The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-01-17

| burg to Haines' Bluff, and constituting the
rebel line of defense, A road runs along the
west bank of the bayou, and strikes the bluff
about three miles from Vicksburg. Along the
foot of the bluff, in either direction, the bayou
merges iu deep slough. Beyond this slough
! were three lines of intrenchment covering the
highway, the last on the summit of the bluff.
Gen. Sherman marched inland Saturday
morning, Dec. 9th, and drove the enemy into
his works, after severe skirmishing. 1t was
evident, however, that, if passage could be
forced at Haines' bluff, the approach to Vicks-
burg on the line of the railroad from jackson
would be much more feasible; ard this indeed
seems TO have been the original plan, abau-
doned after the repulse of the morning before.
This afternoon the gunboats renewed the at
tack, Smelling the batteries briskly for an hour
and quarter, but to no great purpose. From
this time the fleet did nothing. They were
nearly out of coal, and the Blue Wing, coming
down the Mississippi with two coal barges in
tow, was taken by the enemy, and carried off
up the Arkansas river without firing a shot,
The purpose of dropping out of the Yazoo and
oiNaiiii5 ~ iipHN ""' necessarily
abandoned after this mishap. On Sunday
mortar boats were brought up to shell the bat
teries on Haines' bluff. Their fire was met
fectual, ard indeed on Saturday night it was
tolerably plain that Gen. Sherman must ad-
vance where he was, if at all. Orders were is
sued to move at four in the morning.
On Sunday, the 2sth, then, the attack was
made, and the result of the days fighting was
on the whole favorable. The enemy had been
driven back mile and a half and had lost
his first line of ntrenchments. Col Wyman, of
the 18th Illinois, was MORALLY wounded early
in the afternoon The regiment wavered and
the Lieutenant Colonel seemed paralyzed.
'For Gods sake, Col. Gorgas, go forwardw
shouted the wounded man, and with hoarse
cry the column moved forward at the word of
command. Gen Sherman had several narrow
escapes, stubbornly maintaining a position,
which he had chosen for observation, though
it proved to be within range of rebel battery
and Ga pound shot repeatedly ploughed the
ground close by.
By Monday, the Goth, the enemy had been
reinforced by Prices whole army, numbering
$4,000 men. A furious cannonading was OPEN
ed on both sides, and at about one o'clock an
assault was made upon the inner works on the
rebel right, The rebel estimate of the
storming party is only 5000. In the face of the
enemy's fire the forlorn hope plunged into the
sloughs on either side of the road already
named, and away went the men up and in
to the intrenchments, fighting hand to hand
over the guns, and securing foothold, which
might perhaps have been maintained with
prompt support, but from which they were
swept with frightful loss by the advance of
an overwhelming force in massed columns
The loss in this engagement is set down at
1900 killed and wounded and 300 prisoners.
The 4th Iowa lost 500 in killed, wounded and
missing. AT nightfall our forces retired with
out molestation to the positions previously oc-
cupied.
On Tuesday morning, the fighting was re-
newed; but it was believed that our troops
would find no difficulty in holding their
ground. A heavy rain set in on Wednesday,
and on Thursday, the LIST January, Gen. Sher-
man sent a flag of truce, asking leave, which
was W
night, Gen. McClernand arrived on the Tigress,
and, ranking Gen. Sherman, Immediately took
command.
A dense fog, which hung over the river all
day rendered abortve the purpose of another
attack upou Haines Blafr by Steeles division
on Friday, the I'd January. On Saturday. the
whole force was re-embarked. A furious
sally of the enemy, as the last brigade was
leaving the shore, was checked by destruc-
tive fire from the gunboats. At council of
war, held next day at Gen. Netherlands head
quarters on board the Tigress, it was reluc-
family decided to abandon the siege: and on
Monday, the 9Th January, after a struggle of
two weeks, the fleet got under way forthe new
scene of operations in Arkansas. The gun
boats, which had been out OF fuel tor week,
were unable TO raise steam and moved slowly
away, towed by the transports. We shall
hope to hear better news from Port Hudson,
where Farragut has doubtless been at work
He was not expected to cooperate with the
expedition against Vicksburg.