The Louisiana in the Civil War Message Board - Archive

new input re capture of Gen. Dow in 1895 lett..??

Hello -

just curious if anyone can provide any new input re the below 1895 letter describing the capture of USA General Dow near Port Hudson?

thanks!!!!

y.v.o.s.,

Kenneth Byrd

1895 Letter
from Ben B. Chism
(17th Ark. Inf. and 11th & 17th Consol. Ark. Inf. CSA) to the sister of
Col. John Griffith (17th Ark. Inf. and 11th & 17th Consol. Ark. Inf. CSA)

Ben B. Chism,
Attorney at Law

Paris, Ark., May 28, 1895

Mrs. Harlow Bishop
Junction, Tx

Dear Mrs. Bishop:

I wrote you a short time ago, in which I stated that your letter to Major B.J. [B.P.] Jett relating to your brother Col. John Griffith – had been referred to me to answer. I cannot now furnish you anything ready for publication. I will simply give you as I recall to memory my recollection of your brother’s command-organization, engagements, etc. I have no data to [?] use now whatever and I am plagued that I cannot recall the names of some of the officers – their given names especially.

The 17th Arks. Infty [sic] Regt. was organized at Cross Hollows, Arks. in Washington County I believe in Fall of 1861. Frank Rector was elected Col. – John Griffith Lt. Col. – Matheson Major. The Regt. went into Winter quarters at Bentonville, Arks. and left there a short time before the battle of Elk Horn (Pea Ridge) – in which battle the Regt. participated on both 7th & 8th March 1862. You had [a] brother either killed or wounded in this battle.

The Regt. was hard pressed and retired [on the] 8th for want of ammunition, it seemed the Confederate Army had pretty well all left the battlefield before the 17th retreated. The enemy pressed us – hard. I remember this incident – we had little or no ammunition – and were retreating slowly when an artillery officer galloped up to Col. Griffith – who was commanding (Col. Rector, owing to a severe cold could not be heard to give a command) and said to him, “For God’s sake, save my battery!”. Three or four pieces of artillery were coming down a hill side – Col. Griffith answered, “Captain, I have no ammunition, but I can use the bayonet!”. The command was given “By [?] Regiment into line – guard against cavalry”. In this position we stood in line – until the Federal Cavalry had flanked us pretty well on the left, getting into our rear – at this juncture a Missouri (Confd.) Regt. passed near to us – making its way after our retreating army.

When it was found the enemy was in or nearly in our rear, the command was given to move, and we started at a double quick, but we could not follow the army – my recollection is we moved North – pursued by the Federal Cavalry – we were cut off from the main army and the pursuit of us by the enemies’ cavalry continued ‘till late in the evening. When traveling in the mountains we [returned to?] the army. At this time Genl. Pike was seen making his way from the direction of the battlefield accompanied by two or three aids [sic]. He was hailed by Col. Griffith and asked what should [be] done. Genl. Van Dorn had retreated to the Northeast and we were making our way in a South or Southwestern direction [here Chism inserts “North or Northeast” as an apparent afterthought/correction]. Genl. Pike told Col. Griffith to disband his Regt. and let them go in squads of five or six men and make their way to Van Buren, [to] fall in with the Army there. This was [the] cause of the 17th Ark. breakup – for not more than half of the Regt. reported at Van Buren to go on East of the Miss. river, the Regt. numbering some 200 went with Gen’l. Van Dorn to Corinth, Miss. – reaching that point some time in April ’62. Here the Regt. was reorganized, John Griffith elected Col., Joseph Dodson Lt. Col., B.P. Jett Major.

At this time, at the age of 17 I was elected Lieutenant and in Capt. David Arbuckle’s Company – I was with the command from the first, & till the last Flag went down. The Regt. took part in the battle of Iuka, Miss. Sept. 19, ’62, and was highly complimented by the commanding Genl. for gallantry on the field, this you will find in “The War of the Rebellion” published by authority of Congress. Vol. 27 [?] I believe [?].

The Regt. took part in the battle of Corinth Oct. 3 & 4th, 1862. After this battle we were sent to Port Hudson, La., remained there six months, was consolidated with [the] 11th Arks. Infty – and Col. John L. Logan took command. At this time, Gen’l. Grierson made his famous raid across the Confederacy. The Consolidated 11th & 17th Arks. Regts. were sent out to intercept the enemy, but as Genl. Grierson, commanded his Cavly. [sic], he passed around us and went into Baton Rouge. Genl. Gardner commanding at Port Hudson sent an order out to Col. Logan (for Port Hudson had been surrounded by Genl. Banks while we were after Grierson) to seize horse and mount his command. This was done and the Regts. operated as mounted Infty., afterwards Cavalry from the vicinity of Port Hudson to Yazoo City – back and forth until the close of the war, and surrendered at Jackson, Miss., Apl. 1865.

Col. Logan, some time, I think, later part 1864, was called West of the Miss. River, this through [sic] Col. Griffith in command of the Regt. – and Col. Griffith – commanded this Regt. and more than once a Brigade in a number of engagements – within the territory mentioned. Col. Griffith – was loved by all his men and a braver spirit or a man with warmer heart never left home to do battle.

I should mention an incident that was a compliment to Col. Griffith’s Regt. – (the Consolidated Regt.). I think it was Genl. S.D. Lee, who inspected our Regt. in [the] Summer of 1864 and upon his recommendation the Secretary of War granted a furlough to the entire Regt. – for 60 days, to cross the Miss. River and go from Brookhaven, Miss. or that section, to Arks. to recruit our ranks – we were now reduced to 120 men all told. It was quite dangerous to cross the Miss. River as there were gunboat all along the river and patrols constantly on the lookout for Confederates from either side. The crossing could be affected only by crossing at night time when all was quiet by the use of skiffs – one man to row and two, sometimes four, horses were carried over by holding to the bridles to keep their heads up. At the end of the sixty days – the Regt. recrossed the Miss. River, below Natchez some twenty miles – the day, or night of President Lincoln’s re election, [Chism underlines these two words for emphasis] though we were two nights in getting over.

I was with Col. Griffith from the time [the] Regt. was organized in [the] Fall [of] 1861 until close of the war – I was often with him in his own tent – served on his staff when he commanded [the] Brigade – was acting Adjt. for a short time of his Regt. – I never hear a man – complain of Col. G. – all loved to devotion. I am not in good health [not discernable at this point] I cannot undertake to dress up an article, or prepare something from this sketch for publication.

Judge A. or Dr. [?] Curl of Hot Springs, Arks., Capt. C. Watkins [Claibourne Watkins] of L. Rock, Col. M.D. Vance [of] Fort Smith were officers of the Regt. Col. Vance was Lt. Col. of the 11th Arks. and served with Col. Griffith from the time the two Regts. were consolidated. Major Jett’s address you have. In my neighborhood there is not a single member of my old Command. I realize that there are but [few] left of the old 11th & 17th Arks. Regt. C.S.A. and few of Col. Griffith [sic] old 17th, for the 17th had seen hard service at Elk Horn, Iuka, and Corinth before being consolidated with the 11th Arks. at Port Hudson, Winter of 1863.

Col. Griffith commanded in a number of minor engagements after his Regt. were mounted. [Chism underlines here for emphasis] I cannot recall all these an [?] engagement [at] Clinton, Plains Store, La. – Pig Pens near Yazoo City Miss. – Ebenezer Miss. – I cannot tell all. It was six men from Col. Griffith Regt. that slipped through three lines of Federal pickets, and captured Gen’l Neil Dow at Port Hudson. I laid the plan – and Col. Griffith commanded – the attack upon the Federal Gunboat Petrel – or Duchess [Chism underlines here] of the old Navy. We captured the boat guns etc. [?] This one while above [?] Yazoo City, Miss. If there is anything further you want to know write me. I shall gladly serve you. I am [?] I cannot do better now –

Very Truly,

Ben B. Chism

Comments: This 1895 letter written to Mary Harlow Griffith Bishop, the younger sister of Col. John Griffith, was transcribed from a copy recently provided to me (KEB) by my cousin Mag Fleming Spaeth of Mason, Texas. The original letter, now in her possession, was found in an old trunk belonging to her grandmother, Lydia Ben Bishop Fleming, in Junction, Texas. Lydia (my great-aunt) was the daughter of Harlow Bishop and the niece of Col. Griffith.

This 12-page, handwritten letter from Ben B. Chism to Harlow Griffith Bishop sent 30 years after the War Between The States, provides some new primary source information from a documented member of the 17th Arkansas Infantry and 11th & 17th Consolidated Arkansas Infantry regiments. Sometime later Lt. Chism did write a short piece re the capture of the Federal tinclad USS Petrel; this appeared in the January 1904 issue of the Confederate Veteran (Vol. 12, No. 1) on page 374. It reads: “Declined in Favor of Another. – Col. Ben. B. Chism, of Paris, Ark., writes: “I see in the VETERAN that one of your correspondents states that I was the leader in the daring venture in which the Federal gunboat Petrel was captured by the Confederates. While I took part in the enterprise, Col. John Griffith, of the Eleventh and Seventeenth Arkansas (consolidated) Regiments, was the commander, and a more generous or brave soldier never followed the Confederate flag, and I ask that you make this correction in justice to him and for the truth of history”.

Of particular interest in Chism’s 1895 letter to Col. Griffith’s sister is the following:

(1) New details re then Lt.-Col. John Griffith taking over command of the 17th Ark. Inf. from Col. Frank Rector at Elkhorn Tavern/Pea Ridge on March 8, 1862. I am not aware of any other detailed accounts re the actions of the 17th Ark. Inf. during this time. Chism’s description of bayonets being fixed to defend threatened Confederate batteries is new and exciting.

(2) New details re the interactions between then Lt.-Col. John Griffith and Gen. Albert Pike during the retreat from Elkhorn Tavern. It has been implied by others that Gen. Pike played a major role in the disintegration of the 17th Ark. Inf. after the battle (as documented in the excellent book by Shea & Hess), but Chism’s account makes Gen. Pike fully responsible.

(3) New details re the role of the 11th & 17th Ark. Inf. in the pursuit of Federal Gen. Grierson’s famous raid of 1863.

(4) New details re the 1864 furlough of the 11th & 17th Ark. Inf. and their crossing of the Mississippi River using skiffs and swimming horses.

(5) Confirmation that members of the 11th & 17th Ark. Inf. did indeed capture Federal Gen. Neil Dow. This had been earlier documented by Edmonds and others; comparison of names with rosters of 11th & 17th Ark. soldiers support this.

(6) Chism’s use of the placename “Pig Pens near Yazoo City, Miss.” – could this be another name for Concord Church perhaps???

Cousin Mag Fleming Spaeth has given permission for any/all interested parties to copy/distribute this transcription of the 1895 Chism letter to our great-grandma Harlow Griffith Bishop. As a courtesy, please acknowledge Mag Fleming Spaeth as having the original letter. I will be scanning in all 12 pages of the copy that I have as .jpg files for distribution and sharing as well. We are looking forward to the comments, interpretations, etc. of all interested researchers and students of the Trans-Mississippi and Western theaters!!!!!

-- Kenneth Byrd* Indianapolis, IN July 4, 2003

(*great-great-nephew of Col. John Griffith)

(*great-grandson of Mary Harlow Griffith Bishop)