Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-07-29

wer il on account of an illness, iron
! which have not yet fully recovered.
Since my last letter, a great history ha
been added to our record. We hav
'marched from Milliken's Bend, La, thro
almost impenetrable swamps and impass
ible roads to Port Gibson, Miss; from
there. via Black River, to within on
mile of jackson, Miss Retraced on
steps, returned to Vicllsburg the 10Th o
May; started on the 9th and went up
the Gazoo within fifteen miles of Yazoo
City, and returned to Vicllsburg on the
30th, having marched in all about three
hundred miles, and been present at five
different battles and two skirmishes; en-.
4 gagged in three different battles; first, the
battle of Raymond, within eighteen miles
Of jackson, where Logan met the rebel
host under General Gregg this was pro
nounced by Mcpherson and all the gen.
erals present to be one of the hottest
fights OF the war, lasting two hourSand
forty minutes. On May II our regiment
had the advance of the grand army. We
skirmished with the enemy for six miles,
before reaching the scene of action
| When the enemy was discovered in force
we opened upon them with our artillery.
The rebels then charged down a hill in
our front. We were ordered forward
When within thirty feet we came TO a
halt and soon made them obey the same
command. Here a deadly strife ensued,
and here fell two brave boys of our COM
pany and five were led off wounded-four
seriously. But we made them pay for it.
We were now fighting the same force we
had taken prisoners at Fort Donelson and
had charge of at Camp Douglas, Ill. The
9TH Texas, who boosted they never turn
ed their bacAs 10 the foe, were here COM
PEELED to make back tracks. Logan's di-
vision was the only force present until
the close of the action, when one brigade
of Crocker's division arrived. By this
time the day was ours and the rebels had
retreated. Our next engagement was at
Champion Hill, on June 10th. In this
engagement we lost two wounded in our
company. Here we bore an important
part, but were somewhat favored in our
position being somewhat protected by
rise in the ground. Old soldiers are learn
ing to take advantage of the ground
We were under a very heavy fire, but
they ogershot the mark Here battery
was captured with some of the cannon
iers chained to the cannon, lying dead
Here | had an opportunity of reading a
great many letters from Georgia. Alaba-
ma and Louisiana, and they all expressed
the greatest destitution, want and suffer
ing. The prisoners said they never want
ed TO be exchanged or to come back until
the war was over. At this battle the reb-
el officers said Richmond was ours, and
General Mcpherson rode up in our front
after the battle and delivered the news.
In few days, however, we heard the old
st0ry-Hooker fell back across the Rap
pahannock. They need a Grant there
At Jackson we contended with part of
the Eastern Army, just from Charleston,
and after Crocker's charge, the prisoners
said we didn't fight like they did in the
east. They say that we don't know when
we are whipped. They (the eastern
troops) were well clad and fine looking
but likely had not been run
down like the western soldiers.
Our next engagement was to the rear
of Vicksburg, within two miles and a.
half of the city. We arrived here on the
10Th of May-tried to carry the works on
the 2lst, but were repulsed on account of
the deep and wide bitches surrounding
the forts and extending along the whole
line. Their position is a natural fortifca-
ton. We are now taking them by regu- /
lar siege approaches Our men, by means
of deep cut, have closed in on them |
until right up, yes, even under their
forts, and preparing to give them a hoist.
Logan is going at four o'clock this after
noon to try to blow up the main fort in
his front. The rebels do but little firing, |
being kept down by our sharpshooters.-l
Our artillery is moving up, and the old |
field pieces keep battering away at their
works, while lighter pieces in connection
with the gunboats and mortars keep hea-
wing shell into their midst. The sharp
shooters keep them holed. On picket, |
we can talk to each other, but this has
been prohibited by. orders of General Lo-
gan. When digging in the trench the
beseiged and beseigers would frequently
get to clodding each other, throwing over
the fort or breastwork. On the 18th of
June. bile our company was working in
the trench, throwing up rife pits, two
more of our brave boys were shot dead
G. Cassady and II. Shively. The troops
are now supplied with hand grenades and
twelve pound shell with five second fuse.
which they throw over the works. We
hear many reports as to the supplies the
rebels h ave on hand, but we care little
about that, as Sherman says he wants to
take it before the supplies run out. He
don't want it said we could not take il
without starving them. The doomed
city will fall, and that soon. The fortif-
cations present the appearance of time,
for by their grassy appearance they show
that they have been erected for some
time and have not been hastily built
They were expectinp our approach from