New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-06-29
FROM GRANTS ARMY.
prospects Of the Siege

The beleaguered Pembertoh ana lis nuhe'y, "o
,.,,.,a,ved hosts still hold out, though ieei very
go tho, the limit Of their endurance is nearly
-o.o,.d. and II the telegraph does not announce
.n,,ersex before this letter reachess single reader
.ha confess that there Is no faith TO be put IN ap
rearsnces hereafter. For more than % days now
have the Rebels been closely invested. Day
Inv dsy have our lines been strengthened ana
contracted, until the formidable defeDses OF
the enemy are Of little or no service to
him except 10 re.ist grand assault On
many parts of our line powerful siege guns have
been placed in commanding POSITIONS, and at no
point can the enemy show himself III force without
being greeted with shower OF shot and she'll,
which drives bin under cover incontineh'y. Az
any time of day the Bohemians, and special artists
hereabout congregated, may, and DO, take rom,
rear ard end views of The town OF Nlckeburg, WITH
out mourning any Tisk worth naming III 80 dong.
On our right, particularly, there sre points held by
our troojs from which q mi,chievous boy cohiu
almost break the wigrdow-sash OF the Conrl-honse
with stouee aud conversation win the ourro"ins
Rebels is more olsruced by orders than by distance
ANY one who will take the trouble TO examine Tue
situation as did yesterday, VIII be ret 10 WONDER
ING what Inducements the Rebels now nave Tor pro-
longing the contest. while lie readiiy uhders'ai'u'
the wisdom OF Gen. Grants evident determination
not 10 reattempt akiGg the place by e.sac1nclng
general assault, until the present. expedients have
failed and there some formidable attempt 10 Tase
the siege from the rear And Whatever may
be the character or extent Of Johnstons opera
tions, ii now seems hardly possible for hun To
come 20 the relief OF Pemberton in time TO effect
that object. Ihink the TWO Rebel Generals must
eee and know THE, and hence l conclude that the
stubborn and Dro,r8c ed resistance 10 our occupation
Of the town will room end. Johnson, il Is true, is
reported TO De actually moving, with force van
ously estimstsd al from so 900 TO Io.ON men. hu-
NOR also gives Bragg place IN the advancing host.
There some little diminishing yesterday, tloib
inst III the vicinity OF Haiues Butt, between our
piekets aud their advancing columns. But notwilh-
standing all this, cannot see how II 10 possible Tor
any interruption of the progress OF events TO oe
worked out here by the enemy ana We nav G. MI
fact, and Ehave some reason for believing that our
CONVICTIONS on this point are shared by the great
bo1yrof the garrison Of Vicksburg. Deserters are
occasionally picked up who appear TO be caneid ano
honest and some OF this class state quite confidently
that the Vcksburg army look upon ultimate capture
"a certain and that many disaiieted conscrpts are
restrained from deserving by tie hope of enjoying
te rnors envfabe position of psroled prisoners OF
war few intelligent prisoners recently captured
also tall 10 the manner.
RUMORs CoSJFCTURES, ETC.
Nof.telligent observer can spend "a week In an
ayuy wittoat being amused a. wei as perplsxed by
Ne rice and rapid spread of all kinds OF exciting
rumors Nothing more Is wanted than good sub
feet for coniectures to induce positive statements
and firm beliefs Of tie most extraordinary character.
The certain presence o. Gen. Joe Johnston in our
rear aud the reasonable expectation that he will
attempt II some way 10 raise the siege Of Nicks
burg, constitute such topic for cpDJeetnrss and
conseq uently We have I'll all kinds of rumor cir
culstinR IN camp constantly concerning movements
OF the Rebel General. Some officer commanding a.
division or brigade, in conversation with his friends
ventures the con lecture that Johnston will move
upon Memphis rather than attack Grants rear. Ono
OF these friends sirhshtwey reports this officer AZ
being Of The opinion that Johnston 10 moving upon
MsmpLls. TIE next man who talks upon the sub
ject conveys the impression that the aforementioned
division or hri ga1e commander has positive and
Trustworthy Information that Johnston Is moyln,
upon Memphis Then again johnston sforce IN this
movement 10 constantly increased by each repetition
until the whole thing becomes preposierous and dies
like all other Camp rumors.
Yesterday We We're all as,lr running down rnmore
of this kind and tins morning in painful
state Of disbelief "a regards anything that may BE-
reported Of Johnston. Still there 10 room TO doubt
that lac is moving, although the information brought
by our scouts is mesger. Without being specific,
might say that there are movements going IN our
own army which would indicate the IOssil.lty aud
even probability OF n great engagement shoItlyto
take place between the IazOo and Black Rivers,
and il not improbable that the decisive s,rug
gle OF this campaign, and indeed Of the war, will
fbus occur.
By the way, wlhe am doing my share Of con-
jectnring, / may well say that think il If the
Rebel Gen. Forrest who lie now feeling the rear
ward outposis Of this army. That officer, at las,
accounts, on the move and II IL difficult TO CON-
ceye where else Johnston would get cavalry force.
vICKsBURG.
This now famous town n growing familiar 10 us.
We can stand upon the upper deck VI a steamer al
Young's Point, aud, with glass in hand, designate
the streets and principal buildings by their nance 10
slitly ne cosd an old resident. doath-pali ap.
pears 70 hang over the town. The people 60 about
the streets Duniedly, the few occasions when
they be at all and are supposed III our army
to DO almost everything that s done after nigttfnl
What strange stories the survivors OF this siege will
have 10 tell their descendants! 1t Is impossible u
designate the manner an which they have wlhstOod
G months bOmbartment as Otherwise than heroic.
Yesterday | saw an evidence that the people o!
Vlskrburg although 81 huJ In " from all conmuni-
cation Win the civilized world, and, Tor that mat
Ter, with " The rest OF mankind sui have some
regard for the art pr.servative," and for ths!
prime necessary Of modern life TO wit: news.
desperately dIngy looking newspaper, printed upon
wallpaper, ana isSuSd from the old Hicks6urg
Nhgg Office strayed through the lines, and Wac vis-
ible IN Geo. BlAir's division OF Gen. Sherman
Army Corps. The size Of the sheet was abont that
OF AN oXl pane Of glass. IL WA not by any means
O MODEL Of modern typography. The principal edi
torsl-the leader, II IL might so be called-was do
voted TO q ventilation Of The immoIaties OF Union
Generals. Gen. Blair was therein reported
OIL authority OF a nameless Northern paper, "
be under arrest for petit larceny, but ii was
stated that bis trial Tor this crime thad been,
by an exercise Of despo,lo and unconstitutional
power, postponed Ill after the termination Of the
struggle for the possession OF Nlcksburg. Thu
beautiful and thrilling romance was acconps
MED by sundry sage reflections. II such was the
character Of Major Gsgersas IN the Union service,
u wa urged, 10 what unexplorod depths OF degra-
daiOD must the subsiterns and pnvates Of the army
OF the Union be sunk! A Rebel Lieutenant, giving
his name as Stockton, and claiming to have lived ID
the nelgbbOrhood Of Bonneville, No., who was
captured GU the evening Of tho 18th while posting