In this letter Daniel describes his experience at the Battle of Arkansas Post. The Cincinnati used its guns very effectively, and no one on their boat was killed. He mentions that the "Blue Wing" was carrying mail. It was, in fact, captured by the Rebel forces.

Fort St. Charles,
White River
Jan. 16/ [18]63

Dear Father & Mother,

My last letter to Jenny was closed rather abruptly but I couldn’t help it. The coxwain of the “dingey” came running up to me and said, “Come, Kemp, give me your letter, the mail is going off.” So I had to shove the paper I was writing on into an envelope, slap on a stamp and off it went. My principal reason for writing now is to tell you that I am entirely out of paper and have had to borrow this soiled and dirty sheet in order that I may write to you. Two mails have come a few days since and I have received newspapers but no letters. One of our mail boats, the “Blue Wing” has been captured and if you sent any paper I’ve no doubt but what its been captured.

Fort HindmanBut I must finish about the batteries at Camp Post on the Arkansas. I expected to have gone ashore to see Fort Hindman (for that was its name) in the afternoon of the 12th, but we received orders to go up the White River to St. Charles. So the Port Watch was disappointed. Those who have been ashore say that the battlefield where our soldiers had been fighting presented some horrible sights. Most of the dead were shot through the head. But some had arms shot off and others legs, some part of the head, others a portion of the breast was shot away. Some places where a shell had burst, a number of horses lay dead, one long side the other. The field was covered with cartridge boxes and soldiers were fishing in the swamps for pistols, revolvers, muskets, etc., that the enemy had thrown away in their flight. We have taken about seven thousand prisoners. I do not know the number of the killed and wounded, but it is supposed our loss is greater than theirs.

The Fort is named after the rebel General Hindman. Its casemates are formed of three thicknesses of timber and then plated on the outside with flat railroad iron. Hindman cannonThe rebels say if it hadn’t been for the gunboats, they could have held it against fifty thousand men. They do not like the gunboats with the star between her smokestacks (the Cincinnati) because she done them more damage than all the rest. Our shots went right through their casemates. One shot entered the porthole and is said to have killed every man but one at the gun. The interior of the fort was covered with legs, arms, heads, brains, etc. Much credit is due our pilots for the manner in which they guided our boat during the fight. They kept her bow on the batteries during the whole time.

The Louisville “bothered” us considerable [sic] by running across our bow and striking us in the stern. The rebels had nicknamed her the “old woman”. The rebels tried to cross the river further up but the Mosquitoes and ram went ahead and drove them back.

We left Fort Hindman on Monday afternoon and arrived at Fort St. Charles Tuesday afternoon. It rained all day Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday turned into snow. Whew, how cold it is. The snow is several inches thick on the deck and us poor port watch had to clean it off. Oh! For the Yazoo once more and let[s] get out of this dreary lonesome White River. The White River is very narrow, the water is of a muddish color. The country along the banks is low and marshy. At present the river is high and has overflown its banks. Fort St. Charles is situated on a high bank somewhat similar to Hindman. We expect to have a big battle here, but it is customary with the rebels when they think they can’t hold a place, to skedaddle so they did here. When we arrived here we found the place occupied by our troops who had arrived before us. They have burned nearly all the houses in the vicinity. All the boats have gone up to Balls Bluff, a place about ninety-five miles up the river except ours and a transport.

Jan 18/ [18]63

We coaled up the night before last. We worked by watches. We began at 6 P.M. and got through by 10 A.M. the following morning. The weather is not quite so cold as it has been. Our boat leaks pretty badly on account of the shot which struck us on the forecastle and I’ve no doubt that we will have to go to Cairo or some other place before we attempt to go to Vicksburg. Today we have the chaplain of the 42nd reg. preach to us. Divine Service on Deck He distributed several little books and tracts containing hymns, prayers, and selections from the psalms. This is the first time I’ve seen anything done towards supplying the wants of the sailor. I wish more could be done. People seem to think that a sailor has no wants to be supplied, if anything is to be sent, it is sent to the soldiers. But let them remember that a sailor has hardships and more perhaps sometimes than a soldier to endure. Nothing is received here except from private sources, but I hope the day will come when people will endeavor to supply the wants of a sailor and soldier. But I must close reminding you that I wish you to send me some paper and stamps immediately. Don’t forget.

Your affectionate son,

Daniel.

Footnotes

From: United States. Naval War Records Office & United States. Office of Naval Records and Library. Official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. / Series I - Volume 24: Naval Forces on Western Waters (January 1, 1863 - May 17, 1863) Washington, GPO, 1911.

Page 111: Bache's January 11, 1862 report of ammunition used at Arkansas Post.

There were expended during the action on the 10th instant in the gunner’s department the following articles, viz:

48 9-inch cartridges,
36 5-inch shell,
6 10-inch shell,
6 5-inch shrapnel,
1 8-inch cartridge,
1 5-inch shell,
1 32-pounder cartridge,
1 5-inch 32- pounder shell.

 

Page 107-109 Admiral Porter's Official Report to Secretary of the Navy Giddeon Welles

Arkansas Post, January 11, 1863.

SIR: I have the honor to inform you that on the 4th of January General McClernand concluded to move up river upon the Post of Arkansas, and requested my cooperation. I detailed three iron- dads, the Louisville, Baron De Kalb, and Cincinnati, with all the light-draft gunboats, all of which had to be towed up the river. On the 9th we ascended the Arkansas River as high as Post of Arkansas, when the army landed within about 4 miles of the fort [Hindman].

The enemy had thrown up heavy earthworks and extensive rifle pits all along the levee. While the army were making a detour to sarround the fort I sent up the ironclads to try the range of their guns, and afterwards sent up the Rattler, Lieutenant-Commander Watson Smith, to clear out the rifle pits and the men behind an extensive breastwork in front of our troops. The Black Hawk also opened on them with her rifled guns, and after a few fires the enemy left the works and our troops marched in.

At 2 o’clock General MeClernand told me the troops would be in position to assault the main fort, a very formidable work, and I held all the vessels in readiness to attack when the troops were in position. At 5:30 p. m. General McClernand sent me a message, stating that everything was ready, and the Louisville, Baron De Kalb and Cincinnati advanced to within 400 yards of the fort, which then ‘opened fire from three heavy guns and eight rifled guns and with musketry. The superiority of our fire was soon manifest; the batteries were silenced and we ceased firing, but no assault took place, and it being too dark to do anything all the vessels dropped down and tied up to the bank for the night.

The Baron De Kalb, Lieutenant-Commander Walker; Louisville, Lieutenant-Commander Owen; and the Cincinnati, Lieutenant-Commanding Bache, led the attack, and when hotly engaged I brought up the light-draft vessels, the Lexington and the Black Hawk, to throw in shrapnel and rifle shell. This fire was very destructive, killing nearly all the artillery horses in and about the fort. When the battery was pretty well silenced, I ordered Lieutenant-Commander Smith to pass the fort in the light-draft ironclad Rattler and enfilade it, which he did in a very gallant and handsome manner, but suffered a good deal in his hull in doing so. All his cabin works were knocked to pieces, and a heavy shell raked him from stem to stern in the hull; strange to say, two heavy shell struck his iron plating (1-inch) on the bow and never injured it. He got past the fort, but became entangled amongst the snags placed in the river to impede our progress and had to return.

In this evening’s attack the vessels of all the commanders were well handled, particularly the ironclads. It was close quarters all the time, and not a gun was fired from our side until the gunboats were within 400 yards of the fort. The condition of the fort attests the accuracy of fire, and the persons inside give the Baron De Kalb, Lieutenant-Commander Walker, the credit of doing the most execution. I was informed again this morning by General MeClernand that the army was waiting for the navy to attack when they would assault the works. I ordered up the ironclads, with directions for the Lexington to join in when the former became hotly engaged, and for the frailer vessels to haul up in the smoke and do the best they could. The Rattler, Lieutenant-Commander Smith, and the Glide, Lieutenant-Commander Woodworth, did good execution with their shrapnel, and, when an opportunity occurred, I made them push through by the fort again, also the ram Monarch, Colonel Charles Ellet, and they proceeded rapidly up the river to cut off the enemy’s retreat by the only way he had to get off. By this time all the guns in the fort were completely silenced by the Louisville, Lieutenant-Commander E. K. Owen; Baron De Kalb, Lieutenant-Commander J. G. Walker; and Cincinnati, Lieutenant Commanding G. M. Bache, and I ordered the Black Hawk up for the purpose of boarding it in front. Being unmanageable, she had to be kept up the narrow stream, and I took in a regiment from the opposite side, to try and take it by assault. As I rounded to to do so, and the gunboats commenced firing rapidly, knocking everything to pieces, the enemy held out a white flag, and I ordered the firing to cease. The army then entered and took possession.

Colonel Dunnington, the commander of the fort, sent for me and surrendered to me in person. General Churchill, of the rebel army, surrendered to the military commander. Our army had almost sur- rounded the fort, and were preparing to assault, and would no doubt have carried it with ease. They enfiladed it with rifle fieldpieces, which did much damage to the houses and light work, leaving their marks in all directions.

I do not know yet what were the operations on the land side; I was too much interested in my own affairs and in placing the vessels as circumstances required.

In all this affair there was the greatest zeal on the part of the officers commanding to carry out my orders, and not a mistake of any kind occurred. No fort ever received a worse battering, and the high- est compliment I can pay those engaged is to repeat what the rebels said:” You can’t expect men to stand up against the fire of those gunboats.”

A large number of persons were captured in the fort, I don’t know how many, and at sundown the army were hurrying in the cavalry and artillery. I herewith enclose the report of the commanding officers and a list of killed and wounded, and will take another occasion to mention to the Department the names of those officers who have distinguished themselves particularly, though it is hard to discriminate, when all did their duty so well.