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Date Posted: 21:33:27 10/03/06 Tue
Author: Doug Cooper
Subject: Re: 81st Illinois
In reply to: John Pillers 's message, "Re: 81st Illinois" on 14:39:59 10/03/06 Tue

>
>A friend of mine, Mike Bub, who researched the 81st
>(had ancestors) for an unfinished manuscript ran
>across some account where the 81st soldiers were a tad
>upset about the accidental death at Fort DeRussy. I
>forget who was the target of their anger, it might
>have been Smith. But they were pretty sore about it.
>
>John

The 81st and 95th Illinois were two regiments who loathed Smith for his decision to fire on the casemate at Ft DeRussy to aid in breaking it up (one of the tasks of the 81st after the battle). The resultant explosion killed one man in each regt and critically wounded another in the 81st. So unlike most of the soldiers of the Division, who initially loved Smith but disliked Banks, the soldiers of the 81st disliked both (and groaned and hissed loudly in his presence), until the battle of Pleasant Hill. According to Newsome, "since then, we had all seen that his energy and bravery had saved the whole expedition from disaster, and he became endeared to his men, so much so that our two regiments forgave his former error, and today (May 20), as he rode slowly by our camp, our regiment cheered him heartily."

So if you are soldier of the 81st for the event, you have mixed feelings that are quickly giving way to grudging respect as he is looked upon as the one general who wants to continue the fight and indeed was most responsible for actually winning the Battle of Pleasant Hill on Apr 9, 1864. Banks was a beaten man however and continued the retreat, the portion that we will be reenacting. Smith was so mad he suggested Banks be removed from command. The other division commanders had to talk him out of the notion. The soldiers picked that up. Was a strange thing indeed to be marching the other way after a victory, especially having so outnumbered Taylor's "army."

Source is Newsome's book on the 81st Illinois. He was Captain of Co B.

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