The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 24, In Three Parts. Part 2, Reports. Page: 420
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420 MISSISSIPPI, WEST TENNESSEE, ETC. [CHAP. XXXVI.
No. 94.
Report of Col. Thomas P. Dockery, Nineteenth Arkansas Infantry, com-
manding Second Brigade.
HEADQUARTERS SECOND BRIGADE, SECOND DIVISION,
Demopolis, Ala., July 29, 1863.
SIR: In obedience to the orders of the lieutenant-general commanding,
I submit the following as the report of the part taken by this brigade in
the defense of Vicksburg :
About sunset on the evening of May 17, the remnant of the brigade
(the most of it having been captured at Big Black Bridge) reached the
city, and went into camp near the cemetery.
On the evening of the 18th, it was ordered to take position in rear of
Brigadier-General Moore, near the arsenal, and act as reserve, and
marched to the support of different points on the line without doing but
little or no fighting until the morning of the 22d.- The brigade was or-
dered to strengthen the lines of Brigadier-General Moore. While on
the way to General Moore's line, a' courier from Brigadier-General [S.
D.] Lee to General Green reported that General Lee's line had been
broken by the enemy. The brigade was moved at a double-quick to
the support of General Lee. When near the line of General Lee, his
men rallied and drove the enemy from their works; at least, when we
arrived at the works, General Lee's line was complete and no enemy on
his works, yet there was a considerable force in a ditch or ravine under
General Lee's works. I was ordered by General Green to take the First
Arkansas Battalion Sharpshooters to open on the enemy in the ditch,
which I did, and with such effect as to soon drive them from their
hiding place. At 1 p. m. I joined the rest of the brigade, which had
gone to the support of General Moore's lines, on the Baldwin's Ferry
road. Here the Nineteenth and Twentieth Arkansas were ordered into
the fort occupied by the Second Texas Infantry, the enemy occupying
a position in the ditch and a ravine in front of the fort. About 4.30
p. m. the First and Third Missouri Cavalry, joined by the First Arkan-
sas Cavalry (all dismounted), sallied from the fort, and, after a short
but desperate fight, drove the enemy from the position with heavy loss.
On the next day the brigade moved back to its bivouac, near the
arsenal, and continued in reserve until the morning of the 28th instant,
when it was ordered to take position in the trenches fronting the river
below the city, and on the 29th was ordered to take position ,in front and
above the city, to support the heavy batteries and be ready to meet any
attempt to storm the city.
The brigade occupied this position until the evening of June 2, when
it was ordered to move out to the works in the rear of the city, and occupy
permanently a gap between the divisions of Major-Generals Smith and
Forney. This was one of the most exposed positions on the line, the
enemy's guns enfilading the works from right to left, and guns of heavy
caliber played upon the enemy's works from the front. With the limited
number of intrenching tools on the line, it took all night to repair the
damage done to the works during the day.
Too much praise cannot be accorded to the officers and men for the
untiring energy and perseverance displayed by them in constructing
and strengthening the works.
On the 26th, the enemy commenced digging an approach in front of
the fort on my brigade. General Green having been wounded on the
day before, he was on this day unable to visit the fortifications and
watch the movements of the enemy.
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The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Additions and Corrections to Series 1, Volume 24. (Pamphlet)
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United States. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 24, In Three Parts. Part 2, Reports., book, 1889; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154603/m1/420/?q=Tappan%27s: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.