Daily national Republican., 1863-06-16
THE BKGR OI "VlCKBERG G.
N@hl y sssV.SA ln,tsnt.

Ckno. June i5.-Ths steamer Hiawatha,
nom holow, bringa datqa p ~ lQlh lnlt.sso.sl
%The tItnatlon nt Victpburg u unehangod,
.wlth ths VErsption that our lines bscoms more
lag nina have improved the condition Of
- nTlny, lrs1l1ill1lllli - ~
Aboui. slx thopssnd Of Kirby Smiths force
are rspoFtad 20 have come up washhta riveF,
and are mailing demunstrationg on the Loulpl-
Our troops Il MmkSnT Bend have b zen
reinforced. -
Johnston % NM secsiyInEo or6inforcements
from the East, aud proparing 20 move forward.
b, unofncinl dispatches from Haines's Bluff TO
the tOih have been received. They represent
that there has been no material change in
affairs there. ""r .--...7' %
Our llnes around the enemy are gr@luslly
being contracted, The lite ralns have i'm
proved the condition Of the army and the hayl-
Cation oftho fasoo. .A .7.'.'.h u
IRT NnsTIH0 FROM vIcKsBuRo.
The following extract from q private letter
Of high naval otiicer near ViekAburg contains
.onc Information Of interest. It 10 dated
"VickSburg still holds out, but It Ia very
much like an old horse turned out TO die, with
the turkey buEzards flying over him, and with
lust strength enough left 20 whisk his tail and
brush OF The les that are blotsing him all over.
In that devoted city they are looking anxlously
for Joe Johnston to come TO their relief, but joe
got such a thrashlng that he cannot come to
time. ERs orer9t the rife pits yesterday on
sherman's front, within ffty yards Of the enc
my's works. There our men lie In groups
waiting for q rebel TO show his head, and the
moment he does so, he ia popped over.
"By this time Judge they are within twenty
yards, for they have sent for hand grenades,
which arc being forwarded with all haste. The
firing this evening has been terrific from our
side. We have a hundred guns playing on the
city behind, and the mortais and gunboats
keep up a constant roar in front. We receive
| no reply whatever to our shots; the guns on the
land side have all been sileneed, and those near
! the wHtsr bave apparently boen left to takecare
Of Themselves. The gunbuAts have their range
30 well that they can drop their shells pretty
much whero they please.
"Yuu remember Sevastnpol. We thought
the MalakoH the deriL. Well, there are twenty
MAlakofis here, and such a country 70 operate
in you never saw; nothing but high hills and
deep gillies and trees felled in every direction,
for miles, to stop our progress. Yet our troOps
charged oper THE, and chased the rebels into
their works. | do not think there ever was
such splendid lighting as we have had here.
Deserters come 10 every minute. We have had
thirty to-day, who came TO the gunbOats, and
| they giveA sad account Of affairs In VickBburg.
| The last twenty-fouT hours the ration has been
reduced to one quarter pound Of beef and a
pound Of meal. This they only get at night,
as IL Ia the only time they can move about in
safety. Thero are ten mOrtars moored as close
to the city az they can safely 20; they keep the
troops In their hiding holes or bomb proofs.
The guns are operating his morning, (June
s, and this being a cool day, the rebels will
get enough OF it. The navy is getting up
b.ttsry,of four slght-inrh guns In sheTm n
front, and two nine-nch guns on our enemy's
lett, and hope 10 DO able to work therl to-lnor-
row.
"'An Intelligent contrabsnd has just come
In. He says IL is perfect pane emonium in the
town. between the MORTAR, gunboats, and ar
tillery. Every one lives In q cave, which, how.
ever, does not protect him from the mortars.
Our interesting proJ cLilsS go through twouty
feet of earth"