Following a Confederate Soldier through the Civil War: Battle #1 The Battle of Belmont

William Porter Dickson enlisted in September of 1861 to fight as a Confederate soldier in the Civil War. In the supplement to his 1911 Civil War Questionnaire he listed eight battles in which his company, Company D of the 12th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, took place. I am going to learn more about his company’s role in the Civil War by researching these eight battles.

Battle #1: The Battle of Belmont, November 7, 1861

This battle is important as it was the first conflict for Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant who would later become the General of the Union army. He brought about 3,000 troops down the Mississippi to attack the Confederate fortress at Columbus, Kentucky which was across the river from Belmont, Missouri. After learning that Confederate troops had crossed over to Belmont, Grant followed and surprised the Confederate army and destroyed their camp. They were quickly reinforced by troops still in Columbus and Grant took his men and left. (Information from Wikipedia.)

Gen. Grant, the Hessian commander at Cairo, in his official report of the battle of Belmont, near Columbus, with all the cool assurance of a practiced liar, says he met the enemy and drove them, step by step, across the river, burnt all their tents, and started back with all their artillery four pieces of which they had to leave behind for want of transportation — and that the rebels recrossed the river and followed in his rear to the boats. Such a slurring over a most disastrous defeat never disgraced any commander in Christendom, and yet the poor fools whom he intends to bull, will swallow the falsehood with unquestioning credulity.

Official Dispatch of the Federal Commander at Belmont.

The St. Louis Republican gives the following as the official report of General Grant, announcing the result of the fight at Belmont:

CAIRO, Nov. 7,

To Capt. C. McKeever, St. Louis:

     We met the rebels about 9 o’clock this morning, two and a half miles from Belmont. We drove them step by step into their camp and across the river.

     We burnt their tents and started on our return with all their artillery; for want of transportation had to leave four pieces in the woods.

     The rebels re-crossed the river and followed in our rear to our place of debarkation.

     The loss is heavy on both sides.

                                                              U. S. GRANT, Brig. Gen.

From here we fought our way from tree to tree through the woods to Belmont, about two and a half miles, the enemy contesting every foot of ground. Here the enemy had strengthened their position by felling the trees for two or three hundred yards, and sharpening their limbs, forming a sort of abatis [?]. Our men charged through, making the victory complete, giving us possession of their camp and garrison equipage, artillery and everything else. 

We got a great many prisoners. The majority, however, succeeded in getting on board their steamers and pushing across the river. We burned everything possible and started back, having accomplished all that we went for, and even more. Belmont is entirely covered by the batteries from Columbus, and is worth nothing as a military position — cannot be held without Columbus.

Besides being fortified at Columbus, their number far exceeded ours, and it would have been folly to have attacked them. We found the Confederates well-armed and brave. On our return, stragglers that had been left in our rear (now front) fired into us, and more recrossed the river and gave us battle for a full mile, and afterwards at the boats when we were embarking.