The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-06-01
The Siege or Vfcksb ur0.

Our latest advlceS from flcksDurg--irOm
Union and from rebel sources--are down to
Monday last. According to the rebel dispatches
which we publish to-day the fighting of Friday
and Saturday (the 22d and ESD had resulted
i'm very heavy casualties in killed and wounded
to the federal forces. General Joe Johnston,
some forty or fifty miles in the interior, In
a despatch of Tuesday, the 26th, says that
down to the preceding day, the 25th) "Vicks-
burg holds out bravely." Our own accounts
to that date represent eur forces as being
we'll prepared to repel any attack in their rear,
as being in the finest spirits and confident of
complete success and as having secured base
of supplies on the Yazoo, with reinforcements
arriving as rapidly As required.
In this connection Admiral Porters despatch
concerning the results Of the gunboat expedi-
ton which he had sent up to Yaz0o City fur
nishes some facts Of very great importance.
The expedition had done good service In
the destruction Of the rebel navy yard at
Yazoo City, three steamboats, and monster
rebel ram, three hundred and ten feet long, and
plated with four inches Of iron. 1t was from the
same navy yard that the powerful iron-platsd
rebel ram Arkansas issued last summer, and
proved, under the vicksburg batteries, more
than match for whole feet Of our iron-clad
gunboats. She was, however, not long afterwards
blown up OF driven TO suicide by Commodore
". D. Porter, OF the India rubber and iron-clad
Essex, near Baton Rouge. The first terrible
raid down the river by the Arkansas suggests
the value Of the work accomplished in the
timely destruction of this new and more for
midable rebel monster at Yazoo City. But this
Yazoo expedition has been chiefly important in
securing navigable water line of protection
to that flank Of General Grants army, and
channel whereby, If deemed necessary, he may
cut off the little detached army Of Joe Johnston
while still prosecuting the siege Of Vicksburg.
A Mobile despatch of the 2sth, to the Cbattar
nooga Rebel, gives the important information
that General Banks was crossing his land forces
over the Mississippi at Bayou Sara, some ten
miles or so above Port Hudson-a movement
which was doubtless intended to place that
stronghold between the army Of General Banks
IN the rear. and the feet Of Admiral Farragut
in front. Our latest reports of the cnemy's
strength at Port Hudson put It at ten thousand
men; but we dare soy that General Banks will
find II much less in consequence Of the forces
sent up from this point to strengthen vicksburg.
From all the lights before us everything ap-
pears to have been, at our lateat dates progress
sing steadily to complete success at vicksburg
and at Port Hudson. The only circumstance cal
culated to exotic mistrust Is the absence Of any
news from vlcksburg since Monday last but
General Grants steamers may have been too
busily engaged in removing his wounded and
his prisoners, and in transporting bis provisions
to enable him to spare one for several success
sivc days to run up to Nemphis--bstween four
and i've hundred miles-in the absence Of any
decisive results.