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| The War in Mississippi–General McPherson's Army Crossing the Big Black at Messenger's Ferry, Thursday, October 15th, 1863. (Internet Archive) |
By the time John Wesley Ringo joined his regiment in late summer 1863, the soldiers of the 93rd IN were battle-scarred and weary. Much like John, most of them were farmers with little prior knowledge of a soldier's life. The regiment's organization was completed at Camp Emerson in Madison, IN on October 31, 1862, under the command of Colonel DeWitt C. Thomas; nine days later it departed Madison, traveling first by rail to Cairo, IL, located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. From there, the 93rd IN sailed down the Mississippi to Memphis, TN 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.
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| 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) |
In early 1863, John Ringo was a married Quaker farmer with three young daughters; his wife, Malinda (Humbard), was pregnant with their fourth child. Given that, he was probably not anxious to join the military. But 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.
In June, John traveled from his home in Center Township, Wayne County, Indiana to nearby Madison County to register for the draft as required by law. He appears on the list of registrants in the Fifth Congressional District of Indiana, consisting of the counties Delaware, Fayette, Henry, Randolph, Union, and Wayne. |
| A map of Indiana highlighting Madison County and Wayne Counties (yellow dots) the counties and county seats of the Fifth Congressional District circa 1863 (red dots). (Rootsweb) |
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| 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) |
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 the first name drawing on July 11, 1863.
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| (National Park Service and History of the 93rd Regiment - Indiana Volunteer Infantry) |
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.
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| 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.
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| 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) |
Left: Lieutenant General John Clifford Pemberton (Wikimedia Commons)
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Right: General Joseph Eggleston Johnston (Wikimedia Commons)
JOHN RINGO IN THE 93RD REGIMENT INDIANA INFANTRY
LATE SUMMER – OCT 14, 1863
After two-and-a-half months of fighting in Vicksburg and Jackson, the XV Army Corps encamped from July 25–Sep 5 near Markham Plantation, about three miles from Big Black River near Messenger Ford. John Ringo most likely joined the regiment during this period.
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, drawing, woodcarving, or reading 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)
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| 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 Oak Ridge (upper left), Markham Plantation (middle), Bush's and Birdsong's Ferries, and Messenger's Ferry (Ford). [See the first image in this post for an artist's drawing of the location.] |
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, MS, 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 to the east of its Brownsville position. (History of the 93rd IN Infantry)
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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 93rd IN Infantry)
After making several
expeditions into
Mississippi in early February 1864 and participating in skirmishes at
Senatobia and Wyatts, MS, 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.
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| L to R: Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis (LOC), Colonel William L. McMillen (Wikimedia Commons), and Lietenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest (LOC) |
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, MS, eighty miles
southeast of Memphis. The brigades, including the 93rd Regiment,
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 9th, torrential rain turned them into deep mud causing Sturgis’s
troops to struggle to make progress toward Tupelo.
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| (Google Map with my notations) |
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.
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| Map from The Life of Nathan Forrest. (Library of Congress) |
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 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 1:00. 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.
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| Map of the Battle of Brice's Cross Roads, MS. My 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 light 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."
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)
DIG A LITTLE DEEPER
- The post, The 93rd Regiment Indiana Infantry: Vicksburg & Jackson, has a more detailed account of the 93rd 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 93rd 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 3rd Iowa Cavalry was in the same brigade as the 93rd 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.
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· 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.