Hello Dear Friends here is chapter 1 of the Story I hope it lives up to it's name. To help you understand the story. John and Adam in the prolog found the Journal of John's great great great Uncle from the Civil War and now we enter the world Of John's uncle. The time is 1862 Place Vicksburg, Mississippi and a city under siege. All Comments are welcome
Please E- Mail me at Swarri1349@aol.com Thanks Stephen No Greater Love CHAPTER 1: The Battle
A Grey mist hung low to the ground as the drummer boy beat roll call and the Army of the Mississippi began to stir. Johnny slowly rolled out of his blankets and then walked out in to the cool morning waiting on his buddy to help begin the morning cook fire. The other men were beginning to stir also it would be a hot day he could tell as the sun burned the mist from the ground. The bugler sounded attention and the men of the 9th Mississippi lined up in rows of gray and butternut uniforms that has begin to show the signs of hard living and a year of war. The Sergeant called roll and discussed the general orders of the day and the drummer boy sounded the call to be dismissed and ease showed on the boys and men's faces as they prepared breakfast of biscuits, bacon and boiled coffee. Adam asked Johnny to pass him his pipe and tobacco. They sat and smoked until time to break camp and march south to Chickasaw bluff to re enforce the northern defenses of Vicksburg. There was rumors of a battle or at least some fighting which would be a change from the day after day of drill and marching, yes it would be a exciting day if only Johnny knew. The army broke camp at 8 am and the men picked up their muskets and bedrolls and haversacks fell in formation and soon they where headed south as the drums and fifes played Dixie. The men talked and laughed as they marched kicking up the dust that covered the winding road. The regiment soon met a rider in a fast trot headed south with news from Yazoo City concerning the unfinished ironclad C.S.S. Arkansas. Everybody knew that the lack of raw materials was really slowing down construction but she was not lost. The unfinished ship had been towed down from Memphis right before the Union army and navy captured the city two other ships had been lost but the Arkansas was saved but could they finish her in time. Governor Pettis had already called for all the help he could get from the state and plantation owners for use of all available field hands that were not in the fields. Then there was rumors going around that they were tearing up an unfinished railroad track for iron plate. The rider continued on South one of the soldiers joked he would like to have a hoss to ride north to meet the damned Yankees so he could get back in time for a early supper. So far the unit had not seen much fighting just small battles here and there but they all knew that soon they would see the white elephant. The men were tired but they continued the march North for they knew if they lost Vicksburg. The South would be cut in half and the North would control the entire Mississippi Valley and the Red River and there would be no hope in getting food supplies from Texas to Virginia and to General Lee but all of this seemed so far away as he let his mind wonder looking at the trees and wildlife. Soon enough he would not have time to think about all of that soon he would only have time to think will I survive the fight coming up. They would find out soon enough. The sun soon climbed high in the sky and the men in gray began to sweat and the dust clung to them in layers. The ninth Mississippi Light Artillery made the march in less than two hours. The men were tired and hot but at least they did not have to worry about their heavy cannons slowing them down. The cannons had been moved two days earlier to the defenses of Vicksburg and now the men were joining them.
Captain Joseph Brooks mounted the dirt embankment. Tall and lean with dark skin and piercing green eyes and black curly hair; at the age of twenty-five Joseph Brooks the son of a Steamboat captain had advanced quickly through the ranks of the Army of the Mississippi. Now he stood in command of the 9th Mississippi light artillery defending the Northern Defenses of Vicksburg.
He carefully removed his field glasses from his uniform coat. A hot double-buttoned affair suited more for fighting battles up North than the hot humid summers of the South. Even as he sweated in side the uniform was completely buttoned except for the very top one. If word got out that General Pemberton was on one of his inspection tours even that top button would be polished and buttoned and the wide brimmed officer's hat placed on his brow. He looked over the embankment at the lazy Mississippi River winding around Milken's Bend, and the Union Army unloading off of troop transports docked against the shore.
The soldiers of his command were spread out around the heavy siege cannon. On top of this treeless bluff, General Pemberton had ordered slaves to chop down every tree so they would not block the view of the gunners. Captain Brooks continued to scan the land before him. He saw the slow moving blue lines of men and boys. The young flag bearers and drummer boys marched with pride in their step as they moved ever closer to the entrenched Confederates. The drummer boys beat the slow advance on their drums and the flags of the army waved in the breeze coming off the river behind them; then came the dark blue lines of fighting men the gun barrels sparkled in the sun as the canteens and ammo pouches bopped at their sides. Captain Brooks thought to himself. "What a grand site it is too sad that so many will have to die today".
He stepped down from his vantagepoint and ordered his men to their guns. The drummer boys stood at attention and buglers raised their horns. At Capt. Brooks order the command was sounded up and down the lines the men rushed to their guns. Powder boys stood beside supply chests, rammers began to swab the bores of the cannon, primers were checked and shot and shell readied. Infantry men formed lines behind the gunners, while sharpshooters raced to the best vantage points along the embankment.
Johnny rose from where he was resting with Adam at his side. Johnny was the Captain of a 12-pound Napoleon field gun and Adam was his number two man. Johnny had been trained in the art of field gunnery at Jefferson College near Natchez and soon learned Adam was a natural at sighting and ranging guns even though had no formal training in the art.
Captain Brooks once again returned to his vantagepoint. "Captain Kingston, Private Ross a word with you please." "Yes, Captain Brooks, they both said." The two boys climbed the embankment and saluted Captain Brooks. A young boy no more than fifteen years old stood at their right holding a heavy polished oak staff attached to this staff was the Confederate First National Flag. The ladies at home made the flag for the 9th Mississippi it's circle of 7 stars on a blue field with two red stripes and a white one flapped in the hot breeze. The three people stood and looked down upon the moving blue lines of men slowly advancing. "Captain Kingston, What is the range of the enemy?" Johnny looked over to Adam. "What is the range of the blue coats Private?" Adam looked at the enemy once again. "Captain Kingston, Captain Brooks, Range 1000 yards and closing Sirs." "Very good Private Ross, proceed to range and sight your gun and prepare for action." Adam saluted both men and returned to the gun. Johnny continued to watch the enemy for a few more minutes. Then he and Captain Brooks and the flag bearer stepped down and back behind the embankment. Adam was giving orders like a general, standing tall and erect his red hair flaming in the sun his bronzed skin showing through his open shirt. The men knew their drill well for they had trained day after day with their guns. "Very good my boy."
"Thankyou, Johnny." The boys used first names all the time except for when higher officers were present or manners dictated it. Johnny began to bark orders to the gun crew. "RANGE 500 YARDS, ELEVATION TWO NOTCHES BELOW CENTER, SHELL 20 POUND EXPLOADING WITH A 20 SECOND FUSE!" "Yes Sir the men shouted!" Johnny clapped Adam on the back. "Very good my boy, very good indeed. I hope they prayed to their maker."
"Captain Brooks, We have range, sight and ready to Fire the opening gun Sir." "Very good Captain Kingston." "Drummer sound the call to the rest of the batteries along the bluff." The drummer boy beat the call. Lanyards were run into the vent holes of the guns. The lanyards pulled tight in the hands of the captains along the lines. Gunners covered their ears. As the beat of the drums stopped, Captain Brooks, Shouted "FIRE" Johnny yanked the lanyard of the gun and it roared to life as it sent it deadly cargo arching through the cloudless sky. The other gun batteries followed as the guns roared the Confederates let out a rebel yell along the bluff. The grayish white cloud of smoke blinded the gunners as they reloaded the guns only seconds passed until the men in gray heard the explosions of the cannonballs hitting the ground below them. Johnny could see the men in blue steady marching towards the bluff. He also heard the screams of the men echoing up when the shell from his gun hit it's mark. The shell fired from Johnny's gun hit in the front ranks of the 1st Illinois regiment cutting gaping holes into the lines, men dropped their muskets as they grabbed their chest's or legs and other body parts that were hit from the shattering iron of the cannonballs. The blue informs began to turn dark as the blood soaked into the wool. For many of the green troops it was hell on Earth. The blue ranks closed again around the wounded and dying and pressed on. Then another boom from the cannons send more shells flying towards them cutting gapping holes into the lines.
The boys in blue began to scatter breaking ranks and began to run back towards the river and the transports they dropped packets threw down their muskets and ran full tilt towards the river. Troops were streaming off the boats and began to taunt the fleeing troops. "Run you damned cowards, run back home to your mom's tits and come back when you are a man. When the frightened troops arrived at the transports the scene was chaos troopers and sailors, horses and supplies blocked the gangways while the wounded were piled up on shore.
Captains shouted orders to sailors, "come on God Damn you move your asses. "Pilot hard to port keep that wheel turning we have to kiss the damned bank. Now move your yellow bellies you lazy land lovin asses."
The Army Captains were no better as the drill sergeants shouted commands. "Come on boys lets move your girlie asses." "Double time on the march boys move it." The coated men and boys moved quickly down the gangplanks their hard leather shoes slamming down on the rough wood.
The cowards crouched beside the gangplanks and tried to sneak on aboard the ships, only to have their hands bloodied by boat paddles and other wooden and metal objects. They were trapped between the Confederate guns on the bluff and the sailors of their own Navy.
To the South of the Confederate works, a gun sounded louder and more powerful and stood out from all the other guns. A rebel yell was shouted along the bluffs Whistling Dick, a huge 32 pound siege gun built in Richmond, Virginia made many a man's blood run cold. Every time Whistling Dick fired a shell it made a high whistling sound. Men and sailors paused listening to the shell come closer. A large explosion echoed across to the men's ears and smoke could be seen rising from the river. Whistling Dick had hit his mark; a transport steamer out in the main channel of the river was rittled and now burning. Soldiers jumped into the river while sailors fought the fire. The pilots tried their best to steer the boat to shore. A roar was heard coming from the Confederate gunners, and a young Union soldier softly said "God Almighty" as he watched the transport burn.
The men and boys up front were catching hell. Rebel shells continued to rain down upon them. Muskets crackled sending their deadly fire towards the Union ranks. They fired back blinded by their own smoke as they aim high trying to hit the enemy high on the bluffs. Drummer boys sounded commands the buglers sounded full advance. Sergeants waved their swords and muskets and the blue lines moved forward through the smoke and the hail of lead.
At the same time the boys in blue heard the first boom of Whistling Dick. High upon the bluffs Johnny looked down on pure hell, watching the blue lines advancing towards the bottom of the bluff. The steep bluff face was in passable on three sides only the rear was level enough to climb so the enemy had to fight around the base to the rear in order to capture their target any way you looked at it. It would be hell for the blue coats. Just as Johnny looked over to his gun and nodded to Adam a loud boom was heard coming from Fort Hill to the South followed by a whistling sound of a shell in flight. Whistling Dick was in the action. The same Rebel yell the boys in blue heard at the bottom of the bluff was deafening from where Johnny stood. He shielded his eyes from the sun to watch the sputtering fuse from the shell of Whistling Dick in flight high above the river he wondered what they had in range. At that moment he saw the target a explosion echoed across the river and he saw the Union transport burst into flames. A direct hit for old Whistling Dick another roar was heard coming from the boys in Gray. The rest of the battle went by rather quickly as the Union lines were cut to threads.
Down below the Union army began it's retreat from the field losses were high. The transports once again steamed in close to shore but this time they were under fire of the Confederate guns high upon the bluff. Shells splashed into the water around them as the haggard Union troops marched aboard holding their muskets this way and that some had their arms in slings others clutching wounds many with out guns. The ironclads came down from their moorings and escorted the loaded transports back up river to lick it's wounds. Once the ironclads retreated up river with the transports safely in between them. The Southern army moved down from the bluff to where the dead and wounded lay. Wagons came to carry the wounded to the hospital; while others picked the bodies clean removing muskets, ammo boxes, shoes, canteens, and personal items whatever they wanted.
Johnny moved slowly among the dead and wounded, he soon spotted a young blonde headed lad laying face down in the dirt still clutching the staff of the unit's flag. Laying not five feet away was Billy. "O MY GOD NO!" Not Billy Johnny began to cry the tears running down his face like a river.