My husband’s great-grandfather and uncle served in the Union Army during the Civil War. The uncle wrote 250 letters home to his wife detailing where he was and what he was doing. Last summer, my husband and I joined his cousin and wife on a trip to several of the battlefields where they fought. This is the third part of this series. You can read Part 1 and Part 2.
One of the first battles they engaged in on the western front of the Civil War was fought at Belmont, MO, a small military encampment across the Mississippi River from the Confederate fort at Columbus, Kentucky. The fort on top of a bluff allowed the Confederates to see any river traffic, thus alerting them to the arrival of any Union troops and enabling them to fire upon the transport boats.
Chain Across the Mississippi
The Confederate general at the fort had the idea to stretch a chain across the river to prevent any Union boats from getting through. The chain’s links were 11” long and weighed around 20 pounds each. The anchor at one end of the chain had flukes that were 9 feet long. Unsuccessful, the chain broke under its weight and the strength of the current.
The Battle
Grant’s forces made a surprise attack on the Belmont camp and the Confederates retreated when they ran out of ammunition.
But the next day, while they were plundering the camp, Grant saw Confederate reinforcements landing and ordered his troops to their ship. Too late, they were surrounded. But when Grant heard talk of surrender, he is said to have encouraged his men by saying “We fought our way in. We’ll fight our way out.” One regiment did manage to break through and as the troops rushed to the transport boat, the Confederates continued firing on them as the boat steamed away from Belmont.
Both sides claimed victory in this battle.
The Moral of the Story
One of the hallmarks of General Grant’s success was his tenacity in fighting. He simply didn’t give up. When the enemy was retreating, many commanders would fall back and consider themselves successful. Grant pressed on, seeing the retreat as an opportunity to gain ground and total defeat of the opposing forces.
No matter what you’re facing, press on. Keep fighting. Victory may be at hand.
