Vicksburg's Naval Snapshot- War In A Blink

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
steamer vicksburg whole.JPG

LoC image of one of Vicksburg's wharf. We sure know it's before spring of 1865. One of these steamers wouldn't be there. It had come under fire on the way to Vicksburg, survived scandal, guerillas and near misses. Only had around a year left before joining a phantom fleet under the Mississippi.

steamer vicksburg white cloud.JPG

White Cloud, far end.

steamer james w vicksburg.JPG

Steamer " WXXXXX ", and James Watson.

Convinced quite a few photos in Civil War collections were not random shots, they had stories attached. We'd all seen the famous shot of staff at 2nd Corp Hospital, pre-Letterman. But why was the photo taken and what are all those people holding?

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/john-burns-a-wheres-waldo-at-2nd-corp-hospital.137623/#post-1623582

Vicksburg's wharf holds a few stories. We're familiar with Vicksburg's story, like Gettysburg and Petersburg and Atlanta- down on the wharf in 1864 were around a million more stories.

Like a spirit land of Shadows
They in silence on me gaze
And I feel my heart is beating
With the pulse of other days;
And I ask what great magician
Conjured forms like these afar?
Echo answers, ‘tis the sunshine,
By its alchymist Daguerre.


An 1851 poem by Caleb Lyon printed in an edition of the Photographic Art Journal. Lyon had his own problems with sticky fingers but wrote lovely poems.

That's paddle wheel steamer White Cloud, docked above her peers, will add her war later. Snugging up to White Cloud is one I can't identify- then Steamer James Watson. By the time this was taken there was an awful lot of Civil War history traversed by those paddle wheels.

steamer james watson 1864.JPG


steamer james watson clerk.JPG

The attack by guerillas raiding Wilton Plantation took a clerk from the ship

steamer james watson cotton.JPG

Right before she docked at Vicksburg, a scandal erupted around two of James Watson's officers. This is only one tiny snip- big noise at the time, with reason.

And came under fire on the way to Vicksburg.

A year later, James Watson joined the list of ships never making it to a post war auction.
steamer james watson sunk 1.JPG

And nearly made it to war's end. Nearly.

steamer james watson sunk 2.JPG


steamer james watson sunk 3.JPG

Bodies of 6 men and two women- looking for their names. James Watson's war ended only a month before Appomattox. Photos are shadows of what once was there- like James Watson.

steamer james watson guerillas.JPG
 
Very interesting, taking a close look at the horses I can see one and possibly two teams hitched in tandem. Meaning the total team consists of two horses hitched one in front of the other or inline and not side by side. This set up takes skill to drive and maneuver. The cart they are hitched to has two wheels and rides very low. I believe they are cotton bale carts. The best example in the photo is just right of center midway down the image. Being that these vehicles have shafts the first horse takes the brunt of the work load. They maybe using the lead horse to rotate them out part way thru the day. In other situations the tandem setup is used because the lead horse is to be used as a riding horse when they get to their destination. Here is an example of a bale cart and the link to the source. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/cotton-wagon.html
1549577477057.png

Here is an example of a tandem hitch and the link to the source. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/tandem-driving.html
1549578008446.png
 
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Very interesting, taking a close look at the horses I can see one and possibly two teams hitched in tandem


Ok, that's awesome, thank you! Fascinating- so dug further, they're all cotton carts- and one is being loaded, the usual guy watching other people work with a foot propped on the cart. Bet he's giving helpful input, too.
horse vick loading.JPG


horse vick bales.JPG

How they packed three bales on there is a puzzle- and one horse! Poor thing, had to be heckishly heavy.

horse vick tandem.JPG

Best ever- you're familiar with these harnesses, brand, new to me. Bit set up where reins may be employed more directly- like a wide pulley thing, cool stuff. Cropped tail to not get entangled? Always baffles me, why those poor pacer ( have a thing about gaited horses shown the way they are ) owners insist they eat tail hair while driving.
 
Ok, that's awesome, thank you! Fascinating- so dug further, they're all cotton carts- and one is being loaded, the usual guy watching other people work with a foot propped on the cart. Bet he's giving helpful input, too. View attachment 273876

View attachment 273875
How they packed three bales on there is a puzzle- and one horse! Poor thing, had to be heckishly heavy.

View attachment 273877
Best ever- you're familiar with these harnesses, brand, new to me. Bit set up where reins may be employed more directly- like a wide pulley thing, cool stuff. Cropped tail to not get entangled? Always baffles me, why those poor pacer ( have a thing about gaited horses shown the way they are ) owners insist they eat tail hair while driving.


Those close ups are great thanks! Tandems are driven similar to a four-in- hand. I cant make out the bit set up.
The bale carts are loaded by rolling the bales from the rear of the cart. If you look really close at the rear of the carts the back end is u shaped. This gap allows the persons loading the bales to keep their feet on the ground and walk all the way up to the axle of the cart. The loaders can stand upright with there feet on the ground maximizing their strength as opposed to walking on the deck of the cart and bending over to work the first bales to the front of the cart. The really interesting part about a few of these carts are the stakes the stick up from the bed which you can see well in the last pic you zoomed in on.
The guys with there feet on the cart in your first pic are there at the ready to help load/ unload and to counter the weight of the bale on the tail of the cart . The bale can exert of good bit of lifting force on the front of the cart and shafts due to leverage. If think the guy in the front of the cart in that pic has his foot and the arm of the stakes which can be seen under the floor of the cart in ur last pic.
Sorry to high jack the thread. The methods used to work smartly and efficiently in that era is pretty interesting stuff.
PS here is another really unusual hitch on a cotton wagon. Unicorn hitch.
1549671617462.png

http://pacoletmemories.com/dummy.html
Whats up with cotton haulers and these unusual set ups?
 
Those close ups are great thanks! Tandems are driven similar to a four-in- hand. I cant make out the bit set up.
The bale carts are loaded by rolling the bales from the rear of the cart. If you look really close at the rear of the carts the back end is u shaped. This gap allows the persons loading the bales to keep their feet on the ground and walk all the way up to the axle of the cart. The loaders can stand upright with there feet on the ground maximizing their strength as opposed to walking on the deck of the cart and bending over to work the first bales to the front of the cart. The really interesting part about a few of these carts are the stakes the stick up from the bed which you can see well in the last pic you zoomed in on.
The guys with there feet on the cart in your first pic are there at the ready to help load/ unload and to counter the weight of the bale on the tail of the cart . The bale can exert of good bit of lifting force on the front of the cart and shafts due to leverage. If think the guy in the front of the cart in that pic has his foot and the arm of the stakes which can be seen under the floor of the cart in ur last pic.
Sorry to high jack the thread. The methods used to work smartly and efficiently in that era is pretty interesting stuff.
PS here is another really unusual hitch on a cotton wagon. Unicorn hitch.
View attachment 283889
http://pacoletmemories.com/dummy.html
Whats up with cotton haulers and these unusual set ups?


No hijacking- it's alllll in the photo! Like I wouldn't find an excuse anyway. This is great stuff, thank you! Found another unicorn albeit recorded in a sketch provided by one of Leslie's artists. Rats- maybe it's Harper's. Hang on- found it a few years ago. Hay wagon! Pre-Geisboro, the massive stables in DC.

cart unicorn hay.jpg


Must be some huge advantage for pulling weight with unicorn - had this hazy idea before seeing these unicorn was kinda some uber ' sporty ' trend just for fun. You know, curricle or phaeton driven by intrepid thrill seekers. Like a kid with a muscle car, you know? Would sure be a handful without weight to pull, maybe a little unstable?
 
No hijacking- it's alllll in the photo! Like I wouldn't find an excuse anyway. This is great stuff, thank you! Found another unicorn albeit recorded in a sketch provided by one of Leslie's artists. Rats- maybe it's Harper's. Hang on- found it a few years ago. Hay wagon! Pre-Geisboro, the massive stables in DC.

View attachment 290510

Must be some huge advantage for pulling weight with unicorn - had this hazy idea before seeing these unicorn was kinda some uber ' sporty ' trend just for fun. You know, curricle or phaeton driven by intrepid thrill seekers. Like a kid with a muscle car, you know? Would sure be a handful without weight to pull, maybe a little unstable?

Nice find! Yeah thinking same of the unicorn as u, trendy, fashionable and racing. In the working world at that time the unicorn was a go with what you got type of thing. If you have three head free for the job and the others are needed someplace else, or your fourth was down with injury or they went with three cause that was they had in total. Unicorn is harder on the lead horse as opposed to a four. If a wheel horse tosses their head the lead is going to feel it. Takes a Steady Steve to be out in front with that rig.
 
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