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XII Corps Civil War Facts
The XIII and XIV Corps were the first ones organized in the Western armies. They were created on the same date, October 24, 1862, by General Order No. 168, War Department, which ordered that "the troops under the command of Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant will constitute the XIII Army Corps." As these troops included the whole Army of the Tennessee, it became necessary to subdivide the corps, which was done December 18, 1862, and 4 organizations, the XIII, XV, XVI, and XVII Corps were accordingly formed, with Gen. John A. McClernand in command of the XIII Corps. In the meantime, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, with a portion of the XIII Corps, the right wing, embarked at Memphis on the Yazoo Expedition, during which he made an unsuccessful assault on the outer works of Vicksburg, at Chickasaw Bluffs. Loss, 208 killed, 1,005 wounded, and 563 missing; total, 1,776, out of 33 regiments engaged. The forces consisted of the divisions of Gens. A. J. Smith, Morgan L. Smith, George W. Morgan, and Frederick Steele, numbering 30,075 men. The regiments, with a few exceptions, were under fire for the first time. There was some close fighting done; "the flag of the 16th Ohio was shot to tatters, only shreds remaining on the staff; and the flag of the 22nd Kentucky was scarcely less torn, and not less dripping with blood."In January, McClernand moved on an expedition against Arkansas Post, taking with him the XIII and XV Corps. He styled his forces, "the Army of the Mississippi," and designated them as the I and II Corps of the same. He placed Gen. Morgan in temporary command of his own corps- the XIII; Sherman was in command of the XV Corps. The Confederate works at Arkansas Post were carried by storm, the losses in the XIII Corps amounting to 48 killed, 397 wounded, and 18 missing; total, 463, the bulk of which fell on Burbridge's Brigade o[' A. J. Smith's Division. Only 2 divisions of the XIII Corps--A. J. Smith's and Osterhaus'--participated in this expedition.
Upon the opening of the campaign against Vicksburg, May 1, 1863 the XIII Corps was composed of the 4 divisions of Osterhaus, A. J. Smith, Hovey, and Carr; these were also known, respectively, as the 9th, 10th, 12th, and 14th Divisions, having been numbered thus while in the Army of the Tennessee. The corps, as thus composed, contained 40 regiments of infantry, 11 batteries of light artillery, and 6 companies of cavalry; numbering in all 32,648, present and absent, with 18,245 present for duty. To this should be added Ross's (13th) Division, stationed in Arkansas, which also belonged to the XIII Corps, but which did not take part in the Vicksburg campaign. This division fought the battle of Helena, Ark, July 4, 1863.
The battle of Port Gibson, May 1, 1863, was fought almost entirely by the XIII Corps, its losses in that action aggregating 125 killed, 678 wounded, and 23 missing; total, 826. The battle of Champion's Hill was fought by the XIII and XVII Corps, the former losing 231 killed, 987 wounded, and 145 missing; total, 1,363. The fighting at the Big Black River Bridge was a brilliant affair, in which the XIII Corps alone participated; loss, 39 killed, 237 wounded, and 3 missing; total, 279, the bulk of which occurred in Lawler's Brigade of Carr's Division. In the first assault on Vicksburg, May 19th, the corps sustained a slight loss only; but in the grand assault of May 22d it suffered severely, losing 202 killed, 1,004 wounded, and 69 missing; total, 1,275. During the first 22 days of the Vicksburg campaign, the corps lost 3,893 men in action, which was supplemented during the siege by heavy losses in the trenches.
Gen. McClernand was relieved from command on June 19th, by order of Grant, and Gen. E. O. Ord was appointed in his place. Grant was displeased with the tone and character of a congratulatory order issued by McClernand to his troops, and as McClernand declined to amend it he was relieved. After the capitulation of Vicksburg the XIII Corps, under Ord, moved with the Army to Jackson, Miss., and assisted in the investment of that place. Carr's Division at this time was commanded by Gen. William P. Benton. In the operations about Jackson the corps lost 85 killed, 501 wounded, and 165 missing; total, 751. This includes the loss in Lauman's Division, of the XVI Corps, which was temporarily attached to the XIII Corps.
Upon the evacuation of Jackson and retreat of the Confederates, the corps returned to Vicksburg, and in the following month (August, 1863) moved on transports down the Mississippi to New Orleans. The troops were assigned to duty at various places in the Department of the Gulf, --in Texas and Louisiana. Gen. Osterhaus was succeeded in command of his division by Gen. C. C. Washburn. The 3rd and 4th Divisions fought at Grand Coteau, Louisiana November 3, 1863. The winter of 1863-4 was spent in the vicinity of New- Orleans and the Lower Mississippi, a part of the corps being stationed in Texas. Corps headquarters were in Texas, but were moved to Alexandria, La., on the 18th of April, as the 3rd and 4th Divisions had accompanied Banks on his Red River Expedition of April, 1864. McClernand was again in command of the corps; the 3rd Division was commanded by Gen. Cameron, and the 4th, by Gen. Landram. The 1st and 2nd Divisions remained in Texas during the Red River Expedition, excepting Lawler's (2d) Brigade, of the 1st Division, which joined Banks' Army about the 90th of April. The 3rd and 4th Divisions of the XIII Corps were actively engaged at the battle of Sabine Cross Roads, La., April 8, 1864, in which they sustained considerable loss. They were also engaged at Cane River, and at Cloutiersville, La.
The corps organization was discontinued, June 11, l864, and the troops transferred to other commands. It was reorganized, Feb. 18, 1865, and Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, of Chickamauga fame, was placed in command; the divisions were commanded by Gens. Veatch, Andrews, and Benton. The corps proceeded to Mobile, and it participated in the investment of that city, and in the storming of Fort Blakely, April 9, 1865, which was the last general engagement of the war.
The XIII Corps then moved to Selma, Ala., and thence to Galveston, Texas. Its existence terminated officially on the 20th of July, 1865. The men of the XIII Corps never wore any corps badge; neither was there any badge designated in official orders for their use.
Major Battles Fought In
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