AEMY OPEEATIONS. 



39 



commanding to claim for them from their country the 

 distinction and honor they so justly deserve. 

 (Signed) J. C. PEMBERTON, 



Lieutenant-General Commanding. 



At the time of the arrival of Gen. McCler- 

 nand, a plan had been agreed upon between 

 Gen. Sherman and Eear- Admiral Porter to at- 

 tack Arkansas Post. The reasons for making 

 this attack were that there was time to do it 

 while Gen. Grant was moving his army to 

 Memphis ; the blow would be entirely unex- 

 pected by the enemy ; the Federal forces were 

 amply sufficient to make a victory certain, 

 which would be valuable in restoring the spirit 

 of the troops disheartened by their recent fail- 

 ure, which was not understood ia its true light. 

 On the other hand, the Confederate force up 

 the Arkansas river had shown considerable ac- 

 tivity by sallies in which they had captured two 

 steamers bearing supplies to the army below. 



Gen. McClernand approving of the enter- 

 prise, the forces moved up the Mississippi to 

 Montgomery Point, opposite the mouth of 

 White river. 



"White river, one of the principal streams in 

 Arkansas, rises a few miles east of Fayette- 

 ville, and flows in a northeasterly direction 

 into Missouri about one hundred miles. It 

 then returns into Arkansas, and pursues a 

 southeasterly course, and enters the Missis- 

 sippi about fifteen miles above the mouth of 

 the Arkansas. It is navigable by steamboats 

 three hundred and fifty miles. 



On Friday, Jan. 9th, the ironclads Louis- 

 ville, De Kalb, and Cincinnati, with all the 

 light-draft gunboats, moved up the "White 

 river, followed by the fleet of transports. Af- 

 ter ascending the "White river about fifteen 

 miles, the fleet passed through a cut-off .to the 

 left, eight miles in length, into the Arkansas 

 river. Thus the White river empties by one 

 channel into the Mississippi, and by another 

 into the Arkansas, when it has a higher stage 

 of water than the Arkansas. When the Ar- 

 kansas is higher than the White river, one of 

 the Arkansas currents comes through the cut- 

 off and out by the White river into the Missis- 

 sippi. 



It was about 11 o'clock A. M. when the fleet 

 passed into the Arkansas. This is, next to the 

 Missouri, the longest affluent of the Mississippi 

 river. It rises near the Eocky mountains, and 

 flows through nearly the centre of the State of 

 Arkansas, exceeding two thousand miles in 

 length, and navigable, during nine months of 

 the year, about eight hundred miles from its 

 mouth. 



About half past four in the afternoon, the 

 fleet moved to the shore, and preparations 

 were made to land three miles below the fort. 

 The artillery and wagons wer% brought on 

 shore during the evening and night, and in 

 the morning the troops were landed and mar- 

 shalled in the fields bordering on the north 

 bank. The attack, however, was begun by the 

 gunboats. 



The Arkansas river, in its descent toward 

 the Mississippi, makes here a sharp elbow by 

 flowing north, then turning abruptly to the 

 east, and . after a short distance turning again 

 as abruptly to the south. On the left bank, at 

 the point where the river turns to the east, the 

 fort of Arkansas Post was located. Its guns 

 commanded the river as it stretched to the 

 east, and even after the turn to the south. 



The advance of the troops was along the 

 outside bank of this curve of the river, and it 

 was expected the attack on the fort would be 

 made during the day, but at sundown they 

 were not in position. The division of Gen. 

 Stuart, by order of Gen. Sherman, had moved 

 along the bank, passing two rows of rifle pits 

 which had been abandoned, and reached the 

 point for an attack, but the corps of Gen. Mor- 

 gan had not then deployed on the left. Orders 

 were then issued by Gen. McClernand for the 

 troops to get into position during the night, so 

 as to make an attack in the morning. The 

 force of Gen. Sherman worked its way through 

 the forest and marsh round to the right, so as 

 to invest the fort, while a brigade was thrown ' 

 across the river to prevent the arrival down of 

 reinforcements to the rebels. 



The fort, which was called " Fort Hindman," 

 was a regular square bastioned work, one hun- 

 dred yards each exterior side, with a deep 

 ditch about fifteen feet wide, and a parapet 

 eighteen feet high. It was armed with twelve 

 guns, two of which were eight inch and one 

 nine inch. The number of troops which it 

 contained was about five thousand, under the 

 command of Brig.-Gen. Churchill.- 



During the evening of the 10th, the fort 

 was bombarded by the ironclads Cincinnati, 

 Lieut.-Commander Geo. L. Bache; De Kalb, 

 Lieut.-Com. John H. Walker, Louisville, Lieut.- 

 Com. E. L. Owen, all under the orders of 

 Eear-Admiral Porter. The bombardment con- 

 tinued over a half hour, and the firing was ac- 

 tive on both sides. The distance of the boats 

 from the fort was about four hundred yards. 



About noon on the llth, the fleet was noti- 

 fied, by order of Gen. McClernand, that the 

 army was ready, and a joint attack was made. 

 The gunboats took a position within about 

 three hundred yards of the fort and opened 

 fire. The forj; had opened upon them as soon 

 as they came in sight. At the same time a 

 battery of Gen. Sherman's began to fire, and 

 the troops were advanced to attack. It was 

 not long before the heavy guns of the fort 

 were silenced by the gunboats, but the action 

 on the part of the military grew more severe 

 until four o'clock, when the enemy were so far 

 overcome as to raise the white flag. A rush 

 was immediately made, both by the land troops 

 and naval force, to occupy the works, and the 

 surrender was made complete. The loss of 

 Gen. McClernand was about six hundred, of 

 whom one hundred and twenty were killed. 

 The Confederate loss was less, owing to the 

 shelter of their troops. About sixty-five were 



