The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1863-06-11

Advon and Iaking of tie Quite,
Works. -FuH Particulars of til,
General Assault ON Friday, the 22d
The Reason for our Failure.
In REAR OF V1cKsBuRG, Nav %
The rebels, in retreating from til,
battlefield OF the 18th, left rear guarc
on the west side of Black River to har
rass our fatigue parties and to prsven
us from building bridges in time t.
overtake them OH their march to Vicks
burg. We found small body ofmer
posted behind formidable earthworks
with excellent range upon all who
should make their appearance on the
river bank. A number of our men vol
unteered as sharp-shooters to get ar
opportunity to practice on the Confed
crate rear-guard. They had no breas,
works, and but few trees to cover them
but their ingenuity soon devised some
thing preferable to either. Getting
possession of a few cotton bales, they
rolled them gradually forward toward
the enemy's position, firing at each step
advanced, withoutexposiLg themselves.
They soon had their migrating breast
works within deadly range of the reb
els, and kept up such a hot fire from
behind them that the rear guard of the
fugitives attempted no further disturb
ance of our bridge builders, but per.
mitted them 10 prosecute their labOra
an if there waa no foe in front of them.
Big Black River was bridged on the
evening OF the 18th, and the morning
of the 18th. A crossing was construc-
ted for each army corps. Gen. Shsr.
mans command crossed below the
other two, it being assigned to the right
in the attack OIL Vicksburg. Each
corps crossed SO as to strike the road
by which it was to march on the town.
OUR MARCH ON THE 18TH.
Sherman's troops commenced cross
ing the Big Black at an early hour on
the morning of the 18th. He took the
road leading to Haines' Buff. McCler-
nand's entire command was on the east
side of the river by noon the same day.
He marched OH what is called the HalVs
Ferry Road, to the left of Mcpherson,
who crossed about the same time and
moved on the main Vicksburg and
Jackson Road.
The evening of the 18th found Gen.
Grants army almost within range Of
the rebel batteries.
FIGHTING ON THE 10TH.
Gen. Thayer's brigade of Steel's di
vision, Sherman's corps, had the first
encounter with the rebels in the rear OF
Yicksburg. 1t consisted of brisk
skirmish, on the extreme right, on the
afternoon of the 18th. Thayer succeed
ed in driving the enemy from one OF
his redoubts near the river, and Tins
opening communication with the Mis-
sissippi. Our loss was tritiing.
The work of the 10Th was confined
almost exclusively to artillery firing at
tolerably long range. A general as
sault was, indeed to be made at 2
o'clock in the afternoon but all the
were not in readiness, and
it did not take place. Gen. Blair, on
the right, and Gen. Logan, n the cen
ter, pushed forward toward the snemy's
works and met with fierce resistance.
Their principal object was to get posi-
tons for their artillery, and they found
it impossible to do this without briskly
the rebel forts. Gen. Blair's
loss in killed and wounded during the
day was not much less than five hun
dred. Gen. Logan's loss was slight.
Gen. Lee, formely Of the It'll Kansas
cavalry, was wounded. A ball struck
him on the cheek and passed out thro'
the back part of the neck. The wound
is slight.
On the morning of the 10th, while
Gen. Osterhaus' division was marching
toward the enemy's Notifications, one
of Netherlands aids came dashing
back from the front with intelligence
that the enemy were coming outside OF
their works to attack US in force. OS-
terhaus not yet recovered from wound
received at Big Black, was riding in an
ambulance at the head of his column.
On hearing the aid de camps report of
the state of affairs in the front, he in
stantly ordered his horse, mounted him,
drew his sword, and said to his men,
"We'll see if they attack us. Keep
well closed up, and follow the flying
Dutchman" is sobriquet bestowed
upon him by his men on account Of his
activity and energy in the field and in
the camp.) :.
THE FoRTIFICATIoNs OF vICKsBURG.
The Notifications in the rear of Vicks-
burg form a semicircle around the city,
both right and left extending to the
Mississippi, and resting on it. They
form continuous chain of forts, at an
average interval of 500 yards, for dis
lance of at least seven miles. The
breast. orks also extend this entire
distance, and are of very formidable
character, of an average height of IF
teen feet. In front of these is ditch
fifteen feet wide, and varying in depth
from ten; to twenty feet in different
places. Appoints where it was thought
likely attempts would be made to storm
the works, the ditch has a false bottom
rails are driven into the ground with
sharp points sticking upwards; over
these is placed layer of brush and I'M
dergrowth, so as to give it the appear.
ance of a solid foundation. The storm