Statewide County MsArchives News.....SCOUTS OF CONFEDERACY BY MISS MARY RATLIFF, HISTORIAN U.D.C. Unknown ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/ms/msfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Pattie Snowball http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00017.html#0004072 October 14, 2007, 8:47 pm Jackson Paper Unknown Unknown SCOUTS OF CONFEDERACY BY MISS MARY RATLIFF, HISTORIAN U.D.C. Captain Samuel Henderson. Operating on the Yazoo, February 1863. General W.H.T. Walker, at Benton, asked for their aid May31. July 30, General Johnston asked General Jackson to send the scouts to the Mississippi river to observe the Federal movements above and below Vicksburg. In his report of operations, including action at Concord Church, near Yazoo City, December 1, 1864, Col. John Griffith, commandeering brigade of Adams Cavalry, mentioned the valuable services of “Capt. Sam Henderson, commanding independent company of scouts, who is every ready, courteous and gallant on all occasions.” Gen. Wirt Adams mentioned Capt. Henderson and his scouts as informing him from Vaiden of the movement of Grierson’s Raiders in December, 1864. Scout Binforn reported the Federal operations on the Big Black river November 25. January 20, 1865. Maj. Gen. W.T. Martin, commanding at Jackson, wrote: “I hope to retain Henderson’s Scouts in this district (Mississippi and East Louisiana); they are almost the only reliable scouts I have, knowing the whole country in front and the people along the river, and having established channels of communication which can not be easily re-established.” January 24, 1863, General Loring, at Grenada: “Thomas Henderson’s Scouts report most of Grant’s army at Memphis; 10,000 left on the 20th, and the remainder is to follow immediately for Vicksburg, re pressing all boats and sending up the river for others.” After the disaster at Baker’s Creek (Champion Hill), Pemberton sent Capt. Thomas Henderson with a message to General Johnston, and on May 18th, while Grant’s army was closing up on the intrenched line the answer from Johnson, saying, “If Haynes’ Bluff is untenable Vicksburg is of no value and cannot be held. If, therefore, you are invested in Vicksburg, you must ultimately surrender. Under such circumstances, instead of losing both troops and place, we must if possible, save the troops. If it is not too late, evacuate Vicksburg and march to the northeast.” Captain Henderson then carried back Pemberton’s reply that it was the unanimous opinion of his general officers in council of war that it was impossible to with draw the army with such morale and material as to be of further use to the Confederacy. “I have decided to hold Vicksburg as long as is possible, with the firm hope that the government may yet be able to assist me in keeping this obstruction to the enemys free navigation of the Mississippi river. I still conceive it to be the most important point in the Confederacy.” Colonel Waring (Federal) wrote to General Washburne, commanding at Memphis, 1864: “I do not understand why Henderson’s scouts are constantly about us. They usually have some communication with Forrest.” August 12, 1864, General Forrest announced Capt. Thomas Henderson as chief of scouts for his department of North Mississippi and West Tennessee. Orders of Maj. Gen. Forrest, December 2, 1864: “There are four regularly organized and recognized companies of scouts for this command, viz: Captain T. Hendersons company, Captain Kizer’s company and Capt. Cobb’s company. None other will be recognized.” The company was on duty during the Alabama campaign of 1865. BRADFORD’S SCOUTS An act of congress, approved June 10, 1864, authorized the appointment of a major and four captains, to raise four companies to do service as scouts in the Mississippi Valley. General S.D. Lee was instructed that two companies were to be raised on the east shore, one in north Mississippi and the other from South Mississippi and Louisiana. “Captain Thomas Nelson might be taken from the first named locality, and Captain Owen’s company which has been operating in Wilkerson County, from the last. The corps will be commanded by Captain Thomas M. Nelson, who will be appointed major.” Major J.D. Bradford, however, was assigned to command. According to Federal information, the scouts, 60 in number, were ordered to report at Canton, then at Mechanicsburg, where they arrived November 30. “Their main object is to facilitate communication between the Mississippi and Trans-Mississippi departments. In Federal report of action near Rolling Fork, September 22, 1864, commands of Bradford and Montgomery reported 150 men. Their camp on the Helen Johnson plantation, destroyed by Colonel Osband and buildings burned. The scouts under Major Bradford were in battle as skirmishers of Griffith’s (Mabry’s) Brigade, in action at Concord Church, Yazoo County, December, 1864, and were given honorable mention in Griffith’s report of his victory. HARVEY’S SCOUTS Captain---Addison Harvey. First Lieutenant—R.J. Lee. Second Lieutenant---T.B. Land, George Harvey. Third Lieutenants---George Harvey, William Tryson. Total roll, 118; killed or died in service, 12; wounded 16, captured 29. Land was killed near Stilesboro, Georgia, October, 1864. Captain Harvey was killed by a citizen of Columbus, Ga., April 20, 1865. Notes accompanying the final roll. Harvey’s Scouts were organized as a detachment of men detailed from Wood’s and Starke’s regiments of Wirt Adams’ cavalry, under command of Lieut. Harvey of Wood’s regiment. It’s subsequent organization as an independent company of scouts attached to Gen. W.H. Jackson’s division, took place at Cave Springs Georgia, Jun 1, 1864. Before organizing as a company its service was confined to Mississippi, scouting on the Mississippi river between Vicksburg and Natchez, following Sherman’s raid, to Meridian and back. Upon the transfer of General Jackson’s cavalry from Mississippi to Georgia Harvey accompanied Jackson, and on arrival at Cave Springs was promoted to captain and permitted to increase his command by receiving enlistments to a full company. It had been composed of about 40 detailed men. From this time until the surrender, with varied fortunes the scouts watched the movements of the enemy around Atlanta, went into Tennessee with General Hood, returned to take part with General Forrest against the Wilson raid through Alabama, following the enemy to Columbus, Ga., finally ceased the struggle three months after the death of Harvey, upon the surrender of General Taylor. During the service in Mississippi Captain Harvey was wounded in at attack on the escort of a wagon train from Natchez. July 16, 1863, he and his men dashed into Jackson as Sherman’s corps moved out. In his report of the Meridian campaign, Gen. W.H. Jackson wrote: :I beg leave to call the attention of Major-General Lee to the part performed by Lieut- Harvey and his gallant band of 40 scouts. He was everywhere doing good service: killed and captured of the enemy four times his own number. His daring, coolness, and Judgment eminently fit him for promotion and much larger command.’ Colonel Starke wrote that Harvey brought to bear his usual undaunted courage, extraordinary energy and judgment. Harvey’s command of twenty-three men was the only part of the Confederate cavalry corps that remained about Meridian while Sherman was destroying the military depots and railroads, and he also, alone attended the Federal army to Canton. He reported that his men occasioned a Union loss of about 130 killed and captured, two wagons and forty- seven horses and mules. Among his own losses were John Graham, killed and Ruell M. Stancill wounded, of Starke’s regiment and Private Tindell, Ballentine’s regiment, wounded and captured: James Renfrow and Thomas Field killed, and Private Pereau wounded, of Wirt Adams regiment. Report of General McCook, Union army, June 26, 1864: “These men in the rear who have been during the mischief near Tilton’s belong to this division (Jackson’s). They call them Harvey’s Scouts.” Alexander Bailey, an orphan boy of Yazoo City, went with the Anding Hussars— Wirt Adam’s cavalry—in 1862, at the age if 13 years, and was furnished with a mule and a sword. He rendered valuable services as a scout, and was regularly enrolled at the age of 14.” CHOCTAW INDIANS “About 200 Choctaw braves enlisted in the Confederate service early in 1863, under the command of Major J.W. Pearce, and soon afterward were in an engagement with the Union soldiers at Tangipaho, with disastrous results. Many of the Indians and several of the white men—officers—were captured and some of the Indians were taken north and put on exhibition. This put an end to the battalion as an organization, which formally disbanded May 9, 1863, but a transfer was made to Spann’s battalion of independent scouts.” Additional Comments: Miss Mary Ratliff B. Aug. 15, 1870 D. Feb. 28, 1955 Raymond, Hinds County, Mississippi File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ms/statewide/newspapers/scoutsof49gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/msfiles/ File size: 9.5 Kb