Fort McPherson

“ The large mansion was converted into a fort, and surrounded by a deep ditch and a high parapet. A garrison of one hundred and fifty men, under Captain McPherson, was stationed here, the place being re-named Fort Motte.
This stronghold was attacked, in May, 1781, by Marion and Lee, then in conjunction. Lee took position at the farm-house, and posted his men on the declivity of the plain on which the fort stood. Marion cast up a mound, placed on it the six-pounder they had brought with them, and prepared to assail the parapet while Lee made his approaches. McPherson had no artillery. ”

“ LaPierre House, an old trading-post, now abandoned, must be not far ahead. That’s where the land trail comes in from Fort McPherson, according to the stories. We don’t believe anything we hear any more, as all the tales have been unreliable and confusing. Must have made thirty miles to-day before we camped. ”

“ The world takes little notice, save when some startling tragedy occurs, and then soon forgets.
This story is not told in vain if it will remind Canadians of our own noble fellows, who in the wilds of our far-flung northern boundaries are adventuring their lives in these so-called "common" ways. "Their heroic efforts," says Commissioner Perry, "to return to Fort McPherson, have not been exceeded in the annals of Arctic travel. Corporal Dempster's reports show that the unfortunate men were wasted to shadows. ”

“ The fortifications there, by the unwearied diligence of Captain McPherson, were finished, and very defensible; being well flanked, and having several pieces of cannon. [1]
[Footnote 1: Letter from a Gentleman of Savannah to his friend at Charlestown, S.C., inserted in The New England Weekly Journal, May 13, 1734.]
By this excursion he ascertained how expedient it was to have an outpost, with a well-manned fort on the island of St. Simons; and how desirable to form a settlement and military station near the mouth of the Alatamaha, for the protection and defence of the colony. ”

“ Garrard's division of cavalry was kept busy on our left, McPherson had gradually extended to his right, enabling Thomas to do the same still farther; but the enemy's position was so very strong, and everywhere it was covered by intrenchments, that we found it as dangerous to assault as a permanent fort. We in like manner covered our lines of battle by similar works, and even our skirmishers learned to cover their bodies by the simplest and best forms of defensive works, such as rails or logs, piled in the form of a simple lunette, covered on the outside with earth thrown up at night. ”

“ By a determined advance of our skirmishers these latter were soon driven within their rifle-pits just outside the city. It was impossible to ascertain the strength of the enemy at this part of the line in time to justify an immediate assault; consequently McPherson's two divisions engaged the main bulk of the rebel garrison at Jackson, without further aid than the moral support given them by the knowledge the enemy had a force to the south side of the city and the few infantry and artillery of the enemy posted there to impede Sherman's progress. ”

“ Looking back upon the event and reflecting on the performance of the little brigade at Wright's house, it seems almost ludicrous to read in the report of Major-General McPherson, commanding the Seventeenth army corps, an account of the formidable disposition he made to attack it. Erroneously stating that he found the enemy "posted in strong force under Gen. W. H. T. Walker," he continues:
The position of the enemy was carefully reconnoitered, and Lieut. ”

“ Ere nightfall the troops were all under arms, and on the march to assault the great fort of the island; and when, as usual in such cases, old Rawlins the quartermaster was made custodier, pro temp., of all the rings, watches, and purses of the officers, that they might be safe with him in the rear, it was remarked that MacPherson retained his own valuables. "Ballychroan is a cool fellow," said the officers; "he has quite made up his mind to escape scatheless." ”

“ Forrester, with a large cavalry force, again moved north, marched between Big and Little Combination Rivers, and made his way unmolested to Paduah, and there assaulted the Union garrison held by Col. Heck, by whom he was badly beaten. He made his retreat, swinging around to Conception River, and following that down to Fort Pillston, which was held by a very small garrison of colored troops. After capturing the post the unfortunate troops were most barbarously and inhumanly butchered, no quarter being given. The poor colored soldiers and citizens were shot down like so many wild beasts. ”

“ They have never before shown so much industry and finished their defensive works with so much care." When it is remembered that these lines could only be approached through forests which hid everything till we were right upon them, it will easily be believed that we congratulated ourselves that the enemy was manoeuvred out of them and was being crowded back till he must soon assume the aggressive and assault our works.
Sherman's new positions placed McPherson's army on Proctor's Creek, a branch of the Allatoona in front of Ackworth on the railroad, Thomas's army between Mt. ”

“ General Grant in person directed me to take the right-hand road, but, as McPherson had not yet got up from the direction of the railroad-bridge at Big Black, I sent the Eighth Missouri on the main Jackson road, to push the rebel skirmishers into town, and to remain until relieved by McPherson's advance, which happened late that evening, May 18th. The battalion of the Thirteenth United States Regulars, commanded by Captain Washington, was at the head of the column on the right-hand road, and pushed the rebels close behind their parapets ”

“ The first and chief solicitude of the disunionists of South Carolina was to gain possession of the forts. A secret caucus was held. "We must have the forts," was its watchword; and, ere long, from every street corner in Charleston came the impatient echo: "The forts must be ours."
To revert to the beginning. On the 1st of October, 1860, the Chief of Ordnance wrote to Secretary Floyd, urging the importance of protecting the ordnance and ammunition stored in Fort Sumter, Charleston harbor, providing it met the approval of the commanding officer of Fort Moultrie. ”

“ We continued in pursuit of the enemy, skirmishing continuously, and when we reached the front of Atlanta we were on the extreme left near the breastworks, guarding the wagon train.
About two o’clock on the afternoon of July 22, 1864, the rebels attacked our left and drove our wagon train pell mell, forcing our left wing back. General James B. McPherson came up with his Staff, rode out through a piece of woodland in front of us, and ran into the rebel cavalry and was killed. I was within thirty yards of him at the time. ”

“ On the 4th Sherman had telegraphed Grant that he would "first secure the Tunnel Hill, then throw McPherson rapidly on his (the enemy's) communications, attacking at the same time cautiously and in force." [Footnote: Id., p. 25.]
McPherson's orders went to him on the evening of the 5th, directing that whilst the movements of Thomas and Schofield already described were in progress, on Saturday the 7th he should "secure Snake Creek Gap, and from it make a bold attack on the enemy's flank or his railroad at any point between Tilton and Resaca." ”

“ On the retreat of the enemy, General McPherson followed directly into the city of Jackson. A fine battery of six pieces was found, and around the Deaf and Dumb Institute, which was used as a hospital, tents enough were seized to encamp an entire division. The commissary and quartermaster’s stores were in flames. The Governor and State Treasurer had withdrawn, taking the State funds and papers. All citizens officially connected with the State or Confederate Governments had also left. Many soldiers remained, besides a large number in the hospital. ”

“ The men in the garrison shouted in return, several of them well accustomed to the noise giving vent to derisive laughter.
“The painted savages fancy that we are to be frightened by yells like yon,” cried Sandy Macpherson, an old Scotchman, who had been since his youth in the service of the company. “They may shoot their arrows and shout as loud as they like, but it won’t help them to get inside the fort, lads, I ken. Wait till we can see their heads, and then send a shower of bullets among them, but dinna fire till the captain gives the word, an’ then blaze away as fast as ye can load.” ”

“ MacKenzie wrote letters, enclosed them in empty kegs, threw the kegs into the raging torrent and so sent back word of his progress to the fort. Constantly, on the Uplands, the men were startled by rocketing echoes like the discharge of a gun, when they would pass the night in alarm, each man sitting with his back to a tree and musket across his knees, but the rocketing echoes—so weird and soul-stirring in the loneliness of a silence that is audible—were from huge rocks splitting off some precipice. Sometimes a boom of thunder would set the mountains rolling. ”

“ It was near 1 o'clock when we were overtaken by Rowley, but instead of having but five miles to march, the distance could not have been less than eleven or twelve miles. The first seen of General McPherson was when we were met by him and General Rawlins, just as the head of the column had reached the river road (from Crump's Landing to Pittsburg Landing) who had come out to urge you to greater haste. We had to march over the worst road I ever remember to have seen. In many places it was almost impossible to get artillery through. ”

“ I slept on the ground, without cover, alongside of a log, got little sleep, resolved at daylight to renew the battle, and to make a lodgment on the Dallas and Allatoona road if possible, but the morning revealed a strong line of intrenchments facing us, with a heavy force of infantry and guns. The battle was renewed, and without success. McPherson reached Dallas that morning, viz., the 26th, and deployed his troops to the southeast and east of the town, placing Davis's division of the Fourteenth Corps, which had joined him on the road from Rome, on his left ”

“ The gloom and apathy of approaching overthrow already filled their hearts.
1759 A.D. It was the design of Pitt to attack simultaneously all the remaining strongholds of France. An army of eleven thousand men, moving northward from New York by the valley of the Hudson, took with ease the forts of Ticonderoga and Crown Point; and the fair region which lies around Lake Champlain and Lake George passed for ever away from the dominion of France. A smaller force attacked Fort Niagara, the sole representative now of French authority on Lake Ontario. ”

“ Well-defined dry ditches are traced beyond the ramparts, with the barrack walls surrounding the parade-ground, an old well, and also the sally-port on the water side where Allen and his bold Green Mountain boys effected their entrance. During many years after the fort fell into ruins, the neighbors carried off its well-cut brick and stone work to build the growing villages on Lake Champlain's shores. All the surroundings are now eminently peaceful. The invaders, no longer warlike, are on pleasure bent ”

“ But this battle of the 22d of July cost us 3,722 killed, wounded and prisoners, and among the dead was Major general McPherson. The enemy left on the field an aggregate loss of 8000 men. And so the days passed, fighting and erecting breastworks, until on the 1st day of September, when as we were in front of Jonesboro, a small town below Atlanta, the rebels came out of their works and offered us battle. ”

“ There are no United States troops in that fort whatever, or perhaps only four or five at present, besides some additional workmen or laborers lately employed to put the guns in order.... If Fort Sumter could be given to me as Governor, I think the public mind would be quieted, under a feeling of safety."
The State seceded on the 20th. Major Anderson with a handful of men was at Fort Moultrie. "The garrison will not be strengthened. The people will obey the call for war, and take the forts," said the Charleston Mercury of the 22d. ”

“ All about them the rush of life went on, vast changes were impending in the industrial life of the people, cities were doubling and tripling their population, a war was being fought, and the flag of their country flew in the ports of strange seas, while American boys pushed their way through the tangled jungles of strange lands carrying in their hands Rainey-Whittaker rifles. And in a huge stone house, set in a broad expanse of green lawns near the shores of Lake Michigan, Sam McPherson sat looking at his wife, who in turn looked at him. ”

“ In the first place, much to his amazement, no supplies were being sent them from Fort Strother; indeed, a rider brought the news that the fort itself was almost destitute. To maintain an army in the wilderness without food is of course impossible; and so, instead of pressing forward to the victory which would have ended the war, the army was forced to retreat.
On top of this came the tidings that the brigade of troops left at Fort Strother to protect those wounded at Tallushatchee had been ordered away by the commander of another division which was also operating in the hostile country. ”

“ Having completed his dispositions, Fuser made the following demand upon Colonel McIntosh for the surrender of the fort:
“Sir,
“You cannot be ignorant that four armies are in motion to reduce this Province. One is already under the guns of your fort, and may be joined, when I think proper, by Colonel Prevost who is now at the Medway meeting-house. The resistance you can, or intend to make, will only bring destruction upon this country. ”