A Crime Scene: Vicksburg, Mississippi

This is a personal indulgence posting—a bit off the subject of the blog but on a topic that I wanted to write about. In recent years, I have written two short biographical pieces about Confederate Brigadier General Daniel Weisiger Adams. The shorter piece appeared in Kentuckians in Gray edited by Bruce S. Allardice and Lawrence Lee Hewitt, and the longer essay was published in Confederate Generals in the Western Theater (volume 3), edited by Lawrence Lee Hewitt and Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. Adams moved to New Orleans in the late 1850s, entered into business, and quickly made a number of important connections. For part of the war, Adams commanded the Louisiana brigade of the Army of Tennessee, and later became a district commander in Alabama; his brother, Wirt, also became a brigadier general.

Adams, a native Kentuckian, grew up in Mississippi where his father, George, served as a federal judge. In 1843, not long after the younger Adams started practicing law, Vicksburg newspaper editor, Dr. James Hagan, published an editorial hinting at improprieties by Judge George Adams during a sensational investigation of alleged embezzlement by Mississippi’s state treasurer. Infuriated, Daniel Adams traveled from Jackson, Mississippi, to Vicksburg where he armed himself at the urging of friends. On June 7^th, the 22 year old Adams accosted James Hagan. What follows is a transcription from the June 14, 1843 edition of The Southron newspaper published in Jackson:

“Mr. A. met with Dr. H. while the latter was returning from his boarding house to his office. When within a few yards of him, he called to Dr. H. and stated that a scurrilous article against his father had appeared in the Sentinel, which he then held in his hand, and he desired to know the author of it. Dr. H., without making any further reply, advanced upon Mr. A., who at the same time raised his walking cane and struck at Dr. H., who caught the blow on his arm, and immediately seized Mr. A. around the waist. They grappled with each other and after a short struggle both came to the ground, side by side, but Mr. A. being farther down on the slope of the hill, Dr. H. succeeded in getting on top and fixing his hand upon the throat of Mr. A. While in this position, Mr. A. drew a pistol from his side pocket and shot Dr. H., the ball entering just below the left shoulder blade and ranging along the spine to the back part of the head. He died immediately.

            Mr. A. surrendered himself to the civil authorities….said without the least hesitation that HE had done the deed….The body was in Walnut Street, south of Jackson about forty feet towards Grove Street.”

A jury acquitted Daniel Adams of murder charges.

On a recent trip to Vicksburg, I visited the crime scene. The first view is looking across the intersection of Walnut and Jackson toward the southeast. Adams and Hagan started fighting somewhere near this intersection.

Adams killed Hagan close to this area:

Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery

On a recent road trip, my mom and I stopped at the Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery near Cabot, Arkansas. When Americans observe Memorial Day, we often think first of those who died in combat, but many more soldiers died of disease during the Civil War than as a result of battle. A sad example of this fact is the Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery that today is tucked into a quiet neighborhood. In the winter of 1862 and into the spring of 1863, Confederate soldiers encamped in the area fell victim to deadly diseases such as measles and pneumonia. A poor diet, exposure to harsh weather, poor sanitation, and a lack of immunity led to a nightmarish situation for these Arkansas and Texas soldiers. In fact Camp Nelson itself was named for one of those who succumbed: Colonel Allison Nelson, the commander of the 10^th Texas Infantry. The exact number of soldiers who died in the area that winter is unknown, but it is estimated that at least 1,500 men passed away. Today, they lie in unmarked graves.

 A modern marker:

A view of the 1905 monument at the cemetery:

 A view of some of the markers for unknown soldiers:

Arkansas and Texas state flags fly at the cemetery:

First at Fort Donelson: The 11th Illinois Infantry

Earlier this week, I returned from a much needed break, a road trip across parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Of course, along the way some Civil War sites were visited and upcoming posts will feature some of these sites. For now, though, this is the next installment featuring the Union regiments from William Fox’s list of 300 Fighting Regiments that served in the trans-Mississippi. The 11^th Illinois Infantry started as a three months unit that initially saw duty in Missouri but then went on to serve primarily east of the Mississippi River. For additional information about the regiment see the following:

Civil War Flags of Illinois: banners of the 11^th Illinois Infantry

Gebhardt, Carl Dean. The 11^th Illinois Infantry Regiment in the Civil War (Thesis, M. A.), Western Illinois University, 1968.

Illinois Civil War Project: roster of the 11^th Illinois Infantry

“Ransom’s Brigade —McArthur's Division--Seventeenth Corps.

（1) Col. Wm. H. L.; Brig.-Gen. (Killed).

（2) Col. Thomas E. Ransom; Bvt. Major-Gen. (Died).

(3) Col. Garrett Nevins (Killed)

(4) Col. James H. Coats; Bvt. Brig-Gen.

Companies.		killed and died of wounds.			died of disease, accidents, in Prison, &c.			Total Enrollment.
		Officers.	Men.	Total.	Officers.	Men.	Total.
Field and Staff		1		1		1	1	18
Company	A	1	20	21		20	20	192
	B	2	6	8		24	24	172
	C	1	19	20		21	21	174
	D		18	18		33	33	198
	E		21	21		25	25	208
	F		17	17		35	35	201
	G	1	19	20		33	33	201
	H		20	20		24	24	188
	I		15	15	1	35	36	173
	K	1	24	25		33	33	217
Totals		7	179	186	1	284	285	1,942

Original enrollment, 801; killed, 151; percentage, 18.8.

Total of killed and wounded, 543; missing or captured 126; died in Confederate prisons (previously included), 23.

Battles.	K. & M. W.
Fort Donelson, Tenn.	102
Shiloh, Tenn.	24
Vicksburg Assault, May 22	11
Siege of Vicksburg	16
Liverpool Heights, Miss.	3
Yazoo City, Miss.	14
Black River Bridge, Miss.	1
Jackson, Miss., July 7, 1864	2
Clinton, Miss., July 7, 1864	5
Fort Blakely, Ala.	2
Macon, Ga. (prisoner)	1
Guerrillas	1
Place unknown	4

Present, also, at Fort Henry, Tenn.; Siege of Corinth; Trenton, Tenn.; Benton, Miss.; Spanish Fort, Ala.

Notes.--Mustered in originally as a three months regiment. It was remustered at Bird’s Point, Mo., for three years, on July 13, 1861, one-third of the men remaining in the service. The regiment performed garrison duty in Missouri until February, 1862, when it embarked on the campaign against Forts Henry and Donelson. In the storming of Fort Donelson it lost 70 killed, 181 wounded, and 88 missing; a total of 339 out of about 500 engaged; many of the missing were killed or wounded. The regiment was then in W. H. Wallace's Brigade of McClernand's Division. At Shiloh, it fought in Marsh’s (2d) Brigade of the same division, taking 239 officers and men into action, and losing 17 killed, 69 wounded, and 17 missing; total, 103. During the Vicksburg campaign it was in Ransom's (2d) Brigade, McArthur's Division, Seventeenth Corps. In the assault on Vicksburg, May 22, 1863, it lost 3 killed, 30 wounded, and 9 missing; Colonel Nevins was among the killed. At Liverpool Heights, February 5, 1864, it lost 4 killed and 9 wounded; at Yazoo City, March 5th, 9 killed, 24 wounded, and 12 missing. In July, 1864, it marched with General Slocum's Expedition against Jackson, Miss. On July 29, 1864, it moved to Morganzia, La., and in March, 1865, it was engaged in the siege operations about Mobile, and in the fighting at Fort Blakely. In April, 1863, the One Hundred and Ninth Illinois was discontinued, and the men, numbering 589 (on the rolls), were transferred to the ranks of the Eleventh. The Eleventh was mustered out July 14, 1865, and the men with unexpired terms of enlistment were transferred to the Eighth and Forty-sixth Regiments, Illinois Infantry” (Fox, p. 355).

Break Time

The academic year is over at my university, and I am taking about a two week break from the blog. So...I'll be recharging and thinking of some new ideas for postings. See you soon!