New-York daily tribune., 1863-09-14

squadron on TIE Mississippi, under command oi
lRoar.Admiral Porter was also steadily increased
until more than 100 armed vessels were employed
upon the river, including many iron-clad gunboa's
of great power. Part of the Gulf Squadron, under
Admiral FarrGgut, gall0ntly running the batteries
of Port Hudson under fierce fight, co-operated
with the river fleets. Lalorious and per-
scycring attempts were made to open an ar'i-
fcial channel for the river opposite vicksburg, as
had been done with such signal success at Island
No. I0 Bat the various canals, projected ana
executed, failed, and only few small
steamers of no considerable power were
thus enabled TO pass the city. Com
bined land and naval expeditions were also sent
forth, which with infinite pains and endurance, At
tempted to turn the cncmys works by navigating
the various bayous and sluggish rivers, whose inTi-
cate network forms so singular feature of the
military topography Of the hanks of the Mississippi.
III rese attempts having failed from physical OBJ
staclcs found TO be insurmountablc, General Grant
and Admiral Porter al last put afoat armed steam
ers and s.eam-transports. which ran through the
fires Of the long line of shore batteries which the
insurgents had erected al NicksbuTg, and lis
chief supports. Warreuton and Grand Gulf Al
the same time the land forces moved down the
right bank Of the river 10 point below Grand
Gulf where they crossed in the steamers which
had effected so dangerous q passage. The bat
teres of Grand Gulf for several hours resisted
a bombariment by the gunboats at short
range, but they fell into the hands of the
Admiral as soon General Grants forces
appeared behind them. Gen. Grant, through a
series Of brilliant mancuycrswiih marches inter
ruped bv desperate battles day by day succeeded IN
dividing and separating the insurgent forces lie
then attacked the chief auxiliary column under
Johnston and drove il out of Jackson, the capital
of Mississippi. Having destroyed the railroad
bridges and military stores there, General Grant
turned al To the west. Numerous combais
ensucd in all of which the loyal arms were success
full Loring, with considerable nsuTgcnt force,
was driven off toward the southeast, while Pcmbcr-
ton after loss OF sixty pieces OF artillery and many
prisoners regained his shelter within the fortified
lines of Vicksburg, with army now reduced 20
between thirty thousand and forty thousand men.
During these movements the heavy batteries of the
insurgents which were established near the mouth
Of the Yazoo river, and which constituted an i'm
poriant part Of tie defensive system OF Ncksburg,
herenpon sent detachment OF his feet up that i'm
portaut tributary of the Mississippi, and ci'ccuaily
DESTROYED the numerous vessels and stores which
were found within and upon its banks. Gcncml
Grant during these brilliant operations had ncccs-
sarily operated By d movable column. He now re-
established his communications with the Tvef fleets
above as well as below Vickshurg, invested The
town. and ignorant Of the numbers incloscd within
its defenses attempted an assault. Though braVei!
and vigorously made il was nevertheless unsuccess-
full He thoreupon sat down before the iorthca-
tions. 70 reduce them BY the lees bloody, but sure
methods Of siege. Pcmber,on made gallant de-
fense hoping for relief from Johnston. Strenuous
efforts were made By the chiefs at Richmond TO en-
able Johnston 10 render that assistance. They de-
tached and sent 10 him troops from Bragg's army
on the frontier Of Alabama, and from Bcaurcgard
command in South Carolina, and in doing this they
endangered both those armies. All the capable free
men Of Mississippi were called to the rescue OF the
capital of their State and to save the stronghold OF
the reasonable Cpnfedcracy which was besieeed
within their hl1Ah Moreover, the bcsicgcd post
was in the vety ~ Of the slave population Of
that Confederacy, and the Presidents proclamation
Of freedom would be sounded in their hearng II the
stronghold should fall But the effort re-
qured was too great for the deinoralized ana
exhausted condition Of tho insurgents. John
ston did not arrive to raise the siege nor did sue
cess attend any of the attempts from within TO
break the skillfuly drawn lines of General Grant.
On the fourth Of July General Pemberton laid down
his arms and surrendered the post, with thirty
thousand men, two hundred pieces Of artillery,
seventy thousand small arms, and ammunition
sufficient for a six years defense. This capture
was as remarkable as the famous one made by Napo-
leon at Ulm
On the same day an insurgent attack upon Gen
cral Prcntss at Helena, situated on the west bank
Of the Mississippi, in the State OF Arkansas, was
rcpulsed with the loss of many prisoners on the part
az the assailants As if the anniversary identi-
fed with the nations hopes was appointed 70 DO Pc
culiarly eventful, Lee, who had again entered
MARYLAND, and passing through that State had ap-
preached the Susquehanna, threatening Harrisburg,
Pittsburg, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, fell back,
after pitched battles continued for three days at
Gettysburg and resumed his retreat with al army
even worse shattered than before to hisaccustoned
position on the Rappahannock.
On the 9Th Of July the nsurgent garrison at Port
Hudson 5000 strong, after enduring q long siege
with the utmost courage, surrendered uncondition-
ally to Cen Banks; and thus the United States re-
covered from the insurgents the last Of the nuiner
ons posts by which for more than two years they
had cncctuay destroyed the navigation OF the Mis-
sissippi This great nvcr, which III time OF peace
contributes relatively as much toward supply or
the increased wants Of mankind as the Nile did To
those wants in the time Of the Roman Empire IL
e.u o,xo;, ononed N fhc inland commerce OF the