,department of ,culture1 ,recreation and ,tourism ,louisiana ,archaeological ,survey and ,antiquities ,commission ,anthropological ,study ,no4 #h ,,bailey',s ,,dam ,baton ,rouge1 ,louisiana ,illustration3 ,porter's fleet passing the dam at ,alexandria4 ,from ,harper's ,pictorial ,history of the ,civil ,war1 ,may #ahfd4 ,courtesy of the ,library of ,congress4 ,,state ,,of ,,louisiana ,edwin ,w4 ,edwards ,governor ,,department ,,of ,,culture1 ,,recreation ,,and ,,tourism ,noelle ,le,blanc ,secretary ,,archaeological ,,survey ,,and ,,antiquities ,,commission ,ex-,officio ,members ,dr4 ,kathleen ,byrd ,state ,archaeologist ,mr4 ,robert ,b4 ,assistant ,secretary1 ,office of ,cultural ,de,blieux ,development ,mr4 ,b4 ,jim ,porter ,secretary1 ,department of ,natural ,resources ,mrs4 ,dorothy ,m4 ,secretary1 ,department of ,urban and ,taylor ,community ,affairs ,appointed ,members ,dr4 ,charles ,e4 ,orser1 ,jr4 ,mr4 ,brian ,j4 ,duhe ,mr4 ,marc ,dupuy1 ,jr4 ,dr4 ,lorraine ,heartfield ,dr4 ,j4 ,richard ,shenkel ,mrs4 ,lanier ,simmons ,dr4 ,clarence ,h4 ,webb ,published ,march #aihf ,this public document was published at a total cost of #c1iie4jj4 ,ninety-five hundred copies of this public document were published in this first printing at a cost of #c1iie4jj4 ,the total cost of all printings of this document including reprints is #c1iie4jj4 ,this document was published for the ,division of ,archaeology by ,bourque ,printing1 ,inc41 ,p4,o4 ,box #dejgj1 ,baton ,rouge1 ,,la #gjhie-djgj to make available to the citizens of ,louisiana information about prehistoric and historic archaeology under authorization of ,la4 ,r4,s4 #da3afja-afac4 ,this material was printed in accordance with standards for printing by state agencies established pursuant to ,r4,s4 #dc3ca4 ,printing of this material was purchased in accordance with the provisions of ,title #dc of the ,louisiana ,revised ,statutes4 ,this publication has been funded entirely by the ,u4,s4 ,army ,corp of ,engineers1 ,vicksburg ,district4 ,,bailey',s ,,dam ,steven ,d4 ,smith ,division of ,archaeology ,george ,j4 ,castille ,,iii ,coastal ,environments1 ,inc4 ,i trust some future historian will treat this matter as it deserves to be treated1 because it is a subject in which the whole country should feel an interest1 and the noble men who succeeded so admirably in this arduous task should not lose one atom of credit so justly due them4 --,rear ,admiral ,david ,d4 ,porter ,may #af1 #ahfd ,letter to ,hon4 ,gideon ,welles ,,state ,,archaeologist',s ,,note ,louisiana has a rich cultural heritage dating back over #ab1jjj years4 ,during these #ab1jjj years1 many different peoples have lived and worked in the state4 ,archaeologists1 who study the remains of these long gone people1 learn much about their ways of life4 ,the ,anthropological ,study series published by the ,department of ,culture1 ,recreation and ,tourism provides a readable account of the various activities of these different groups4 ,bailey's ,dam is the eighth in this series4 ,the ,bailey's ,dam volume is somewhat different than its predecessors in that it highlights a relatively recent event of ,louisiana's long cultural past--the building of ,bailey's ,dam during the ,civil ,war4 ,the research for this volume resulted from work initiated by the ,u4,s4 ,army ,corps of ,engineers1 ,vicksburg ,district to record important historical resources within the ,red ,river ,waterway ,project4 ,steven ,d4 ,smith of the ,division of ,archaeology and ,george ,j4 ,castille ,,iii of ,coastal ,environments1 ,inc41 the authors of this volume1 have taken the technical reports resulting from this research and have provided a very readable account of the events surrounding the construction of ,bailey's ,dam4 ,the ,corps of ,engineers funded the publication of this volume4 ,we are pleased to make the ,bailey's ,dam story available and trust that you will enjoy this volume4 ,kathleen ,byrd ,,acknowledgements ,this booklet is a synthesis of two1 more detailed and scholarly1 manuscripts about the history of ,bailey's ,dam sponsored by the ,vicksburg ,district1 ,u4,s4 ,army ,corps of ,engineers4 ,these two excellently prepared documents are 8,gunboats1 ,low ,water1 ,yankee ,ingenuity3 ,a ,history of ,bailey's ,dam0 by ,dr4 ,michael ,c4 ,robinson1 ,division ,historian1 ,lower ,mississippi ,valley ,division1 ,u4,s4 ,army ,corps of ,engineers1 and 8,archaeological ,investigation and ,preparation of ,historic ,american ,engineering ,record ,documentation for ,lower ,bailey's ,dam 7#af,,ra#ij71 ,rapides ,parish1 ,louisiana0 by ,david ,b4 ,kelley and ,george ,j4 ,castille1 archaeologists with ,coastal ,environments1 ,inc4 ,undoubtedly1 we owe ,dr4 ,robinson and ,mr4 ,kelley a great deal of thanks for allowing us to use their research to complete this booklet4 ,we also would like to thank ,corps archaeologists ,kate ,yarbrough1 ,thomas ,birchett1 and ,sheila ,lewis for their help4 ,finally1 this booklet would not have been possible without the editing skills of archaeologist ,nancy ,w4 ,hawkins of the ,louisiana ,division of ,archaeology4 ,illustration3 ,nathaniel ,banks4 ,courtesy of the ,national ,archives4 ,illustration3 ,david ,porter4 ,courtesy of the ,national ,archives4 ,illustration3 ,joseph ,bailey4 ,courtesy of the ,national ,archives4 ,,introduction ,major ,general ,nathaniel ,p4 ,banks1 ,union commander of the ,red ,river military expedition1 found himself in a particularly tight situation in ,april of #ahfd4 ,he had been defeated at the ,battle of ,mansfield while attempting to capture ,shreveport1 ,louisiana1 and now he was retreating down the ,red ,river1 harassed by ,confederate troops at every turn4 ,throughout the campaign1 the river's low water level had been a constant problem to his naval support of gunboats under the command of ,rear ,admiral ,david ,d4 ,porter4 ,now1 ,banks and ,porter discovered that the river was so low that the gunboats were trapped above the rapids at ,alexandria4 ,to save the flotilla1 ,lieutenant ,colonel ,joseph ,bailey suggested that the river could be dammed to raise the water level and float the gunboats over the shallow rapids4 ,despite the doubts and jeers of many1 ,banks authorized ,bailey to begin construction4 ,through the next two weeks1 troops struggled to build the dam which eventually made it possible for the fleet to escape4 ,in #aigf the archaeological remains of ,bailey's ,dam were placed on the ,national ,register of ,historic ,places1 and through #aihf1 they could be seen at times of low water4 ,however1 the ,u4,s4 ,army ,corps of ,engineers is constructing a modern lock and dam downstream of this historic site1 and the ,red ,river will permanently cover ,bailey's ,dam4 ,recognizing the historical and archaeological importance of the dam1 the ,corps sponsored archaeological excavations there in #aihd4 ,this booklet relates the history and archaeology of the dam complex1 a series of different types of dams collectively called ,bailey's ,dam4 ,the story combines the rich annals of the #ahfd ,red ,river ,campaign with the finds of modern archaeological investigations4 ,this combination provides a fascinating glimpse into a desperate period in ,louisiana history4 ,,advance ,,to ,,shreveport ,mississippi ,squadron1 ,flagship ,black ,hawk1 off ,red ,river1 ,march #b1 #ahfd4 ,,sir3 ,i came down here anticipating a move on the part of the army up toward ,shreveport1 but as the river is lower than it has been known to be for years1 ,i much fear that the combined movement can not come off1 without interfering with plans formed by ,general ,grant4444 ,the ,mississippi ,river is very quiet1 and the rebels retreated into the interior on hearing of the advance of the gunboats4 ,i am1 sir1 very respectfully1 your obedient servant1 ,david ,d4 ,porter ,rear-,admiral4 7,porter #aiad3g7 ,with this communication to the ,secretary of the ,navy1 ,rear ,admiral ,david ,d4 ,porter foretold the crisis that would come close to destroying his squadron of gunboats two months later4 ,low water on the ,red ,river in early ,march was an unexpected sight4 ,since #ahee the annual spring rise had appeared without fail4 ,but now in #ahfd1 while ,porter waited at the mouth of the ,red ,river for his fleet to assemble and for ,major ,general ,nathaniel ,p4 ,banks's army to begin its march north from ,franklin1 ,louisiana1 the ,red ,river's water level was causing ,porter to have doubts about the upcoming campaign4 ,doubts concerning the ,red ,river ,campaign were shared by other ,federal officers1 but for different reasons4 ,the necessity of a thrust up the ,red ,river in #ahfd had been debated since the fall of ,vicksburg the previous year4 ,generals ,grant and ,sherman1 and even the ,red ,river expedition's commander1 ,general ,banks1 believed that the ,north's next logical military objective was to capture ,mobile1 ,alabama4 ,but ,commanding ,general of the ,army ,henry ,w4 ,halleck and ,president ,lincoln felt that control of ,texas was urgently needed to keep ,mexico from joining the ,southern cause4 ,the ,red ,river presented the best route to ,texas4 ,illustration3 ,map of the ,red ,river campaign1 showing the routes of the ,union army and navy4 ,,red ,,river ,,campaign ,army ,route ,navy ,route ,,shreveport ,loggy ,bayou ,mansfield ,grand ,ecore ,pleasant ,hill ,sabine ,river ,red ,river ,bailey's ,dam ,,alexandria ,ft4 ,de ,russy ,mississippi ,river ,porter's ,assembly ,area ,there was another underlying reason for the expedition1 which may have changed ,banks's mind4 ,the ,red ,river area was rumored to contain large stores of cotton critically needed by the ,north4 ,some historians feel that ,banks's desire to secure this cotton influenced his decision to promote the campaign1 and that the capture of cotton became all important to him4 ,after the campaign1 the ,joint ,committee on the ,conduct of the ,war charged that the expedition failed because ,banks and ,porter were overly concerned about capturing cotton4 ,how much their attention strayed is unknown1 but it is true that competition between the army and navy for cotton caused great tension during the campaign4 ,at ,alexandria soldiers were angered 8to see the navy seizing the cotton for prize on land1 while they did not get any0 7,j4,c4,c4,w4 n4d43#ah1gd74 ,whatever the real motivation for the campaign1 the official military objective was ,shreveport4 ,once ,shreveport was in ,union control1 ,texas would lay open to invasion4 ,to capture ,shreveport1 ,banks's army1 supported by ,porter's flotilla1 would drive up the ,red ,river while another force under ,major ,general ,frederic ,steele would move south from ,arkansas4 ,opposing the ,federal attack in ,louisiana was ,confederate ,major ,general ,richard ,taylor1 who had only around #f1jjj troops scattered throughout ,louisiana in ,monroe1 ,alexandria1 ,marksville1 and on ,bayou ,teche4 ,badly outnumbered1 ,taylor worked to gather his forces and then waited for reinforcements from ,texas so he could eventually make a stand4 ,on ,march #ab1 #ahfd1 ,porter began his move up the ,red ,river4 ,within three days1 he captured ,fort ,de ,russy1 near ,marksville1 with the help of a detachment of infantry4 ,meanwhile1 ,banks's main army began its march north from ,franklin1 ,louisiana1 fighting rain and muck4 ,illustration3 ,richard ,taylor4 ,courtesy of the ,louisiana ,state ,library4 ,the forward units of the army reached ,alexandria on ,march #bd4 ,arriving as a tired yet conquering army1 they had already traveled #afe muddy road miles4 ,still1 8the colors were unfurled1 the band struck up1 and the men marched through the streets0 with ,banks watching the troops pass in review from a house veranda 7,beecher #ahff3bih-bii74 ,once assembled1 the ,federal forces numbered nearly #cj1jjj troops1 #ac gunboats1 and #fj assorted transport vessels4 ,here ,banks and ,porter had their second warning that the ,red ,river was not going to cooperate4 ,it quickly became obvious that the expedition would be delayed by the low water at the rapids4 ,although eventually the water level rose1 the expedition was forced to leave many vessels behind4 ,north of ,alexandria1 ,porter's fleet consisted of only #ab gunboats and #cj transports4 ,to carry all the supplies needed by the army1 wagons had to be used to make up for the supply boats left in ,alexandria4 ,banks was also forced to leave behind troops to protect the fleet and the town4 ,while they waited for the ,red to rise1 the soldiers and sailors had to use the water for washing and cooking4 ,as one member of the #aadth ,new ,york described it3 ,it is a dirty1 sluggish stream1 about the eighth of a mile wide1 flowing in an extremely crooked channel4 ,its bends and curves are so exaggerated that they seem almost unnatural4444 ,in all the water charged with mud which our men had been compelled to drink1 they had never before seen anything that came so near being a compromise between earth and water as the ,red ,river 7,beecher #ahff3bii-cjj74 ,illustration3 ,u4,s4 fleet in the ,red ,river at ,alexandria4 ,courtesy of the ,louisiana ,state ,library4 ,naturally1 the delays in ,alexandria were a godsend to ,confederate ,general ,taylor4 ,some #e1jjj cavalry reinforcements arrived from ,texas to help block the ,yankee advance from ,alexandria4 ,now1 despite still being outnumbered1 ,taylor boldly looked for an opportunity to engage ,banks before they reached ,shreveport4 ,as ,taylor later related in his memoirs1 8,my confidence of success in the impending engagement was inspired by accurate knowledge of the ,federal movements1 as well as the character of their commander1 ,general ,banks1 whose measure had been taken in the ,virginia campaigns of #ahfb and since0 7,taylor #ahgi3afa74 ,taylor's opportunity came when ,banks reached ,grand ,ecore1 a landing north of ,natchitoches4 ,there1 ,banks decided that the bulk of his land forces would approach ,shreveport along a narrow road1 twisting away from the ,red ,river and passing through the villages of ,pleasant ,hill and ,mansfield4 ,this decision prevented ,banks's army and ,porter's gunboats from mutually supporting each other during their advance4 ,the army soon became strung out for some #bj miles along the slender road ,banks chose4 ,awaiting him near ,mansfield on ,april #h were ,taylor's smaller but better concentrated forces4 ,in the battle1 the tired ,federal troops panicked and were thrown back down the road4 ,illustration3 ,a ,confederate charge at the ,battle of ,pleasant ,hill4 ,from ,harper's ,weekly1 ,may #g1 #ahfd ,courtesy of ,edwin ,adams ,davis4 ,the next day ,banks was able to pull his army together4 ,they stood against ,taylor's attack at ,pleasant ,hill1 forcing the ,confederates to withdraw4 ,but despite this success1 ,banks was left with a disheartened army that was quickly losing confidence in his leadership4 ,after the retreat to ,grand ,ecore1 one 8officer in high position0 even suggested putting ,banks on a steamer to ,new ,orleans 7,hoffman #ahgg3if-ig74 ,,retreat ,,to ,,alexandria ,in spite of his army's loss of courage1 ,banks wanted to continue the attack4 ,but realizing that the troops were discouraged1 and that ,general ,steele was not coming down from ,arkansas to support the ,union attack on ,shreveport1 ,banks's officers convinced him to fall back to ,alexandria4 ,with this turn of events1 the campaign's goal of capturing ,shreveport was all but forgotten4 ,now the main concern of ,banks and ,porter was to get their troops and boats out of the ,red ,river area while keeping their forces intact4 ,after ,porter's gunboats returned to ,grand ,ecore from their own advance upstream1 the dispirited soldiers began their retreat4 ,confederate ,general ,taylor was now in a position to do real damage to the ,union expedition4 ,confederate cavalry constantly tormented the retreating ,union forces along the road to ,alexandria4 ,meanwhile1 others ambushed the gunboats along the twisting riverbanks4 ,the river itself resisted the ,federals as the boats continually ran aground in the shallow stream4 ,one gunboat1 the ,eastport1 was sunk by a rebel mine1 refloated1 towed1 run aground several times1 and finally blown up by the navy1 to prevent her from being captured by ,taylor's rebels4 ,frank ,church1 a ,marine officer aboard the tinclad ,cricket1 described what must have been a typical skirmish during the retreat3 ,we had not been fired upon for some time and were all sitting down not thinking of guerrillas when we were opened on by about a hundred men4 ,my men sprang to their feet and fired back4 ,i put two shots through the front door of the house where there were several men4 ,after ,i fired three shots our boat swung around and got aground leaving us without a breastwork4 ,my men behaved splendidly standing up and firing away while they were sending a perfect shower of ball and shot over us4 ,as we could not get any opportunity to use our rifles to advantage ,i ordered my men to lay down until we swung around4 ,i sought protection behind the bell but some fellow saw me and fired at me--two bullets struck the bell and ,i concluded ,i had better get somewhere else 7,jones and ,keuchel #aige3dh-ej74 ,illustration3 ,the tinclad gunboat ,cricket4 ,courtesy of the ,library of ,congress4 ,eventually1 the army and its naval support made their way back to ,alexandria1 where the rest of the ,union forces waited4 ,as the weary ,yankees dragged into the town1 an officer recorded in his diary3 ,april #be--;,at #c o'clock ,p4,m41 to-day1 we reached ,alexandria1 and encamped on the river1 just above the town4 ,the army presented the appearance of having seen hard service1 and a long campaign4 ,the men were dirty and ragged1 some of them shoeless4 ,our trains were somewhat dilapidated1 the snowy covers of a month ago were dust covered1 and some in tatters2 the horses and mules as nearly fagged out as the men4 ,how unlike the army which a month ago marched so proudly through the streets of this town 7,pellet #ahff3bbi74 ,by ,april #bh1 ,banks and ,porter had reassembled their forces at ,alexandria4 ,now the low water dilemma1 which had teased and threatened the fleet throughout the campaign1 became a crisis4 ,the water in the ,red had dropped so low that portions of the rocky rapids were exposed1 and at some points1 the water was only #c feet deep4 ,even the lightest gunboats needed at least #g feet of water to pass4 ,ten of ,porter's gunboats were trapped above the rapids4 ,unless some means were found to get them below the rapids1 they would have to be destroyed like the ,eastport1 otherwise they would be lost to the rebels4 ,while many officers1 including the expedition's formally trained engineers1 were preparing for the disastrous loss of the backbone of ,porter's fleet1 ,lieutenant ,colonel ,joseph ,bailey was proposing the solution--a dam4 ,,joseph ,,bailey ,,and ,,his ,,dam ,military engineer ,joseph ,bailey's presence with the ,red ,river expedition was1 in a sense1 one of those coincidences of history that sometimes result in turning the course of events4 ,his knowledge of engineering was not acquired through formal study at ,west ,point4 ,instead1 he had learned practical engineering on the ,wisconsin frontier1 where damming was a skill perfected by lumbermen to float logs to their sawmills4 ,born in ,ashtabula ,county1 ,ohio on ,may #f1 #ahbg1 ,bailey grew up in ,illinois4 ,in #ahej he moved to ,wisconsin1 where for the next #bj years he was involved in the construction of dams1 mills1 and bridges4 ,at the beginning of the war1 ,bailey formed a company of lumbermen and became a captain4 ,soon1 though1 his construction genius was recognized and he was supervising various engineering projects for the ,north1 including construction at ,fort ,dix in ,washington ,d4,c4 and the attempts to build canals during the ,vicksburg campaign4 ,in #ahfc ,bailey won distinction at the battle of ,port ,hudson4 ,there1 despite the scoffs of formally trained military engineers1 he constructed a gun emplacement in full sight of rebel fortifications and proceeded to silence the ,confederate guns4 ,he also built a dam during the siege to refloat two grounded steamboats4 ,all this had been accomplished while he was1 officially1 an officer in the ,wisconsin #dth ,cavalry4 ,recognizing ,bailey's talent1 ,general ,banks1 without authority1 promoted him to colonel4 ,but this promotion was the right of the ,governor of ,wisconsin1 and it was retracted4 ,instead1 ,bailey was made a ,lieutenant ,colonel of ,volunteers4 ,bailey was infuriated at this seeming injustice1 and fortunately for ,porter's stranded fleet1 he had applied for and received a staff position as engineer for ,major ,general ,william ,b4 ,franklin1 one of ,banks's officers4 ,to ,bailey1 constructing a dam to float the gunboats over the rapids was a challenging but not impossible task4 ,after all1 he had undertaken similar work in ,wisconsin and at ,port ,hudson4 ,in fact1 he had foreseen the problem as early as ,april #i and offered to construct a dam at that time4 ,but while ,franklin liked the idea1 the matter was not yet critical1 and other more important problems needed tending4 ,most of the staff officers thought ,bailey's idea was outrageous4 ,porter had joked about an earlier proposition by ,bailey to build a dam to refloat the stranded gunboat ,eastport saying3 8,well1 major1 if you can dam better than ,i can1 you must be a good hand at it1 for ,i have been d----g all night0 7,hoffman #ahgg3ii74 ,now1 though1 a major part of the fleet was about to be lost and ,porter instructed a messenger1 8,tell ,general ,franklin that if he ,bailey will build a dam or any thing else1 and get me out of this scrape1 ,i'll be eternally grateful to him0 7,hoffman #ahgg3aja74 ,later1 ,porter would record that 8the proposition looked like madness1 and the best engineers ridiculed it1 but ,colonel ,bailey was so sanguine of success that ,i requested ,general ,banks to have it done1 and he entered heartily in the work0 7,beecher #ahff3cdb74 ,fortunately1 once ,franklin and ,banks decided to accept ,bailey's idea1 they ordered everyone's cooperation4 ,some #c1jjj troops were put to work chopping down trees1 gathering stones and bricks1 and dragging the raw materials down to where the dam would be constructed4 ,on the ,pineville side of the river1 ,maine1 ,new ,york1 and ,wisconsin soldiers cut down trees1 while on the ,alexandria side1 black troops were put to work gathering wood from buildings4 ,one historical account describes the scene3 ,illustration3 ,map showing location of ,bailey's ,dam in relation to ,alexandria during the ,civil ,war4 ,,red ,,river ,,upper ,,dam ,rapids ,rapids ,,main ,,dam ,rapids ,,pineville ,,alexandria ,night and day the work was carried on without cessation1 the men working willingly and cheerfully1 although many were compelled to stand up to their waists in water during the damp and chilly nights1 and under a burning sun by day1 and notwithstanding very many had no faith in the success of the great undertaking4444 ,oak1 elm1 and pine trees 444 were falling to the ground under the blows of the stalwart pioneers of ,maine1 bearing with them in their fall trees of lesser growth2 mules and oxen were dragging the trees1 denuded of their branches1 to the river's bank2 wagons heavily loaded were moving in every direction2 flat-boats carrying stone were floating with the current1 while others were being drawn up the stream in the manner of canal boats4 ,meanwhile hundreds of men were at work at each end of the dam1 moving heavy logs to the outer end of the tree-dam1 444 wheeling brick out to the cribs1 carrying bars of railway iron to the barges1 444 while on each bank of the river were to be seen thousands of spectators1 consisting of officers of both services1 groups of sailors1 soldiers1 camp-followers1 and citizens of ,alexandria1 all eagerly watching our progress and discussing the chances of success 7,moore #ahfh3aa-ab74 ,illustration3 ,the tinclad ,signal towing material for ,bailey's ,dam4 ,courtesy of the ,library of ,congress4 ,in the midst of this furious activity1 ,bailey was constantly on hand directing the construction4 ,on site1 the soldiers toiled through the day and night2 the slightest disobedience was harshly corrected4 ,two officers were even arrested for allowing a barge1 which was to be part of the dam1 to sink in the wrong place4 ,meanwhile1 on shore1 the dam and ,bailey were the main source of amusement4 ,to most of the navy1 half the army1 and much of the townspeople1 the dam was a great joke4 ,word of ,bailey's dam quickly spread to the rebels1 who would taunt their enemy with 8,how's your big dam progressing80 7,moore #ahfh3ab74 ,but ,bailey ignored the wisecracks and concentrated on his plan4 ,,engineering ,,and ,,archaeology ,during the ,civil ,war1 the rapids at ,alexandria were composed of rocky outcroppings of sandstone and siltstone forming shoals along a mile stretch of the ,red ,river1 even at times of high water4 ,at low water1 the upper and lower ends of the rapids were exposed4 ,long before the war1 the rapids had been a problem to river traffic4 ,when the water was low1 goods being transported by steamboat up and down the river had to be unloaded1 carried past the rapids by wagon1 and reloaded on different boats4 ,numerous ideas had been proposed to improve the river passage2 even the famous ,henry ,miller ,shreve proposed a solution1 but no action was taken4 ,by #ahfd the only navigational aid at the rapids was a small channel cut out of the rocky river bottom4 ,while this was an improvement1 the water was still too low to navigate the rapids during the campaign4 ,it is a strange twist of history1 but we can say that today we know more about some details of ,bailey's dam construction than did the soldiers who built it4 ,those men were laboring day and night to build the dam as quickly as possible4 ,in the confusion and fury of activity1 there was little time for anyone but ,bailey to fully comprehend the plan4 ,today1 historians have studied the many reports and eyewitness accounts of the dam construction to piece together what happened4 ,in addition1 careful archaeological excavation of the actual dam remains provided undeniable evidence of the techniques used4 ,in #aihd a combined historical and archaeological study was undertaken by a historian from the ,corps of ,engineers and archaeologists from ,coastal ,environments1 ,inc4 ,the results of their studies provide a detailed view of the activities at ,bailey's ,dam and testify to the magnitude of ,bailey's engineering feat4 ,historical documents indicate that ,bailey first built his dam just above the lower1 downstream rapids4 ,there1 the river was around #geh feet wide1 and a #aj-mile-per-hour current rushed over the shoals4 ,by constructing the dam at that particular location1 he hoped the water would rise enough behind the dam to allow the gunboats to float over the upper rapids4 ,then1 with the built-up water pressure1 the dam could be broken through at the proper time and the gunboats could rush over the lower rapids1 carried by the force of the released water4 ,illustration3 ,sketch of crib dam which accompanied ,colonel ,bailey's report 7,u4,s4 ,war ,department #ahia-ahie3,plate #ec-c74 ,,crib ,,of ,,stone4 ,iron ,bars #ad #bb ,ft4 ,iron ,bars ,following ,bailey's practical nature1 the dam was built with any locally available material readily at hand4 ,to do so1 he used different methods of construction for each riverbank4 ,on the west 7,alexandria7 bank1 he built the dam of large wooden boxes called cribs4 ,bailey constructed a number of cribs which were placed side by side from the bank out into the river4 ,archaeologists investigated these structures during a low water period by carefully digging two small excavation units around partially exposed crib remains4 ,these units were #d feet wide and #h feet long4 ,as the archaeologists removed the surrounding mud and dirt and exposed the cribs1 they painstakingly recorded the position of each timber and beam4 ,afterward they studied their photographs and notes1 comparing their findings with the historical records4 ,historical accounts indicate that lumber from ,alexandria mills1 homes1 and barns was quickly stripped for use in building the cribs4 ,bricks1 stone1 and even machinery were used to fill and anchor the cribs4 ,additionally1 historical illustrations show that iron bars were placed vertically in the four corners of each crib1 to provide a supporting framework4 ,the evidence from modern archaeological excavations generally supports the historical accounts with some interesting variations4 ,both lines of evidence testify to the ingenuity of ,lieutenant ,colonel ,bailey4 ,the excavations revealed that the crib framework was constructed of hand hewn #d-;by-#aj-;inch timbers1 which is strong evidence that the lumber was from nearby buildings4 ,the ends of these timbers were notched so that they fit tightly together at the corners of the cribs4 ,the corners were supported by smaller vertical wood posts4 ,however1 in the cribs excavated by the archaeologists1 there was no evidence of the iron support bars4 ,furthermore1 there was no evidence of machinery parts in the cribs4 ,instead1 they found that the cribs were filled mostly with sand and mud and only capped with a layer of loose brick and stone4 ,a metal fragment of a large sugar kettle was also found among this brick and stone4 ,a sugar kettle was just the kind of loose but heavy object that could be quickly transported to the cribs for anchoring material4 ,on the east 7,pineville7 bank1 there were no town buildings to strip for lumber but there was1 quite conveniently1 a forest4 ,with abundant trees available1 ,bailey constructed a 8self-loading0 tree dam4 ,according to historical diagrams1 trees were stacked lengthwise with the flow of the stream4 ,the upstream treetops were anchored to the river bottom with stones4 ,the downstream trunks were raised higher than the upstream tops by alternating layers of other logs running perpendicular to1 or across1 the stream4 ,this technique presented a dam face of logs angled upward with the stream flow4 ,as the river was held back by the log face1 the water pressure actually made the dam stronger or 8self-loading40 ,illustration3 ,sketch of tree dam which accompanied ,colonel ,bailey's report 7,u4,s4 ,war ,department #ahia-ahie3,plate #ec-c74 ,the archaeological investigation of the tree dam was completed in a manner similar to the excavations at the crib structures4 ,but here a trench excavation unit was dug4 ,this trench was #bb feet long and #e feet wide1 and it was positioned parallel to the flow of the river4 ,during these investigations1 the river began to rise1 and when the excavation unit was finally abandoned1 the archaeologists were working about #b feet below the water level4 ,the field crew was successful in reaching that depth only with the aid of a water pump4 ,archaeologists had hoped to excavate a slice of the dam completely down to its base1 but attempts to excavate deeper were halted when the pump could not keep out the incoming water4 ,illustration3 ,archaeologist ,david ,kelley drawing map of logs uncovered during the tree dam excavation4 ,the tree dam excavations revealed that both pine and hardwood logs were used and that the tree bark was left intact4 ,the tree limbs had been cut off1 but by observing the knots on the tree trunks1 archaeologists were able to note the direction in which the trees were positioned4 ,they found that many of the trees were positioned with their tops downstream1 exactly opposite of that shown in historical illustrations4 ,also1 all of the upstream ends of the trees had been trimmed of their branches1 and their tips had been pointed with an axe4 ,spaces between the logs were filled with sand and mud1 and the entire structure was covered with brick and stone4 ,interestingly1 the archaeologists also found a hewn1 octagonal1 wood column among the logs4 ,the upstream end of the column had been rough cut1 seemingly to fit into that particular spot in the tree dam4 ,the column was most likely a mast from a riverboat4 ,illustration3 ,portion of the tree dam exposed during the low water in ,august #aihd4 ,together1 the crib and tree dam sections did not cross the entire #geh-;foot riverbed4 ,a #aej-;foot gap existed between the two dams4 ,to close this gap1 four coal barges were used4 ,while the remains of these barges were not found in the archaeological excavations1 historical photographs provide a fairly detailed picture of their appearance4 ,these #bd-;by-#agj-;foot barges were sunk in the gap1 lying lengthwise with the current1 and more stones1 brick1 and iron rails were used to anchor them4 ,braces and ropes1 anchored to the riverbanks1 were also needed to secure the barges against the rising water pressure4 ,bailey directed that the second barge from the ,alexandria side be only partially filled with anchoring materials4 ,this was the barge that he hoped either to ram or blast out of the way1 creating a flood that the gunboats would ride like kayaks4 ,as it turned out1 ,bailey's idea worked1 but not exactly as he would have liked4 ,illustration3 ,building the ,red ,river ,dam4 ,courtesy of the ,library of ,congress4 ,,the ,,dam ,,works ,to the amazement of practically everybody except ,bailey1 the dam complex was working4 ,by ,may #f1 the water held by the dam had risen #d feet4 ,by ,may #h1 the water level was up #e feet #d inches4 ,three of the lighter vessels even crossed the upper rapids and now waited behind the dam for the heavier gunboats4 ,as the soldiers worked to finish the dam1 the water continued to build until the pressure against the dam became tremendous4 ,general ,banks feared the pressure would soon burst the dam1 and the next day1 at around #e3cj in the morning1 one officer 8heard a great crashing in the direction of the dam4 ,jumping out of the blankets and slipping on my coat1 cap1 and boots1 ,i ran down to the bank4 ,the water was rushing through at a great rate0 7,tyson ,may #i1 #ahfd74 ,two of the barges used in the dam had broken loose1 and the water was gushing through4 ,porter1 seeing the crisis1 quickly ordered the gunboat ,lexington to run the gap3 ,illustration3 ,porter's fleet passing through ,colonel ,bailey's ,dam above ,alexandria1 ,may #ahfd4 ,from ,frank ,leslie's ,illustrated ,newspaper1 ,july #af1 #ahfd4 ,courtesy of the ,library of ,congress4 ,the ,lexington succeeded in getting over the falls and then steered directly for the opening in the dam1 through which the water was dashing so furiously that it seemed as if certain destruction would be her fate4 ,ten thousand spectators breathlessly awaited the result4 ,she entered the gap with a full head of steam2 passed down the roaring1 rushing torrent2 made several spasmodic rolls2 hung for a moment1 with a harsh1 grating sound1 on the rocks below2 was then swept into deep water1 and rounded to by the bank of the river4 ,such a cheer arose from that vast multitude of sailors and soldiers1 when the noble vessel was seen in safety below the falls1 as we had never heard before1 and certainly have not heard since 7,moore #ahfh3ab74 ,the ,lexington's run was followed by the three gunboats waiting behind the dam4 ,had the rest of the fleet been prepared1 all of the boats might have escaped at that time4 ,however1 the navy's lack of confidence in the dam had given way to apathy1 and as the released water rushed through the break1 valuable time was wasted as the fleet gathered steam to attempt the run4 ,eventually1 the water behind the dam fell and six gunboats still remained trapped4 ,but the ,lexington's adventure had proven that the dam could work1 and troops confidently went back to work4 ,bailey worried that the dam would break again and decided to leave the #gj-;foot gap in the dam as it was4 ,but this time he added smaller1 lighter dams near the upper rapids4 ,like the dam sections at the lower rapids1 both crib and tree dam methods were employed4 ,these dams helped channel the water while reducing the pressure on the main dam4 ,thus1 instead of relying on one dam to hold back the water until another run could be made1 a series of dams were built to create a deep channel of water along the whole course of the shoals in that part of the ,red ,river4 ,unfortunately1 during ,coastal ,environments's archaeological excavations1 this dam complex at the upper rapids was believed to be destroyed by modern development4 ,later1 the ,u4,s4 ,army ,corps of ,engineers conducted an underwater survey1 locating what clearly appear to be parts of these upper works4 ,if so1 these submerged dam sections are preserved so that perhaps someday archaeologists may have an opportunity to investigate more of ,bailey's engineering feat4 ,while the army labored to build the upper dam1 the navy1 more confident of rescue1 worked to lighten the loads on the trapped gunboats4 ,from ,may #aj through #ab1 the remaining gunboats above the rapids struggled through the upper shoals to the pool behind the main dam4 ,yet another dam had to be built to refloat a gunboat that got stuck during this passage4 ,then on the twelfth of ,may1 the ,mound ,city1 the largest gunboat of the fleet1 ran for the gap in the main dam4 ,the previous scene was repeated1 with thousands lining the banks to watch the excitement4 ,marching bands played the 8,star ,spangled ,banner0 and the 8,battle ,cry for ,freedom40 ,like the ,lexington before it1 as the ,mound ,city hit the gap1 it ground against the rocky river bottom1 and then shot through4 ,the next day all of the trapped vessels lay safely below the rapids4 ,,the ,,campaign ,,ends ,while ,federal troops labored to build the dam1 ,taylor's ,confederate army was not idle4 ,some rebels continued to harass the outposts around ,alexandria1 while others destroyed bridges and blocked roads in an attempt to entrap the ,union forces4 ,federal boats already below the rapids were constantly ambushed along the lower ,red ,river as they attempted to supply the army4 ,in fact1 the ,confederate soldiers were able to cut off all navigation on the river for a while1 isolating the ,yankees4 ,on ,may #ac1 with all the gunboats now safely below the rapids1 ,union forces moved out of ,alexandria4 ,the ,union soldiers left with mixed feelings4 ,they had been beaten in battle1 harassed1 and almost completely destroyed4 ,they were exhausted4 ,still1 they had accomplished a magnificent feat in building the dam and rescuing the fleet1 and some had even made friends among the townsfolk4 ,illustration3 ,admiral ,porter's fleet on the ,red ,river4 ,from ,harper's ,pictorial ,history of the ,civil ,war1 ,march #ahfd4 ,courtesy of the ,library of ,congress4 ,but for the local population this was a critical time4 ,rumors spread that the town would be torched when the army left4 ,banks ordered a detail of #ejj men to be left behind to protect the town from arson4 ,but fires quickly broke out as soon as the main army was out of town4 ,it is unclear who started the fires1 as some accounts describe soldiers looting and setting fires1 while other accounts note that army guards shot looters4 ,probably1 both ,union troops and local looters were involved4 ,one detachment1 the #ibnd ,colored ,infantry who also helped build the dams1 was known to have fought a fire for many hours1 until the building was doomed and the troops were forced to continue their retreat4 ,one ,yankee soldier described the scene3 ,illustration3 ,alexandria1 ,may #ahfd4 ,courtesy of the ,louisiana ,state ,library4 ,cows ran bellowing through the streets4 ,chickens flew out from yards and fell in the streets with their feathers scorching them4444 ,crowds of people1 men1 women1 children and soldiers1 were running with all they could carry1 when the heat would become unbearable and dropping all1 they would flee for their lives1 leaving everything but their bodies to burn4 ,over the levee the sights and sounds were harrowing4 ,thousands of people1 mostly women1 children and old men1 were wringing their hands as they stood by the little piles of what was left of all their worldly possessions 7,van ,alstyne #aiaj3cbj-cba74 ,as the expedition retreated south down the ,red ,river1 ,confederate cavalry did what it could to badger the ,union forces at every opportunity4 ,however1 no matter how courageously the men fought1 the rebel army was too small to seriously oppose the retreat of the entire expedition4 ,at ,mansura1 ,louisiana1 ,taylor attempted to stand against the ,federals1 but after a four-hour artillery duel1 he had to withdraw4 ,though the campaign seemed about at an end1 ,banks found that he had to call on the services of ,lieutenant ,colonel ,bailey once more4 ,at the ,atchafalaya ,river1 ,bailey directed the construction of a bridge which he promptly fashioned out of transport vessels4 ,around #bd transports were placed across the river and held together with large timbers4 ,then1 long planks were laid across the prows of the transports to form a temporary bridge4 ,banks's army was able to cross the river quickly and safely and continue the retreat south to ,baton ,rouge4 ,by that time1 every soldier knew and appreciated the frontier engineer from ,wisconsin4 ,,epilogue ,measured against the backdrop of the entire ,civil ,war1 the results of the ,red ,river ,campaign cannot be considered critical to either side4 ,overall1 the end of the war simply had been delayed4 ,some of the ,federal troops on the expedition were from ,sherman's army and could have been of great help to him4 ,furthermore1 an attack against ,mobile1 ,alabama1 which ,general ,grant wanted1 was postponed for #aj months by the ,red ,river escapade4 ,the campaign had also cost the ,union army #e1bjj men and #ba artillery pieces4 ,the navy lost some #cbj men1 two pump boats1 one ironclad1 two tinclads1 and four transports4 ,yet ,banks still had his army relatively intact1 and just as importantly1 the fleet was saved1 thanks to ,lieutenant ,colonel ,joseph ,bailey4 ,on the other hand1 the campaign was of tremendous significance to ,louisiana4 ,the invasion brought the war home to thousands of ,red ,river settlers1 destroying their property1 economy1 and lives4 ,beyond civilian casualties1 #d1jjj ,confederate troops were lost4 ,on the positive side1 victory at ,mansfield and the failure of the ,union expedition must have helped to strengthen ,southern resolve4 ,for ,lieutenant ,colonel ,joseph ,bailey1 the campaign brought fame4 ,porter praised ,bailey in newspapers and wrote letters of thanks and approval4 ,congress gave ,bailey a gold medal1 ,porter personally gave him a gold inlaid sword1 and other naval officers gave him a silver punch bowl4 ,eventually1 ,bailey's distinguished military career earned him a promotion to brigadier general4 ,but after the war1 the hero of the ,red ,river campaign met a tragic end4 ,on ,march #ba1 #ahfg1 ,sheriff ,joseph ,bailey1 of ,vernon ,county1 ,missouri1 was murdered by two prisoners he was taking to jail4 ,today1 ,joseph ,bailey is buried in ,evergreen ,cemetery1 at ,fort ,scott1 ,kansas4 ,historian ,michael ,robinson best summed up the significance of ,bailey's ,dam when he wrote3 ,perhaps the most remarkable aspect of ,bailey's ,dam was the toil expended by the ,union soldiers4444 ,through the hot days and chilly nights they labored diligently despite harassment from the enemy2 the depression and fatigue of a long1 failed campaign4444 ,in many respects1 their efforts offer some basis for ,porter's claim that ,bailey's ,dam was 8without doubt the greatest engineering feat ever performed0 7,robinson #aihe3ff-fg74 ,today1 8the dam still remains intact as we left it1 and bids fair1 if undisturbed1 to stand a hundred years--an imperishable monument of ,american energy1 ingenuity1 and skill0 7,moore #ahfh3ac-ad74 ,illustration3 ,view west across the ,red ,river at ,bailey's ,dam during low water in #aihd4 ,,references ,,cited ,beecher1 ,harris ,h4 #ahff ,record of the #aadth ,regiment ,n4,y4,s4,v4 ,j4 ,f4 ,hubbard1 ,jr41 ,norwich1 ,new ,york4 ,hoffman1 ,wickham #ahgg ,camp court and siege4 ,harper ,brothers1 ,new ,york4 ,joint ,committee on the ,conduct of the ,war n4d4 ,red ,river expedition4 ,the report of the ,joint ,committee on the ,conduct of the ,war 7,vol4 #aa74 #chth ,u4,s4 ,congress1 #bnd ,session4 ,jones1 ,james ,p4 and ,edward ,f4 ,keuchel 7editors7 #aige ,civil ,war ,marine3 a diary of the ,red ,river expedition1 #ahfd4 ,history and ,museums ,division1 ,headquarters1 ,u4,s4 ,marine ,corps1 ,washington1 ,d4,c4 ,kelley1 ,david ,b4 and ,george ,j4 ,castille #aihe ,archaeological investigation and preparation of historic ,american engineering record documentation for lower ,bailey's ,dam 7#af,,ra#ij71 ,rapides ,parish1 ,louisiana4 ,report prepared for the ,u4,s4 ,army ,corps of ,engineers1 ,vicksburg ,district1 ,purchase ,order ,no4 ,,dacw#ch-hd-,p-#ceaj1 ,coastal ,environments1 ,inc41 ,baton ,rouge1 ,louisiana4 ,moore1 ,frank 7editor7 #ahfh ,document ,no4 #b3 the ,red ,river ,dam4 ,the rebellion record3 a diary of ,american events 7,vol4 #aa74 ,d4 ,van ,nostrand1 ,new ,york4 ,pellet1 ,elias ,p4 #ahff ,history of the #aadth ,regiment1 ,new ,york ,state ,volunteers4 ,telegraph and ,chronicle ,power ,press ,print1 ,norwich1 ,new ,york4 ,porter1 ,david ,d4 #aiad ,letters to ,hon4 ,gideon ,welles4 ,in ,official records of the ,union and ,confederate navies in the ,war of the ,rebellion 7,series ,i1 ,vol4 #bf74 ,washington1 ,d4,c4 ,robinson1 ,michael ,c4 #aihe ,gunboats1 low water1 and ,yankee ingenuity3 a history of ,bailey's ,dam4 ,report prepared for the ,lower ,mississippi ,valley ,division1 ,u4,s4 ,army ,corps of ,engineers1 ,vicksburg1 ,mississippi4 ,taylor1 ,richard #ahgi ,destruction and reconstruction4 ,d4 ,appleton1 ,new ,york4 ,tyson1 ,robert ,a4 #ahfd ,diary4 ,department of ,archives and ,manuscripts1 ,louisiana ,state ,university1 ,baton ,rouge1 ,louisiana4 ,u4,s4 ,war ,department #ahia-ahie ,atlas to accompany the official records of the ,union and ,confederate armies4 ,government ,printing ,office1 ,washington1 ,d4,c4 ,van ,alstyne1 ,lawrence #aiaj ,diary of an enlisted man4 ,tuttle1 ,morehouse1 ,taylor1 ,new ,haven1 ,connecticut4 ,anthropological ,study ,series ,no4 #a ,on the ,tunica ,trail by ,jeffrey ,p4 ,brain ,no4 #b ,the ,caddo ,indians of ,louisiana by ,clarence ,h4 ,webb ,hiram ,f4 ,gregory ,no4 #c ,the ,role of ,salt in ,eastern ,north ,american ,prehistory by ,ian ,brown ,no4 #d ,el ,nuevo ,constante by ,charles ,e4 ,pearson1 et al4 ,no4 #e ,preserving ,louisiana's ,legacy by ,nancy ,w4 ,hawkins ,no4 #f ,louisiana ,prehistory by ,robert ,w4 ,neuman ,nancy ,w4 ,hawkins ,no4 #g ,poverty ,point by ,jon ,l4 ,gibson ,no4 #h ,bailey's ,dam by ,steven ,d4 ,smith ,george ,j4 ,castille ,,iii ,these publications can be obtained by writing3 ,division of ,archaeology ,p4,o4 ,box #ddbdg ,baton ,rouge1 ,,la #gjhjd ,transcriber's ,notes --,silently corrected a few typos4 --,retained publication information from the printed edition3 this e,book is a government public document1 and can be freely copied and distributed4 --,in the text versions only1 text in italics is delimited by underscores4