accomplished without loss, and with very little hinderance from the enemy.

On 30th of April the 13th corps landed on the left bank, and were immediately pushed forward towards Port Gibson, a small town near the mouth of the Big Black River.

We must now inquire what preparations had been made by the Confederate General to resist the threatened attack. The passage down the river of the gunboats and transports, the march of the army from Milliken's Bend, and the evident preparations for an advance against Vicksburg from the south-east, had roused General Pemberton-commanding the Confederate army of the Mississippi-to a sense of the danger of his position. He telegraphed the news of Grant's movements to General Johnston, the Commander-inChief of the Western armies, who was then at Tullahoma with Bragg, and, in answer, received orders to attack Grant at once. He asked for reinforcements, but was told that none could be spared from the army of Tennessee, which was only just able to hold its own against

Rosecrans.

At

In the meantime General Bowen, commanding at Grand Gulf, crossed the Bayou Pierre, and attempted to oppose the march of the Federals to Port Gibson. 1 A.M., on the 1st of May, the advanced guards of the two armies met, and at daybreak the action commenced. During the whole of Friday, the 2nd, amidst the ravines, swamps, cane-brakes, and jungles, the armies fought. As the several Federal divisions landed and received supplies of rations and ammunition, they were hurried to the front; and on the evening of the 2nd succeeded in driving back the Confederates and in occupying Port Gibson, General Bowen having recrossed the Bayou Pierre, after burning the bridges behind him, and

abandoning his hospitals, and such of the wounded as could not be removed.

Such was the first of the engagements which heralded in Grant's successful campaign. The march from Milliken's Bend, the passage of the river, the rapidity of the advance, and the success of the action of Port Gibson, all bore witness to the good order and discipline which prevailed in the army, and to the improvement which campaigning and practical experience had worked, both in officers and men. Very different were the dispositions for the campaign of Vicksburg to those which preceded the first battle of Shiloh; and far more formidable was Grant's army of the Mississippi than his former army of Tennessee. The training of war began in 1863 to neutralise the superiority which the greater enthusiasm of the Southern troops, and the chivalry of the Southern gentlemen, had given to the Confederate armies at the commencement of the struggle, whilst the more numerous population and greater resources of the North enabled her to bring into the field larger armies and more abundant supplies, and at every point to threaten to overwhelm her antagonist by weight of numbers.

As has been seen in the Virginian campaign, the Federal cavalry of the East had begun to rival those of Stuart; and in the West, enterprises which may compare with the bold raids of Morgan and Forrest were undertaken by the cavalry colonels of the army of Tennessee. Colonel Grierson's famous march through Mississippi, from the borders of Tennessee, to Louisiana, may well challenge the admiration of all who appreciate enterprise, endurance, and perseverance. Leaving La Grange on the frontiers of Tennessee, on the 17th of April, Colonel Grierson, with three regiments of cavalry

-the 6th and 7th Illinois and 2nd Iowa-marched boldly into the enemy's country. Crossing the Tallahatchie River, he moved southwards, and struck the Macon and Corinth Railway; he tore up rails, cut the telegraph wires, and burnt stores, sending detachments in various directions, and carefully concealing his numbers and the direction of his march. He then turned towards the south-west, seized the bridge over the Pearl River, and burnt locomotives on the Jackson and New Orleans Railway. Moving southwards, along the line of railway, he crossed the Amite River, and after capturing a troop of Mississippi cavalry, entered Baton Rouge on the 2nd of May, amidst the acclamations of its garrison, who could scarcely believe that the weary and jaded troopers, who with their prisoners entered the town, were really Federal cavalry from Tennessee. In seventeen days the march had been accomplished. The distance, measured in a straight line, between the two places is about 350 miles; but, calculated by the length of each day's march, it must have been very much greater; and when it is considered that rivers were crossed, swamps and marshes with difficulty waded through, enterprises against detached towns undertaken, and skirmishes-which, although slight, tended to exhaust the strength of horse and riderfought, the march of Colonel Grierson through the State of Mississippi will take rank among the boldest cavalry raids of the war.

*The following is the route and daily distances of march of Colonel Grierson's cavalry as given in the New York Times: April 17, 30 miles to Ripley.

Although unproductive of great results, this expedition tended to evince the weakness of the Confederate Government, which having taxed all its resources to fill the ranks of the main armies, could not afford men to guard the heart of the country owning its sway. That the knowledge acquired in this and other cavalry raids, exercised an important influence on the conduct of some of the subsequent campaigns, will be evident as the history of the war more fully developes itself.

To resume the narrative of Grant's operations Immediately after the engagement at Port Gibson, McPherson's corps was directed to throw a bridge over the Bayou Pierre, and to pursue the enemy to the Big Black River. These orders were promptly executed. Bowen retreated across the river and evacuated Grand Gulf, which was taken possession of by Grant on the 4th May. Stores and supplies were brought up to the mouth of the Big Black River, reconnaissances were made in the direction of Warrenton, and demonstrations directed by Sherman against Haines' Bluff, in order to deceive the enemy as to the real line of march. From information he had received, Grant abandoned his former scheme of detaching a corps d'armée to the

Possibly the distances may be slightly exaggerated, but in the main

they must be fairly correct.

assistance of Banks, in an attack on Port Hudson, and decided on marching at once on Jackson, the capital of Mississippi. He brought up Sherman's corps from Milliken's Bend, and, on the 7th May, advanced by two roads up the left bank of the Big Black River; M'Clernand's corps on the right, M'Pherson's on the left near the river, and Sherman in rear moving on both roads, the ferries over the Big Black River being jealously watched and guarded to prevent any attack from the garrison at Vicksburg. Diverging from the main column, M'Clernand marched on Raymond, a small town or village* eighteen miles from Jackson, and connected by a branch line with the Jackson and Vicksburg Rail. Here he was met by Gregg's and Walker's brigades, and an engagement ensued on the banks of a small stream which crosses the road in the vicinity of the place. After some severe fighting the Federals repulsed their opponents and entered the town; M'Pherson's and Sherman's corps at the same time, and after heavy skirmishing, forcing a passage across Fourteen Mile Creek. Immediately after the engagement at Raymond news reached Grant that Joe Johnston in person had arrived at Jackson, and had collected a force with which to relieve Vicksburg. He therefore directed M Pherson and Sherman to move at once toward Jackson, as he was desirous of securing his rear from attack before attempting the investment of Vicksburg. But Joe Johnston was not in sufficient force to defend Jackson, the brigades of Gregg and Walker did not number much more than six thousand men, and although he was expecting a brigade from Port Hudson, yet it did not arrive in time to assist in the defence of the

* It is seldom that villages are found in America. Every place of more than two or three houses is a town or a city.