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METHOD OF CUTTING THE CHANNEL.
BY J. W. BISSELL, COLONEL, U. S. V., IN CHARGE OP THE WORK.
T HE Engineer Regiment of the West was anorganization composed of twelve full com-panies of carefully selected workmen, chiefly me-chanics, and officered by men capable of directingsuch skilled labor. Most of the officers and aboutsix hundred of the men were engaged in the opera-tions about New Madrid and Island Number Ten.In all the operations of that regiment I am notaware that any of its officers ever made a reportbeyond a verbal notification to the general in com-mand that the work required of it was done. Thisnarrative is therefore made entirely from mem-ory, aided by reference to letters written to myfamily.
It is perhaps proper to state here that the term“ canal,” as used in all the letters and reports re-lating to the opening of this waterway, conveysan entirely wrong idea. No digging was doneexcept by way of slightly widening a large breakin the levee, and those who speak of “workingwaist-deep in the water” knew nothing of it.
The enemy held Island Number Ten and the leftbank opposite, and the same bank from NewMadrid down to Tiptonville, a ridge of high landbetween the back swamp and the river. In rearof their position was Reelfoot Lake and the over-flow, extending from above them to a point belowTiptonville. Escape by land was impossible, NewMadrid and the right bank below being occupiedby General Pope. The gun-boats under Footeheld the river above, and our heavy batteriescommanded the only place of debarkation below.Having accomplished this much, the problem forGeneral Pope to solve was to cross his army tomake an attack, for which purpose he judgedthat two gun-boats, to be used as ferry-boats,would be sufficient. The general was so confidentthat his letter to Foote would bring the boats thathe directed me to go back to the fleet at IslandNumber Eight by dug-out across the overflow, andcome down with them past the batteries.
I reached the flag-ship in the afternoon aboutdark, and that evening Foote called together allhis commanders in council. One or two wanted to
run the blockade, but the commodore flatly refused.He explained that his boats, since they werearmored solely about the bows, were invinciblefighting up-stream, but fighting down-stream wereof little account; and that if one of them shouldbe boarded and captured, she could be turnedagainst us, and could whip the whole fleet andplace Cairo, Louisville, and St. Louis at hermercy! One of the captains said that if he wereallowed to go, he would blow the vessel out of waterif the enemy got on board. Another, I think, wasquite as emphatic, but Foote was firm.
The next day, with two of the tugs of the fleet,I explored the shore carefully on each side : firston the eastern shore, to see if the enemy were se-curely shut in, which I found to be the case ; andthen on the western, to see if St. James’s Bayou,which emptied into the river seven miles aboveIsland Number Eight, in any way communicatedwith St. John’s Bayou, which debouched at NewMadrid . Here I found no possible way across.
Early the next morning while standing on thelevee, chagrined at my failure to obtain a gun-boat ;and while waiting for the guide to get the dug-outready to take me back to camp, I spied, directlyopposite me across the submerged fields, an open-ing in the timber; and the thought flashed uponme that there was the place to take the transportsthrough. This proved to be an old wagon-road ex-tending half a mile into the woods; beyond andaround wasa dense forest of heavy timber. The guidesaid it was two miles to the nearest bayou. I askedhim to make a map upon my memorandum-book,which he did, showing a straight cut to the firstbayou and the general route of the bayous to NewMadrid . This route we carefully explored, and Ireached Pope ’s headquarters about dark. Whenin my report of the interview I mentioned Foote’srefusal, the general gave vent to his disappointmentand indignation. Some officer present making somesuggestion about a “ canal, ” I immediately pulledout my memorandum-book, and, showingthesketch,said the whole thing was provided for, and that Iwould have the boats through in fourteen days.
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