Seventy miles above Vicksburg, on the western shore of the river, and but five miles from its banks, there was a vast sheet of water called Lake Providence. This sheet, by a series of streams, lakes, and bayous, spread out through labyrinthine intricacies of encumbering stumps, snags, and fallen trees, opened a possible passage to Red River, and through that to the Mississippi again, one hundred and fifty miles below Vicksburg.

A canal was cut from the river into the lake. One steamer and a few barges entered for their romantic voyage. Their path led through the gloomy forest of boundless swamp, by the Bayou Tensas, and the Bayou Baxter, and the Ouachita, and we know not what series of nameless lakes and runs, into the Red River. For weeks the blows of the pioneer's axe and the puff of the steam dredge echoed through those solitudes, which even the Indian's canoe had perhaps never penetrated. Still the heroic little fleet crept slowly along, till at last a drought came, and the shallow lagunes allowed no farther progress. And this enterprise was also abandoned.

Another effort was then made. One hundred and fifty miles north of Vicksburg, as the bird flies, and nearly opposite the town of Helena, there is, on the eastern shore of the river, what is known as Moon Lake. It is but a few hundred yards east of the river. From the southern extremity of the lake, Yazoo Pass leads into Cold River, and this into the Tallahatchie, and this into the Yazoo, which enters the Mississippi at Vicksburg, and whose mouth was strongly guarded by rebel batteries.

It was thought possible that, by cutting a canal into Moon Lake, a way might be forced for the transports through those clogged and winding streams, into the Yazoo above the rebel intrenchments, so as to strike Vicksburg in the rear. The boats entered the lake, and commenced their descent through these savage wilds. It was an enterprise to task to the utmost human sagacity, skill, and endurance. The tortuous channel, the huge branches of the cypress and sycamore trees, upturned by tornadoes, and the stumps, snags, and decay of the eternal forest, which obstructed their path, together with the swift current of the swollen Mississippi, rushing through the bayous-all combined to render the navigation such as might appall the boldest adventurers.

The steamers drifted upon the current, using the paddle-wheels mainly to retard their speed. They often came to a dead stop, so that their average progress was not more than a mile in three and a half hours. Successfully the expedition surmounted all obstacles until it entered the Yazoo. Here the rebels had reared forts, and interposed obstructions which could not be passed. Thus this effort failed.

Still another plan was attempted. Our gunboats held the mouth of the Yazoo, for about seven miles from its entrance into the Mississippi. They then came to bluffs, frowning with rebel batteries. Just before reaching the bluffs, Steele's Bayou opens into the stream. Following this, in a circuit north and east, you reach Black Bayou, through which you enter Rolling Fork and Sunflower Rivers. Thus, by a circuit of some hundred miles, you enter the Yazoo again, some forty or fifty miles up the river, just below Yazoo City.

Through this tortuous channel General Grant tried to force his way.

Commodore Porter led the gunboat fleet. General Sherman commanded the infantry. Their path was to be cut through an impenetrable forest, growing rankly from an almost boundless morass. The rebels swarmed like hornets. Their sharpshooters infested every possible lurking-place. They felled trees before and behind the expedition, and piled up every possible obstruction. At length the danger of being entrapped in the intricacies of the forest became so great, that this enterprise was also abandoned as a failure.

General Grant had not placed much reliance upon any of these experiments. They occupied the army and interested the country, and gave a chance of success, until the spring floods should so abate that he could. execute his main design. That hour at length arrived. The evaporation and drainage of the swamp had rendered the morass passable on the western shore of the Mississippi. Secretly General Grant constructed seventy miles of corduroy road, and marched his army through the concealing forest, from Milliken's Bend above, to a point twenty miles below Vicksburg.

The night of the 16th of April came, dark as Egypt. The gunboats made a midnight assault upon the batteries. In the midst of the tumult three transports, with their exposed sides protected by cotton-bags and bundles of hay, with steam at high pressure, attempted to run the gauntlet of the batteries. Two succeeded. One was destroyed. But the crew escaped to the western shore, and were saved. Five days after, six more transports, laden with provisions, attempted the perilous race. All succeeded but one.

The army which had marched through the swamp had now five transports with which to cross the river. Several iron-clad gunboats had also joined them, under the protection of whose guns it was hoped that the troops could effect a landing on the eastern bank of the stream. After some pretty hard fighting, the patriot army was landed at Bruinsburg, from whence they marched to Port Gibson, driving the foe, wherever they appeared, helter-skelter before them.

Soon after General Grant had taken Port Gibson, he received a letter from General Banks, in New Orleans, stating that he was about to commence operations for the reduction of Port Hudson, which was about three hundred miles farther down the river. Should he succeed in this attempt, he would then join General Grant with twelve thousand men. General Grant, however, decided that it would not be safe for him to wait for these reënforcements. The chances of success he thought to be better in moving directly forward, even with the small force he then had at his command. The result was, that Vicksburg fell before Port Hudson was taken.

The rebel army was now divided. General Bowen had retreated across the Big Black River towards Vicksburg, where General Pemberton was intrenched with a numerous army. The rebels hoped that, by the union of these their two armies, General Grant's progress might, for a season at least, be arrested.

"As any further advance of the enemy against Vicksburg," said the "Jackson Appeal," "will be contested by greatly increased forces, and aided

In this advance General McPherson's Corps took the right, moving directly on Jackson by the way of Raymond. Generals Sherman and McClernand marched in a more northerly direction, keeping close to the Big Black River, and threatening the railroad between Jackson and Vicksburg. The ferries across the river were closely guarded, so as to deceive the enemy as to General Grant's real intentions. All these corps were within supporting distance of each other. It was General Grant's purpose to seize Jackson, destroy the supplies accumulated there, capture or scatter the army which Joe Johnston was collecting, and then, turning suddenly around, to march directly upon Vicksburg. He would thus meet the divided armies of the rebels and whip them in detail. The plan was as bravely and successfully executed as it was skilfully formed.

On the 12th of May, General Logan's Division of General McPherson's Corps, occupying the advance, came up with two brigades of the enemy, three miles in front of the town of Raymond. They were strongly posted in a piece of timber, from which they were driven after some hard fighting: falling back a little, they rallied at Fainden's Creek. The banks of this stream were steep, containing then but little water; in front there was an open field Crouching in this creek-a natural rifle-pit-the rebels completely swept the field before them with their fire. A charge was ordered: after a brief but terrible struggle, the rebels were driven pell-mell from their ditch, and were once more on the retreat. In this engagement the Union loss was sixty-nine killed, three hundred and forty-one wounded, and thirty-two missing. The rebels had apparently no time to report their loss.

In Raymond, copies of the Jackson newspapers of the previous day were found, in which the patriots read with amusement the somewhat surprising intelligence, that the "Yankees had been utterly routed at Grand Gulf and Port Gibson, and were on the rapid retreat to seek the protection of their gunboats."

Pressing vigorously forward the next day, General McPherson entered Clinton, where he captured some important dispatches. That night, and all the next day until noon, the rain fell in torrents. Notwithstanding the roads were now in an almost impassable condition, the onward march was continued. The troops, encouraged by victories, pushed through the mud and the rain uncomplainingly. Meanwhile, the corps of Generals Sherman and McClernand changed their line of march in an easterly direction, so as to be within supporting distance of General McPherson.

About noon of the 14th this latter general came upon the rebels, drawn up in line of battle, about two and a half miles out from Jackson. They were strongly intrenched upon the crest of a hill over which the road passed. At the foot of this hill there was an open plain, which the rebel guns commanded. After a short artillery duel and some indecisive skirmishing, General Crocker ordered a charge. The patriots advanced across the plain and up the hill-side with slow and measured step, as if on dressparade. Volley after volley was discharged into their ranks, creating great

No answering fire was returned; not until the Union troops were within thirty yards of the rebels was a musket discharged; then the whole

line simultaneously flashed with fire. With fixed bayonets, and a cheer which made the welkin ring, the patriots sprang upon their foes.

The resistance was but for a moment. Broken by the impetuosity of the charge, the rebels fled in utter confusion; a battery of six pieces fell into the hands of the victors. That night Jackson was occupied by the Union forces. The office of a bitter secession journal, in anticipation of the result, had been moved to Brandon. General Grant gave no time for rest, either to his own army or that of the foe. Not sleeping upon his laurels, he added victory to victory, and, by the celerity of his movements, prevented armies from combining, which, in the aggregate, outnumbered his own. The evening of his capture of Jackson, General Grant learned that Pemberton had been ordered to advance from Vicksburg and attack him in the rear. He immediately ordered his army to face about, and leaving General Sherman to destroy the railroads, bridges, factories, and workshops in Jackson, nearly his entire army was marched, on the following day, in converging lines towards Edwards's Dépôt, two miles east of the Big Black River.

At this point the rebels were said to be strongly fortified. It was also reported that Joe Johnston, with ten batteries of artillery and twenty-five thousand men, was nearly ready to advance from the north. General Grant would thus be placed between two fires. With characteristic promptness, he decided immediately to attack General Pemberton, and drive him back to his fortifications before General Johnston could come to his relief. In all these operations General Grant established his headquarters with his army in the field, moving always with his troops.

Three roads lead from Raymond to Edwards's Station. General McClernand, at the former place, advanced his corps by each of these roads. Generals Smith and Blair, taking the southern road, formed the extreme left. Generals Osterhaus and Carr marched by the centre road. General Hovey took the one most northerly. While the army was thus moving, General McPherson also marched directly from Bolton to Edwards's Station, so as to cooperate with General Hovey. General Pemberton had, with much military sagacity, selected his field of battle. There was a point where the road passed over a wide open plain, and then, turning suddenly to the south, ascended diagonally a long, steep hill. The top of the hill and the side above the road were covered with a dense growth of timber. Below these were open cultivated fields extending for a considerable distance.

Under the cover of these woods the rebels had taken their position. Their fire commanded the road and swept the open field across which the patriots were compelled to advance. While other portions of the Union troops were advancing by roads farther south, the main battle was to be fought here; the brunt of the conflict was to fall on General Hovey's Division of McClernand's Corps. General Grant was upon the field, and commanded in person. The battle commenced about nine o'clock in the morning. The rebels, knowing that the other divisions of the Union army were hurrying forward to take part in the conflict, decided not to await their arrival, but to assume the offensive themselves. Massing their troops, they hurled them upon the centre of General Hovey's line. The fire grew hotter