IMPORTANT FROM VICKSBURGH: Desperate Fighting on Monday, December 29; Struggle at the Last Line of Fortifications (1/8/1863)

We have one day's later intelligence from Vicksburgh, which is highly interesting and exciting.

The rebels have concentrated all their forces from Jackson and Grenada and along the line of the road, amounting to 65,000 men, at Vicksburgh.

This overwhelming force attacked Gen. SHERMAN on Monday, and caused him to fall back to his first line of defence.

The rebel intrenchments and fortifications extend back from the city a distance of six miles.

Gen. SHERMAN's force had fought to within two miles of the city, when he was attacked by the superior force of the rebels.

Whole regiments, and even brigades, fought hand to hand over guns, and for possession of the defences.

Gen. HOVEY, with 1,500 men, was sent out to execute a special order, but since then has not been heard from. Fears are entertained for his safety.

Nothing has yet been heard from the National forces below, nor can we learn that our gunboats have taken any part in the action.

It is reported that rebel steamers are crossing from the Louisiana shore to Vicksburgh. and it is supposed they are carrying reinforcements to the rebels.

The last accounts stated that the rebel General HOLMES was marching in the direction of Vicksburgh, and it is not improbable that he has arrived there.

There was some fighting on Tuesday morning, after Gen. SHERMAN had fallen back, but it was thought that he could maintain his position.

Today, January 8, 1863 the war's 170th engagement, called 2nd Springfield, Missouri, Union victory:

Missouri 1861 - 1862 Engagements

Date	Engagement	Military Units	Losses	Victor
May 10	St. Louis Riots, MO	Union forces vs secessionist crowd	4 Union soldiers killed, 3 prisoners, 28 civilians killed	USA
June 17	Boonville, MO	Union Western Dept (Lyon) -1,700 vs. MO State Guard (Marmaduke) ~1,500	Union: 12-total (5-killed); MO Guard 22-total (5-killed)	USA
June 18	Camp Cole, MO	Union Home Guards (~500) vs. Confederate State Guards (~350)	Union: 120-total (35 killed, 60 wounded 25 captured); CSA: 32-total ( 7-K, 25-W)	CSA (CSA outnumbered)
July 5	Carthage, MO	Union Department of the West (Sigel) -- 1,000 vs. Confederate Missouri State Guard (Jackson) -- 4,000	Union: 44-total; CSA 200-total	CSA
July 5	Neosho, MO	Union 3rd Missouri vs. Confederate cavalry	Union: 137-total; CSA zero total	CSA
July 22	Forsyth, MO	Union Department of the West vs. Confederate Missouri State Guard	Union: 3-total ;Confederates: 15-total	USA
Aug 2	Dug Springs, MO (leadup to Wilson's Creek)	Union Department of the West (~6,000) vs. Confederate Missouri State Guard (~12,000)	Union: 38-total (8 killed ); Confederates:84-total (40 killed)	USA
Aug 3	Curran Post Office, MO (leadup to Wilson's Creek)	Union Department of the West (~6,000) vs. Confederate 1st Arkansas Rifles	Unknown	inconclusive
Aug 5	Athens, MO	Union 21st MO Infantry, Home Guards (~500) vs. Confederate Missouri State Guard (~2,000 + 3-cannons)	Union 23-total (3-killed); Confederate 31-total	USA (USA outnumbered)
Aug 10	Wilson's Creek, MO	Union Dept of the West (Lyon -5,430)vs. Confederate MO State Guard, Dept 2 (Price -12,120)	Union 1,317-total (285-killed incl Gen. Lyon); Confederates 1.232-total (277-killed)	CSA
Aug 10	Potosi, MO	Union Home Guard (~75 troops) vs. Confederate cavalry (~120 troops)	Union 5-total (1-killed); Confederates 5-total (2-killed)	USA (USA outnumbered)
Aug 17	Palmyra, MO	Union 16th Illinois (entrained) vs. Confederate guerillas	Union 2-total (1-killed); Confederates 5-killed	USA
Aug 29	Morse's Mills near Lexington, MO	Union MO Home Guards vs. Confederate cavalry	Union unknown; Confederates unknown	CSA
Sep 2	Dry Wood Creek, MO	Union Dept of the West (Lane ~1,200) vs. Confederate MO State Guard (Price ~12,000)	Union 25-total (2 killed); Confederates 14-total (5 killed)	CSA
Sep 17	Blue Mills Landing, MO	Union 3rd Iowa & MO Home Guard (Scott ~800) & Confederate 4th Div Missouri Militia (Atchison ~3,500)	Union 99 (19-killed); Confederates 21-total (3-killed)	CSA
Sep 13-20	Lexington, MO, 1st battle, aka: "Battle of the Hemp Bales"	Union Illinois 23rd Irish Brigade + 27 & 13th MO Infantry (Mulligan ~3,500) & Confederate Missouri Militia (Price ~15,000)	Union 3,000 surrendered (36-killed); Confederates 150-total (~30-killed)	CSA (Union surrender)
Sep 26	Hunter's Farm, MO	Union Dep of the West (Steward under Grant ~200 & Confederate MO State Guard (under Thompson ~40)	Union none; Confederates 10-total (10-killed)	USA
Oct 21	Fredericktown, MO	Union Ill & MO Infantry, IN cavalry (Plummer ~3,500) & Confederate Missouri State Guard (Thompson ~1,500)	Union 67-total (7-killed), Confederates 145-total (25-killed_	USA (Union defeated Confederate ambush)
Oct 25	Springfield, MO	Union: Fremont's scouts (Zagonyi -326) & Confederate MO State Guard (Frazier ~1,500)	Union 85-total (48-killed), Confederates 133-total (unkn-killed)	USA (USA outnumbered)
Dec 28	Mount Zion Church, MO	Union Birge's Western Sharpshooters, 3rd MO Cav(Prentiss ~400) & Confederate MO State Guard (Dorsey ~235)	Union 70-total (3 dead), Confederates 235-total (25-killed)	USA
Jan 8	Roan's Tan Yard, MO	Union MO & OH Cavalry (Torrence ~500) & Confederate MO State Guard (Poindexter ~1,000)	Union 27 total, Confederates ~80 total	USA
Aug 6-9	Kirksville, MO	Union Cavalry (McNeill ~1,000, Confederate MO State Guard (Porter ~2,500)	Union 88-total (30-killed), Confederates ~368-total (200-killed)	USA (Union outnumbered)
Aug 11	Independence, MO	Union MO Militia & Cavalry (Buel -344, Confederate MO Bushwhackers (Hughes (killed), Hayes (wounded) Quantrill -800)	Union ~344 (captured), Confederates unknown	CSA
Aug 15-16	Lone Jack, MO	Union MO Cavalry (Foster -800, Confederate MO Regimental Recruits (Cockrell -3,000)	Union 323-total (94-killed), Confederates 118-total (59 -kill3)	CSA
Sep 30	Newtonia, MO	Union Infantry, cavalry, artillery from Ohio, Kansas, Wisc. (Saloman, ~4,500), Confederate Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Texas & MO units (Cooper, Shelby ~6,000)	Union ~320-total (48?-killed), Confederates 78-total (12?-killed)	CSA
Nov 7	Clark's Mill, MO	Union IL Cav, MO state militia (Barstow ~100), Confederate MO brigade (Burbridge, Green ~1,500)	Union 46-total (9-killed), Confederates 65?-total (34-killed)	CSA, Union surrendered
Jan 8	2nd Springfield, MO	Union SW MO Dist. (Brown 2,090), Confederate Transmississippi Dept (Marmaduke 1,870)	Union 231-total (30-killed), Confederates 290-total (40?-killed)	USA

2nd Springfield was Missouri's 27th battle, second only, by state, to Virginia's 46 battles:

Summary of Civil War Engagements as of January 8, 1863:
Engagements in Confederate states:

State	Union Victories	Confederate Victories	Inconclusive	Total Engagements
South Carolina	2	2	1	5
Virginia	7	27	12	46
North Carolina	7	1	1	9
Florida	2	0	0	2
Louisiana	3	1	0	4
Tennessee	7	5	1	13
Arkansas	6	0	2	8
Georgia	1	0	0	1
Mississippi	3	2	0	5
Texas	0	1	0	1
Total Engagements in CSA	39	39	17	95

Engagements in Union states/territories:

State	Union Victories	Confederate Victories	Inconclusive	Total Engagements
Maryland	3	0	1	4
West Virginia	9	3	2	14
Missouri	13	13	1	27
New Mexico	5	8	0	13
Kentucky	5	6	2	13
Oklahoma	1	3	0	4
Total Engagements in Union	36	33	6	75
Total Engagements to date	75	72	23	170

As someone interested in the Civil War, I thought you might be interested in excerpts from a paper written by my grandfather, who was a teenager during the Civil War.
A History of the Engle Family in the Shenandoah Valley and Family Connections by James M. Engle
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Virginia having passed stringent muster laws, every citizen was required to attend muster and learn military movements.
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When they met Jacob H. Engle (my grandfather’s uncle) was elected muster captain by two-thirds over Clay Moler and received his commission as captain of militia from Gov. Henry A. Wise in 55th Regiment, Virginia Militia. No wonder Virginia furnished C. S. A. such good soldiers—they were drilled and ready for it long before 1861. Captain Engle got full uniform and sword, and made a fine looking officer, with his cocked hat and feather.
He was not fully persuaded that it was best to dissolve the Union and tarried at home till squads of United States soldiers came after him to arrest him. Twice in one day he left his work to avoid them. Meanwhile the State of Virginia seceded and called on her sons to join her army, so that decided many. Even Gen. Robert E. Lee hesitated till then, deciding that the call of his State was more binding than that of the general government.
Captain Jake, in September, 1861, joined Henderson's company of independent cavalry as first lieutenant, which was mustered in regular army as Company A, 12th Virginia Cavalry, Col. Ashby's command, later under Col. N. Harmar of Staunton, Gen. Rosser's Brigade, and took part, as commander Company A (captain sick and absent), in seventy-five battles and skirmishes during four years of the war.
At one time his company attacked the United States cavalry near Mount Jacksoon, Va., and got the worst of it and had to retreat, A trooper singled out Captain Jake for capture and galloped after him one hundred yards ahead of his command. The captain suddenly turned and fired his Colts in his pursuer's breast, the trooper rolling off his horse. The captain made for his horse and had to ride fifty yards back in the face of the enemy before he caught the rein, but escaped amid a shower of bullets. The colonel said turn the horse in as captured property, but the captain demurred, and Major Knott spoke up and said: "I saw your dangerous dash to get that horse; keep it," and he did. Officers generally have several horses. Our kinsmen rode their
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own horses into the war. Captain Jake rode his beautiful dunn, "Boston," and at the greatest line-up of the war of cavalry, 12,000 on each side, at Brandy Station, Va., "Boston," in the grand charge, like Napoleon's cavalry at Waterloo, struck an unseen ditch, threw his rider, and galloped off toward the enemy's line. The captain raised his gun to shoot the horse rather than the enemy should get him; but love for horse held his finger from pulling the trigger. The love of a warrior for his horse has been a theme of poets for ages.
At Poolesville, Md., Sept, 7, 1862, when Gen. Lee's army was moving north to Antietam, Col. Harmar, Capt. Engle and ten men were cut off from his regiment by the United States cavalry. Col, Harmar, seeing their predicament, ordered a charge right through the column of the enemy's cavalry, and escaped by shooting to right and left with their large revolvers, Robert Morgan of Halltown alone being killed.
At Strasburg, Va., October 13, 1864, Capt. Engle led the charge and routed the enemy for two or three miles, when they ran into a large body of cavalry and artillery and were compelled to retreat, which placed him in the rear ranks of the regiment. Having fired the loads out of his revolvers, he defended himself and men with his heavy saber the whole distance.
At the battle of Spottsylvania, May 8th, in the first charge, his company got into a hand-to-hand fight with infantry and lost many men and horses.
At Spottsylvania, May 18th, Gen. Rosser placed Capt. Engle in command of the dismounted sharpshooters. Advancing through a woods, they ran into an ambuscade only forty yards off, when a regiment of infantry raised up and fired at them, but did not lose a man, as all fell to the ground. They retreated two miles, followed so closely by the enemy that one stabbed Capt. Jake through his coat tail, saying, "You damn rebel, surrender."
Capt. Jake said: "Don't curse me," shot his pursuer down and the rest slowed up, so they escaped. In 1864 for eight months he was on the staff of Gen. A. P. Hill
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and had command of the couriers and soldiers at headquarters.
Capt. Engle surrendered at Appomattox April, 1865, with Gen. Lee's army. He came home with his pistols and saber and two horses, as officers retained their arms and horses by terms of the surrender.
Elsewhere the paper says Jake also took part in the Great Cattle Raid and returned with a Henry rifle.
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He (my great grandfather, not Jake) then moved to the Buckles farm, on the Potomac, which his father willed to him. He rebuilt the house, and from its eastern porch there is a delightful view of the river and the railroad trains in the distance. A blazing window of this house attracted a Federal sharpshooter on the Maryland shore one Sunday morning during the Civil War, and he tried his gun on it and us. The bullet hit the window passed through two doors and just grazed the head of my baby brother John, in the nurse's arms, on the back porch, and was picked up by her.
Father also built a large barn in 1888. We saw some stirring scenes here during war time. One night a dozen Yankee soldiers attempted to take a fat hog from the pen and father opened on them a battery of stove wood
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from this porch and routed them. Miss Mary Ann Sagle, our seamstress, helped by shouting, "Murder!" They ran off and the hogs were saved. From this porch we witnessed the discharge of an hundred-pound shot cannon and the explosion of the shells on the Loudoun county mountain during the battle and surrender of Harper's Ferry in September, 1862, as our home was between the two lines of battle. The roar of the cannon was so terrific that our dogs took refuge in the house. Lots of shells fell within a hundred yards of the house. We have a cartload of them now. Two Union soldiers came running toward the house as a place of safety during the battle. Father tried to stop them, saying, "You will draw the fire of the artillery on my family," but it was no use. They came in and were eating dinner when cavalrymen came from the line of battle and captured them.
We were relieved, indeed, when about 1 P.M. we saw a white flag run up and the firing ceased. By it 12,000 men and fifty cannon were surrendered. A guard having been placed at our spring, stopping the Confederate soldiers from getting water, I took the canteens and filled them and brought them back to guards and waiting soldiers, and thus took part in this battle. Father rode over to the big cannon on Boliver Heights and picked up a silver handled dirk, used for cutting fuse, and brought it home as a memento of that terrible engine of warfare, which shook the house and the earth at every discharge, bringing terror to man and beast.
The day previous we witnessed the battle of the sharpshooters on Sample manor slope of Blue Ridge as they slowly pushed the United States pickets and troops down closer and closer to Harper's Ferry, the Potomac being between us and the dangerous scene. The day after the surrender we boys spent in ransacking the surrendered camp and carried home guns, chests, tents, powder, caps and ball. We stayed until after twilight and saw flashing of cannon northward, ten miles from Bolivar Heights, and thus first learned of the terrible battle being closed at Antietam battlefield.
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Three days after, when the battle had filled our school houses and churches with wounded soldiers, we carried them dainties to eat and cloths to dress wounds, and thus the havoc of suffering and war was first seen in these church hospitals at Uvilla on the line of Lee's retreating army
James W. Engle (my great grandfather), living on the border, and with a large family of nine children, did not go into the army. He was of a quiet nature and early joined the Presbyterian Church at Duffield's, in which he was an elder for forty years. His first wife, Ann Margaret Duke, died in 1874 and in 1876 he married Miss Rebecca Dust, Daughter of Isaac Dust, Esq., one of the jurymen who convicted John Brown. He continued to live at his home on the Potomac till January, 1904, when he died of pneumonia, aged seventy-seven.
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His home on the Potomac was dangerous during the Civil War. He had to cut his wheat harvest after night, as the soldiers would shoot at them from the Maryland side of the river. His sons, James and Willard, went out to drive up the cattle from pasture and stopped to look at artillery practice from the stone fort on the
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Blue Ridge, at a target of rails, set up on one bank, one mile up the river, not noticing the meaning of a skinned cherry tree near them, when the shell burst sixty feet over their heads with a terrible explosion. Soldiers would cross the river and kill hogs and he rode up the river bottom to stop them, when one drew his revolver and said stop. So father wheeled his horse and said: "I can get something to shoot with, too." He came back to the house, got his gun and went after the soldier, who ran up the river and crossed over and came down to his rifle. He was mad and shot at us half a dozen times, till we were out of sight, and bullets just whizzed past near us several times.
The artillery from Fort Duncan, opposite home, deliberately fired at us while planting corn, and the shell hit a fence near us and sent a piece of rail whizzing over our heads. Father said: "Unhitch, boys, and get to the house quick."
Frequently we would give a Union soldier bread, and before night a slice from the same loaf to a hungry soldier of the Confederacy. J. W. Engle's boys went to Zion Church to school, and Confederate soldiers came and took their teacher, Michael Nichols, off to go in the army, but when they got home found their teacher had preceded them there and a regiment of federal soldiers cutting down a fifteen-acre grove of trees around their house. This was done to give open range to Fort Duncan.
A shell fired from this fort killed and wounded thirteen Confederate cavalrymen, Gen. Daniel Sickles said in an after-dinner speech, after the war.
At another time the Federal troops got short of meat, came across the Potomac and took our heard of cattle, eight or ten head, and the neighbors' and drove them to camp and butchered them, not paying a cent. One old steer had been sold to the Confederates and came back home and then the Federal soldiers got him and drove him down to pontoon bridge across the Potomac here. He rebelled again, lowered his head and ran through the soldiers and back to his pasture. So we
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ate him after two escapes from both armies. Father made out a bill of $600 for himself and one of $8,000 for his father's estate, but the government only paid $800 of the latter, as he had receipts for horses taken, though the other was for hay, rails, wood and timber, cut by the army and ought to have been paid.
The soldiers of the opposite armies often talked across the Potomac till some Confed would ask, "When are you coming over to take another game of Ball's Bluff?" when bang would be the answer from their carbines. At Ball's Bluff, near Leesburg, the Confederates enticed the Federals across the river and fell upon them from an ambush with great loss, in which our own kinsman, Col. Elijah White, was in command of the charge. Even the boys of that time partook of the times. Muskets could be picked up and boys on opposite sides of the Potomac would shoot at each other. When you heard the warning, "Look out," it was the signal to jump behind a tree, for a moment later you would hear the crack of a gun and an ounce bullet rattling among the sycamore trees. Once when the army evacuated Maryland Heights suddenly and left hundreds of guns, boxes of water crackers, thousands of bushels of oats and camp utensils I groaned because I could carry home only one sharpshooter's rifle and pockets full of caps, cartridges and balls; but they returned in a few weeks and came hunting up government property, and mother told them where my gun was and got it. So they hauled back to camp all the guns, tents, etc., etc., we had appropriated. All did it. Sabina Pleacher had five wagon loads in her garret. They got all ours, except one large tent sheet, and father sent me to show the cavalryman where it was in the old house out in the field, but as we got half way to it a squad of Confeds fired on us, and the trooper said we did not want it bad.

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