Port Hudson

[chilidog]

Headquarters, Port Hudson, La.
July 7, 1863

General: Having received information from your troops that Vicksburg has been surrendered I make this communication to ask you to give your official notice whether this is true or not; and if true I ask for a cessation of hostilities with a view to the consideration of terms for surrendering this position.
I am, General, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,

Frank Gardner
Major General Commanding
Confederate States Forces

[chilidog]

Having defended this position as long as I deem my duty requires, I am willing to surrender to you, and will appoint a commission of three officers to meet a similar commission appointed by yourself, at 9 o' clock this morning, for the purpose of agreeing upon and drawing up the terms of surrender; and for that purpose I ask for the cessation of hostilities. Will you please designate a point outside my breastworks where a meeting shall be held for this purpose.

[chilidog]

The representatives settled on a surrender for today at 5:00 pm, but a heavy thunder storm put a stop to it. Lightening and rainfall, much like the weather we are having right now, made for a miserable night. The surrender was re-scheduled for 7:00 am. The honor of entering the fort first was given to Col. Henry Birge and his storm troopers.

Thus fell "Old Man River" and the key was finally in Mr. Lincoln's pocket. What was the importance of Port Hudson? Mr. Lincoln wanted to cut the Confederacy in two by taking the Mississippi River. The Confederacy held a gateway between Vicksburg, MS and Baton Rouge, LA by holding these two forts. To lose either fort would mean losing the gateway. Each one needed the other. Port Hudson was duty-bound to hold out as long as Vicksburg held. Vicksburg fell on July 4th. There was no longer any point in suffering hardships in Port Hudson.


chilidog

[Andy]

Reading that, there was no smile on these lips, just a feeling of sadness. The pain and grief of writing out the single word surrender, too many emotions to describe. What a ghastly word!It would have to be similar to being notified of the death of a loved one and being all alone. Perhaps being the OIC could be a very bad thing.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[SEATJERKER]

...don't believe that there were to many that actually deserved that title back then...too much division of the troops during such massive battles...must have been hard even to communicate down the lines with acurite messages, let alone in a timly manner...
... but surrender must have been the toughest word to utter for men by honor then, but saving them from slaughter was the "OIC's" main job, for the next battle to be fought...

[chilidog]

Andy,
You are right; the word "surrender" is a sad lot. If there is any consolation to this, at least they surrendered to Americans. We might have a little good-natured teasing between us, but we still have a lot of common ties. How horrible it must be to surrender to someone with foreign ideals.


chilidog