, 1862-07-10
THE SIEGE OF EICKSBURG,
WHAT A rebel EDITOR SAW.
Interesting Details Of the Bom-
bardment and It's Effects.

We arrived at the Two-luile Bridge on San
d;, evening last, at about three O'Clock, amid
tlte booming of heavy mcrtars aud the hurst
ing of shell from the fittecn-inch uortars Of
tlr Yankee nctt, which is anchored close in
under the sborc beloT the point on the Mis-
sissippl side, aud almost completely protected
from our batteries below the city, and too far
from the upper batteries for them TO reach
their aGyerSarles-
The fire Of the enemy, on Sunday at mid
day, was drawn hy q salute of Thirteen guns,
which were ordered By tho confederate com
1uardcr in honor of the great victory over
Mcclellan in Virginia. It WAS thuaght that
the ent MY nlistook this salute 1or an attack,
Us We learn some Of our gus were EAotted-
III cpened furinus1y Upon the city, coutin-
uirg, with an intermission Of about an hour,
until about twelve o'clock at might. After
night lie heavy ncrtar5 were ranged 10 throw
she thells in the vicinity of the Catholic
ct urc.l, where we were told they had been
directed during the afternoon.
The effect ot those shells as they exploded.
which usually took place just as they reached
the ground, was terrific. We entered the city,
as fortune would have it, on Crawford street,
aud as we passed the residence Of Dr.. Balfour,
Methodist, Baptist and Catholic churches,
Shells cNpl.dtd in our Immediate vicinity,
rendering our position SO uncomfortable that
ne suggested to friend q precipitatc retreat
| in orGer to get out Of range Of the mortars.
| This sugg stlon vas promptly acceded to By
|
our garments thoroughly by falling to the
earth at the explosion ef each Successive
| shell. Our Tetreat, though rapid, like Banks
before Storcwall, was accomplished in good
order, aId instead Of enjoying comfortable
bed in the city, with my friend. gladly ac-
| comb Of Rankin on the grcensward in the
| sutulbs Of The city.
The next morning VIC entered tue city
everything being quiet excepting the hustle
OF The eiiiztrs who were endeayoriug to get
vEa. little furniture remained to place Of
se:ety. Durirg the morning ne rode through
nearly every STREET witnessing the eif=ct Of
tie shell upon the brick and wood structures,
and were impressed with the compare lively
slight damage done to either class Of build
| ings, when the number Of shots {probabIy
15,C0} we're taken into account In some
Instances, as in The case OF the late Mr.. Gam
b9e's house, q shell would pass through col
umn cf houses, leaving hole scarcely larger
tlan itself, SID pass on until it reached a
hill, where it wcu1d enter and explode The
fifteen irch shell, when it strikes the hills Of
| Eicksburg, enters the earth to depth OF
from five to ten feet, but when it strikes 10
the streets it eSp1odes much nearer the SUI.
| face.
No fires have get originated from the ex'
| plosiCn Of shell, and it is evident that the
enemy do not desire to burn the tom in
mediately, or they would have thrown incen.
diary she'll instead Of the missiles already
sent in.
On Monday at 2 o'clock p n, the enemy
rcoponed their mortars, and Kept up con
tan1 fire with the exception Of an hour or two
apparently to take their meals, during tn
whole nj ght, and did not cease until Tuesday
evening at O'Clock.
All was quiet this "wednesday morning, G
10 o'clock. We have not heard Of aur fhji
: ries bciDg sustained By our batteries up q
this eytbing.
The feet which passed By this city On th
memorable evening of Saturday was seVerel
cut to pieces by our batteries, and gentle
man who was in the upper batteries report
: to the general, Van Dorm, that one OF th
boats sunk after it went round the bend.
Now, nothing is to be seen Of the flee
. above the city, except the constant cloud {
black smoke which ascends above the fer
: | around the bend.