Battle of Johnsonville

Battle of Johnsonville. . Some of the lesser known battles and incidents of wars have afforded drama and have portrayed characteristics of the participants far beyond those of usual recorded history. Such was the Battle of Johnsonville, fought between Maj. Gen. N. B. Forrest's (CS) corps and (US) troops in the effort of the South to destroy Sherman's supply lines and so break up his then in progress "March to the Sea." Forrest's cavalry had long been the unfindable, unconquerable terror of Northern commanders, always appearing at unpredictable spots and times; with a marked facility for creating impressions of having forces tremendously larger than he ever actually possessed. Johnsonville, named for Andrew Johnson, later to be President of the U.S., was a Tennessee river landing, rather completely removed from the general lines of fighting. Its great importance lay in that Federal supplies were shipped there by boat from Ohio and Mississippi river ports; transferred to a railroad running eastward to Nashville and thence south to Sherman's army. After disrupting the more direct lines of (US) supply through middle Tennessee and northern Alabama, Forrest was sent into West Tennessee to capture and destroy Johnsonville, with the final objective of Confederate capture of Nashville. With a force of never over 3,000 men, some 400 of whom lacked horses, and with an ultimate of ten cannon, he took a position on the west side of the Tennessee river, from the Kentucky state line south to Johnsonville. By strategic placement and daring appearances he caused northern commanders to report his forces variously from "12,000 to 20,000," with vast amounts of artillery. In fact three days after the Johnsonville victory and when Forrest was actually en route south to help Hood's (CS) army, Federal officers reported him as being "in disguise in Chicago, Michigan City and Canada for two months." "With 14,000 men" and "on the 7th of November, midnight, will xxxx and will sack Chicago and shoot down all Federal soldiers." Some idea of Forrest's troubles with recruitment and his own supply is given by his letter "amount of supplies greatly exaggerated xxxx, people will drive hogs into woods, xxxx and will not sell us wheat for Confederate money. If you could furnish us salt, or something they could use, etc., etc." The first phase of the battle (October 28) was largely naval in nature. By placing artillery Buford, Walton, and part of Morton's batteries at Fort Heiman; Bell's Tennesseans and part of Morton's battery five miles up the river toward Johnsonville, Forrest established an ambuscade for Federal vessels. First to fall prey (October 29) was the (US) steamer Mazeppa, with a large load of supplies. She was run ashore on the Federal (east) bank but later towed across by Confederates and the booty was "9,000 pairs of shoes, blankets, clothing, meat, hardtack and a demijohn of brandy" beside the steamer itself. On October 30, the (US) steamer Anna ran the gauntlet and escaped to Paducah "badly damaged." The (US) gunboat "Undine," 8 guns, coming downstream to help the "Anna," although badly damaged, got in between (CS) batteries and out of their range. Shortly afterward the (US) transports "Venus" and "J. W. Cheeseman," headed down stream, failed to heed the "Undine's" signals and the Cheeseman surrendered to the Confederates. The "Venus" got to protection under the guns of the "Undine." The (CS) artillery, reinforced by Chalmers with Hudson's and Rice's batteries, moved to positions bearing upon the "Undine" and the "Venus" both of which surrendered. Meanwhile the (US) gunboat 'Tawah" steamed down river to just out of range of (CS) batteries and opened fire, but retreated as (CS) guns were moved into range. Forrest, arriving October 31st, decided to organize a Confederate navy, consisting of the Captured Venus, 2 guns, and Undine, 8 guns. On November 1 this navy started up river toward Johnsonville, with the artillery dragging its guns along the slick muddy banks, over logs and through briars. On November 2, about 6 miles below Johnsonville the "Venus" became overbold and was attacked and driven ashore by the (US) gunboats"Key West" and "Tawah." On November 3, the new Confederate "Undine" appeared two miles below Johnsonville and repeatedly challenged the three (US) gunboats at Johnsonville, unsuccessfully trying to inveigle them down stream into a fight with the field artillery, now well along up the west shore. On November 4, Forrest had put his troops and artillery in position on the west shore opposite Johnsonville, with batteries above and below the town to cut off reenforcing gunboats. Six (US) gunboats from down river and three from Johnsonville, mounting more than 100 guns total, opposed the 8 gun "Undine"; 2 land guns of Rice's (CS) battery, and two guns of Walton's battery. Despite this advantage in guns, it was too dangerous to risk having a gunboat sunk in the narrow, tortuous channel around Reynoldsburg Island, so they destroyed the "Undine" and withdrew after severe fighting. Forrest was in the meanwhile getting land batteries into position directly across the river from Johnsonville., Gun pits were dug in the natural levee, which was lower than Johnsonville, and much lower than the (US) earthworks on the hill back of the town. The (US) guns could not be depressed enough to not over reach the (CS) positions. The (US) gunboat guns, intended for fighting over boats, could not be sufficiently elevated to reach (CS) land guns. This situation led to Forrest's famous command, when he himself was serving as a member of a gun cred to "Elevate the breech of that gun a little lower." The Confederate batteries of Morton, Thrall, Walton and Rice, ten guns in all, were hidden by camouflage of boughs and the heavy undergrowth. At 2 p.m. they opened fire on the unsuspecting town. For forty minutes major attention was given to the 3 gunboats, 8 transport steamers, 10 barges, bulging warehouses, acres of open storage, two trains and the (US) soldiers. The (US) boats were destroyed, burned or sunk, and today their rotting ribs lie at the river's bottom. Fire was then concentrated on the supplies on the banks and hills. One liquor warehouse spilled hundreds of barrels of burning alcohol over the blazing town for a mile up and down stream. Leaving destroyed Johnsonville that night, Forrest's corps traveled six miles by glare of the flames he was leaving behind him. The short expedition of Forrest's corps resulted as he reported it "in the loss to the enemy of 4 gunboats, 14 steamboats, 17 barges and quartermaster's stores estimated at $6,700,000." He captured 150 prisoners, with a loss to his own command of "two killed, nine wounded and 2 guns lost on the Venus." This great Confederate victory never realized its potential importance, because Sherman had himself already decided to cut and destroy the rail lines back of him, to live off the country and "make Georgia howl" until he could reach sea borne supplies at Savannah. The battle was, however, entirely typical of Nathan Bedford Forrest, whose generalship led Sherman to day "That devil Forrest must be hunted down if it costs 10,000 lives and bankrupts the Federal Treasury."