another route and by a night-march to their original destination. Over marshy ground, thickly covered with wood, without a guide and with the only direction, "to take a north-westerly course," they set out. Fortunately the North Star was in full view, and by its aid they were enabled to reach the point indicated, after a fatiguing march of more than eight miles. It was after two o'clock in the morning when they reached the deserted camps of the enemy.

By half past ten o'clock A. M., the two corps were in position, and were ready to commence the attack. General Steele's division formed the extreme right of the line of battle, and General Stuart's, and General A. J. Smith's divisions were formed on its left.

Port Arkansas, a small village, the county seat of Arkansas county, is situated on elevated ground above the reach of floods, and defining for some miles, the left bank of the river.

Fort Hindman, a square, full-bastioned fort, is erected within this village, upon the bank of the river, at the head of a bend resembling a horse-shoe.

At one o'clock P. M., the gun-boats opened fire, immediately followed by artillery. By half past one o'clock Hovey's and Thayer's brigades, and Giles A. Smith's and T. K. Smith's brigades

of General Sherman's corps, had crossed in double quick time, a narrow space of cleared ground, in their front, and gained position in a belt of woods extending irregularly some three hundred yards, quite to the enemy's rifle-pits; checked here, for a time, by a sudden and severe fire of musketry and artillery from the cover of the enemy's works, they boldly resumed and continued their advance, supported by Blair's brigade, as a reserve, until they had approached within short musket-range of the enemy's line, and found shelter in some ravines lined by underbrush and fallen timber.

In executing this movement General Hovey was wounded by a shell, but continued upon the field in the gallant discharge of duty.

At half past four o'clock, after three hours and a half hard fighting, the Union forces entered and took possession of all the enemy's defences, General Churchill having surrendered the post, its armament, garrison, and all its stores to General McClernand.

During the early part of 1863, Sherman took a very important part in one of the expeditions sent out by General Grant for the purpose of drawing off the enemy's attention from the main operations.

On the 16th of March, 1863, General Grant ordered General Stuart to prepare the infantry of his division - the Second division of the Fifteenth

Army Corps-to move at daylight the next morning. Leaving everything, except ammunition, arms, and rations, they embarked and proceeded up the Mississippi to Eagle Bend. Admiral Porter and General Grant had made a personal reconnoissance of a proposed route to the Yazoo above Haines' Bluff, a few days previous, and General Sherman was ordered to take charge of the opening of the route. General Sherman left at once with the pioneer corps of Stuart's division and the ́ Eighth Missouri. General Grant received dispatches in the evening from Admiral Porter, announcing that his gunboats were meeting with great success, and requested that the land force be sent at once, and General Stuart was ordered to immediately proceed with his division. The distance by land from the Mississippi, along the Muddy Bayou, is about one mile. And the infantry were ordered to cross by this route to Steele's Bayou, it being impossible to take anything but small steamers through the bayou. On reaching Eagle Bend, it was ascertained that two long bridges were necessary to the movement of troops, and the building of these occupied a day and a half. When completed, the division marched across Steele's Bayou, and a part of the First brigade embarked on the Silver Wave, and started up through the wilderness of forest and water.

Three streams, Steele's Bayou, Deer Creek, and the Sunflower, traverse the country north of the Yazoo, for fifty miles, between the Mississippi and the line of railway from Memphis to Jackson, emptying into the Yazoo. Their course is very tortuous, like the streams in the wild marshes.

The fleet going up the Yazoo River seven miles, thence up Steele's Bayou twelve miles, came to Muddy Bayou, which runs across from the Mississippi into Steele's. The troops came over on floating bridges, and embarked at this point, and from here were transported up Steele's and Black Bayou about twenty miles to Hill's plantation, and marched thence twenty-one miles on a levee north along Deer Creek, nearly to Rolling Fork. It was proposed to proceed on that creek a distance of seven miles, until the Sunflower was reached. Once upon that stream, they could reach the Yazoo, between Haines' Bluff and Yazoo City, and would be in a position to operate against the enemy at various points with great effect.

After a reconnoissance far enough to learn that gunboats could pass from the Yazoo into Steele's Bayou, Admiral Porter moved up the Bay, and General Sherman with a division of his army corps formed the land force. This was on the 15th, and before night on the 16th, the advance of the gunboats and land force were at Muddy Bayou. They

arrived at Eagle Bend on the 17th. The 18th, and until noon of the following day, the men were employed in building the two bridges before referred to, and the troops were speedily transported to the place of rendezvous. They passed up the Black Bayou into Deer Creek, without any obstruction from the enemy until the 20th, when the rebels commenced annoying them with sharpshooters, and by felling trees in the creeks. They could proceed no further that night, and in the morning, they found considerable obstruction in the river, and an enemy, some 600 strong, with a field battery of rifles, disputing his passage. They were kept busy the greater part of the day, making but half a mile progress.

The Admiral sent a dispatch back to General Sherman, stating the condition of affairs, and a force was immediately sent to the relief of the gunboats. They made a forced march, skirmishing a part of the way, and arrived on the evening of the 22d, a distance of twenty-one miles, over a terrible road. The enemy had been largely reënforced during the day, and now numbered some 5,000 men. The boats were surrounded with rebels, who had cut down trees before and behind them, were moving up artillery, and making every exertion to cut off retreat and capture our boats. For a mile and a half, the creek was full of obstructions.