Captain Cailloux's funeral procession from Harper's Weekly,
August 29, 1863.
Courtesy of the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley
Collection,LSU Libraries.
Captain Cailloux's funeral procession from Harper's Weekly,
August 29, 1863.
Courtesy of the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley
Collection,LSU Libraries.
41st TENNESSEE INFANTRY
Dated March 11, 1919
One bright, hot morning a brigade of negro soldiers of about 4,000 commanded by General Daniel Wallman of New York came out of the heavy cotton wood forest about ¾ of a mile in front of the bluff we were on, formed a beautiful line, and struck a double quick pace for the bluff. In time past the river had its bad courses along at the foot of the high bluff extending for several miles. In front of the village and above, the river had changed its course, leaving the bluff and moving several miles west, forming an elbow and striking the village near its center. This change in low water left a large, wide plateau or ground in front of the abandoned bluff, extending west ¾ of a mile to a dense, heavy cotton wood forest. This broad, extended plateau was level and had the appearance of a smooth, clean sea beach. The bluff was almost abrupt and, along its whole line, bristled with heavy Confederate artillery. It also had rifle pits and light artillery stations.
It was astounding that this negro brigade would assault such a place. But they came on in splendid form, bayonets glistening like silver in the bright June sun, uniforms spick and clean, and the Commanding Officers riding close behind them. When they got within 150 yards of the front of this bluff, every cannon, heavy and light, double shotted, and every rifle turned loose on them. They stopped, and at once fell to pieces in this terrific fusillade playing havoc and death among them. They stampeded, and every man, not on the ground, took to his heels for the woods, the guns meanwhile playing on them, and, after the ones fortunate enough to escape reached the heavy timber, the 100 heavy cannon continued to pour a volcano of shot and shell into the timber producing a terribly crashing noise. About 500 or 600 of the Negro Federals were left dead and wounded on the ground which they traversed.
I once had a Commission of a negro Captain (Capt. Andrew Cailloux) taken off a dead negro Captain killed on that field. And the first green back bill I ever saw was a $5.00 bill I took out of the dead negro Captain’s inside coat pocket. His Commission was signed by General B.F. Butler. I don’t remember what became of it. I could relate many other interesting incidents which occurred during that siege. The battles were fierce and desperate. In the end the federal artillery tore the little wooden town to pieces. No other attack was made on the bluff side than the one related.
I have just had a stirring hour, occasioned by the arrival of Colonel Nelson with his native Louisianian (black) infantry, one thousand strong, who halted in our midst awhile, and attracted much attention. I was interested to see how my men would regard such neighbors, and was glad to see there was not much merriment and no contempt, even among the Irishmen. The general impression was that they were a fine lot of men, and will fight. Colonel Nelson and all his officers are convinced they are to distinguish themselves; and Nelson tells me he and his niggers, according to the programme, are to make the assault, and he has no doubt of his colors being taken into the town first. If they will fight, and Port Hudson falls, the great problem of "Will the blacks fight?" will be solved forever. It is a question of vast interest.
The enemy made a charge this morning on Miles Legion, some with
scaling ladders in their hands. They were driven back three times with
heavy loss. There were also several charges made on the 15th Arkansas and
1st Mississippi, and on the extreme left were two negro regiments, who
charged us. We drove them back and cut them all to pieces. Some of our
boys went over and searched the negroes and found in the pocket of the
first negro who was [a] Captain, his commission and eight dollars in green
backs. He was mustered in the Service of the U. S. On the 20th of September,
1862, at New Orleans. The Captain's name was Andrew Coillon [Cailloux],
they have never been able to get them to make another charge, (that is
the negroes.) There were in all fifteen charges made on our line today.
The old 39th is the first Regiment that has ever fought against negroes
in this way; at least it is the first Regiment that has been charged by
the negroes. They . . . sent in a flag of truce twice this P. M. to bury
their dead, but General Gardener did not recognize it as such. The grand
rascals are just trying to find out our force or they are up to some trick,
so General Gardener thinks. . . It has rained very hard during the day
and I got as wet as water.
They have sent in another flag of truce wanting the time prolonged
for five hours longer which brings it until 2 o'clock P. M. It has been
granted. Our company has lost but one man during the fight. The enemy have
buried all their white men and left the negroes to melt in the sun. That
shows how much they care for the poor ignorant creatures. After they are
killed fighting their battles, having done all they can for the Federals
then for them to let the bodies of the poor creatures lie and melt in their
own blood and to be made the prey of both birds and beasts.
It was during the first grand attack on the 27th of May, that the famous charge by negro troops was made, about which so much has been said in army orders and by the press at large. Two negro regiments under Colonel Paine, with a line of white troops behind them, came out of the willow swamp on the extreme left, close to the river, and which was separated by a clearing of six or seven hundred feet [yards?] from a line of rifle-pits we had dug in the bluffs, where two small mountain howitzers were also in position. The negroes came up in fine order. Charging at a double-quick as soon as they reached clear ground. A party of skirmishers, concealed in a little copse on their flank, fired upon them, while they were saluted in front by a volley from the rifle-pits and the simultaneous discharge of the howitzers. The head of the advancing column was shattered by this fire, and the poor fellows, seeing their comrades fall by the dozen, broke and ran to cover among the willows. We had the range of this willow swamp, and two heavy guns on the river front were immediately turned upon it and shelled it for several hours, tearing the slender willows into splinters and causing much slaughter. Over two hundred and fifty blacks were counted, dead or too badly wounded to crawl out of sight. The nearest to our rifle-pits were about two hundred yards. Foremost among them was a young mulatto name Pierre Caillow [Cailloux], a native of New Orleans, who was recognized by some of our boys who hailed from that city. He wore a captain's uniform and his commission, signed by General Butler, was found in his pocket. This was the first and last we saw of the negro troops during the siege of Port Hudson. How many of the poor wretches perished in the fatal trap into which they had been so unwisely driven I cannot say. In conversation with Federal officers and men after the surrender I have heard the number estimated as high as six hundred.
Horrid Scene of War
During that day and the next we could hear the groans of the wounded
that had fallen among the willows, and the dead lay festering in the hot
sun, creating a sickening stench. Unable to stand this, some of our boys
started the next morning on a blackberrying expedition, as they styled
it with grim pleasantry. They found a wounded negro among the dead, under
the willows. He was suffering excruciating torture from several wounds.
They gave the poor fellow some water, and lifting him with tender hands,
placed him on a blanket and carried him to the hospital. He recovered enough
strength to whisper a few grateful words, but life was nearly extinct and
he died two hours after being admitted into the hospital.
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