A Union Soldier in Grant's Army of the Tennessee

John Wesley Ringo (1832-1875) 

Malinda Emily Humbard (1831-1916)

2nd great-grandparents

 

In early 1863, John Ringo was a married Quaker farmer with three young daughters, ages six, four, and 18 months; he and his wife, Malinda, were expecting their fourth child in late July or early August. It would have been a happy time. But just below the surface, the expectant parents were anxious and unsettled. The Civil War had been raging for two years. Given the family's circumstances, John was probably not eager to join the military. 

 

The choice was taken out of his hands when President Lincoln signed the Enrollment Act into law on March 3, 1863. It was the first draft in the United States, approved after Congress and President Lincoln determined there was no other way to maintain the 300,000-man fighting force needed for the war. Instead of one year of service, men would now be obligated to serve for three years.

 

In June, John traveled from the family home in Center Township, Wayne County, Indiana to nearby Madison County to register for the draft. He appears on the list of registrants in the Fifth Congressional District of Indiana.  

 

Left: A partial map of Indiana counties. 

 

–  The yellow dot highlights Madison County

    where John Ringo had to register for the

    draft. 

 

–  The blue dot in Wayne County is the 

    approximate location of Center Township 

    where John and his family lived. 

 

–  The red dots indicate the locations of 

    county seats in the Fifth Congressional 

    District counties, circa 1863.   

    (Rootsweb)

 

John Ringo is listed on Line 15 of the June 1863 list of draft registrants for the Fifth Congressional District of Indiana. He’s a farmer with no previous military experience. (Lines 2-9 and 16-30 have been omitted.) (Ancestry.com - Civil War Records)

The name drawing for the June registrants was scheduled to take place in mid-July. But John and Malinda had to make a serious decision before that. If he waited for the drawing, John knew his name would be included in the next drawing if he wasn't chosen this time. He could volunteer prior to the drawing to take advantage of the enlistment bounties offered by the government. 

There were two other options available, although not to everyone. Once a man was drafted, he had ten days to hire a substitute to go in his place or he could pay a $300 commutation fee (about $6300 in 2021) that would exclude him from being required to serve for that round of the draft. This policy, which favored the wealthy, sparked four days of riots in New York City after the first name drawing on July 11, 1863.

The 1870 Census shows John's total worth was $3500, the equivalent of $73,000 today. (1870 Federal Census, Liberty Twp, Grant Co, Indiana) While he might have been better off before the war, it's reasonable to assume that even then he wouldn't have been affluent enough to buy his way out of service, had he been so inclined.  

 

With their baby due shortly after the name drawing and, no matter if he volunteered or was drafted, Malinda would be left with their three young daughters, ages six, five, and 18 months, plus a newborn. The couple must have agonized over the choices. 

– THE 93^RD REGIMENT INDIANA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY –

Organization of the 93rd Regiment was completed at Camp Emerson in Madison, Indiana on 31 Oct 1862 under the command of Colonel DeWitt C. Thomas; nine days later it departed Madison, traveling first by rail to Cairo, Illinois, located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. From there, the 93rd IN sailed down the Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee via steamer. From Memphis, the regiment zigzagged its way across Mississippi, Louisiana, and back to Tennessee. 

Each soldier carried fifty pounds of equipment including a rifle and pistol, a bayonet scabbard, ammunition, a small tent and blanket, a few days’ rations, water, cooking gear, and extra clothing. The soldiers marched, rode trains, and sailed the great Mississippi. They built small forts, spent long hours on picket duty, and guarded munitions, as well as the all-important railroads used to transport troops and supplies. The soldiers of the 93rd IN fought long, hard battles and saw many of their comrades-in-arms sustain mutilating wounds, while others died next to them in battle, or after days of suffering.

And they marched – often slogging through deep, thick mud that resulted from the all too frequent Mississippi downpours. Sometimes road conditions were so poor that no forward progress could be made because artillery and wagons couldn't move easily, if at all. The men marched and waded across a countryside that was prone to flooding from bayous, swamps, creeks, and the Mississippi River. The heat and humidity, combined with the physical exertion required to move across Mississippi's challenging terrain, took a toll on the soldiers, often leaving them exhausted. 

 

Advance of Federal Troops on Corinth – The Carnival of Mud-Scene at Lick Creek Bottom, Between Pittsburg Landing and Monterey, Four Miles from Corinth, Monday, May 5th, 1862 – General Hurlbut's Division Forcing Their Way Through the Mud. (Internet Archive)

CAPTION 

Our illustration cannot fail to fasten the grand fact of mud firmly on the reader’s mind. It was carefully sketched on the spot at Lick Creek Bottom when General Hurlbut’s division of Halleck’s grand army was advancing from Pittsburg Landing to Monterey. On Monday, May 5^th, an attempt was made to pull through the cannon and wagon train, but the mud was too deep, and the result was that in a few hours the bottom was filled with wagons and mules hopelessly mired, and waiting for dry weather to be dug out. 

 

– ORGANIZATION OF MAJOR GENERAL SHERMAN'S XV ARMY CORPS –

NOV 1862–MAR 1863 

 

In mid-November 1862, the 93rd IN was assigned to a brigade commanded by Colonel Ralph P. Buckland, after which it was attached to Major General William Tecumseh Sherman’s XV Army Corps. Eight months later, John Ringo would be serving in the 93rd IN under Sherman.  

 

By the end of March, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered Sherman to Duckport, Louisiana where XV Corps became part of Grant's Vicksburg Campaign, with the following chain of command:

STRUCTURE & COMMAND of the ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE

 

Keep in mind that the number of men in any unit could vary widely as a result of losses due to disease, desertion, and men who were captured, wounded, or killed in battle. Sometimes a regiment had as few as 400-500 men instead of the full complement of 1,000. As the war progressed, commanders' ranks could also vary from what is in the chart.

 

National Park Service and History of the 93rd Regiment - Indiana Volunteer Infantry 

 

       *   The four major armies were the Army of the Tennessee, Army of the Ohio,

            Army of the Potomac, and the Army of the Cumberland.

** The XV Army Corps was composed of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd divisions, 

     commanded by Major Generals Frederick Steele, Frank P. Blair and  James M. 

     Tuttle, respectively.

 

– THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN & JACKSON  EXPEDITION –

MAR 1863–JUL 1863 

 

In late March, Sherman's XV Army Corps was among those employed to dig one of several canals as part of Grant's Bayou Expeditions, part of his strategy to take the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. However, due to numerous setbacks, Grant revised his plan and instead decided to attack the city by land from the east, even though it meant his army would have to cross the Mississippi River. Grant called upon Admiral David Dixon Porter to break through the blockade at Vicksburg so the supplies he carried could get to Union troops for their march to Vicksburg. Porter and a small fleet of ironclads made a successful run past Vicksburg on the night of April 16-17.

 

Left: General Ulysses S. Grant at his headquarters in Cold Harbor, Virginia., 1864. (LOC)  Right: Admiral David D. Porter, on deck of Flagship. (Hampton Roads, Dec. '64)  (LOC)

 

 

 

Over the next two weeks, the XVII and XIII Army Corps, commanded by Major Generals James McPherson and John McClernand, marched down the Louisiana side of the Mississippi River, crossing at Bruinsburg via Admiral Porter’s transport ships. The 17,000-troop landing was “the largest amphibious operation in American military history until the Allied invasion of Normandy in World War II.” (National Park Service) One week later, Sherman’s XV Army Corps crossed at Grand Gulf to join the other corps in the march to the heavily fortified city of Vicksburg.

        

 

    L: Portrait of Maj. Gen. William T.  

        Sherman, officer of the 

        Federal Army by Mathew Brady. 

        (Library of Congress) 

 

 

    R: Portrait of Maj. Gen. James B. 

        McPherson, officer of the Federal 

        Army by Mathew Brady.

        (Wikimedia Commons)

 

 

    

    Sherman's XV Corps reached Vicksburg on May 18. Grant ordered a frontal assault by the XV Corps the next day, and another with all three corps on the 22^nd. Both assaults failed. Grant determined there was no way to gain control of Vicksburg in this way, and so decided to lay siege to the city. On June 22, thirty-five days into what would become a 47-day siege, Sherman was ordered to lead a task force to the capital city of Jackson to stop Confederate General Joseph Johnston’s army from supporting General John C. Pemberton in Vicksburg.

 

      Once Sherman learned that Pemberton had surrendered Vicksburg to Grant on July 4, he pursued Johnston’s army to the capital city of Jackson. Johnston’s troops were firmly entrenched when Sherman arrived. Not wanting to risk the possibility of a failed frontal assault, such as the two in Vicksburg, Sherman besieged the city. The night of July 16-17, Johnston quietly evacuated his troops.

    

        

      Left: Lieutenant General John C. 

               Pemberton. 

              (Wikimedia Commons)

 

       Right: General Joseph Eggleston 

                 Johnston. 

                 (Wikimedia Commons)   

 

 

 

 

 

   – JOHN RINGO IN THE 93RD REGIMENT INDIANA INFANTRY –

LATE SUMMER–14 OCT 1863  

    John must have enlisted since he joined his regiment in late summer 1863. By that time, the soldiers of the 93rd IN were battle-scarred and weary. As part of the XV Army Corps, the regiment had just completed two-and-a-half months of fighting in Vicksburg and Jackson. Now it would be encamped from July 25-Sep 5 near Markham Plantation, about three miles from Big Black River near Messenger Ford. 

    The map below indicates the locations of ferries and encampment sites, as well as over 20 plantations. Soldiers of both armies often "lived off the land" by taking livestock and other supplies from plantation owners when their own were running low. Also known as foraging, the practice was nothing less than theft since soldiers helped themselves to cattle, chickens, vegetables, and anything else they needed along the way. General Grant employed this practice on the march to Vicksburg because he wanted to move quickly. As a means to that end, he had his soldiers leave their supplies behind to lighten their loads, expecting them to forage for three to five weeks as they moved across Mississippi. 

Map of the Big Black River, Mississippi, in the vicinity of Bush and Birdsong's ferries, 1863. Cropped. (LOC) My red dots mark the locations of Oak Ridge (upper left), Markham Plantation (middle), Bush's and Birdsong's Ferries, and (bottom right) Messenger's Ferry (Ford). [See illustration below.]

The War in Mississippi–General McPherson's Army Crossing the Big Black at Messenger's Ferry, Thursday, October 15th, 1863. (Internet Archive from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated History of the Civil War, published by Mrs. F. Leslie, 1895.)

 CAPTION 

When the Confederates began to concentrate all their available forces before Rosecrans at Chattanooga a diversion was made by General McPherson, who led an expedition into Mississippi as far as Canton, and compelled them to sacrifice much or change their plans. The alarm caused was beneficial. General McPherson, whom the Confederates learned to respect at Vicksburg, moved rapidly and struck severely. Our sketch represents the army crossing by bridge and ford the Big Black, at a place called Messenger’s Ferry, on Thursday, October 15^th. 

    

    Much like John, most of the soldiers in the 93rd IN were farmers with little prior knowledge of a soldier's life. As John would soon discover, a soldier's life during an encampment was filled with monotonous drilling and lengthy periods of boredom. Men passed the time by writing letters to family members, playing cards, marbles, or dominoes. Some made drawings or did woodcarving, and they read newspapers when available. Letters and care packages from home were always a highlight. There was an abundance of storytelling, as well, including some from the seasoned soldiers who rehashed their experiences while new recruits listened uneasily about what the future might hold.

Whether in camp or on the march, all soldiers faced the challenges of lice, exposure to the elements, and the possibility of disease. In fact, lack of clean water and poor hygiene resulted in twice as many men dying from diseases, such as typhoid or dysentery, as from battle-related injuries. (National Park Service)

 – FIRST COMBAT & BACK TO MEMPHIS – 

14 OCT 1863–JUN 1864 

On Sep 5, the regiment moved to Oak Ridge, northwest of Markham Plantation, where it camped until Oct 14. At that time, the 93rd IN moved with its brigade in an expedition to Brownsville, Mississippi, twenty miles to the east. John Ringo's first experience in combat came on Oct 17 when the regiment engaged the enemy in an artillery battle near Bogue Chitto Creek five miles east of its Brownsville position. (History of the 93^rd IN Infantry)

The War in Mississippi–General McPherson Driving the Enemy from Their Position on the Canton Road, Near Brownsville. (Internet Archive)

The next day, the 93rd IN marched back to Vicksburg where it camped at a plantation seven miles in the rear of the city. On Nov 7, the regiment returned to Vicksburg, embarked on the steamer, Iotan, and steamed upriver to Memphis. There the regiment was assigned picket (sentry) and provost (police) duty. In December, the 93rd IN was transferred to the 16th Army Corps, 1st Division, 1st Brigade, commanded by Major General Sherman, Brigadier General James M. Tuttle, and Colonel William L. McMillen, respectively. (History of the 93^rd IN Infantry)

– THE Sturgis Expedition to Ripley, MISSISSIPPI –

30 APR–10 MAY 1864 

After making several expeditions into Mississippi in early February 1864 and participating in skirmishes at Senatobia and Wyatts, Mississippi, the 93rd IN returned to Memphis, resuming  picket duty until the end of April.

It was during this time that General Sherman was planning his campaign against Atlanta. One thing troubled him a great deal, however – the unpredictability of his adversary, Confederate Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Both Grant and Sherman considered Forrest a serious threat; Sherman was known to refer to him as, “that devil Forrest.”

A self-educated, self-made millionaire, Forrest owned over forty slaves and two large cotton plantations totaling nearly three thousand acres. He sold his plantations when he realized the slave-trading business was far more lucrative than growing cotton. When the war broke out, Forrest and his fifteen-year-old son enlisted in the Confederate army. Even though he had no military training, Forrest quickly rose through the army’s ranks. He was bold, fearless, and a gambler who often used bluff and deception to confuse the enemy. The mobility of Forrest’s cavalry unit made his raids and hit-and-run tactics particularly effective, earning him the nickname “Wizard of the Saddle.” (Wikipedia)

To divert Forrest's attention from the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad in Tennessee, the main transport for Sherman’s troops and supplies, Brigadier General Samuel Davis Sturgis, a West Point graduate and respected officer, was ordered to track down Forrest and lure him away from the railroad. On April 30, Sturgis's forces, which included the 93rd Regiment's 1st Brigade, commanded by Col. William L. McMillen, made an expedition into Mississippi in an attempt to engage Forrest's army. It was unsuccessful. There was no sign of Forrest and, after trudging on roads that had become practically impassable when they turned into mud from days of heavy rain, Sturgis and his troops returned to Memphis on May 10.

L to R: Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis (LOC), Colonel William L. McMillen (Wikimedia Commons), and Lietenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest (LOC)

– STURGIS'S GUNTOWN EXPEDITION –

1-13 JUN 1864

 

On June 1, Sturgis began another expedition to draw out Forrest. This time his orders were to destroy the Mobile and Ohio Railroad that ran through Tupelo, Mississippi, eighty miles southeast of Memphis. The brigades, including the 93rd IN, first traveled thirty miles by rail to a point east of Memphis then marched toward Tupelo. Once again, the roads were in deplorable condition from days of rain. Then, on the night of June 9, torrential rain turned them into deep mud causing Sturgis’s troops to struggle to make progress toward Tupelo.

(Google map with added locations)

 

That same evening, Forrest learned that Sturgis was encamped at Stubb’s farm, about nine miles north of Brice’s Cross Roads, the place he intended to engage the Union troops. Forrest had determined it to be a favorable position where he could disguise the fact that Union troops outnumbered his by more than two-to-one. Forrest planned to start his march from Tupelo early in the morning to ensure the battle would take place at Brice’s Cross Roads. He also intended to use the weather and road conditions to his advantage. Forrest told Colonel Edmund Rucker, commander of one of his brigades:

 

I know they greatly outnumber the troops I have at hand, but the road along

which they will march is narrow and muddy; they will make slow progress. 

The country is densely wooded and the undergrowth so heavy that when 

we strike them, they will not know how few men we have. Their cavalry will

move out ahead of the infantry and should reach the crossroads three hours

in advance. We can whip their cavalry in that time. As soon as the fight opens,

they will send back to have the infantry hurried up. It is going to be hot as hell

and coming on a run for five or six miles over such roads, their infantry will be 

so tired out we will ride right over them. (Library of Congress)

The morning of the 10th, Sturgis's troops headed for Brice's Cross Roads. But it wasn't long before the soldiers' wool uniforms, temperatures in the high nineties, the steamy, still air, and the effects of dwindling rations began to take a toll. Soldiers started dropping out of the march due to exhaustion. When somewhat rested, the men would rejoin the march. This caused Sturgis’s troops to be scattered for miles along the road but, despite that, Sturgis felt compelled to hasten the march after learning that Forrest was closing the distance between them.  

 – THE BATTLE OF BRICE'S CROSS ROADS –

 10 JUN 1864

 

Brigadier General Grierson’s cavalry met Confederate forces around 9:30 a.m. about ten miles north of Tupelo at Brice's Cross Roads. By 12:30 p.m., Forrest had beaten Grierson's cavalry back just as he predicted. The advance columns of Sturgis’s infantry did not arrive in time to help Grierson and, in fact, did not get on the field  until after 1 p.m. The men were exhausted after traversing muddy roads in the heat for over five hours, the last few miles being covered at a brisk pace.

Even though the Union army outnumbered the Confederates, Forrest outmaneuvered Sturgis with the boldness for which he had become known. The weakened Union soldiers were boxed in and taking heavy fire; when Confederate troops began to overrun them after four hours of fighting in the heat of the afternoon, Union troops retreated in what soon became chaos, leaving artillery and weapons on the field in their haste. 

 

Wagons that had overturned on the Tishomingo Creek bridge blocked their way, causing some Union soldiers to jump into the deep, rain-swollen creek to escape the enemy. Many were shot or drowned. Forrest pursued the fleeing soldiers, even after nightfall, as they scrambled to get to safety.

Map of the Battle of Brice's Cross Roads, Mississippi. The red dot marks the location of the 93rd IN; the yellow dots mark the locations of the Brice family’s home and store. The positions of the two forces from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. are indicated by blue (Union) and maroon (Confederates) symbols. (Photo by Brandon Fletcher, November 15, 2015, courtesy of HMdb.org)

 

The Union troops came to the field of battle disorganized and exhausted – no match for the well-planned, aggressive Confederate attack. And given its position on the field, there could be no doubt the 93rd IN would be overwhelmed.

Forrest was right – his army "rode right over them."

     A total of 12,000 soldiers fought that day – 8,500 Union and 3,500 Confederates. 

 

- The Union suffered 2,610 casualties: 223 killed, 394 wounded and 1,623 men

   missing (most were taken prisoner but some deserted).

 

- The Confederates lost 495 men: 97 killed and 398 wounded.

 

- In addition, Forrest captured 16 artillery pieces, thousands of stands of arms 

  and rounds of ammunition, 250 wagons and ambulances, 161 mules, 23 horses, 

  and all of Sturgis’s baggage and supplies. (Battlefields.org)

 

The 93rd Regiment Indiana Infantry sustained the following losses: 

 

 - Wounded: 5 officers and 51 enlisted men

 - Captured: 9 officers and 175 enlisted men  

 - Killed: 1 officer and 12 enlisted men

John Wesley Ringo was one of the prisoners – his next destination would be Andersonville Prison.

  

*               *               *

– DIG A LITTLE DEEPER – 

• The post, The 93^rd Regiment Indiana Infantry: Vicksburg & Jackson, has a more detailed account of the 93^rd IN in the Vicksburg Campaign and Jackson Expedition.

• History of the 93rd Regiment - Indiana Volunteer Infantry is a transcription of the log of the regiment's commanding officer, Colonel Dewitt C. Thomas. The original is written in his own hand and housed at the Indiana State Office Building.  

• "Remenecence of My Army Life" is a first-hand account of Sgt. Louis Bir’s experiences in Company K 93^rd Regiment Indiana, including those at the Battle of Brice's Cross Roads. Experts believe this was written for a presentation to veterans. Be sure to read the footnotes - there are many interesting details that enhance Bir's story. 
  

• Read Col. McMillen's report of the expedition from Memphis into Mississippi and Battle of Brice's Cross Roads. A Federal Soldier’s Story of the Battle of Brice’s Cross Roads, Mississippi is a first-hand account of this battle, told by Cornelius A. Stanton, a soldier in Company I, 3rd Iowa Cavalry. Taken from Stanton’s diary, the story is read by Jeff T. Giambrone on his YouTube channel, Mississippi in the Civil War. [This is of particular interest because the 3^rd Iowa Cavalry was in the same brigade as the 93^rd Indiana Infantry. For the most part, wherever Stanton went, John Ringo wouldn’t have been far away.]
  

• The Battle - Brice's Cross Roads National Battlefield Site and Brice's Cross Roads - June 10, 1864 on the American Battlefield Trust site have maps and more about the battle.
  

• ·       Frank Leslie’s Illustrated History of the Civil War, published by his wife in 1895, depicts the Civil War using the work of sketch artists and descriptive captions. It’s searchable and best viewed in full-screen mode.

Howell-Richards Family History - October 2021