Life of Wm. Tecumseh Sherman.: Late Retired General. U. S. A.Johnson, Willis Fletcher
History
Life of Wm. Tecumseh Sherman.: Late Retired General. U. S. A.
Johnson, Willis Fletcher
Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891
Sherman found Churchill in conversation with Porter and A. J. Smith.
But he had hardly greeted them before a report came in that General
Deshler, who commanded a brigade of Rebel forces, had refused to
surrender because he had received no orders from Churchill to that
effect, and the fighting was therefore likely to be resumed at once.
Accordingly Sherman and Churchill personally hurried to the scene. On
their way they met Colonel Garland, who had first displayed the white
flag, and Churchill angrily asked him why he had done so. Garland
replied that one of Churchill's own staff had ordered him to. Churchill
denied having authorized any such order, and a quarrel arose between
the two men, which Sherman ended by curtly remarking that it made no
difference whether Churchill had ordered the surrender or not, for they
and their troops were now all his prisoners. Then they went on to
where Deshler and his men were still holding out. Sherman rode straight
up to Deshler and asked him what he meant by his conduct, telling him
that he ought to know better. Deshler replied curtly, that he had not
been ordered by his superior officer to surrender. Thereupon Churchill
told him that he was in Sherman's power and might as well give in. This
ended the episode. Deshler told his men to stack arms, and the capture
of Arkansas Post was complete.
The Union loss in this engagement was 129 killed, 831 wounded and 17
missing, the majority being in Sherman's own corps. General Churchill
reported the Rebel loss at 75 or 80 wounded and an unknown number
killed, but these figures were grossly inaccurate; the Rebel loss was
much heavier than that of the Union army. By this surrender there
fell into the hands of the Union army five thousand men, seventeen
cannon, three thousand small arms in good condition, and forty-six
thousand rounds of ammunition. The prisoners were sent to St. Louis,
the fortifications were destroyed, and on January 15th the troops
re-embarked and returned to Milliken's Bend. Sherman was now anxious to
move directly toward Little Rock and drive the scattered Rebel forces
south of the river, but McClernand would not agree to this.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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