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Report
of Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck, General-in-Chief, U. S. Army, of operations
in
HEADQUARTERS
OF THE ARMY, SIR: In compliance with
your orders, I submit the following summary of military operations since
my last annual report: *
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* DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF. Major-General Banks
took command of the Department of the Gulf on the 16th of December. Almost
immediately on assuming command, he ordered a detachment of troops to
Galveston, Tex., to occupy that place, under the protection of our
gunboats. Colonel [Isaac S.] Burrell, with three companies of the
Forty-second Massachusetts Volunteers, the advance of the expedition,
arrived at that place on the evening of the 24th of December. On
consultation with the commander of the blockading force, he landed his men
upon the wharf and took possession of the city. On the 1st of January,
before the arrival of the remainder of our forces, the rebels made an
attack by land with artillery and infantry, and by water with three
powerful rams. Colonel Burrell's command of 260 men were nearly all killed
and taken prisoners, the Harriet Lane captured, and the flag-ship
Westfield was blown up by her commander to prevent her falling into the
hands of the enemy. The rebels also captured the coal transports and a
schooner. The commanders of the Harriet Lane and the Westfield and a
number of other naval officers and men were killed. The remainder of the
expedition did not leave New Orleans till December 31, and arrived off
Galveston on the 2d of January, the day after our forces there had been
captured and destroyed by the enemy. Fortunately they did not attempt to
land, and returned to New Orleans in safety. It is proper to remark that
this expedition was not contemplated or provided for in General Banks'
instructions. On the 11th of January,
General Weitzel, with a force of infantry and artillery, aided by the
gunboats under Lieutenant-Commander Buchanan, crossed Berwick Bay, and
attacked the rebel gunboat Cotton in the Bayou Teche. This gunboat, being
disabled by the fire of our naval and land forces, was burned by the
rebels. The loss of General
Weitzel's command in this expedition was 6 killed and 27 wounded. A number
were killed and wounded on our gunboats, and among the former
Lieutenant-Commander Buchanan. On learning the capture
of the Queen of the West by the rebels above Port Hudson, and their
movements in Red River and the Teche, Admiral Farragut determined to run
past the enemy's batteries, while the forces at Baton Rouge made a
demonstration on the land side of Port Hudson. The demonstration was made,
and, March 14, Admiral Farragut succeeded in passing the batteries with
the Hartford and Albatross. The Monongahela and Richmond fell back, and
the Mississippi grounded, and was blown up by her commander. Had our land
forces invested Port Hudson at this time, it could have been easily
reduced, as its garrison was weak. This would have opened communication by
the Mississippi River with General Grant at Vicksburg. But the strength of
the place was not then known, and General Banks resumed his operations by
the Teche and Atchafalaya. In the latter part of
March, Colonel [Thomas S.] Clark was sent with a small force up to
Ponchatoula, and destroyed the railroad bridge at that place. He captured
a rebel officer and 4 privates, and three schooners loaded with cotton.
His loss was 6 wounded. At the same time General [F. S.] Nickerson was
sent to the Amite River to destroy the Jackson Railroad. He proceeded as
far as Camp Moore, captured 43 prisoners, a considerable amount of cotton,
and destroyed valuable rebel manufactories. In his operations up
the Teche and Atchafalaya, General Banks encountered the enemy, under
Sibley, Taylor, and Mouton, at several points, and defeated them in every
engagement. Butte-a-la-Rose was captured, with a garrison and two heavy
guns, by the gunboats under Lieut. Commander Cooke, of the navy. General
Banks reached Alexandria on the 8th of May, the enemy retreating toward
Shreveport and into Texas. In this expedition, General Banks reports the
capture of 2,000 prisoners, 22 pieces of artillery, 2 transports, and a
large amount of public property. We destroyed 3 gunboats and 8 transports.
Our own loss in the different engagements with the enemy was "very
slight," numbers not given. General Banks now
returned to the Mississippi River, crossed his army to Bayou Sara, where
he formed a junction May 23 with General Augur's forces, from Baton Rouge.
The latter had an engagement with the enemy on Port Hudson Plains on the
22d, in which he lost 19 killed and 80 wounded. Port Hudson was
immediately invested. While awaiting the slow operations of a siege,
General Banks made two unsuccessful assaults. Finally, on the 8th of July,
the place unconditionally surrendered. We captured 6,233 prisoners, 51
pieces of artillery, 2 steamers, 4,400 pounds of cannon powder, 5,000
small-arms, 150,000 rounds of ammunition, &c. Our loss from the 23d to
30th May, including the assault of the 27th, as reported, was about 1,000. Being re-enforced from
General Grant's army on the termination of the Mississippi campaign,
General Banks sent an expedition under General Franklin to occupy the
mouth of the Sabine River, in Texas. It reached the entrance to the harbor
on the 8th of September, and the gunboats engaged the enemy's batteries;
but two of them, the Clifton and Sachem, being disabled and forced to
surrender, the others retreated, and the whole expedition returned to
Brashear City. The officers and crew of the gunboats, and about 90
sharpshooters who were on board, were captured, and our loss in killed and
wounded was about 30. After a long delay at Brashear City, the army moved
forward by Franklin and Vermillionville, and, at last account, occupied
Opelousas. *
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* DEPARTMENT OF NEW MEXICO. The troops in this
department have been principally employed during the past year on the
Indian frontier, and in opening and in guarding roads to the newly
discovered gold mines in Arizona. The fabulous richness of these mines has
attracted large numbers of miners and traders from California and Mexico,
and this hitherto barren Territory will soon become a wealthy and populous
State. *
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* All of which is
respectfully submitted. H.
W. HALLECK, General-in-
Chief. Hon. E. M. STANTON, |
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