never be collected and reorganized. Arms and munitions of war for an army of 60,000 men have fallen into our hands, besides a large amount of other public property, consisting of railroads, locomotives, cars, steam-boats, cotton, etc.; and much was destroyed to prevent our capturing it." Grant's losses in the campaign were 8573, of whom 943 were killed. Vicksburg and Pemberton secured, Grant lingered not a Pursuit of Johnston moment, facing eastward to confront Johnby Sherman. ston. The national flag was hoisted on the court-house of the captured strong-hold at half past eleven -at two Grant had his columns in march to deal with Johnston. He had given to Sherman a detached command, consisting of the forces at Haines's Bluff, a division from the 13th, one from the 15th, one from the 17th Corps, and Lauman's division. Johnston's army did not exceed 24,000, badly organized and poorly equipped. About the close of June he had marched toward the Big Black, intending to make an attack on Grant from the south, and on the night of the 3d of July had sent word to Pemberton that he was ready to offer a diversion in his favor to enable him to cut his way out, but, before the messenger could reach Vicksburg, it had surrendered. As soon as he heard of that event he fell back to Jackson. It was from this place that Sherman now prepared to expel him. Sherman had established a defensive line from Haines's Bluff to the Big Black. The hopelessness of attempting to force this line had determined Johnston to try an attack from the south. On the 9th of July he had the four di visions of Loring, Walker, French, and Breckinridge covering Jackson. That day Sherman appeared before it, hav ing marched through fifty miles of a country almost destitute of water. On the 12th the town was invested. Sherman had nearly 50,000 men and 100 guns. He was only waiting for the arrival of his ammunition trains. Meantime Johnston had inflicted a severe blow on Lau Johnston retreats to man's brigade, which, under a misapprehension, came needlessly under his fire, killing and wounding 250 men, and capturing 250. Finding, however, that it was impossible for him to hold his ground, and that Sherman was on the point of attacking him, he evacuated the place on the night of the 16th, retreating across Pearl River through Brandon to Meridian, about 100 miles distant, and burning the bridges behind him. Bend. During the operations before Vicksburg, Grant had been Operations at Milli- obliged to withdraw troops from all the posts within his reach for the purpose of strengthening his main army. This invited upon those posts Confederate attacks; thus Milliken's Bend was assailed by some Louisiana troops, and the forces left in charge of it would have been overwhelmed had not two gun-boats opportunely arrived. The Confederates advanced to the assault with cries of no quarter to negroes and officers of negro troops, but they were driven off by the gun-boats. Operations at Hel ena. So also Helena, in Arkansas, was attacked by the Confederate General Holmes, who for that purpose left Little Rock for Clarendon, June 26. He had expected to take the place by surprise, but in that was disappointed. Prentiss, who was in command at Helena, having been informed of his approach, had established batteries for its defense, and had a force of about 3800 men. The Confederates had nearly double that number, but still were altogether insufficient for the work. They arrived in the vicinity of Helena on the 3d of July, and early the next morning, with 3000 men, attempted to carry one of the batteries. They succeeded in getting possession of some of the guns, but, being exposed to the fire of other batteries, they were completely disorganized. In this attack 1111 of them were killed, wounded, or missing. Another portion of the force, consisting of four regiments, assaulted a fort on Hindman Hill. Leaving their artillery, they tried to carry the work by a charge; in this, however, they did not succeed, the guns of the fort so thinning their ranks that Holmes was compelled to order a re treat. A third portion, under Marmaduke, consisting of 1750 men, in like manner endeavored to carry a fort on the north side, and in like manner failed, being driven back by its direct fire, and a flanking fire of artillery and musketry. The Confederate movement upon Helena thus totally miscarried, the loss being more than one fifth of the whole attacking force. Hudson. As will be elsewhere related, while Grant had been be The fall of Port sieging Vicksburg, Banks had been besieging Port Hudson, defended by the Confederate General Gardner. So closely had the siege been pressed that it was impossible for the place to hold out much longer. When, on the 6th of July, news came that Vicksburg had surrendered, it was needless and hopeless to continue the defense any longer. Gardner therefore made inquiry of Banks whether the rumor that had reached him was true, and, on being assured of its authenticity, he agreed to terms of capitulation, and on the 9th of that month Port Hudson was surrendered. the siege. "All round Port Hudson," says an eye-witness, "there Its condition after was not a square rod but bore some indisput able mark of the iron deluge that had passed over it. The earth was plowed up; trees might be seen with their bark completely shot off, and some, twice the bulk of a man's body, fairly cut in two by solid shot. The river fortifications were terribly effective, and might have resisted any attack had they been impregnable elsewhere. Far down in the bowels of the lofty bluffs the garrison had dug deep recesses, approached by steps cut out of the earth, and here their magazines were placed quite safely. "As we rode along the earth-works inside, it was curious to mark the ingenious ways in which they had burrowed holes to shelter themselves from shell and from the intol erable rays of the sun; while at work they must have looked like so many rabbits popping in and out of their warrens." ping in the Yazoo. As soon as Vicksburg was taken, Grant prepared to send Destruction of ship- re-enforcements to Banks; but scarcely were the troops embarked when news came of the fall of Port Hudson. They were therefore put upon lighter vessels, and on July 12th were dispatched up the Yazoo, for the purpose of destroying a large number of Confederate steamers which had taken refuge in that river. With these troops were sent the iron-clad De Kalb and two tinclads. When near Yazoo City the De Kalb was blown up by a torpedo. The Confederate garrison retired on the approach of the expedition. One steam-boat was captured, and twenty-two others were burned or sunk. The Mississippi is leans. Thus the Western armies had accomplished their object, and the Mississippi was now open to the opened to New Or- Gulf of Mexico. The Confederacy was cut asunder; its right zone was isolated. On the 16th of July the merchant steam-boat Imperial, opening the way that had been closed for two years, went down from St. Louis to New Orleans. CHAPTER LXVII. ADVANCE OF THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND. THE CAMPAIGN OF CHICKAMAUGA. CAPTURE OF CHATTANOOGA, A POSTERN INTO THE ATLANTIC REGION. THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA. Chattanooga was defended by a Confederate army under General Bragg, confronted by a national army under General Rosecrans, these armies being in the vicinity of Murfreesborough. General Rosecrans compelled the Confederates to fall back to Lafayette, in Georgia, and, without much loss, captured Chattanooga. The Confederate government re-enforced Bragg, who, turning upon Rosecrans, defeated him at the BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA. Rosecrans was then besieged in Chattanooga. IN Chapter XLI. it has been shown that the seizure and occupation of the strategic point Chattanooga was an es sential part of the campaign by the national forces against the Confederates. The Atlantic portion of the Southern States is separated from the Mississippi Valley by majestic folds the Appalachian re- of the earth's surface, constituting the Ap The topography of gion. palachian Ranges. These folds run, in a gen eral manner, parallel to each other, and at intervals are crossed by transverse depressions or gaps. Such passages or gateways are therefore of great commercial, political, and military importance. Military importance Chattanooga, which in the Cherokee language means "The Hawk's Nest," is a little town seatof that region. ed in one of these transverse depressions, through which the Tennessee River and a system of railroads pass. Though of great value from the mineral products, nitre, coal, iron, which the surrounding country yields, it is of far more importance on account of its military rela tions: it was the postern to the strong-hold of the Confederacy. If the recovery of the Mississippi by the national |