Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-07-24

none were buried, anu the DUuleo OF the eluIn
could be seen from The breastWUrks on the day
vi the surrender. tTcEty-sX days after the
light.
During the rest of the month there was
neavy sKIrmlshing daily, with constant frIny
night and day Irun tho gun and mprlat
uyats, aud the works we're generally draw Il
close t. our line, winch it luuy hero he re-
marked, was about three miles III extent. and
i'll the centre rume tir.e-uurlus VI ulllc
from the river. batteries ut Parrutt gun,
! lad been erected across the river, which were
we'll served by the United States regulars
| and maintained IL continuous and very rtie:.
tive lire upon our river batteries, disabling
many OF the guns. Tn the land side - ivr!ui-
| daDIe battery Of seventeen s, . and lp-incll
| coiuhlbiads VAS established one hundreu and
| fifty puces from our extreme right. one I'll
| seven guns i'll front of ten. Bemles centre,
one Vi SIX guns III front OF the 1st Mississippi,
on the. Jackson rUud, and seven guns and
| mortars were planted in front OF Cvl. Sirad-
man. From these lire WAS maintained day
aud night doing but little damage to Cur
men but as the siege continued, most Of Our
| artillery was disabled, only about fifteen
pieces remaining uuinjured IL the time OF the
surrender.
During the siege Of six weeks, froul May
2Tth To July It'll inclusive, the enemy must
nave fired from h.ty 10 seyenty-Eve thousand
shot aud shell, yet not more THAN twenty-five
men were killed by these pruiec:lles. They
hal worse dangers than these to contenL
against, but against them ali they fought like
heroes and did their duty chcerluliy. Several
| building, were burnett by the cncmy's smells,
among which WIS the mill, entaIliny Il loss Ut
| two or three thousand bushels 0t corn.
About the G9th Or 5Uth Of June the garri-
| sons supply vi meat gave ont, when General
Gardner ordered the mules IL lie butuhercd,
after aScertaIlling that the men were willing
to eat them. Fur from shrinking from this
| hardship, the men received their unusual ra-
toms chcerjuIly, and declared that they. were
proud ~ be aule to sag that they had been rh-
duced to this extremity. Many of them, as if
in mockery of famine, caught ruts und ate
them, declaring that they were better than
| squirrels.
At thesame time thesupply Of ammunition
was becoming exhausted, aud at the time Of
the surrender there were only twenty rounds
of cartridges LETT, with small supply l0r ar
tillery.
The hardships, prirationa aud dangers Of
the situation were diversified by many exciting
iucIdents. Ono day our r,cn ~cre rolling H.
inch shells over tho rampant to explode against
the enemy's works, which we're not more than
fifteen feet of, WHOM rush was male at chr
brcustworks by ABOUT 20l Of the enemy
Two companies were hurried II tn" spot, snd
they were driven back. OF Some Ii whn lad
gained the interior NJ our works, every orr
was killed.
Mining was resorted to by the enemy: Gnd
after the surrender they said that they had q
charge of 1000 pounds Of powder al-oady
laid under tho lower river battery. This, in
fact, consisting of single pivot gun, was the
key to the whole position. ;s it commanded
both tho river and the land approaches, and
against this the heaviest guns Of the enemy.
and their most vigorous efforts by .and and
water were directed. Their storv. however. is
somewhat doubted.
But if the enemy mined the garrison caun-
tsrmined, and succeeded in blowing I'D IN,
works in front Of the LIST Mississippi.
Some time between the Doth and 3Qtl! Of
June q singular circumstance occurred one
night about | o'clock, after q heavy fire. The
water commenced running ~ stream. mri in
half Gil hour rose six feet In one place about
twenty feet Of the bluff Disappeared CARRYING
away one Of our river iyattorirs. The roar II
the water could lie heard like distant thunder.
If this were an northumberland it il difficult
to give any other expanatiun-it must have
"roled unheedcdly away" 80 far as the enemy
was concerned, for no notice Of it has appear
ed in any of the Yankee papers
We are obliged 10 omit Incidents generally.
including this Brilliant s"rtie and spiking o!
the enemy guns, but merely remark that Il c
story about Banks capturing fifteen prisoners
on that occasion, and serding them bart, for
whom Gardner liberated like number Of
Yankee prisoners, is merely Yankee ro-
mance-in short, IL lie.
On Tuesday, July It'll, salutcs were fired
from the enemys batteries and gunboats, and
loud cheering WA heard along the entire lima.
and Yankees who wore within conversin. dis
lance of our men told them that Eicksburg
had fallen. That night about 10 o'clock. Cen
Gardner summoned council Of war, consist
ing Of General Beale, Colonels Steadman
Miles, Lyle and Shelby, and Lieut. Colonel
Marshal J. Smith. who, without exception
decided that it was impossible to hold ont
longer considering that the provisions of the
garrison were exhausted. the ammunitior Ill
most entirely expended, and large proper
ton Of the men sick, or from exhaustion unfit
for duty. 4 communication was son. ~ Cen
Banks stating what had been heard from the
men, asking Tor official information as 10 the
truth OF tile news, and statingifit were TRUE.
that Gen. Gardner was ready to negotiate terms
of surrender. Gen. Bank reply was re-
ccirci just before day, enclosing letter from
Cen Grant announcing the fall Of Tickshurs
Gen. Banks asked Gen. Gardner to appoint
commissioners to arrange with those on his
part the terms Of surrender. and Cola. Miles
and Steadman and Lieut.. Col. Smith were an
pointed.
Gen. Banks demanded IN unconditional sur
render, ~ in the first instance, but finally agreed
that officers md soldiers should retain their pr.
vate properly lin which negroes were not ncu
dcd.j 4 demand for parole OF thr garrison wat
refused. Gen. Banks said he would grant such
terms with the er"H'est pleasure. but the orders
Of ihv Secretary Of War forbid il.
The surrender Was fixed IN take place ut :
o'clock on The morning Il tho 9th, At q o'clock
the garrison were drawn up in line and two off,
GERS Of Gen. Gardeners staff were sent to conduct
the Federal officer ieputcd 10 receive the s,irrom-
der. This WAS Gen. Andrews. whn entered the
lines shortly atter7 o'cork, on the Clinton road.
Gem Gardner met him at the right Of our line
and Delivered up his sword, observing that he
surrendered his sword ond his garrison since his
provisions were exhausted Zen. AncTewE re-
Piled that he r-ceiTed Gen. Gardeners sword, hut
returned it tn him for having maiutsined his lie.
fence so CALAMITY.
Meanwhile the enemy's infantry moved down
in front Of nur line both wings resting on the
river. and completely encirclng the littls gar i
son, az If to cut of any attempt 10 escape" About
that time our informant succeeded in passing
through the lines and c"nding the enemy 5 out
posts. A great mary of the gar ison- probably
scvcrnl hundre!l-had made an attempt TO escape
the previous night, but the guard of the enemy
was go strict that they couId not pass ont.
The number Of the garrison which surrendered
was between 5000 and 5000. of HON there were
not more thin 1000 effective men for duty. Dur
ing the siege about 800 had been killed and 300
wohnded besides soverai deaths from sickness
Among the officers killed we. Col Pixlny OF
Arkansas Capt. Boone Of Louisiana, and Liert
Simontnn of 'he list Mississippi, besides few
n,bors With WHOSE r. in f,,rtnurs mt