OVERVIEW
By the middle of 1862, the commanders of the Union Navy and Army forces operating in the western theatre were convinced that the western rivers could only be conquered and controlled by close cooperation between the two services. However, the lack of sufficient combat-ready troops to secure large areas forced the Union to man many of its garrisons and supply depots along the western rivers with relatively untrained African Descent regiments not otherwise dedicated for combat duties. It was initially thought that the units manning these isolated outposts could be supported by Navy gunboats stationed at strategic points along the river. However, it soon became obvious that a more aggressive plan was needed to counter the "fire-and-run" tactics of small Confederate units and the numerous bands of guerillas operating along the rivers.
Although the Union controlled the rivers above Vicksburg, the surrounding countryside was still very much under the influence of the Confederate Army and the guerillas. Naval gunfire and landing parties could do little more than temproarily chase off the attackers. Recognizing the unique problems presented by these highly-mobile menaces, Brigadier General Alfred W. Ellet, USA, now in command of the Ram Fleet—with the endorsement of Rear Admiral Porter—convinced Washington to organize a new unit which would consist of mounted infantry, cavaly and artillery which would be permanently stationed aboard steamboats (See Official Record). This new unit would patrol the rivers, responding quickly to any threat or harassment from the shore and was to be called the Mississippi Marine Brigade (MMB). This unfortunate misnomer has led to quite a bit of historical confusion since MMB personnel were not marines, it was not organized in Mississippi nor was it limited to operations on that river. Simply put; the MMB was to be an Army unit operating on water, commanded by General Ellet under the nominal control of the Navy.
Neither the Army nor Navy could spare the necessary men and General Ellet was having difficulty finding enough enlistees for his new command. Desperate for recruits, Ellet promised potential volunteers an easier-than-usual military career and even got permission to recruit men from the convalescent hospitals in St. Louis (See Official Record). Although unorthodox, General Ellet's methods did meet with some success as evidenced by a letter from Private Allan McNeal in which he wrote; ". . . there has been some excitement here about volunteering on board of a fleet, they got about 50 out of this hospt. The idea is to give those that have been sick an easer position. They are to go on transports which they will never leave except in time of an engagement, they are never to have a knapsack to carry or cooking to do, good bunks to sleep in & everything handy . . . the recruits are mustered out of service then are sworn in for 2 years." One recruitment poster even promised that the MMB would "become famous in the annals of the Mississippi River Warfare." As a final incentive, new recruits were to receive all of their back pay, a two-dollar premium, a month's pay in advance and large bounty.
The Unit was organized at Benton Barracks in St. Louis under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George E. Currie. By March 4, 1863, Ellet had finally signed up enough men for his unit to begin operations (See Official Record). The the soldiers of the MMB would be stationed aboard the steamers Autocrat (flag-ship), Baltic, John Raine, B. J. Adams, Diana (not the "Diana" captured by Admiral Farragut's fleet at New Orleans), and Fairchild. These five unarmed transports would operate in concert with the boats of the Ram Fleet, which had been transferred to General Ellet's command. The hospital ship Woodford would join the fleet at a later date.
Later that month, the brigade was placed under the over-all command of Rear Admiral Porter who defined its mission as follows: "In an organization like the Mississippi Brigade the important object is to make continual dashes into the enemy's country, then disappear, to turn up somewhere else. In this way the guerillas will soon disappear, especially when they find that their style of warfare is not looked upon as civilized." However, even at this early date, Porter seemed to sense that this unusual force, under the semi-independant command of the flamboyant General Ellet, would present problems. In the same letter, Porter continued "I hope you will not permit your men to pillage or enter houses. If [hungry] you will have to forage, but let it be done by an authorized officer."
On April 3rd, Admiral Porter ordered the MMB, then at Milliken's bend, LA, to proceed to the Tennessee River to suppress guerilla activity in that area and to protect the lines of supply to General William S. Rosecrans at Corinth, MS. General Ellet almost immediately set about proving Porter's fears by steaming his fleet past Memphis without reporting to Major General S. A. Hurlbut, the Army commander at that city, as was military custom. Incensed, General Hurlbut telegraphed Brigadier General Dodge at Corinth, saying "The brigade passed here yesterday without reporting, for which I desire you to reprimand General Ellet. The Autocrat is his headquarters boat." Shortly thereafter, Porter expressed his doubts about the MMB a letter to his friend, Assistant Navy Secretary, Gustavus V. Fox; "I saw from the first that the course of General Ellet was adverse to harmonious action; that he was determined assume authority and disregard my orders. With little or no knowledge of military matters, and with the disposition shown by General Ellet to assume authority not belonging to him, the career of the Marine Brigade would soon end. . ."
By May of 1863, the waters of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers had become too low for navigation and General Ellet's flotilla returned to duties along the Mississippi river. While the brigade enjoyed limited successes in northern Louisiana and Mississippi, reports of pillaging and unnecessary destruction of property by its members became an almost-daily occurrence.
Meanwhile, the effects of the on-going animosity between Admiral Porter and the Ellets had reached all the way to Washington. The result of one disagreement being the arrest and suspension of General Ellet. Although this particular dispute was settled in a private meeting between the two officers, the MMB was transferred to General Grant in late summer in an attempt to bring the unit under control.
Unfortunately, this change in command had little or no effect on the discipline of the unit. Late in 1863, a Union officer observed that "The Marine Brigade has done more toward embittering...the people along the river...toward our cause than any movement yet made under the auspicies of the Navy." And in March of 1864, Brigadier General Charles P. Stone reported of the unit upon its detachment from the Red River expedition: "I consider it my duty to inform you that the Marine Brigade is reported to these headquarters to have stopped at every landing thus far on its way out of Red River, solely for the purpose of pillaging and the destruction of private property."
Although the actions of the MMB were not always justified, one can sometimes empathize with its members who, despite the recruitment promises, were forced to spend most of their days aboard overcrowded transports in the sweltering southern climate with their horses in stalls directly beneath their quarters. Colonel Currie of the MMB reported that life in the brigade consisted of ". . . daily sharp, short skirmishes with the roving bands of guerillas, varied with the daily bickerings with those almost intangible enemies, the flies by day and mosquitoes by night, are fast telling upon the usual good nature of the fleet. So, to add to our discomfits the malarial water we are compelled to drink, and the excessive hot weather make us sigh for Peace." In July he wrote: "Our boats were much in need of repairs, and the weather so excessively hot that fighting on board was as dangerous to the new men . . . as the enemy's bullets."
By August of 1864, it had become obvious that the Union would eventually win the war. Therefore, in view of the brigade's limited success and the continuing reports of misdeeds, the War Department ordered the break-up of the unit and its members were transferred to the Army and designated the "First Marine Regiment" under General Grant at Vicksburg. To the last, the enlisted men of the MMB continued to display a lack of discipline when 48 of them, protesting that they were being assigned to a duty other than that for which they had enlisted, refused to leave the boats and had to be escorted to their new camp under guard. (See Official Record)
While the Mississippi Marine Brigade had failed to live up to expectations, the War Department was not entirely without blame. It is not unreasonable to expect that a unit composed of "convalescents and glory seekers" which lacked full support from Washington and which was under the command of a "Political General" would have more than its share of problems.
MARINE BRIGADE ROSTER:
A partial listing of individuals known to have served. To add your ancestor, please send us the details of his service.
SOCIETY OF MARINE BRIGADE SURVIVORS:
A recreation of a 1908 newsletter distributed to known surviving veterans of the M. M. B. and Ram Fleet.
MISSIPPI MARINE BRIGADE MEMORIAL at Vicksburg National Park.
A SAMPLING OF M.M.B. OFFICIAL RECORDS:
Patrol of the Tennessee River - General Ellet - April 1863
RECOMMENDED READING:
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Ellet's Brigade: The Strangest Outfit Of All The story of the Army Ram Fleet and Mississippi Marine Brigade
Warfare Along The Mississippi (Out of print) |