SHERMAN'S FEINT ON HAINES'S BLUFF. 303 Grant decided against its further | boats, and proceeded" to the mouth prosecution; having determined to debark his troops now on shipboard, and march still farther down the Louisiana bank, to a point opposite Rodney; while the gunboats and transports should run the Grand Gulf batteries, as they had run those of Vicksburg and Warrenton, and be ready to cross his army at a point where little resistance was anticipated. Accordingly, at dark, our gunboats again engaged the batteries, while our transports ran by them; receiving but two or three shots, which did them no essential harm. Finally, having learned from a negro that there was a good road from the little hamlet of Bruinsburg, half way down to Rodney, running back to Port Gibson, in the rear of Grand Gulf, the General decided to cross at this point; and, by daylight next morning," both gunboats and transports were ferrying over the 13th corps; our soldiers, so fast as landed, taking three days' rations in their haversacks, and pushing out on the road to Port Gibson, followed by the 17th corps. re of the Yazoo, where he found Capt. Breese, with the iron-clads Black Hawk, Choctaw, and De Kalb, and several wooden boats, all ready, with steam up; and they at once ascended the Yazoo, stopping for the night at the mouth of the Chickasaw bayou, and moving up next morning to within range of the Haines's Bluff batteries, which were engaged for four hours by our iron-clads and the Tyler-the enemy replying with spirit; but, though the Tyler was hit once, and the Choctaw peatedly, none of our men were seriously hurt. Toward evening, Blair's division was debarked in full view of the enemy, and seemingly prepared to assault; our gunboats thereupon renewing their fire and provoking the enemy to reply. Thus the menace of an assault was maintained till after dark; when our troops were quietly rëembarked. Next day, equally threatening demonstrations were made, accom panied by reconnoissances on all sides; meanwhile, orders were received from Grant to desist from the feint and hurry the whole corps forthwith to Grand Gulf. Meantime, Gen. Sherman, with the 15th corps, had been left above Vicksburg, expecting to follow on the track of the 13th and 17th, until he received" a a letter from Gen. Grant, near Carthage, depicting the badness of the roads, and directing him to remain where he was for the present. Two days later, Grant wrote him that he proposed to attack Grand Gulf next day, and suggesting a simultaneous feint on the Rebel batteries near Haines's Bluff. Sherman accordingly embarked Blair's division on ten steam- they were April 29–10 A. M. 69 April 30. 54 April 26. 66 Sending orders to the divisions of Steele and Tuttle to march southward at once, Sherman kept up the feint till after nightfall; then quietly dropped down the Yazoo to Young's Point; and next morning" Blair's division moved up to Milliken's Bend, to remain there as a garrison till relieved by fresh troops from above; while Steele's and Tuttle's hurried down the west bank of the Mississippi to Hard Times, where ferried across," and were pushed forward 18 miles next day, to connoissances employed in obtaining Hankinson's Ferry. information of the enemy. 58 Grant's advance, under McClernand, first encountered the enemy when eight miles out from Bruinsburg; but the Rebels were not in force, and fell back unpursued till morning; when McClernand advanced, and, when approaching PORT GIBSON, was resisted with spirit by a Rebel force from Vicksburg, under Maj.-Gen. Bowen; the country being broken into narrow ridges, separated by deep ravines, which afforded great advantage to the defensive. Our superiority in numbers being decisive, however, they were steadily driven; Grant finally sending up J. E. Smith's brigade of McPherson's corps to the support of our left, under Osterhaus; when, late in the afternoon, the enemy was defeated with heavy loss, and pursued toward Port Gibson. Our loss was 130 killed, 718 wounded. We captured 3 guns, 4 flags, and 580 prisoners. Night soon closed in, and our troops slept on their arms till morning; when it was found that the enemy had retreated across Bayou Pierre, burning the bridge behind them, abandoning Port Gibson, and evacuating Grand Gulf, as our army advanced" in its rear to Hankinson's Ferry on the Big Black, skirmishing and taking some prisoners, mainly stragglers, but not seriously resisted. Gen. Grant now rode across to Grand Gulf, with a small escort of cavalry, to make arrangements for changing his base of supplies from Bruinsburg to this point, while his army awaited the arrival of wagons, provisions, and Sherman's corps; meantime, scouts were busy and re58 May 1-2 A. M. "May 3. Grant had expected to remain some time at Grand Gulf, accumulating provisions and munitions, while he sent a corps down the river to cooperate with Gen. Banks in the reduction of Port Hudson; but the information here obtained dictated a change in his plans-Banks not having yet invested Port Hudson. Accordingly, his army was pushed forward" on two parallel roads up the left bank of the Big Black: McPherson on that nearest the river; McClernand on the higher, or ridge road; while Sherman's corps, divided, followed on each; all the ferries on the Big Black being watched to guard against a surprise from the enemy, who had taken care to burn the few bridges. Thus advancing, our army encountered no serious resistance until its van, under McPherson, then moving on Clinton and Jackson, was encountered," near RAYMOND, by two Rebel brigades, under Gen. Gregg, who had taken a good position, with two batteries, commanding the road in our front, having his infantry posted on a range of hills to the right of the road, and in the timber and ravines just in front. The fight here was a short one. The Rebels opened it with great fury, attempting to charge and capture De Golyer's battery, which was in position on our front; but, being repulsed by a terrific fire of grape and canister, they broke and fled precipitately, so that McPherson had scarcely begun the fight when it was ended; the Rebels fleeing at full speed through Raymond, which our troops occupied at 5 P. M. Only Lo61 May 12. 60 May 7. Dennis's brigade, which was in advance, and of which the 20th Ohio, 23d Indiana, and 20th Illinois fought desperately and suffered severely. Our loss in this affair was 69 killed (including Col. Richards, 20th Illinois, who fell at the head of his regiment, and Maj. Kaga, 20th Ohio), 341 wounded, and 32 missing: total 442. The Rebels lost 103 killed, gan's division, now numbering less than 6,000, was seriously engaged on our side; but Crocker's division came up just after the battle was won by the advance of Stevenson's brigade, and a splendid charge with fixed bayonets by the 8th Illinois, Lt.-Col. Sturgis. The enemy had previously been strongest in the numbers engaged, and had fought stubbornly; charging to turn the left flank of with 720 wounded and prisoners. VOL. II.-20 We took prisoners from ten different | fenses of Jackson; when McMurray's regiments; and Johnston reports that and Dillon's batteries were brought Gregg's force numbered 6,000. Here up and poured a deadly fire into the McPherson and Logan were con- routed masses of the foe. Here our stantly under fire; the latter having troops were halted and our lines his horse shot twice. McPherson's reformed, while skirmishers were generalship and dash elicited the ad- thrown out and officers sent forward miration of our soldiers. to reconnoiter: these soon reported the capital of Mississippi evacuated; and, at 4 P. M., the flag of the 59th Indiana was waving over the dome of the State House; Sherman's command about this time entering the city from the south-west. 62 63 McPherson pushed on next morning 2 to Clinton, which he entered unopposed at 2 P. M., and commenced tearing up the railroad thence toward JACKSON; Gen. Sherman advancing simultaneously on the direct road from Raymond to Jackson. McPherson's march was resumed at 5 A. M. next day; and, at 9 A. M., when five miles from Jackson, the enemy's pickets were driven in; and, proceeding 2 miles farther, their main body was encountered in strong force, under Gen. W. H. T. Walker, whose command consisted partly of South Carolina and Georgia troops, which had only arrived the evening before. A tremendous shower occurred while McPherson was making his dispositions, which delayed his attack for an hour and a half. At 11 A. M., the rain having nearly ceased, our soldiers advanced, preceded by a line of skirmishers, who were soon exposed to so heavy a fire that they were recalled to their regiments, when an order to charge was responded to with hearty cheers. Our whole line swept forward in perfect array, driv-| ing the enemy out of the ravine which covered their front, and up the hill whereon their batteries were posted; when, without having checked our momentum, they broke and fled precipitately, eagerly followed for a mile and a half, till our infantry was within range of the guns forming the de McPherson's loss in this collision was 37 killed, 228 wounded and missing; while that he inflicted on the enemy amounted, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, to 845. Our captures in Jackson included 17 pieces of artillery; while railroads, manufactories, and army stores, were extensively destroyed. 65 64 Grant was in Jackson directly after its capture; and, after giving orders to Sherman for the thorough destruction of its railroads, military factories, and stores, directed McPherson to retrace his steps next morning to Clinton, following himself in the afternoon; impelling McClernand's corps westward next morning upon Edwards's Station; while Sherman, having finished his work at Jackson, was ordered to evacuate that city and rejoin him so soon as might be; for Grant had learned in Jackson that Gen. Jo. Johnston, who had just arrived in our front and assumed “ immediate command of the Rebel forces in this quarter, had ordered Pemberton to march out from Vicksburg and assail our rear: the Rebels routed in Jackson having fled northward from that city, as if intending May 13. May 15. 66 May 16. 66 THE BATTLE OF CHAMPION HILLS. 307 to form a junction with Pemberton | corps, being now close upon him, and Gen. Grant now reached the front, and found Hovey's skirmishers close to the enemy's pickets, while his troops were rapidly coming into line, and might, had they been strong enough, have opened the battle at any moment. The enemy in their front held a very strong position on a narrow ridge, with his left resting on a height, where the road toward Vicksburg made a sharp turn to the left, with the crest of the ridge and his left flank covered by a dense forest. McPherson's corps, except Ransom's brigade, soon came up, and was thrown to the right, so as to threaten the enemy's rear. Still, our numbers on the field were inadequate, and Grant forbade an attack until he could hear from McClernand, who was advancing with two divisions, from Bolton Station on our right, but on parallel roads which converged two miles east of Edwards's Station. But, while Grant was thus impatiently listening for the sound of McClernand's guns, and sending him orders to push forward rapidly, the firing between Hovey's and the Rebel skirmishers gradually grew, by 11 A. M., into a battle; andsince a single division could not long resist two or three times its numbers -one brigade and then another of Crocker's division was sent in to Ho Pemberton was in position near Edwards's Station, when he received" a dispatch from Johnston suggesting -he says not ordering--a combined attack on McPherson, then at Clinton, and called a council to consider the proposition. After hearing its advice, he decided to attack next morning; but was delayed by the swollen condition of a branch of Baker's creek till afternoon; when he advanced four or five miles, and took up a strong position on CHAMPION HILLS, Southward of the railroad, and about midway between Jackson and Vicksburg. Here he received, next morning,” a note from Johnston, directing him to move northward, so as to form a junction with his own shattered forces, most of which had so recently been driven out of Jack-vey's support; while McPherson's othson. Pemberton thereupon ordered er division, under Logan, was working his trains sent back toward the effectively upon the enemy's left and Black, and would have followed with rear, essentially weakening his efforts his army, but it was too late; Gen. in front. McClernand's remaining Hovey's division, of McClernand's divisions failed to arrive at the front, 67 May 16. ❝ A Rebel report says 17,500. |