to a biting fire, which they could not effectually return. Their numbers rapidly wasted in the fierce struggle, when they were opportunely aided by the opening of a battery upon the Confederate force which was pressing hard upon the Fifty-fourth Ohio and Eighth Missouri. Meantime the divisions of Steele and Morgan had pushed through all obstacles, and with great determination had cleared the rifle-pits and gained considerable ground, some of the men, with rare courage, even reaching the bluffs, but in numbers too weak to hold the ground. The position proved, however, to be too strong to be carried, and the line retired to the camping-ground of the previous night. A violent storm and rain, such as usually succeeds heavy cannonading, set in soon after, and drenched the weary men resting on their arms, causing suffering to the numbers of wounded that strewed the plain in front.

In consequence of the wound of General M. L. Smith, General A. L. Smith was placed in command of his division, and General Burbridge succeeded to the command of Smith. On the 2d January, General McClernand arrived and assumed command of the army, by virtue of his priority of commission. He held a council of war, in which it was determined to abandon the siege, since, through the failure of Banks, Farragut, and Grant to co-operate as previously intended, the force was not sufficient. The men were accordingly promptly embarked, and retired to Milliken's Bend, twelve miles above the mouth of the Yazoo. The Arkansas River was now navigable, and it was determined to strike a blow at Arkansas Post. General Gorman, who was in command at Helena, received orders to co-operate in the movement. The expedition proved completely successful, and on the 11th January the place was captured, with five thousand prisoners. Three other forts were also captured-St. Charles, Duval's Bluff, and Desarc. The main body then returned to Vicksburg, and, being largely re-enforced by troops under General Grant, who now assumed the chief command, landed on the Louisiana side, five miles below the mouth of the Yazoo, and commenced to reopen the canal begun in the previous year across the tongue of land in front of Vicksburg, and designed to turn the channel of the river. A force of five thousand men was put to work to enlarge the canal, with a view of floating through the troops and landing them for the attack of Vicksburg on its southern side. The Union fleet concentrated there comprised one hundred and seven vessels, of which ninety-six were transports and nineteen gunboats, the latter being under the command of Rear-Admiral D. D. Porter.

While the canal was in process of digging, the troops were concentrated at Milliken's Bend for reorganization and drill. Little of interest occurred in the progress of the work until the 2d of February, when the ram Queen of the West ran the batteries at Vicksburg down the river without injury, arriving at Natchez the same evening. She soon after made an excursion up the Red River to attack Fort Taylor. On the way up she captured, February 17th, the Confederate steamer Eva, and forced her pilot, John Burke, to take the vessel up to the batteries, which were not far ahead, although when he was placed at the wheel under a guard, he informed the commander of the Queen that they were fifteen miles distant. He then ran close

into the batteries, which opened upon the advancing vessel with a shot that disabled her. The pilot jumped over in the confusion and gained the shore. The steamer drifted ashore, and was captured, with eighteen of her men. She was soon repaired and placed in the rebel service. Meantime, on the 14th of February, the gunboat Indianola ran the batteries in order to join the Queen of the West. Unfortunately, however, she was almost immediately captured by the Queen of the West, and both were subsequently destroyed by the Union gunboats. The operations on the canal were prolonged until it became evident that it would not succeed, and that even if it could be made passable for the transports, its debouch upon the river was so commanded by the new batteries erected by the enemy that it would not answer the object. Finally, owing to a sudden flood which broke the dam and overflowed the adjacent country, it had to be abandoned.

Attempts were next made to enter the Yazoo River by the old Yazoo Pass, which enters the Mississippi many miles above Vicksburg, and subsequently by a more circuitous route through Steele's Bayou, Black Bayou, Duck Creek, Deer Creek, Rolling Fork, and Sunflower River, none of which succeeded, although abundant resources and energy were expended upon them. It was, however, the opinion of Grant that Vicksburg could only be turned from the south side, and as the canal had proved a failure, attention was turned to the project for cutting a canal from the Mississippi to Lake Providence, in Northeastern Louisiana, whence transports might pass through Bayou Baxter and Bayou Macon, and the Tensas, Wachita, and Red Rivers, into the Mississippi, about a hundred miles below Vicksburg. This also proved impracticable, and, after mature deliberation, Grant determined to adopt the hazardous scheme of running past the Vicksburg batteries with a portion of the gunboats and transports, and marching his troops down the west bank of the Mississippi to a point whence they could be transferred to the opposite shore.

This had been attempted with some success by the fleet of Farragut* from below, which passed Port Hudson the 14th of March, for the purpose of co-operating with Grant. The enemy's batteries extended some four miles at that formidable point, yet the passage was attempted by seven vessels-the Hartford, Albatross, Richmond, Kineo, Monongahela, Genesee, and Mississippi-while a number of mortar-boats kept up a bombardment from the rear. Of the fleet, the Hartford and Albatross succeeded in passing. The Richmond put back with damage, and the Mississippi was destroyed. About eighty

David G. Farragut was born near Knoxville, Tennesse, in 1801, entered the navy in 1811, and saw much active service in the war of 1812, as a midshipman on the frigate Essex. He subsequently served in all parts of the world, and in 1855 reached the grade of captain. In the latter part of 1861 he was appointed to command the naval part of the expedition against New Orleans, and at the same time assumed command of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. In April, 1562, he successfully accomplished the passage of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, commanding the ap

proaches to New Orleans, and during the next two months he was actively employed in the same waters. In July he was promoted to be a rear-admiral. In March, 1863, he passed the batteries at Port Hudson, on the Mississippi, with two of his vessels, and rendered valuable services to Grant, then besieging Vicksburg. In August of the sneceeding year he made his memorable passage of the forts at the entrance of Mobile harbor, for which he was afterwards promoted to be vice-admiral, which grade was specially created by Congress for him.

were killed in the passage. At Grand Gulf the Hartford again en countered the enemy's batteries, and received fourteen shot, and on the 22d she anchored below Vicksburg. Soon after, on the 25th, the Lancaster and Switzerland, of Porter's fleet, attempted to run past Vicksburg and join Farragut. The Lancaster was destroyed, but the Switzerland got down in a disabled condition, but, being taken in tow by the Albatross, was again made serviceable.

On the night of the 16th of April, a portion of Admiral Porter's fleet and the transports Silver Wave, Forest Queen, and Henry Clay, ran the batteries. The boilers of the transports were protected as well as possible with hay and cotton. More or less commissary stores were put on each. All three of these boats were struck, and the Henry Clay, by the explosion of a shell, or by other means, was set on fire and entirely consumed. The other two boats were somewhat injured, but not seriously disabled. No one on board of either was hurt

As these boats succeeded in getting by so well, General Grant ordered six more to be prepared in like manner for running the batteries, viz. : the Tigress, Anglo-Saxon, Cheeseman, Empire City, Horizonia, and Moderator, which left Milliken's Bend on the night of the 22d of April, and got by in a somewhat damaged condition, with the exception of the Tigress, which received a shot in her hull, below the waterline, and sunk on the Louisiana shore soon after passing the last of the batteries. The crews of these steamers, with the exception of that of the Forest Queen, Captain D. Conway, and the Silver Wave, Captain McMillan, were composed of volunteers from the army. Upon the call for volunteers for this dangerous enterprise, officers and men presented themselves by hundreds, anxious to undertake the trip.

The fleet concentrated at New Carthage, where the troops continued to arrive. The roads from Milliken's Bend to that place were intolerably bad. Nevertheless, on the 29th March, the Thirteenth Army Corps, McClernand commanding, was directed to take up its line of march thither, to be followed by the Seventeenth Corps, McPherson, moving no faster than supplies and ammunition could be transported to them. The Fifteenth Army Corps, W. T. Sherman commanding, was left to protect the communications and supplies and deceive the enemy. To prevent heavy re-enforcements going from Vicksburg to the assistance of Grand Gulf, where Grant intended to land, he directed Sherman to demonstrate against Haines's Bluff, and to make all the show possible. From information afterwards received from prisoners captured, this ruse succeeded admirably. Arriving at Smith's plantation, two miles from New Carthage, it was found that the levee of Bayou Vidal was broken in several places, thus leaving New Carthage an island.

It became necessary to march around Vidal to Perkins's plantation, a distance of twelve miles more, making the whole distance to be marched from Milliken's Bend to reach water communication on the opposite side of the point, thirty-five miles. Ultimately the march was prolonged to Hard Times, seventy miles from Milliken's Bend. Over this distance, with bad roads to contend against, supplies of ord

nance stores and provisions had to be hauled by wagons, with which to commence the campaign on the opposite side of the river.

On the 29th April, the Thirteenth Army Corps got on board the transports and barges, and were moved to the front of Grand Gulf. It was intended that the navy should silence the guns of the enemy, and the troops land under cover of the gunboats, and carry the place by storm. The position of Vicksburg would thus be effectually turned, and the garrison compelled either to evacuate or stand a siege, with the hope of succor from Bragg in Tennessee.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

The Flank Movement against Vicksburg.-Battles of Raymond, Jackson, and Champion Hills.--Investment of the City.-Obstinate Defence.-Surrender.-Chronology of Events.-Grierson's Raid.

THE Federal Army was now below Vicksburg, supported by the fleet; and those formidable defences, which had so often defied the efforts directed from the North, were no longer of any avail. The southern side of the position was now to be approached, with much better hopes of success.

The troops were soon concentrated and formed for a lodgment on the Mississippi side, which was effected at Bruinsburg, sixty-five miles below Vicksburg, on the 30th April. On the same day the gunboats attacked Grand Gulf, without effect. The Thirteenth Corps immediately advanced, followed by the Seventeenth, upon Port Gibson, held by the Confederates, under General Bowen, who were defeated, on the 1st of May, with heavy loss. The Union loss was five hundred and fifty killed and wounded. This placed Grant in the rear of Grand Gulf, which was consequently abandoned by the enemy. Admiral Porter, two days after the engagement at Port Gibson, returned to Grand Gulf, and found it abandoned. He reported it to have been the strongest place on the Mississippi. Had the enemy succeeded in finishing the fortifications, no fleet could have taken them. General Grant then made Grand Gulf his base of operations.

In the afternoon the army was again in motion in the direction of Raymond. It had been Grant's original intention to effect a junction with Banks, and reduce Port Hudson, and then co-operate upon Vicksburg. The state of affairs on landing, however, induced him to advance at once upon Jackson. Simultaneously with the movement just described, Sherman had made a demonstration against Haines's Bluff on the Yazoo, to distract the attention of the enemy, after which he marched rapidly down the river and crossed over to Grand Gulf.

On the 7th of May an advance commenced, McPherson's Corps keeping the road nearest Black River to Rocky Springs, McClernand's the ridge road from Willow Springs, and Sherman following with his corps divided on the two roads. All the ferries were closely guarded until our troops were well advanced. It was the intention of General