Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-06-30
FROM EICKSBURG.
Correspondents of the New York Worldj

HEAD QUARTERS Army. OF THE MISSISSIPPI
IN THE FIELD, -Four Miles in the Rear of Eicks
burg, Tuesday, p. NJ, June live have III
abundance Of evidence, if it were needed, tina
the soldiers and citizens in Eicksburg arc SUI
fcring very much. At every prominent poin
around this Scmi-clrcular enclosure of sever
miles are stationed cannon and m0rtars, from
which there is an irrcglar shower of missiles
Not spot in the whole field that is not reached
The only safe places are found in the cavGrns,
Or in such inequalities of the ground rs the
rains have washed They have cattle, which
shooters lave picked them off as often rs they
liaSturagc is best.
: The casualties from shot and shell adds to
the number. That Il larger number Of then,
are killed than the garrison require Us food is
proven by the fact that twenty ur thirty day
are counted floating past Warrcnton, having
been dragged to the river. that their putrcfyiu@
IarcasscS might not infect the air. Women and
children are in the city also. Several of the
families west of the line of march to Jackson
He'd to the city Of NickSburg, Us atfnrding the
hest asylum. To such, it must have proved q
sore disappointment
We hcard that Gen. Pcmbcrton had request.
cd that the ron-combatants might be allowed ia
pass through our lines, and that Gen. Grant
had refused. Such we learn is not the case.
This action on the part of Pcmbcrton bctrays
either great confidence or great fear. 1t is
almost criminal in him to keep several hun
druid women and children in his lines when
he could, by the mere request, have them
o1 I Inn fhn
There is either something the Rebels would
ur there is Il better provision in
than we have yet believed.
We have numbers of dcserters and n great
many unreliable stories from them. Perhaps
the action of one who was caught while at.
tempting to pass through our lines week ago.
and from his virulcncc and education, sup.
posed TO he tho bearer of 4 verbal message tr
Johnston. indicates the necessities of the gar.
riSon. ''Rathcr than tell one word of what
he knew, he would" he said, die thousand
Deaths" This is construed to mean that the
situation is critical.
Our sharp-shooters intcrspcrsc their crack
ing fire with frequent passage Of no
lite conversation. One of the Rebels three days
since asked if he could have drink of coffee if
he came over and was allowed. His cou,.
rades calling to him to return he replied
that the coffee was so tempting he intended to
remain. This was the first coffee he lad
tasted in twclvcmoDth.
Other descrters report that great suffering
is experienced. The troops arc reported to be
50 far disaffected as to be on the point of mutt
n.y. It's further said that the men are clam
orous to cut their way out Of the place, Join
army, and then promise to rctake
the place (?l if allowed. The officers, howev-
err, are much too shrcwd and refuse to co-ope-
rate, as they sec. and feel that to abandon
is to abandon their best hopes Of
the independence of their Confcdcracy. Three
weeks have they been invested three more,
we believe, would reduce them by starvation
and disease. But in that interval, Of course,
other important things might happen. They
have many brave and determined L0uisanianS,
and We expect that very gallant resistance
will sc offered before they will consent to
surrender.
JouHsToN'S ARMY.
Their greatest hope is in Johnston being
able to relieve them. His present headquarters
arc ut Canton. about forty miles Northeast OF
here. lie has not so faras we can CLEAN, at pre-
sent more than fifteen thousand men. part OF
which are at Jackson under Gen. Loring. If he
had twenty-five thousand we believe he would
cross the Big Black and attack our lines. Thus
far he has not done 50. Some days since, six
choice brgadcs were detailed under General
Blair to make Il reconnaissance as far rs the
Big Black, and up the East hank of the Yazoo.
The enemy was discovered to have small
force posted at the forGis on that stream. No
considerable body was met, but one body
which went up the Tazoo as far as Satartia
was attacked by Il battery of field pieces, and
finally driven of by tic gun-boats.
1t is thought that when the attack docs
come, it will be by the way of Iiaines! Bluff,
coming down the right bank of the Big
Black. Preparations have been made to
meet and repcl any such movement
Bluff is being fortified on the land
side, and the guns which the rebels spiked
arc being drilled, so as to make this dctach-
ed portion Of nar line as strong as
Fickshurg itself This, we suppose, must be-
come the base Of observation of Johnston S
army The rebels have, we believe, occupied
Yazoo City since our forces left. Their ad-
vance is at Satartia. Communication is kept
up between Johnston and Pcmberton, without
doubt
Gen. Forrest is reported to be on the way
with 1000 cavalry to Johnston's aid. Cavalry
cannot bc we'll used against an army intrcnch-
cd as this is.
THE EoMBARDMEST.
As we write the ground is hourly shaken
with the deep, sullen boom of mortars and
siege guns. The place is being deluged
with iron hail. Day after day loads of am
munition file past to =. rcplcnish the ex-
hausted caissons. Morning, noon, and even
ng find some gun bclchng forth almost every
five minutes and, as soon as the sun sets. the
grand chorus of sea. siege and field COM
its dying cadences striking the drowsy
,ar ut one two. or three in the morning.
" thin the past week their has'bcen more
firing than previously. and to-day the dis
charges are more frequent than at any time
since the 22d. The shells can he seen burst
ng above the city from the river mortars.-
The field pieces arc firing spherical case into
he rifle trenches.
We have, by the construction of works on
Inc opposite ridges mounting some heavy
siege pieces. gained decided advantage over
he rebel artilleristst. Yesterday, however,
hey proittcd by the lesson, and brought up
o the centre some very heavy guns, with
which they kept up an unusually vigorous
They do not on the average fire
more than one shot to our twenty. Their
stock of ammunition, though ample for an
ordinary attack. they cannot replenish. Oc-
we have man wounded by she'll,
md one or two of our smaller pieces dis
With a similar proportion of casual
les in the rebel lines, the garrison must soon
De worn down and their guns silenced. The
disparity Of force grows greater. Several of
heir guns have been struck and silenced. On
he river, however, they have had better sue
ess. Nothing but the mortar firing is dan
,erous to the rebels, if that should prove to be
10.