Confederate pickets caught sight of the timberclads Lexington and Tyler at midday on March 1, just as they lumbered past the broad banks of Diamond Island. Each 180 feet long, the side-wheel steamships boasted armor of thick wood planks and 6-7 heavy guns.
Just two rifled cannon guarded the western bluffs overlooking a long, straight stretch of the Tennessee River beyond the island. Their first few shots fell short of the Yankee gunboats.
The Lexington and Tyler cleared for action and fired back a salvo at 1000 yards away, easily reaching the battery’s position. A group of Confederate riflemen briefly appeared on the bluff around a log cabin and fired an ineffective volley before retiring from range.
The Rebel battery lasted just 15 minutes under the timberclads’ superior firepower before withdrawing their guns. The Federal gunships now freely approached a wide landing south of the bluff, where they dropped anchor.
It was called Pittsburg Landing, but not for the homophonic city up north. The original settler was named Pittser Tucker, and his chief business was liquor. But now Lieut. William Gwin, commanding the Tyler, and Lieut.James W. Shirk of the Lexington decided it would be wise to inspect the cluster of buildings hastily fortified with freshly-dug rifle pits.
Loading up their guns with canister and grapeshot, the Lexington and Tyler released a barrage of cover fire as two boats brought a naval demolition team and two companies of sharpshooters from the 32nd Illinois Infantry to the landing.
Reaching the shore, the demolition party immediately headed for the log cabin. The remaining 100 or so sailors and sharpshooters under Capt. Thaddeus Phillips formed a line to cover the sailors and approached the crest of a ridge just beyond the river’s edge.
They were greeted by a volley from an entire regiment of Louisiana militia, who lay in cover as the Union troops approached. Facing 10 to 1 odds, the Illinois sharpshooters quickly fell back to the cover of the gunboats.
The demolition team had just enough time to fire the log cabin as the raiding party clambered back into the rowboats. As they rowed for the timberclads, the huddled Yankee soldiers made choice targets for the Confederate rifleman that dodged cannon fire on the bluff.
With the soldiers loaded back on board, the Lexington and Tyler hauled in their anchors and floated back downstream toward the Union base at Savannah, Tenn. The raiding party suffered just two dead, three missing and six wounded, including Capt. Phillips.
Despite their greater numbers the 18th La. Infantry, composed of militia, cadets, and novice volunteers, suffered anywhere from 9 to 21 dead in the action. The regiment and their commander, Col. Jean Jaques Alexandre (Alfred) Mouton, would earn a citation for the “brilliant success of their first encounter with the enemy.”
In addition to destroying the Rebel-held cabin, the Union force had confirmed the importance of Pittsburg Landing. This spot would be the optimal place to land an army at the doorstep of the last large Confederate force in the West, encamped near Corinth, Miss.
Mouton understood the importance of the position as well, but also knew the federal gunboats would keep up non-stop pressure on the spot until the invasion came. He posted light pickets to monitor the landing and withdrew the bulk of his force to a small, rough-hewn log church called Shiloh.
150 years ago this week the Union capital buzzed with fresh activity as all trains going east were commandeered for military use. The telegraphs, too, were brought under strict control by the government. It seemed to Washington’s residents that the massive Army of The Potomac, under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, was finally on the move.
The view was not so optimistic from inside the White House. On February 27 President Lincoln told McClellan’s chief of staff Gen. Randolph B. Marcy “The general impression is daily gaining ground that the General does not intend to do anything.”
The criticism carried personal weight for Marcy, who was also McClellan’s father-in-law.
The mood in the Confederate capital was a bit more subdued on February 28, declared a day of fasting by President Davis at his second inauguration the previous week. This symbolic gesture would prove a bitter necessity for Richmond’s residents in the months and years to come.
The military outlook was not much rosier for the nascent Southern cause. On March 2 the army of Gen. Leonidas Polk – Episcopal bishop and second cousin to President James K. Polk – withdrew from Columbus Ky, a strategic landing on the Mississippi River’s eastern shore. It was the last large Confederate force remaining in the state.
Elsewhere, the expeditionary force of Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside bided its time on North Carolina’s marshy coast. In the West the armies of Maj. Gens. Don Carlos Buell and Ulysses S. Grant converged on Savannah, Tenn., menacing the sizeable Confederate force of Gens. Albert Sydney Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard.
On March 3 the Army of the Mississippi, commanded by Brig. Gen. John Pope appeared out of nowhere on the western outskirts of New Madrid, Mo. and prepared to lay siege to the Rebel-held town.
The only Confederate force that seemed to be making any ground was the Texas army of Gen. Henry H. Sibley, which marched into Albuquerque in the New Mexico Territory on March 2.
But the Yankee garrison burned its supplies before they retreated, leaving little for Sibley’s poorly-equipped men to do but march on to the next Federal fort.
The engagement at Pittsburg Landing is referred to as “First Shiloh” by some historians, though it pales in comparison to the bloody battle of that name fought here the following month.
In the intervening weeks the Lexington and Tyler patrolled the stretch of the river on a daily basis, preventing the Confederates from building any sort of defenses on the strategic bluffs.
The situation seemed to completely justify Grant’s strategy to wipe out the Rebels in the West, but on March 4 the newly-promoted major general was removed from field command of the Army of the Tennessee.
It’s speculated that Grant’s commander Maj. Gen. Henry Halleck was jealous of the younger general’s success and hero status in Northern papers. It’s also suggested the notorious alcoholic had fallen back on his “former bad habits” during the campaign on Forts Henry and Donelson.
Either way, the removal proved ill-conceived. Under direct pressure from Lincoln, Halleck restored Grant to command in time to lead the army to Pittsburg Landing and beyond, where the Rebel army waited near a small, rough-hewn log church called Shiloh.
Notable events 150 years ago this week:
Thursday, Feb. 27
- Northbound troop train carrying the 7th Mississippi Infantry Regiment collides head on with a southbound lumber train at Ponchatoula, La., killing 29
- Lincoln releases Executive Order No. 2 – creating commission on prisoner situation
Friday, Feb. 28
- Confederate Day of ‘Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer’
Saturday, Mar. 1
- Engagement at Pittsburg Landing, Tenn.
- Confederate president Jefferson Davis declares martial law and suspends both the writ of habeas corpus and civil jurisdiction.
Sunday, Mar. 2
- Confederate Gen. Polk evacuates Columbus, KY, last Rebel stronghold in the state
- Confederate army of Gen. Sibley enters Albuquerque, New Mexico Territory.
Monday, Mar 3
- Union Gen. Pope arrives at New Madrid, Mo.
- Lincoln appoints Sen. Andrew Johnson military Governor of Tennessee
- Confederate Gen. Lee leaves command of coastal defenses in Georgia and South Carolina to become special military advisor to President Davis.
Tuesday, Mar. 4
- Gen. Grant removed from command of Army of Tennessee
- Confederate Gen. Van Dorn begins campaign to remove Federal army of Gen. Curtis from northern Arkansas.
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