Overview
The Battle of Fort Pemberton took place during the Yazoo Pass Expedition, one of General Ulysses S. Grant’s attempts to advance on Vicksburg, Mississippi. After Union forces failed to capture Vicksburg at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou (December 26–29, 1862), Grant searched for another route to the city.
On February 3, 1863, Union engineers breached a levee on the Mississippi River about 300 miles north of Vicksburg. This provided access to the Tallahatchie River through Moon Lake and the Coldwater River. Lieutenant Commander Watson Smith led a naval flotilla through the Yazoo Pass, accompanied by troop transports carrying about 4,500 Union soldiers under General Leonard F. Ross.
Confederate commander John C. Pemberton responded by sending troops to obstruct the waterways and ordering William W. Loring to defend the route. Loring built Fort Pemberton near Greenwood, Mississippi, at the junction of the Tallahatchie River and Yazoo River. His men built artillery batteries, earthworks, rifle pits, and trenches. They also blocked the river with a raft and the sunken Star of the West.
On March 11, the USS Chillicothe approached Fort Pemberton, and Confederate artillery damaged the vessel and forced it to withdraw. The Chillicothe and Baron De Kalb attacked again on March 13, but Confederate fire forced another withdrawal. A third assault on March 16 also failed.
Smith relinquished command due to illness on March 17. James P. Foster took command and ordered the flotilla to withdraw on March 18. Isaac F. Quinby later tried to renew the operation, but another attack failed when the Chillicothe struck an underwater mine. Grant canceled the Yazoo Pass Expedition, and the Union flotilla cleared the pass on April 8, 1863.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: Battle of Fort Greenwood.
- Date: March 11–18, 1863.
- Location: Leflore County, Mississippi.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Watson Smith, Leonard F. Ross.
- CSA Commanders: John C. Pemberton, William W. Loring.
- Who Won: The Confederate States won the Battle of Fort Pemberton.
- Campaign: Vicksburg Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, January–June, 1863.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: Roughly 20.
- Forces Engaged: Naval flotilla and part of the 13th Army Corps.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 5,000.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: Fewer than 20.
- Forces Engaged: Army of Vicksburg, Fort Pemberton garrison.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 2,000.
Significance
The Battle of Fort Pemberton is important to American History because it was the only major engagement of the Yazoo Pass Expedition, one of Ulysses S. Grant’s attempts to reach Vicksburg through waterways north of the city. Confederate forces quickly built Fort Pemberton at a strategically important point where the Tallahatchie River and Yazoo River met. The narrow river channel and strong Confederate defenses prevented Union gunboats from effectively attacking the fort. Repeated Federal assaults failed, and the Union flotilla withdrew. Grant later canceled the Yazoo Pass Expedition, forcing him to continue looking for another way to approach and capture Vicksburg.
History
Grant Captures Fort Henry and Fort Donelson
By late 1861, President Abraham Lincoln was pressuring Union commanders in the West to invade the South. In early 1862, Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant’s forces gained control of two of the three main rivers connecting the North and South in the Western Theater by capturing Fort Henry, on the Tennessee River, and Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland River.
Grant Focuses on the Mississippi River
Promoted to major general on February 16, 1862, for his accomplishments, Grant soon turned his attention to controlling the Mississippi River. If Union forces could secure dominion over the Mississippi, they could divide the Confederacy and deny it easy access to supplies from the Gulf of Mexico and territories in the American West.
Federals Isolate Vicksburg
Admiral David Farragut captured the port city of New Orleans on May 18, 1862, barring Confederate access to the Gulf. In June, the Union tightened its grip on the Mississippi when federal forces captured the river city of Memphis, Tennessee. Still, the South controlled traffic on much of the river because of its strong fortifications at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Vicksburg Geography
Vicksburg is on the eastern side of the Mississippi, roughly fifteen miles south of the mouth of the Yazoo River. The city was known as “The Gibraltar of the Confederacy” because it sits on a high bluff overlooking a horseshoe-shaped bend in the river. The bluff upon which the city sits made it nearly impossible to assault from the river. Farragut made two attempts to do so in May and June 1862, but both excursions failed.
Federal Failure at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou
In December 1862, a Union attempt to capture the city by land failed when Major General John C. Pemberton’s Confederate forces mauled Major General William T. Sherman’s Federals at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou (December 26–29, 1862).
Yazoo Pass Expedition
Undeterred by Sherman’s setback, Grant hatched another operation in the late winter of 1863 to advance on Vicksburg, known as the Yazoo Pass Expedition. On February 3, 1863, Union engineers breached a levee on the Mississippi River about 300 miles north of Vicksburg, flooding a channel that previously connected the Mississippi River to the Tallahatchie River via Moon Lake and the Coldwater River. The channel, including its connected waterways, was known as the Yazoo Pass.
Smith’s Flotilla Advances
With the navigable connection created, a Union naval flotilla of two ironclads, six gunboats, and two rams, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Watson Smith, passed through the gap on February 24, 1863, and began steaming toward the Tallahatchie River. Smith’s expedition also included troop transports carrying 4,500 Union soldiers from the 13th Army Corps, commanded by General Leonard F. Ross.
Confederate Obstructions
Natural obstructions and Smith’s lack of urgency initially slowed the Union expedition. On February 9, 1863, Pemberton learned about the Union expedition. He immediately dispatched a small contingent of his Army of Vicksburg to fell trees and otherwise hinder the federal flotilla.
Loring Constructs Fort Pemberton
As concern about the newest threat to Vicksburg traveled up the Confederate chain of command, Pemberton sent Major General William W. Loring’s 1,500-man division up the Yazoo River to halt the Federals in February.
Loring arrived at Greenwood, Mississippi, on February 21, 1863. He quickly began constructing defenses at the junction of the Tallahatchie and Yazoo Rivers, about four miles downriver from Greenwood. By March 11, Loring’s men had created a series of artillery batteries, protected by earthworks and cotton bales. Rifle pits and entrenchment lines connected the batteries.
The largest gun in Loring’s arsenal was a 32-pounder that had a clear field of fire nearly two miles up the Tallahatchie River. Besides the breastworks, Loring’s soldiers built a large raft to block the river, and they scuttled a ship named the Star of the West in the channel to further impede navigation. The Confederates named the formidable stronghold Fort Pemberton, but the Federals referred to it as Fort Greenwood.
Federal Options
When Lieutenant Commander Smith and General Ross finally approached Fort Pemberton aboard Smith’s flagship, the USS Chillicothe, on March 11, 1863, they had limited options. The narrow river channel ensured that only two vessels could approach the Confederate fortifications at one time. A land attack would require infantrymen to cross 600 yards of cleared ground and a bayou, exposing them to rifle and canister fire.
Confederates Repulse Smith’s First Advance
As the Chillicothe rounded the last bend in the river above Fort Pemberton, at about 10 a.m., the Confederate gunners opened fire. The Confederates fired twenty-five to thirty rounds, two of which found their target, causing significant damage and forcing Smith to retreat.
Confederates Repulse Smith’s Second Advance
The Federals spent the next two days repairing their damaged ships and constructing shore batteries upstream from Fort Pemberton. By 11 a.m. on March 13, the Chillicothe and Baron De Kalb made another run at the Confederate fortifications. That foray lasted longer, but the results were similar. The Confederates forced both ships to withdraw after inflicting more destruction and killing three sailors and wounding nine others. The Federals killed one Confederate soldier and injured twenty others.
Confederates Repulse Smith’s Third Advance
For the next couple of days, the Federals strengthened their shore batteries by introducing several more guns. On March 16, the Chillicothe and De Kalb made another unsuccessful assault on Fort Pemberton. One sailor was wounded, and one drowned after an enemy shell damaged the Chillicothe’s forward port cover, making it impossible to open. Smith ordered yet another withdrawal.
Federals Withdraw
Throughout the entire expedition, Smith’s health deteriorated. On March 17, 1863, he reported himself unfit for duty because of illness. Lieutenant Commander James P. Foster, captain of the Chillicothe, assumed command of the expedition. After consulting with General Ross, Foster decided that any further attempts to subdue Fort Pemberton would be futile. On March 18, Foster ordered the flotilla to return to Helena, Arkansas, on the Mississippi, ending the Battle of Fort Pemberton.
Quinby Takes Command
As the Federals withdrew upriver, they encountered Union Brigadier General Isaac F. Quinby, as he led part of his division downstream to reinforce the expedition. Quinby assumed command of all the army forces and ordered them back downstream.
Quinby intended to disembark near Fort Pemberton and then send the transports upstream to return with the rest of his division to prepare for a land assault against the Confederate stronghold. Spearheaded by the naval gunboats, the assault on March 23 had barely begun before it faltered when the Chillicothe struck an underwater mine and withdrew.
Grant Scrubs Yazoo Pass Expedition
Even before this latest failure to subdue Fort Pemberton, General Grant began to have second thoughts about the expedition. On March 22, 1863, Grant notified Major General James B. McPherson that “The party that first went in have so delayed as to give the enemy time to fortify. I see nothing for it now but to have that force return the way they went in.” Five days after Quinby’s unsuccessful assault, Grant formally canceled the Yazoo Pass Expedition. On March 28, Grant informed Brigadier General Benjamin M. Prentiss, Quinby’s commander, “The troops that have gone down the Yazoo Pass are now ordered back.” Prentice passed the message down the chain of command, and Quinby began the withdrawal on April 5. The flotilla cleared the Yazoo Pass on April 8, 1863, ending the expedition.
Aftermath of the Battle
Loss of life during the Battle of Fort Pemberton was minimal. Each side suffered fewer than twenty casualties (killed, wounded, missing/captured).
Timeline
- 1861 — President Abraham Lincoln pressured Union commanders in the West to invade the South.
- 1862, February 16 — Ulysses S. Grant received promotion to Major General after his victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson.
- 1862, May 18 — Admiral David Farragut captured New Orleans, cutting off a major Confederate connection to the Gulf of Mexico.
- 1862, June — Union forces captured Memphis, Tennessee, strengthening Federal control of the Mississippi River.
- 1862, July — President Abraham Lincoln called Henry W. Halleck to Washington, leaving Ulysses S. Grant in charge of operations in the Western Theater.
- 1862, December — Grant divided the Army of the Tennessee and launched his first attempt to capture Vicksburg.
- 1862, December 26–29 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou.
- 1963, January 9–11 — Union forces won the Battle of Arkansas Post.
- 1863, February 3 — Union engineers breached a Mississippi River levee and opened the Yazoo Pass route.
- 1863, February 9 — John C. Pemberton learned about the Union expedition and sent troops to obstruct its route.
- 1863, February 21 — William W. Loring arrived at Greenwood, Mississippi, and prepared defenses near the Tallahatchie River and Yazoo River.
- 1863, February 24 — Watson Smith led the Union flotilla through the Yazoo Pass toward the Tallahatchie River.
- 1863, March 11 — Confederate batteries at Fort Pemberton opened fire on the USS Chillicothe, starting the Battle of Fort Pemberton.
- 1863, March 13 — The USS Chillicothe and USS Baron De Kalb attacked Fort Pemberton and withdrew after suffering damage and casualties.
- 1863, March 16 — The Chillicothe and De Kalb launched another unsuccessful assault on Fort Pemberton.
- 1863, March 17 — Watson Smith declared himself unfit for duty and transferred command to James P. Foster.
- 1863, March 18 — Foster ordered the Union flotilla to return to Helena, Arkansas.
- 1863, March 22 — Grant informed James B. McPherson that he believed the Union forces at Fort Pemberton should withdraw.
- 1863, March 23 — Isaac F. Quinby tried another assault, but the Chillicothe struck an underwater mine and withdrew.
- 1863, March 28 — Grant formally canceled the Yazoo Pass Expedition, ordering his troops to withdraw.
- 1863, April 5 — Isaac F. Quinby started withdrawing Union forces.
- 1863, April 8 — The Union flotilla cleared the Yazoo Pass, ending the expedition.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Fort Pemberton (1863) — The Battle of Fort Pemberton was fought from March 11–18, 1863, during the Yazoo Pass Expedition of the Vicksburg Campaign. Confederate forces under William W. Loring constructed Fort Pemberton at the junction of the Tallahatchie River and Yazoo River. Confederate artillery damaged the USS Chillicothe during the first attack, drove off a second assault by the Chillicothe and Baron De Kalb, and stopped a third attack on March 16. Lieutenant Commander James P. Foster withdrew on March 18, giving the Confederate States a victory.
Alignment
The Battle of Fort Pemberton is part of the following AP US History sections:
