Reports of Major James H. Bogart, One hundred and sixty-second New York Infantry, and resulting correspondence.

PLAQUEMINE, LA., January 2,1863.

SIR: Pursuant to Special Orders, No.2, Headquarters One hundred and sixty-second Regiment New York Volunteers, I embarked with three companies on the 31st, at 8 p.m., proceeded up the river as far as Bayou Goula, where we met Gunboat No.3, also Lieutenant Perkins, in command of cavalry force stationed there. Upon consultation it was decided to land my force at once at Plaquemine and take possession of the town, which I did without any opposition at 4 p.m., Lieutenant Perkins' cavalry joining me with his whole force, 75 strong, at 12 midnight.

From a reconnaissance made last night as far down as Indian Village, on Bayou Plaquemine, we find the enemy's cavalry in some force, but pickets only on this side of the bayou. My position is quite strong, as you will see by the rough map I send.* If possible to send me 100 more men, even of some other regiment, they could be made the best use of, and ere the transport returns will become a necessity. I have rations up to the 8th, and if decided to retain the command here would respectfully ask ten days' additional.

I further ask full instructions in regard to citizens. They are mostly of French extraction. Some have taken the oath and some not. Also in regard to contrabands. My course so far has been to keep them on their plantations and allow them in no case to gather in the town.

I would further ask attention to the following: Lieutenant Perkins' command have had no rations for some time, and they actually need the regular army supply. They are also in great need of clothing, of which the quartermaster-sergeant has sent a list needed. It is 60 miles to Thibodeauxville, where he drew his last requisitions. His horses also need forage; oats especially.

Hoping that the above report will meet with approbation at headquarters, I am, sir, most respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES H. BOGART,

Major One hundred and sixty-second New York Volunteers.

Colonel BENEDICT,

Commanding Brigade.

[Indorsement.]

HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES FORCES,

Camp Parapet, January 3,1863.

Respectfully forwarded to Brigadier-General Sherman, commanding division.

LEW. BENEDICT,

Colonel, Commanding.

CARROLLTON, January 3,1863.

Respectfully referred to department headquarters. The detachment ordered from here under directions from headquarters department took ten days' rations and 200 rounds ammunition per man.

T.W. SHERMAN,

Brigadier-General.

HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES FORCES,

Plaquemine, La., January 3,1863.

SIR: My small command still occupy the same position in the town of Plaquemine. Last night we were under arms all night, and from 10 until daylight in position behind levee to resist contemplated attack from the enemy. Information received from citizens, contrabands, and especially from my own cavalry scouts, led me to expect an attack. Their force I estimated to be at least one regiment of infantry, two pieces of artillery, and about 500 cavalry. My information , gleaned from all the different sources, tallied as to their strength, and to their being immediately across the bayou at Indian Village, 9 miles from here. Their cavalry have been (at 8 o'clock last evening), see within 1 mile of the village of Plaquemine, some 150 strong, on Mr. Gay's and Stone's plantations.

At 1 o'clock this morning the enemy attacked my pickets from across the Bayou Plaquemine in considerable force, but with no effect. I replied, and they drew back into the woods. From the precision and unity of their volleys I judged them to be well-drilled troops and not guerrillas. At my request Captain Roe, of Gunboat No.8, threw some eight or nine shells over the town into the woods where the enemy were posted, evidently scattering them, for we heard no more from that point during the night. From the falseness of a fuse one shell from the gunboat exploded over Company B, instantly killing Sergt. Joseph A. Baker, seriously wounding Private C. Mayer in shoulder and head, and slightly wounding Corpl. Edward Many in hand.

At 2 a.m. I sent cavalry scouts down Bayou Plaquemine, who returned by 3 o'clock and reported that they saw the enemy across the bayou all along, and that at 3 miles down he met their pickets, who chased them some miles.

At daybreak Gunboat No.7 arrived from up the river, and remained off the town to co-operate with Captain Roe, of Gunboat No.8. During the morning contrabands came in from Bayou Jacob, Bayou Grosse Tete, and Grand River, all of whom reported the enemy's force much larger than they have been heretofore.

DONALDSONVILLE, LA., January 4,1863.

In the continuing of my report I would say that at 9 o'clock yesterday morning Lieutenant Perkins sent out a squad of cavalry, with orders to push to Indian Village, if possible. They returned at 4 p.m. with the report that they had gone within a mile of that place, and that the enemy were erecting a fort there and had a large force of infantry with artillery. Infantry 5,000 strong, two batteries of artillery, and a large force of cavalry, with General Sibley in command. The reports of Lieutenant Perkins I have implicitly relied upon, for he has been in this section of the country some time and knows it well. At 1 p.m. the river boat Morning Light came up the river, bound for Baton Rouge. I sent for re-enforcements to that place. After receiving the information of the force at Indian Village, and upon consultation with Lieutenant Perkins, of the cavalry, I decided it to be necessary, unless I was re-enforced strongly by 5 p.m., to evacuate the town, my men were in such an exhausted state, having been almost continually on the alert and not having had their accouterments off since entering the town. I immediately communicated my decision to Captain F.A. Roe, who said that the could take us aboard the two gunboats and either take us or down the river. I decided to go down to this place, and from there, unless ordered by Colonel Holcomb, return to Camp Parapet.

I was compelled to leave my rations, or rather the remainder of them, which amounted to about three and a half days for my 160 men. I would have had more remaining, but my surgeon considered it necessary to issue extra rations of coffee, &c., to the men on account of their exhausted state. I also gave some to Lieutenant Perkins' cavalry  upon his informing me that his command were totally without and in need.

I was also compelled to leave my ammunition, 22 boxes, of caliber .54.

On communicating to the captain of the gunboat at 5 p.m. he said he would render me all assistance before dark, but could do nothing for me after. To have taken my ammunition on board would have occupied at least an hour's more time. I had another and, as I considered, important reasons for moving nothing. The citizens had constant communication across the Bayou Plaquemine by means of skiffs; for with my small force it was impossible for me to post sentries close enough to prevent that evil, and had they any idea of my evacuating it would have been immediately communicated to the enemy, who could have crossed on the flats in sufficient numbers to have annoyed me, and most probably deterred my embarking.

All of my small command, including the wounded whom I sent off on the first boat, was aboard the gunboats by 7 o'clock, and we then took our course for Donaldsonville, running slowly to cover the retreat of Lieutenant Perkins' cavalry by the river road. Had we been attacked while embarking it would have resulted in the total destruction of not only my own men but those of the gunboats and of the boats also, for I could not defend myself, nor could the gunboats render me any assistance with their guns, for the enemy would have been behind a levee 12 feet high.

We arrived at Donaldsonville this morning at 8 o'clock, my officers and men having been treated in the most courteous manner by the gunboat commanders.

At Donaldsonville I found the river steamer Morning Light with 200 of the Forty-second Massachusetts on board for me from General Grover at Baton Rouge. They arrived at Plaquemine at 7.30; not seeing us, they proceeded down the river to this place and reported to me. General Grover requested me to return the troops as soon as possible, as I ordered them to return as soon as practicable, the Morning Light having some repairs to make before being able to move up the river.

Colonel Holcomb, commanding at this place, did not desire me to remain, so I took the first river boat (Sallie Robinson) and returned to Camp Parapet, where we arrived this evening at 10 o'clock.

In conclusion I would speak of my orders. When I reported to the captain of the gunboat, as my orders were to co-operate with the naval force, he said he could give me no advice in the matter, for he knew nothing of the state of affairs on shore.

I further add as a postscript, the embarkation was the decision of a consultation of all my officers, fully approved by the commandants of the gunboats.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES H. BOGART,

Major, Comdg. Detachment 162nd New York Vols.

Col. LEW. BENEDICT,

Comdg. One hundred and sixty-second N.Y. Vols.

I would report as a certainly the loss of the enemy to be 2 killed on the 2nd and 1 on the 3rd of January.

Yours, respectfully,

JAMES H. BOGART,

Major, Comdg. Detachment 162nd New York Vols

[Indorsements.]

HEADQUARTERS THIRD REGIMENT, THIRD BRIGADE, January 5,1863.

Respectfully forwarded.

LEW. BENEDICT,

Colonel.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,

New Orleans, January 8,1863.

Respectfully returned to General Sherman.

This report, taken in connection with the representations contained in the letters of General Grover and Colonel Holcomb, filed herewith, is regarded by the commanding general as unsatisfactory. General Sherman will cause a thorough investigation to be made of the facts and report the results to these headquarters, returning these papers with such report.

By command of Major-General Banks:

RICH'D B. IRWIN,

Lieutenant-Colonel, Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DIVISION,

Baton Rouge, La., January 5,1863.

ASSISTANT ADJUTANT-GENERAL,

Hdqrs. Department of the Gulf, New Orleans:

SIR: I have the honor to report that on the afternoon of the 3rd instant I received from Major Bogart, commanding battalion One hundred and sixty-second New York Volunteers, a communication, a copy of which is herewith inclosed, marked A.

In accordance with the request for re-enforcements I immediately ordered three companies of the Fifty-second Massachusetts Volunteers (about 200 aggregate), under the senior captain, to proceed to Plaquemine and report to Major Bogart. This re-enforcement left this post about dark, from two to three hours after the call for re-enforcements.

It appears, however, that about an hour before the Morning Light, with this detachment, reached Plaquemine Major Bogart had evacuated the post, leaving behind, I am informed 20,000 rounds of ball cartridges. I inclose also, marked B, a copy of Major Bogart's report of the matter to me.

On the same boat that took the re-enforcements I sent a communication to Major Bogart, a copy of which I did not keep, owing to the hurry in dispatching the boat. It was, however, to the effect that from reliable information, or what I considered so, there could not be over about 300 of the enemy in the vicinity of Plaquemine, La.

Last night, at about 10 o'clock, Captain Lewis, commanding gunboat Itasca, returned to this post from Donaldsonville, and reported to his commander and immediately to me that the whole command of infantry had gone to Donaldsonville, and that also about twenty-four hours after the evacuation of Plaquemine a gunboat had returned to that point, and two boats' crews had gone ashore and brought away the 20,000 rounds of ammunition; a sufficient proof, I think, that there was no enemy of any consequence about Plaquemine.

Under those circumstances, though in no way under my authority, I considered it necessary for the good of the service and the credit of the army that the forces which had evacuated Plaquemine should return immediately. I therefore at once ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Storrs, of the Fifty-second Massachusetts Volunteers, to proceed on the Itasca to Donaldsonville and assume command of the detachment of the One hundred and sixty-second New York and Fifty-second Massachusetts Volunteers, to return to Plaquemine and occupy that post until further orders from competent authority. I also ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Storrs, in case re-enforcements were received from below, or in case he was satisfied that the re-enforcement from the Fifty-second Massachusetts Volunteers was no longer needed, to return with the detachment of the Fifty-second to this post.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

C. GROVER,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

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