150 years ago today, November 29, 1863, the fighting around Knoxville TN reaches its climax with the Battle Of Fort Sanders. The Confederate commander at Knoxville, James Longstreet, has received reports of the fighting at Chattanooga but does not yet know of the defeat at Missionary Ridge. Having received two brigades of infantry reinforcements, Longstreet decides if he is going to take Knoxville, he must do so now. Longstreet decides to take Fort Sanders which holds a key, yet vulnerable position. The fort has a garrison of about 400 men including elements of the 2nd and 20th Michigan Infantry. Longstreet deploys two brigades deployed in column of regiments with three brigades in reserve. The plan is to attack just before dawn of the 29th after a short artillery bombardment. The weather is near freezing and there had been some rain and sleet earlier in the evening and there is a light mist over the area. The two attacking columns plan to converge on the apex of the fort. The confident rebels advance at the double quick with their muskets at trail arms. They have orders not to give the famed rebel yell. The Federal pickets in front of the fort are driven in and a few are captured. Suddenly, the entire front line of the lead regiments trip and fall. Employing a dirty Yankee trick the Federals have wrapped telegraph wire around the numerous tree stumps in front of the fort. The following regiments also must deal with the wire entanglements but eventually trample it down. The rebels finally continue their advance and enter the ditch in front of the fort and now give their Rebel yell. They were expecting a shallow ditch and did not bring scaling ladders. The ditch was in fact four feet deep on the outer wall, 10 feet wide and 8 to 10 feet high on the fort side with near vertical walls with bales of cotton on top of that. The walls are slippery and difficult to climb. The few Confederates able to make the top are either shot or blown apart by cannon. The ditch is now teeming with desperate Confederates. Three battle flags are planted on the ramparts. There is a brief stalemate as the rebels are unable to get into the fort and the defenders have difficulty shooting back. However, the portion of the 20th Michigan not in the fort open fire on the rebel flank and inflict heavy losses. An artillery officer in the fort throws lit cannon shells like hand grenades into the teeming rebels below. This breaks the back of the attack. The unhurt Confederates unable to escape surrender. The whole fiasco took less than 30 minutes. A truce is negotiated and the wounded are brought in and the dead buried. Many of those wounded in earlier fighting are exchanged. This battle was one of the most lopsided of the war. Confederate casualties totaled more than 800 including 129 killed. Total Federal losses were about 50. Longstreet receives the news about Missionary Ridge later in the day. The images are of artist impressions of the battle and photos of Fort Sanders. In the photo of the fort with the two soldiers, the officer on the left is Captain Orlando Poe. Poe was Burnsides chief engineer and designed the fortifications of Knoxville. Earlier in the war he was the commander of the Second Michigan Infantry and in 1864 he would perform good service as General Shermans chief engineer during the Atlanta campaign.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 06:27:31 +0000
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