In the following letter Chaplain Samuel Sawyer of the 47th Indiana Infantry describes the battle with Confederate gunboats at Riddle’s Point on March 17, 1862 during the campaign for Island No. 10. The 47th Indiana was one of the units in the 1st Brigade 3rd Division Army of the Mississippi. Sawyer enlisted with the 47th Indiana on October 21, 1861 and mustered into service on December 13, 1861. He remained in the regiment until his resignation on October 9, 1864. The letter originally appeared in the Indianapolis Daily Journal on March 28, 1862 page 2 columns 4 and 5.


Letter from Gen. Pope’s Army.

The Battle with the Rebel Gunboats.

Fourteen Miles South of New Madrid,
Missouri, March 21st, 1862.

Ed. Journal: In my last letter I gave you an account of our taking Fort Thompson, at New Madrid. As the river had been blockaded at Point Pleasant, eight miles from the fort, we were puzzled to find out in which direction the rebels had fled. From the testimony of one of the Tennessee prisoners, and from all the circumstances, we became satisfied that they had gone up the river and effected a landing not far from No. 10, and with their fugitive companions in arms were making special haste to get below us on the way to Fort Pillow or Memphis. Word reached us on Sunday that a part of their force was endeavoring to land on the western bank of the Mississippi, and at nine o’clock, P. M., General. Palmer’s Division, consisting of the 43rd, 46th, 34th and 47th regiments, struck tents, and with a guide marched all night through the rain and mud. Daylight found the column at Point Pleasant, within the destructive range of two batteries of 32-pounders of the enemy. General Slack filed the column to the right, and, wading through a desperate swamp, the men moved on to a place of safety. Resting awhile for their tents and camp equipage to overtake them, the men were just beginning to feel comfortable, when General Palmer ordered them forward to our present encampment. The 47th Indiana regiment was detailed to bring one of the cannon by hand from the battery above, and plant and defend it, from their rifle pits, against the rebel gunboats which were stalking up and down the river at all hours, night and day. The rifle pits were noiselessly dug, by men who had marched all the night before, the cannon placed, and with solicitude, but with undaunted courage, the regiment awaited the issues of the day. Colonel Robinson was in command. As the day dawned hundreds of tents could be seen near Tiptonville, on the Tennessee side of the river, and two gunboats, afterwards increased to seven, hove [word not clear in original] in sight, and opened a most fearful fire upon our lone cannon and our sheltered men.

Gen. Palmer, Gen Slack, and Aid-de-Camp Daily, drew near to the regiment, but the 32 and 64 pound shot and shell literally rained around them. They protected themselves as well as they could by the large sycamores which were near, dodging the balls as they flew right and left around them. Lieut. Purviance, of Huntington, was nearly buried in his rifle pit, by the bursting of a shell. At one time during the cannonading the gunboats adopted a plan, apparently, of landing their men to capture our guns. They moved up very near the shore, when Col. Robinson gave command to the men to fire. The 47th rose up in their rifle-pits, and taking steady aim, their bullets flew amongst the gunners, who fell in every direction. The roar of the musketry came like a thunder-clap upon the rebels, and one of the boats, as she turned her course, received a shot from our cannon in the stern which sent her rolling down the river double quick, in a disabled condition. The rest of the gunboats then renewed the fire with redoubled fury. From the shore their officers could be heard distinctly berating the gunners as cowards for not standing to their posts. Exasperated by these taunts, they would pour their terrific fire upon our solitary gun, until they drew near enough to test the virtue of our good Enfield rifles—and as another wheeled back into the middle of the channel, our gunner sent a shot which made a new port hole in her side, and from the smoke which rose up, left the impression that the boiler had been reached. Thus a second boat was laid aside. Three of the others continued the firing. One of them dropped down stream, took the range of our rifle pits, and rolled her shot and shell right over our men. Some of the men thought they had heard cannonading before, but they acknowledge with one accord that they never heard anything to compare with this. Some one, not belonging to our regiment, proposed that we should spike our cannon and abandon the ground. “Never, be jabers,” said our Irish gunner. Colonel Robinson told the men they must stand by the gun and never surrender.

Col. Slack almost feared, at one moment, that some of the men would lose their presence of mind and run away from the place of danger, and resolved if they did to rally them and lead them back in the face of the enemy’s fire. But the volunteers of Indiana have gone in for victory, and not for defeat. Believing in the justness of their cause, and the favorable providence of God, they know no such words as fail. This was the feeling of the 47th Regiment during the entire contest. Every gunboat disabled by our solitary but well aimed gun augmented the enthusiasm of the men, and nerved them to stand their ground like heroes. Frequent firing heated our cannon, again and again, but our cannonier was cool and self-possessed, and often taking deliberate aim, he hurled his balls with crushing effect upon the enemy until three, if not four, of the gunboats which had engaged us were disabled, and giving up the contest they went down the river, out of our range. The enemy had fired over seven hundred times with their shot and shell, poured from five of their gunboats, and we had returned their fire over one hundred and twenty times. The single cannon which Colonel Slack had planted, amid the cheers of his men, upon Fort Thompson, kept at bay, and, finally, “whipped out” seven of the enemy’s gunboats.

The fact stands out almost unparalleled in the history of warfare. It was a splendid day’s work, courageously and brilliantly executed. The commanding officers feel proud of the unflinching bravery of their men.

As an instance of cool self-possession and daring, I may mention that, during the heat of the battle, our color bearer, Sergeant H. Lindsey, of Wabash county, fearing that the beautiful banner, which the ladies of Huntington presented to Captain Shearer’s company, might be shot down, and fall into the river, removed if from the battery and planted it in the rear of the rifle pits, where it waved proudly throughout the day.

I might add other interesting incidents, for the same spirit ran through the ranks.

General Palmer complimented the heroic courage of the men, and feels that he can confide in them in any future engagement.

While I am writing, the cannon are still thundering at Island No. 10.

Yours, very truly, Samuel Sawyer,
Chaplain 47th Reg. Ind. Vols.