The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-06-26


Toths Editor Of the Pioneer:
It is now twenty three days since we
commenced the siege of this place. Twenty
days of continuous cannonading and mus
kerry. A storm of iron hail has been
falling upon the besieged without inter-
mission in all this time and lead has been
literally piled up within their entranch-
ments. One fierce assault made by our
forces has been repulsed. The dead and
wounded on each side can be numbered by
thousands, yet to-day each army holds It's
position unchanged from that which it
occupied on the 21st of May. We have
never before met with such an inveterate
foe. The rebel General Pemberton, with
his 80, 900 men, cut off from all commune
cation, defends himself heroically, and
seemingly with the desperate philosophy
of mailman, depends upon some mirac-
ulous interference in his behalf In
tercepted dispatches calling upon the
inevitable Joe johnson reveal his ne
cessity. Our daily and nightly bonn
bardment rivals the thunder OF the tenn
pest. The enemy cannot fire gun. Within
rifle shot of every battery, hidden within
the pits our lynxreyed sharpshooters are
posted. The moment rebel gunner rem
ders himself visible he receives passport
to eternity.
The assault of May'22d was made with
terrible earnestness. Facing the seething
fire of the enemy's rifemen, and MUIR
derous fire of grape and canister, our adj
vance moved steadily up to the works. It
was suicidal attempt, but none thought,
or seemed to think, of that. A moment,
and many corpses covered the earth. The
charging party were without ladders
without even foot-bridges to cross the
ditches-when they reached the walls. In
front of them an embankment assembled to
the height of thirty feet, almost perpendic-
ularly. The enemy threw over hand
grenades. The distance was so short that
our men picked them up and threw them
back before the fuses were burned out.
Our men strove frantically to climb the
steep wall, but were again and again re-
pulsed, while the enemy's batteries poured
in continuous shower Of grape, moving
them down rank after rank. Darkness
was the signal for retreat, and disappointed
and chagrined our men withdrew silently
to their camps.
y On that night 5000 of Grants army
were killed or wounded. The enemy
would not allow the wounded to be brought
off; neither could we bury our dead, with
out doing so under the fire of their rifle
men. Throughout the ordeel of that ter
rible attack, officers and men stood nobly,
coolly, and with daring bravery at toeir
posts; many of them found their graves
where they stood.
The fall of Vicksburg is, of necessity, in
evitable; and, though all desire that it
should fall speedily, yet officers and men
prefer to await its reduction by siege,
rather than to again attempt its capture by
assault. The impregnability of this posi-
ton to this mode of attack has been salts
factorily demonstrated.
The rebels have exerted their utmost in
genuity in preparations for defence. The
city is surrounded by walls of earth, in
some places forty feet in height. Upon the
outer wall, at equal distances are built
eminences of earth and cotton, and upon
these are stationed their heavy guns The
guns placed there are not in position for
use, for our sharpshooters are placed SO as
to readily check the approach of any one
toward the guns. At the extreme right
and left are two immense forts, which, if
we could capture them, would prove of in
calculable benefit in assisting in the reduc-
ton of all the others. These will probably
fall into our hands before long.
Thus matters stand at present, and no
very active operations are in progress. Oc-
casionally we have rumors of a force com.
ing up in the rear to attack us, but of this
we have no confirmation. The troops look
forward to. speedy victory, and all are in
good spirits. The fall of the rebel Gibral-
tar ends the spring campaign, and with its
termination rest will be allied with Joy by
the worn-out soldiery of the Southwest.
Il n Eramont prosdopt of TIM