8 Inch Brooke Rifle in Revetment

Browne, William Frank, photographer. “Same gun, as shown in no. 1015, with Hurdle Revertment (i.e. revetment) and Epaulement - unfinished battery.” Stereograph showing a soldier facing the cannon in a trench fortified with gabions. James River in the background. 1 photographic print on stereo card : albumen ; 8 x 17 cm. Washington, DC : Philp & Solomons, 1865. Library of Congress Civil War Photograph Collection. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011646191/ ( Accessed 10/28/2013)

8 Inch Brooke Rifle in Revetment

This Rifle weighed 21,987 lbs., and the Revetment was made using grape vine Cambions rolled out to hold the dirt in place. In this picture you can see the position is built up above the lay of the land with the ability to shoot at ships on the river. This particular Revetment is on the James River and it shows the techniques used at the time.

Here is the position before the dirt and sand was filled in.

Browne, William Frank, photographer. “Eight inch Brooke rifled gun, weighing 21,987 lbs., in unfinished battery wood-hurdle revertment (i.e. revetment), anchored by grape vines.” Stereograph showing a soldier standing next to a mounted cannon on the James River above Dutch Gap Canal. 1 photographic print on stereo card: albumen ; 8 x 17 cm. Washington, DC : Philp & Solomons, between 1861 and 1865. Part of series: View of Confederate Water Batteries on James River. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division; Civil War Photograph Collection. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011646163/ ( Accessed 9/28/2013).

Three years In the C.S. Army (P.A.C.S) A Diary of a Confederate Soldier by Jerry Pepper and Richard Lauren McClung

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http://civil-war-diary.blogspot.com/2013/10/8-inch-brooke-rifle-in-revetment.html

Breastworks (Trenches)

“Rebel breastworks in front of Petersburgh (i.e. Petersburg). The small mounds with chimneys are the soldiers' quarters, under ground.” 1 photographic print on stereo card : albumen ; 8 x 18 cm. New York : E. & H.T. Anthony & Co., American and Foreign Stereoscopic Emporium, 501 Broadway, 1865 April 3. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Civil War Photograph Collection Part of series: The War for the Union. Photographic History. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011649170/ (Accessed 10/28/2013).

Breastworks (Trenches)

They used Gambions which war basically wicker barrels filled with sand to create Breastworks and revetments for guns. The soldiers would live inside of these positions and they could quickly be made with the Gambions which look like barrels in some photographs but are actually a quick method of building a fortification that can withstand an artillery attack.

So when Richard talks about sighting the enemy from the Breastworks, he is talking about this type of structure.

Fort Henry Guns

"Dutch Gap Canal, James River, Virginia. A 10-inch Columbiad gun on the James River above Dutch Gap Canal." 1 negative : glass, stereograph, wet collodion ; 4 x 10 in.1865 Apr. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/cwp2003006042/PP/ (Accessed 10/23/2013)

Fort Henry Guns

Fort Henry had two big guns, the 10 in Columbiad (depicted above) and a 24 inch Rifled Gun, and 32 pounder smooth bores. The 32 pounders were from naval ships and were mounted in forts all over the Confederacy. Unfortunately most of them were under water when the Union Navy showed up to fire at close range on the fortress. A 24 pounder rifled gun is depicted in the picture below as the gun with the crew and the gun in the foreground is a 32 pounder.

Battle of Fort Donelson

Kurz & Allison. “Battle of Fort Donelson--Capture of Generals S.B. Buckner and his army, February 16th 1862.” lithograph, color. Chicago: 1887. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/91482118/ (accessed 8/26/2013).

Battle of Fort Donelson

Richard's depiction of this battle says it all. This image gives a very glorified depiction of the battle and it is interesting because you see a lot of officers standing up in the midst of battle. You see this in other prints made in the day.

“Battle of Fort Donelson.” Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003664149/ (accessed 8/27/2013).

The US Ironclad Gunboat the Essex

"Destruction of the rebel ram "Arkansas": By the United State gunboat "Essex," on the Mississippi River, near Baton Rouge, August 4th 1862." 1 print : lithograph, hand colored. New York: Currier & Ives, [1862?] Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/91795896/ (Accessed 10/18/2013).

The US Ironclad Gunboat the Essex

Richard faced this ship in three different battles, at Fort Henry, Fort Donelson and at Port Hudson where it was the only Ironclad gunboat in the lower Mississippi Fleet. The rest of those ships were oceangoing warships and some of them were in Commodore Perry's trip to Japan ( 1852-1854).

Gunboats that fired on Fort Henry

“[USS CINCINNATI] The gunboat that fired the first shot at Fort Henry.” 1 photomechanical print: halftone Halftone repro. of photo in Miller, Photographic History of the Civil War, 1911 edition, vol. 1, p. 185. 1911. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2006691870/ (accessed 9/2/2013).

Gunboats that fired on Fort Henry

The Cincinnati (Ironclad) and the Lexington (Timber Clad) were at Fort Henry. The Pittsburg was part of the northern fleet.

Bombardment of Fort Henry

Currier & Ives. “Bombardment and capture of Fort Henry, Tenn.: By the federal gunboats under command of commodore Andrew H. Foote-Feby. 6th 1862” lithograph, hand-colored. New York: Currier & Ives, [ca. 1862]. Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/90711973/ (accessed 8/26/2013).

Bombardment of Fort Henry

Lithographs of the ships bombarding Fort Henry.

Interesting that the Lithograph shows multiple misses of the ships on the Tennessee River but the Garrison was only run by a handful of troops and General Tilghman while the rest of the troops were either across the river at Fort Heiman or on their way to Fort Donelson. So they could not have been able to put up much of a fight, most of their guns were underwater due to the flood.

Fort Henry and Fort Donelson at time of battle

Engr. Dept., July 18/64. Recd. with Gen. Cullum's letter of the 16th inst. (C.5621). “Original maps of Forts Henry & Donelson and vicinity.” Map. 1864. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division. http://www.loc.gov/item/80691156 (accessed 8/26/2013).

Fort Henry and Fort Donelson at time of battle

North is at the bottom of the page.

Engr. Dept. July 18/64. Recd. with Gen. Cullum's letter of the 16th inst. (C. 5621). “Map of the environs of Fort Donelson, Tennessee, Feb. 1862.” Map. 1882? Library of Congress Geography and Map Division. http://www.loc.gov/item/2003630439 (accessed 8/26/2013).

Three years In the C.S. Army (P.A.C.S) A Diary of a Confederate Soldier by Jerry Pepper and Richard Lauren McClung

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Fort Donelson Maps

All pictures on this page from: United States War Department. “Atlas of the war of the Rebellion giving Union and Confederate armies by actual surveys by the Union and Confederate engineers, and approved by the officers in command, of all the maps herein published.” Plate XI. 1 Atlas ([3] Leaves, 40 Folded Plates, [14] Leaves) : Ill., Folded Col. Maps, Plans New York : Atlas Pub. Co., 1892. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division http://www.loc.gov/item/2009581111 (accessed August 31, 2013).

Fort Donelson Maps

Maps showing the Siege of Fort Donelson and troop movements.

Three years In the C.S. Army (P.A.C.S) A Diary of a Confederate Soldier by Jerry Pepper and Richard Lauren McClung

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00FR2MT7I

Maps of area between Fort Henry and Fort Donelson

All pictures in this article are from same source: United States War Department. “Atlas of the war of the Rebellion giving Union and Confederate armies by actual surveys by the Union and Confederate engineers, and approved by the officers in command, of all the maps herein published.” Plate XI. 1 Atlas ([3] Leaves, 40 Folded Plates, [14] Leaves) : Ill., Folded Col. Maps, Plans New York : Atlas Pub. Co., 1892. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division http://www.loc.gov/item/2009581111 (accessed August 31, 2013).

Maps of area between Fort Henry and Fort Donelson

The above map shows Fort Heiman and the movement of troops on both sides to Fort Donelson. It is interesting that they did not engage each other until they got to the Fort.

Battlefield Maps of Fort Henry

United States Army Corps of Engineers. "[Plan of Fort Henry and its outworks." Col. Map on Sheet 38 X 51 Cm. Shows Fort Henry, Tenn. (Confederate) as at 6 Feb. 1862. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington http://www.loc.gov/item/77696125 (Accessed 10/18/2013)

Battlefield Maps of Fort Henry

These maps show the position of Fort Heiman opposite Fort Henry. This is particularly scene in the General Grant map below where you see fort Henry in the red in the center, Richards positions is to the lower left across the river from the artillery positions. Richard could observe the ironclad navy bombard Fort Henry. When he slipped across the Tennessee River his troops would move past the triangle shaped lake to Fort Donelson from the Southwest. Grants men landed towards the top of this map on the West side of the Tennessee River and headed towards Fort Donelson from the northwest.

Trains, Railroad Bridges, Train Wrecks and "The General"

Waud, Alfred R. (Alfred Rudolph), 1828-1891, artist. "Destruction of the locomotives on the bridge over the Chickahominy." 1 drawing on brown paper : pencil, Chinese white, and black ink wash ; 18.3 x 25.9 cm. (sheet). 1862 June. Library of Congress Morgan collection of Civil War drawings. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004660377/ (Accessed 10/16/2013).

Trains, Railroad Bridges, Train Wrecks and "The General"

Richard's first battle was to keep control of the Danville Railroad Bridge over the Tennessee River. This bridge was vital to the South for supplying Forts Henry and Donelson and the North wanted it to cut off their supply chain and to use it to bring supplies when they invade eastern Tennessee. So in this case everyone wanted to keep the bridge intact and so it became a battle of control.

Memphis Tennessee before the War, and the Foraging Parties of the Union Army

Strother, David Hunter, 1816-1888 "Memphis (Tennessee) before the war / sketched by Porte Crayon." wood engraving.Illus. in: Harper's weekly, 1862 March 15, p. 168. Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/95509535/ (accessed on October 15, 2013).

Memphis Tennessee before the War, and the Foraging Parties of the Union Army

Memphis before the war, and during the Occupation. Richard traveled upstream against the current in a Riverboat from Gaines Landing Arkansas to Memphis.

The second image shows why the South was defending itself, the war for them was about the North coming down and robbing them of their crops, personal possessions and just about everything. The Cotton Crop was one of the first things taken in Charleston and the Union was notorious for burning down warehouses that stored the cotton all over the South. It was about a rape of the land and a destruction of the people. It is about politicians who bought their rank only to profiteer and the expense of everyone else including their own men.