight of me in the excitement following. * * received a letter sometime ago from Mrs. Roach, of Vicksburg, reminding me of how I broke up the ball that never to be forgotten night.”


The details, as given above by the two participants, are essentially correct. My recollection is distinct as to this ball and its sudden collapse soon after midnight, December 24th, by the arrival of the bearer of the important information. The writer on Christmas day moved out of Vicksburg with six regiments of infantry and two batteries to check General Sherman in his landing on the Yazoo river, between the city of Vicksburg and Snyder’s Bluff on the Yazoo river, thirteen miles distant.

On December 29th was fought the decisive battle of Chickasaw Bayou, which compelled General Sherman to turn back his army and abandon the attack on the city. The movement on Christmas day was the result of the telegram sent by Daniel near Lake Providence and received by Fall at DeSoto, La., and delivered to General Smith at the ball in the city of Vicksburg.
Those Yankees spoiled everything....Even Christmas!!
 
Is that photo above just an illustration of "some" Confederate-replica ball, or was it taken at one of the Old Courthouse balls? The gentleman at the left, sort of bowing, looks like Charlie Mitchell.
 
Is that photo above just an illustration of "some" Confederate-replica ball, or was it taken at one of the Old Courthouse balls? The gentleman at the left, sort of bowing, looks like Charlie Mitchell.
It’s from the Balfour ball at the Old Courthouse. I dont think it is Charlie Mitchell. There was a number of people who are new to Vicksburg who would attend the ball. Some of the new people are more interested in Vicksburg history than the natives.
 
It’s from the Balfour ball at the Old Courthouse. I dont think it is Charlie Mitchell. There was a number of people who are new to Vicksburg who would attend the ball. Some of the new people are more interested in Vicksburg history than the natives.
The same thing is always going on down the road in Natchez.

The locals are very aware of their own history, but the rotating influx of outsiders always seem to "over do it "
in their attempts to fit-in with "Natchez Society".
 
Back
Top