The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-03 00:00:00

In the battles of August, 1862, the Union forces suf-
fered some severe and appalling reverses. But they resulted
in the reunion of the army which had been called in from
the peninsula below Richmond with the army which had
its position between that strongly fortified seat of the insur-
rection and this capital. The wisdom of this reunion was
soon to be vindicated. The insurgent army, flushed with its
recent successes, and expecting that a sympathetic interest
of slavery would produce an uprising of the people of Mary-
land in its favour, for the first time crossed the Potomac
river. Harper's Ferry, with many prisoners, fell into its
hands, rather through accidents in preparing its defence
than because it was indefensible. Nevertheless, the expecta-
tion of recruits signally failed. General M'Clellan, com-
manding the now consolidated forces of the Army of the
Potomac, was reinforced by fresh levies from Pennsylvania
and by detachments called in from neighbouring forts. He
drove the insurgents from their positions at South Mountain
and Crampton's Gap, About the middle of September the
two opposing armies confronted each other at Sharpsburg,
and a pitched battle was fought on the banks of the Antie-
tam and Potomac. It was well sustained on both sides.
Men of one race and training directed the armies, whose
rank and file were substantially of one blood, and even nearly
equal in numbers. The arrogant assumption of superior
valour and heroism which the insurgents had brought into
the contest, and had cherished throughout its early stages,
perished on that sanguinary field. The insurgent army,
shattered in theca nflict, abandoned the invasion of Mary-
land, and soug refuge and opportunity to recover its
wasted strength in Virginia behind its accustomed barrier,
the Potomac.
" While Lee was thus attempting Maryland, the equally
bold and alarming enterprise of carrying the war through
Kentucky into Ohio was assigned to Bragg, who was in
command of the insurgent army on the southern border of
Tennessee. He, with great rapidity, moved from Chatta-
nooga, turned the left flank of General Buell, and appeal-
ing for reinforcements to the slavery-inspired sentiments
which existed in Kentucky and Tennessee, directed his
forces against Louisville and Cincinnati. An uprising of the
farmers of Ohio confronted and turned away the devasta-
tion from the latter city. General Buell followed the main
column of invasion, outmarched it on the way to Louisville,
and obliged it to take a direction eastward. The two in-
surgent columns, being united at Perryville, were attacked
by General Buall. The battle, like all our contests, was
obstinate and bloody. Bragg, after severe losses, retreated
through a comparatively barren, region and Buell was
obliged to abandon the pursuit by the complete exhaustion
of all the sources of supply. The insurgent commander
crossed the Cumberland Mountains, and then, marching
westward, took up a position at Murfreeeborough, fortified
there, and proceeded to recruit his wasted forces.
"Van Dorn and Price were at the same period in com-

wand of vary considerable forces in Mississippi and Alabama,

and to them was assigned the third part in the grand invasion
of the loyal States which the cabal at Richmond had decreed.
This was an attempt, as they called it, to deliver, but, in fact,
to subjugate Western Tennessee and Kentucky. General
Rosecrans received the assault of those portions of the in-
surgent forces at Corinth, defeated them with great slaughter
and drove them backward, so that they neither reached nor
approached the region which they were appointed to invade.
General Rosecrans, called to succeed General Buell in
command of the army of the Cumberland, then en-
tered Nashville, which the insurgents had before invested
in carrying out their general scheme of invasion. He raised
the siege and prepared for offensive action. In the last days
of the year he issued from Nashville, and delivered a san-
guinary battle at Ston3 River, which gave him possession
of Murfreesborough ; Bragg retreated to Shelbyville and
Tullahoma, and there again rested and intrenched. A long
period of needed rest was now employed by the respective
parties in increasing the strength and efficiency of their
armies, but this repose was broken by frequent skirmishes
and by cavalry expeditions, which penetrated hostile regions
sometimes hundreds of miles, and effected breaches of mili-
tary connections and a destruction of military stores upon
an extensive scale, while they kept up the spirit of the troops
and hardened them for more general and severe conflicts.
" Vicksburg then remained in the hands of the insur-
gents, the principal key to the navigation of the Mississippi
river—a navigation which was confessed on all sides to be
absolutely essential to the United States, and when re-
opened by them, fatal to the insurrection. The duty of
wresting that key from the insurgents had been devolved
on the navy, with the aid of a considerable land force,
then encamped on the west bank of the Mississippi river.
But new and unforeseen difficulties continually based
the enterprise, and seemed to render it impossible. General
Grant, who was at the head of the department and of the
army of the Tennessee, at length assumed the active cone-
mand of the troops investing the stronghold, and these were
adequately reinforced. The naval squadron on the Missis-
sippi, under command of Rear-Admiral Porter, was also
steadily increased until more than 100 armed vessels were
employed upon the river, including many iron-clad gunboats
of great power, Part of the Gulf squadron, under Admiral
Farragut, gallantly running the batteries of Port Hudson
under a fierce fire, co-operated with the river fleets. Labo-
rious and persevering attempts were made to open an arti-
ficial channel for the river opposite Vicksburg, as had been
done with such signal success at Island No. 10. But the
various canals, projected and executed, failed, and only a
few small steamers of no considerable power were thus en-
abled to pass the city. Combined land and naval expedi-
tions were also sent forth, which, with infinite pains and
endurance, attempted to turn the enemy's works by navi-
gating the various bayous and sluggish rivers, whose intri-
cate network forms so singular a feature of the military
topography of the banks of the Mississippi. All theeeattempts
having failed from physical obstacles found to be insur-
mountable, Gen. Grant and Admiral Porter at last put afloat
armed steamers and steam transports, which ran through
the fires of the long line of shore batteries which the insur-
gents had erected at Vicksburg and its chief supports,War-
renton and Grand Gulf. At the same time the land forces
moved down the right bank of the river to a point below
Grand Gulf, where they crossed in the steamers which had
effected so dangerous a passage. The batteries of Grand Gulf
for several hours resisted a bombardment by the gunboats
at short range, but they fell into the hands of the admiral
" Boon as Gen. Grant's forces appeared behind them.
Gen. Grant, through a series of brilliant manoeuvres, with
marches interrupted by desperate battles day atter day, suc-
ceeded in
then dividing and separating the insurgent forces. He
attackedt the chief auxiliary column under Johnston,
and drove
Having d ont of Jackson, the capital of Mississippi.
out
the railroad bridges and military stores
there, Gen, Grant turned at once to the west. Numerous
combs.'
s ensued, in
a
inall of which the loyal arms were success-
ful. Loring,
usiderable insurgent force was driven
off towards the Routh-seat, while Pemberton, after a loss of
60 pieces of artillery and
within the fortified manyih prisoners, regained his shel-
teraoe! of Vicksburg, with an army
now reduced to between
hearooo and 40,000 men. During
these movements the
thbatteries of the insurgents
which were established na:ry
im e month of the Yazoo River,
and which constituted an
tpahoretn and razed by Rear-
ant part of the defensive
system of Vicksburg, Were
Admiral Porter, who thereupon Bent
aa t the Mississippi,
detachment of his
fleet up that important tribute
nurnero
and effectually destroyed the ry
vessels and
stores which were found within and us
upon its banks.
General Grant, during these brilliant operations,
had necessarily operated by a movable eel
now re-established his communications with the eina.er
fleets
above as well as below Vicksburg, invested the town, and
ignorant of the numbers enclosed within its defences, at-
tempted an assault. Though bravely and vigorously made
it was nevertheless unsuccessful. He thereupon sat down
before the fortifications, to reduce them by the less bloody
but sure methods of siege. Pemberton made a gallant de.
fence, hoping for relief from Johnston. Strenuous efforts
were ma,le by the chiefs at Richmond to enable Johnston to
render that aesistince. They detached and sent him troops
from Bragg's army on the frontier of Alabama, and from
Beauterard's commend from South Carolina, and in doing
this they endangered both of those armies. AU the capable
free men of Mississippi were called to the rescue of the ca-
pital of their State, and to save the stronghold of the trea-
sonable Confederacy which was besieged within their limits.
Moreover, the besieged post was in the very centre of the
slave popujation of that Confederacy, and the President's
proclamation of freedom would be sounded in their hearing
if the stronghold should fall—but the effort required was
too great for the demoralised and exhausted condition of
the insurgents. Johnston did not arrive to raise the siege,
nor did success attend any of the attempts from within to
break the skilfully drawn lines of General Grant. On the
6th of July General Pemberton laid down his arms and
surrendered the post, with 30,000 men, 200 pieces of artil-
lery, 70,000 small arms, and ammunition sufficient for a
six years' defence. This capture was as remarkable as the
famous one made by Napoleon at Ulm.
" On the same day au insurgent attack upon General
Prentice, at Helena, situated on the right bank of the Mis-
sissippi, in the State of Arkansas, was repulseal with the