Under Siege!: Three Children at the Civil War Battle for Vicksburg
176
Under Siege!: Three Children at the Civil War Battle for Vicksburg
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Overview
Meet Lucy McRae and two other young people, Willie Lord and Frederick Grant, all survivors of the Civil War's Battle for Vicksburg. In 1863, Union troops intend to silence the cannons guarding the Mississippi River at Vicksburg – even if they have to take the city by siege. To hasten surrender, they are shelling Vicksburg night and day. Terrified townspeople, including Lucy and Willie, take shelter in caves – enduring heat, snakes, and near suffocation. On the Union side, twelve-year-old Frederick Grant has come to visit his father, General Ulysses S. Grant, only to find himself in the midst of battle, experiencing firsthand the horrors of war.
"Living in a cave under the ground for six weeks . . . I do not think a child could have passed through what I did and have forgotten it." – Lucy McRae, age 10, 1863
Period photographs, engravings, and maps extend this dramatic story as award-winning author Andrea Warren re-creates one of the most important Civil War battles through the eyes of ordinary townspeople, officers and enlisted men from both sides, and, above all, three brave children who were there.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781429948432 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Publication date: | 04/27/2009 |
| Sold by: | Macmillan |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 176 |
| Lexile: | 1110L (what's this?) |
| File size: | 5 MB |
| Age Range: | 10 - 14 Years |
About the Author
I grew up in a tiny Nebraska town, and our public library was my refuge. I still remember books I read and reread there. At the time, it never occurred to me that someday I could write books. In fact, it took me several decades to confront my desire to write full-time. I kept waiting for someone to tell me to do it—to give me permission. I finally had to give myself permission, and it was the hardest and the easiest thing I’ve ever done.
While I love fiction, I am happy at present writing historical nonfiction. I might have majored in history and devoted my teaching career to it except for one major problem: I so often found it boring. Wars and treaties and successions of kings and presidents didn’t interest me nearly as much as the people behind the facts. I loved historical literature, like War and Peace, which taught me the facts but did so almost surreptitiously because I was so engrossed in the lives of the characters. I have tried to pattern my writing for children in the same way.
Andrea Warren was born October 30, 1946, in Norfolk, Nebraska. She received her bachelors of science degree from the University of Nebraska in 1968, and a master’s in English from the same university in 1971. Ms. Warren also received a master’s in journalism from the University of Kansas in 1983. She has written numerous books for young readers, including Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps, which was named a 2002 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book.
Read an Excerpt
Under Siege!
Three Children at the Civil War Battle for Vicksburg
By Andrea Warren
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Copyright © 2009 Andrea WarrenAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4299-4843-2
CHAPTER 1
WAR COMES TO VICKSBURG
December 1862
From the top of Sky Parlor Hill, ten-year-old Lucy McRae closed one eye and peered through her spyglass at the Mississippi River. She looked as far as she could see in both directions.
Was the enemy out there somewhere? Would this be the day that Yankee gunboats steamed into view to attack her town?
But she saw only the usual river traffic — barges, flatboats, a sailing ship or two. Had the Yankees realized they could never silence the guns at Vicksburg?
No one believed that. Sooner or later, everyone said, the enemy would be back.
Though Lucy could view the river from the second-floor porch of her home in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on a clear day she could see for fifty miles from the top of Sky Parlor Hill. This was the favored spot of well-to-do residents who lived in nearby homes high in the hills of this very hilly river town, and some of Lucy's neighbors were usually there. Everyone was watchful these days. When the weather was warm, the climb up the steep wooden steps to the top of the hill was punishing for ladies wearing tight corsets and high-button shoes, and carrying silk parasols to keep the strong sun from darkening their delicate skin. But they still came. On winter days like today, with a cold early December wind blowing off the river, they wore capes and gloves. Even with a hat over her blond curls, Lucy could hear the rustling of their silk skirts atop layers of petticoats.
Since she attended the all-girls academy in town, it was usually later in the day before she could get to the hill. Sometimes her brothers Colin, who was fourteen, and Fulton, twelve, were there when she arrived. Both boys were excited about the war and planned to join the Confederate army just as soon as their parents allowed it. Lucy's two oldest brothers, Allen and John, both in their early twenties, were already in the army. Fortunately, John was stationed right here at Vicksburg. But Allen's regiment was far away in Virginia. The family worried all the time about him. One of these days they might have to worry about John as well.
Many in Vicksburg had mixed feelings about the war — some were even pro-Union — but out of loyalty to their families and community they supported the Confederacy. Mississippi had been the second state to secede. When the war had started in the summer of 1861, nobody had thought it would last more than a month or two. Southerners agreed that the North needed to be taught a lesson, and the South would do it swiftly and surely. Gradually, however, it became clear that this would be a long struggle, and that much of it would be fought on Southern soil. Now, in December 1862, Yankee bluecoats were steadily moving into Mississippi from the north. Their stated objective was to capture Vicksburg and silence the cannon guarding the Mississippi River, keeping it from Union control. Lucy knew that her little city was of such strategic importance that sooner or later the Yankees would attack.
* * *
Early Last April, townspeople had seen firsthand the awful consequences of war. Rebel troops had bravely fought the Yankees at the bloody two-day battle of Shiloh in southwestern Tennessee, but had been defeated by the Union generals Ulysses Grant and William T. Sherman. The next day, trains rolled into Vicksburg, their cars spilling over with badly wounded Rebel soldiers. Townspeople helped the Catholic Sisters of Mercy care for the survivors at Vicksburg's two hospitals and also helped bury the dead. Families like Lucy's, confronted with the realities of the battlefield, now worried even more about their own boys. Lucy had not been allowed to see the wounded soldiers, but she had heard townspeople talking about how young they were — some even younger than her brothers — and she saw the fear in her parents' eyes.
Before the war, life in Vicksburg had been quite pleasant for the McRae family. For anyone traveling on the Mississippi River, a first glimpse of this city was always an impressive sight. The town's hills and bluffs rose 200 feet in the air. The majestic courthouse and even some of the elegant homes high in the hills were visible from the water. With 5,000 residents, Vicksburg was the second largest city in Mississippi. Lucy described it as "a place of education, culture, and luxury." There were several opulent hotels, an opera house, fine grocery stores, six newspapers, and several private educational academies. The new courthouse, built by slave labor, had been completed just two years earlier, and its impressive dome, said to be the height of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, dominated the skyline.
Though the North had imposed a blockade on Southern ports after the start of the war, preventing the arrival of foreign merchandise, townspeople still had their choice of banks, pharmacies, tailors, shoe stores, liquor stores, and gunsmith shops. Dressmakers and the millinery shop were open for business. The candy store still had treats, and the bookstore was still stocked with books — just not the latest offerings from publishers in New York or London.
Lucy's father was a prosperous businessman. Lucy was the youngest of William and Indiana McRae's five children and the only girl. She admitted that she was spoiled. When she went downtown with her mother to shop, the contrast between her life and the lives of poor children in the city was apparent. As Rice, the family's house slave, carefully eased their horse-drawn carriage down the steep streets, Lucy saw the dilapidated homes of children too poor to go to school. Most of them could not read or write and had to work at whatever menial jobs they could find, earning only pennies a day. Near the river, Lucy saw seedy hotels and cotton warehouses. Sailors and dockworkers milled about, and the air smelled of coal smoke and tar.
Before the war, steamboats landed at the docks several times a day, releasing a colorful stew of passengers — gamblers, businessmen, and families traveling the river between Memphis, 200 miles to the north, and New Orleans, 200 miles to the south. Now the Yankees controlled those two ports, and, though there was still river traffic, there were no more steamboats going back and forth to those cities.
Since the start of the war, Lucy had gotten used to the sight of the cannon that stood guard on the bluffs and on the waterfront to protect the river from the Yankees. And anywhere she went, she saw soldiers. More were arriving all the time. There were now 10,000 Confederate troops stationed around the perimeter of Vicksburg to safeguard the city and its guns. The Mississippi River was vital to the Southern cause. It started in Minnesota and flowed 2,000 miles to the Gulf of Mexico, and the North now controlled all of it but this small section at Vicksburg. If Federal troops could seize control of Vicksburg, they could split the South down the middle, into an eastern half and a western half. The Mississippi River would become their highway, giving them a direct route to invade the Deep South.
When planning strategy with his generals, President Abraham Lincoln had said, "Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket. We can take all the northern ports of the Confederacy, and they can defy us from Vicksburg." It was only a question of how and when the North's all-out assault would occur.
Vicksburg intended to be ready. Because of its location, reaching it would be a challenge for the enemy, for it was surrounded by swamps, ravines, and steep gullies. The river was the more obvious path of invasion, but it flooded in hard rains and its currents were treacherous to navigate. If enemy boats came from the north, they had to slow down just before reaching Vicksburg to negotiate a hairpin curve in the river. This made them easier targets for the huge cannon on the bluffs and the smaller cannon along the waterfront — a total of forty big guns in all.
Still, the Yankees had tried, and would try again.
* * *
No one in Vicksburg would forget their first attempt. One day the previous May, several gunboats had steamed into view and dropped anchor. A delegation of Union officers climbed into a small boat. Waving a white flag so no one would open fire on them, they handed over a demand that the city surrender. From Vicksburg had come the reply, "Mississippians don't know and refuse to learn how to surrender. If the Federal commanders think they can teach [us] otherwise, let them come and try."
The Union officers had been surprised, thinking that once they had their boats in position opposite the town, surrender would quickly follow. But the Confederates knew the Union guns were not powerful enough to damage the Vicksburg cannon. And just as suspected, the gunboats lobbed a few harmless shells at the town and then gave up and went away.
While townspeople had breathed a sigh of relief, they knew the boats were a warning of what was to come. In preparation, additional Confederate troops arrived to shore up protection of the guns and the city, and more cannon were added to strengthen the artillery batteries on the bluffs and along the waterfront. Some folks boarded up their homes and moved to the country. Most stayed — out of defiance, to protect their property, or because they had nowhere else to go.
If the Union intended to bombard the city, then townspeople had to find protection. They realized that caves would be the safest place. The Vicksburg soil was soft and easy to dig in, and some people already had caves that they used for storage. The idea of taking shelter in the ground wasn't appealing — caves were hot, dirty, and full of bugs and snakes. But that was better than being exposed to exploding shells.
After that first Yankee assault, cave digging began in earnest. People wanted their caves to be as close to their homes as possible so they could get to them quickly. There were so many hills in Vicksburg that it was not hard to find a location. Slaves dug many of the caves that now began to dot the landscape. Most were ordered to do so by their owners, but a few were paid for this task and allowed to keep the money. Joe Davis, the brother of Confederate president Jefferson Davis, owned a plantation near Vicksburg. When there was still steamboat traffic on the river, he had allowed his slaves to sell wood, eggs, and produce from their gardens to the passengers and to keep their meager earnings. But most slaves allowed to work for money earned only enough to make their lives a little easier by purchasing needed food and clothing, for the average slave was both undernourished and poorly dressed. Still, there were rare stories of slaves saving enough money to purchase their own freedom. About fifty freed blacks lived in Vicksburg. Almost all of them had been given freedom by their former masters, and they lived simply, usually doing odd jobs to support themselves. Several had special skills as bricklayers or blacksmiths.
Apart from these few exceptions, slavery was a fact of life in the agricultural South, and children like Lucy who grew up with slavery usually did not question it. Most slaves lived on plantations and worked in the fields. Those lucky enough to be house servants enjoyed a higher status. They worked as cooks, maids, butlers, and drivers, and as mammies who cared for their white owners' children. Lucy's family owned Rice and also owned a slave named Mary Ann. Rice and Mary Ann had separate shacks behind the McRae home that were nicer than most slave cabins on plantations, and they had better food and clothing. But they were still slaves, and as their owners, Lucy's parents could punish them or sell them if they wished.
Lucy knew how much Rice, especially, wanted his freedom. For him, the arrival of the Yankees could signal a whole new life.
* * *
In June 1862, six weeks after their first attack, the Yankees returned. This time they came not only with more boats but also with more powerful guns. As the fleet steamed into view, hundreds of people hurried to Sky Parlor Hill. They watched in shock and horror as the ironclads opened fire.
Lucy's mother had wanted to leave Vicksburg when the gunboats had appeared the first time, but Mr. McRae had firmly refused. When the gunboats came back in June, Lucy was at home when she heard the first explosion. As an adult she recalled, "One bright afternoon men, women and children could be seen seeking the hilltops with spyglasses, as from the heights could be seen a black object slowly approaching along the river. Suddenly a shell came rattling over as if to say, 'Here I am!'
"My mother was much alarmed, but still faithful to womanly curiosity, stood on the upper porch of our house to see the gunboat, if possible. Another shell, and still another, and the hills began to be deserted.
"The gunboat, seeing that her shells were falling short, ventured a little closer, and sent a few shells into the town. People sought their homes, but sleep visited few, as the shelling continued until late that night.
"The next morning the shelling began very early, and the women and children were to be seen running by every road that led out of the town."
Lucy and her family stayed put. For two long days the Union fleet hurled shells at Vicksburg. Loud, thunderous booms, one after another, rattled windows and numbed eardrums. Shells knocked holes through the walls of houses, damaged the Methodist church, tore up sidewalks, and blasted craters in yards. Lucy's home was not damaged, but she grieved with townspeople over the death of a woman well known in the community who was killed by a shell as she ran for safety.
Finally, guns blazing, the Federal ships managed to fight their way past the Vicksburg batteries, but their crews suffered casualties, and what had been gained? Any ships that tried to do the same would face the same. The Federal commander felt Vicksburg could only be taken by attack from both land and river. As for the bombardment of the city, he felt it had served no purpose. The guns of Vicksburg were still in place.
That had been six months ago. Now it was December, and as Lucy looked through her spyglass from Sky Parlor Hill, her warm coat buttoned to her chin, all was quiet below her. The Confederacy still controlled the river.
CHAPTER 2THE CHRISTMAS EVE BALL
December 24, 1862
Vicksburg dressed up for Christmas. The Yankees might not be far away, but this beloved holiday would go on as always. Garlands, wreaths, and holly decorated the classic black iron grillwork and stately white columns of the town's most prominent homes. Just as they had for generations, families planned to celebrate the holiday by attending special church services, hosting eggnog parties, singing Christmas carols, decorating Christmas trees, and lighting the Yule log. Holiday dinners would include turkey, ham, oysters, plenty of side dishes, and gingerbread, custard pies, sponge cake, and plum pudding. Vicksburg gentlemen would still have their fine Southern cigars and Southern bourbon to finish off a splendid meal.
Because of the blockade, society women could not order new gowns from Paris to wear to the annual Christmas Eve Ball, but in spite of this, everyone was in a festive mood. The Yankees didn't seem like much of a threat at the moment. Their leader, General Ulysses Grant, who had defeated the Confederates at Shiloh, had set up a huge supply base at Holly Springs, Mississippi, near the Tennessee border, and no doubt thought he could attack Vicksburg from there. But in a daring raid just days earlier, the Rebels had destroyed the base, forcing Grant to retreat to Memphis.
The ball was a wonderful way to celebrate this victory, and on Christmas Eve, the elite of the city bundled up against the cold and blustery weather and climbed into their carriages. They made their way along the steep streets to the stately mansion of Dr. and Mrs. William Balfour, where they were greeted by their hosts. The mansion's ballroom was festooned with fragrant, fresh-cut greenery. The lavish refreshment table, lighted by massive candelabra, groaned under the weight of meats, cakes, pies, and other sweets. Guests were served punch from Mrs. Balfour's elaborate silver punch bowl, and they sipped champagne and wine poured from exquisite cut-glass decanters.
Amid hoop skirts and dashing military uniforms, as the orchestra played merrily, guests were swept up in music, laughter, and dancing. At least for this one evening, they could quite easily believe that there was no war.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Under Siege! by Andrea Warren. Copyright © 2009 Andrea Warren. Excerpted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction,Chapter One War Comes to Vicksburg: December 1862,
Chapter Two The Christmas Eve Ball: December 24, 1862,
Chapter Three The General's Boy Goes to War: Spring 1863,
Chapter Four Burying the Family Silver: Late Spring 1863,
Chapter Five At the Battle Front: Late Spring 1863,
Chapter Six The Yankees Are Coming! May 1863,
Chapter Seven The Road to Vicksburg: May 15-19, 1863,
Chapter Eight Enemy at the Gates: May 17-25, 1863,
Chapter Nine Into the Caves: Late May and Early June 1863,
Chapter Ten Dangerous Days: Early June 1863,
Chapter Eleven Growing Desperation: Mid June 1863,
Chapter Twelve Empty Stomachs: Late June 1863,
Chapter Thirteen Surrender! July 4, 1863,
Chapter Fourteen The Unfinished War: July 1863 and Beyond,
Afterword,
For More About the Civil War,
Selected Bibliography,
Endnotes,
Acknowledgments,
Illustration Credits,
Index,