George Martin
1st Tennessee Heavy Artillery (Jackson's Regiment)
Andrew Jackson Jr., Colonel (son of ex-President Andrew Jackson)
Robert Sterling, Lieut. Colonel
Frederick W. Hoadley, Major, killed June 8, 1863
J. D. Upton, Major
Organized May 10, 1862
January/February 1863 stationed at the Vicksburg Upper Water Batteries
Following the surrender at Vicksburg July 4, 1863, they were subsequently exchanged December 6, 1863 and ordered to Mobile, Alabama, and subsequently to Fort Morgan April 3, 1864, they were last recorded at Fort Morgan June 30, 1864
The 1st (also known as Jackson's) Regiment Tennessee Heavy Artillery was organized May 10, 1862, with ten companies of heavy artillery which had previously served in the Tennessee Artillery Corps and it was temporarily consolidated into four companies, A to D in June, 1862 by order of Maj. Gen. Smith. The regiment was captured and paroled at Vicksburg, Miss., July 4, 1863, and members reporting after exchange were consolidated into two companies, A and B, February 4, 1864. The remnant of the 1st Battalion Tennessee Light Artillery was permanently attached to this regiment in January, 1864, by order of Lt. Gen. Polk.
The following is taken from my draft history of the 43rd Tennessee Infantry, CSA
05 27 1863 [Wednesday]
Three gunboats come up opposite our line and shelled us rapidly for an hour but hurt none of our regt. One man just to our right had his head shot off and two others were wounded. In the meantime another boat attempted to pass down by our batteries which was sunk up at town Sharp shooting and cannonading is going on along our back lines and a general engagement is expected daily. It is reported that Genl. Johnston has attacked the enemy in the rear. 4 o’clock p.m.-The Yankee pickets have come in sight of our lines. (Clack, 43rd Tenn.)
One boat carrying fifteen guns was sunk by our Batteries above town. (Stamper, 43rd Tenn.)
The gun-boat Cincinnati was sunk in the attempt to silence one of the land batteries. She was abreast of the mortars, and rounding it , when a well-directed shot from a fine piece of ordnance called “Whistlling Dick” entered her magazine, and she began to sink rapidly; and other shots in quick succession crashed through her iron plating. The gun -boat managed to reach the right bank of the river, and her crew was landed before she sank. (Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War , pp. 471)
A heavy iron clad mounting thirteen guns came down from the upper fleet and attacked our batteries at short range. The contest was short, she was pierced at the water’s edge and began to sink. She signaled for help and several tugs made their appearance but dared not come to her relief. She turned and made her way slowly around the point and finally ran her prow to bank and the crew could be seen escaping to land; in a short time the stern settled down into the water leaving only the prow visible sticking to the bank. It was chering indeed to see her go under. (A Tennessean At The Siege of Vicksburg: The Diary Of Samuel Alexander Ramsey Swan, May-July, 1863. Tennessee Historical Quarterly, December 1955, p. 360)
Gun boats attack our batteries above fired some twenty shot and made to return up river but sank to bottom. A prisoner we took says only forth out of crew of one-hundred and twenty made their escape-boat riddled to pieces. (Darr, 43rd Tenn.)
At 11 o’clock a gunboat attempted to run down by our batteries and was sunk by Lynch’s battery. And by the way [Capt. John Peyton] Lynch [Lynch’s Tenn. Battery attached to the 1st Tenn. Heavy Artillery in the River Defenses under Col. Edward Higgins] has done more effective work with his battery than has been done with any other on the river. . . The gunboat sunk was considered to be the best on the river. It carried 13 nine-inch rifle guns and was commanded by Commodore Porter. It is not known whether he made his escape or not. (Siege notes of Captain George H. Hynds, Co. E, 31st Tennessee Infantry, CSA, Vicksburg National Military Park) [Note, a sister ship of the City Class Iron-Clads, The Cairo, has been restored and on display at the Vicksburg Military Park]
Our upper battery (Capt. Lynch) by a few well directed shots so battered her hull and iron sides that she sank very soon. . . Though they threw shells and several came over near our ditch, one of their shells exploded and killed 4 soldiers near one of our batteries. (We Can Hold Our Ground, Calvin Smith’s Diary, Civil War Times, April 1985 [Lt. Calvin M. Smith, 31st Tenn., CSA])
There were, it is true, occasional breaks in the heavy monotone of time and things. One of these was the sinking of the gunboat "Cincinnati," on May 26th. With notable audacity this vessel attempted to run suddenly upon and close with the batteries at the north end of the city, which were manned by a gallant command of Tennesseans, and constituted the protection of the garrison's extreme left wing. As soon as she began steaming down the river, and even before she had passed the bend, the "Cincinnati" became the target of a concentrated and powerful cannonade, which was made none the less steady and effective by the Federals' own heavy fire. Before she reached the middle of the stream it was evident that her vitals were wounded. Reversing her course, she steamed heavily up the current, but only succeeded in running ashore on tho west bank, a little above the extremity of the isthmus. Forty of her people had been killed or hurt. [Internet 12/4/00]]
The United States gunboat Cincinnati, was sunk by the rebel batteries at Vicksburgh, Miss. Lieutenant Commander Bache, gave the following report of the occurrence to Admiral Porter: “In obedience to your order, the Cincinnati got under waythis morning at seven o’clock, and steamed slowly down until a little abreast of where the morators lie. When we rounded to, the enemy fired several shots from a gun called ‘Whistling Dick,’ but soon gave it up. At half-past eight, with a full head of steam,we stood for the position assigned us. The enemy fired rapidly, and from all their batteries. When abreast of our pontoon, and rounding to, a b all entered the magazine, and she commenced sinking rapidly. Shortly after, the starboatd tiller was carried away. Before and after this, the enemy fired with great accuracy, hitting us nearly every time. We were especially annoyed by plungin shorts from the hills, and eight-inch rifled and ten-inch smooth=bore shots did us much damage. The shots went entirely through our protection-hay and wood. An now, finding that the vessel would sink, I ran her up-stream as near the right-hand shore as our damaged steering apparatus would permit. About ten minutes before she sank we ran close in, got out one plank, and put the wounded ashore. We also got a hawser out to make fast to a tree to hold her until she sunk. Unfortunately, the men ashore left the hawser without making it fast. The enemy we ≥re still firing, and the boat commenced drifting out. I sung out to the men to swim ashore, thinking we were in deeper water (as was reported) than we really were. I suppose about fifteen were drowned and twenty-five killed and sounded, and one porbably taken prisoner. This will sum up our whole loss. The boat sunk in about three fathoms of water; she lies level and can easily be raised, but lies within range of the enemy’s batteries. The vessel went down with her colors nailed to her mast, or rather to the stump of one, all three having been shot away. Our fire, until the magazine was drowned, was good, and I am satisfied did damage. We only fired at a two-gun water battery.” [Rebellion Record, V6, Diary, p. 78]
An interesting personal note is that my ggrandfather and his 43rd Tennessee had been stationed in the trenches alongside one of the water battery guns just south of the city, the day before the Cincinnati sinking. Just a couple of months pervious, my wife's ggrandfather had been invalided off the Cincinnati where he had served as Captain of the Afterguard!]