History of the Nineteenth Army CorpsIrwin, Richard B. (Richard Biddle)
History
History of the Nineteenth Army Corps
Irwin, Richard B. (Richard Biddle)
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental histories; United States. Army. Corps, 19th
Of the Confederate losses no complete return was ever made. A
partial return, without date, signed by the chief surgeon, shows
176 killed, 447 wounded, total 632. In this report the number of
those that had died in the hospital is included among the wounded.
Nor does this total include the losses at Plains Store, which,
according to the surgeon's return, were 12 killed and 36 wounded,
or, according to Colonel Miles's report, 8 killed, 23 wounded, 58
missing; in all, 89. Major C. M. Jackson, who acted as assistant
inspector-general under Gardner, and, according to his own account,
came out through the lines of investment about an hour after the
surrender, reported to Johnston that the total casualties during
the siege were 200 killed, between 300 and 400 wounded, and 200
died from sickness.
(1) The figures here given do not agree with those of the monthly
and tri-monthly returns for May and June. These returns are,
however, simply the returns for March carried forward, owing to
the impossibility of collecting and collating the reports of
regiments, brigades, and divisions during active operations.
(2) Colonel Provence, in his report, claims 7 prisoners, and says:
"The enemy fired but once, and then at a great distance." (Official
Records, vol. xxvi., part I., p. 150.)
(3) No record exists of these details, but the list here given is
believed to be nearly correct.
(4) As evidence of the considerate manner in which these gentlemen
were treated, see the interesting article, "Plain Living on Johnson's
Island," by Lieutenant Horace Carpenter, 4th Louisiana, printed in
the _Century_ for March, 1891, page 706.
CHAPTER XIX.
HARROWING LA FOURCHE.
It will be remembered that when Banks marched to Opelousas, Taylor's
little army, greatly depleted by wholesale desertion and hourly
wearing away by the roadside, broke into two fragments, the main
body of the cavalry retiring, under Mouton, toward the Sabine,
while the remainder of the troops were conducted by Taylor himself
toward Alexandria and at last to Natchitoches. As soon as Kirby
Smith became aware that his adversary was advancing to the Red
River, he prepared to meet the menace by concentrating on Shreveport
the whole available force of the Confederacy in the Trans-Mississippi
from Texas to Missouri, numbering, according to his own estimate,
18,000 effectives. He accordingly called on Magruder for two
brigades and drew in from the line of the Arkansas the division of
John G. Walker. However, this concentration became unnecessary
and was given up the instant Smith learned that Banks had crossed
the Atchafalaya and the Mississippi and had sat down before Port
Hudson.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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