, 1863-06-18
HEADQUARTERS 18TH An4fr CoHrs,
Ii TIE FIELD fEAa T1cEsBuBa, Miss,

1D %>''-11' '''M MaySs isSa.
DEAR GoyBRNoR-I snatch a moment,
au4id pressing and responsible duties, to ad-
dress Jou few lines upon the subject of our
recent operations.
The rattle ofmuEkctry and the roar Of can
non ring, 1T short intervals In MT ears, and
carnage is all around. All the Corps Of the
army Of the Tennessee Were ordered by Its
commander to make a simultaneous assault
upon the enemy's works, ut 10 T. m, Of, the
22d inst. The advance was ordered to be
made In quick time, with bayonets fired, aud
without firing gun, until the outer works
Avery rough, rugged and broken space was
in our front, and had to be overcome under
the enemy's fire. Our line WAS some six or
eight miles long, and was therefore necessa-
ri]y weakened Dy attenuation. AT five min
utes before ten o'clock, I ordered that the
bugle sound the charge. and within fifteen
minutes, LaWler's aud Landrnm's brigades,
Of the 18th and 10Th divisions If this CORPS,
had stormed q strong lunette work IN their
front, making enlodgment, and planting our
colorstupon it,
Twelve men went into it; eleven were kill
cd, and tho twelfth, aided BY our sharp shoe.
brought out twelve rebels feat more during
and successful is hardly recorded. It's achfeY-
er was Sergeant Joseph E. Griffith, Company
I, ed Iowa Volunteer Infantry. who deserves
equal admiration and praise.
Within thirty minutes after 10 o'clock, Ben
TOMS and Burbrfdge's brigndes, fired with
noble emulation, rushed forward: made a
Iodgment on similar work in their front, and
In like manner plnnted our flag npon it. This
cost 4 sanguinary struggle. The enemy was
driven away from loaded gun before be lad
time to fire IT.; while Lieutenant White, Of the
Chicago Mercantile Battery, brought up one
Of his pieces by hand close to the enemy's
works, and double shotting it, poured dead
y discharge Into the eneuIy's ranks. : This
fat was a worthy parallel to Sergeant
Al this was on my right On my left oster.
hans division formed the adyance, supported
By one brigade OF Gonernl Hovey's-the other
brigade having been. left behind, under Gen,
Grants order, ut Big Black. The movement
of these forces was ,obliquely towards the
point Of attack, In front Of Lawler, which they
neared in the course Of a struggle which
The fury Of our assault was slch as to alarm
tue enemy and to cause him to mass his troops
from both right and LIFT, in my front. The
movements by which this MAS effected, were
plainly seen by officers and men Of my com
uand> and greatly Increased the obstacles to
the advance ofmy corps, whose strength llud
been much curtailed By different detachmcnts
which Lad been ordered to be left behind.
Passing to matters Of 4 more personal char
actcr, I m 10th to inform you of rumors which
wonld Ak upon me- the responsibility Of the
Iilure ofthe assault on lie cd. These ru-
nors are as contradictory as they arc sense
less and nlclldacfous-- They must be spawn
Of petty rreJudiccd partisans. It would be
unjust to impute them 60 any men Of rank
and character.
One rnmor charges me with not attacking
promptly; ret it IS notorious that Was the
ftrt to attack, and the first to make lodg-
ment in the enemys works; moreover, con-
tinued unremittingiy the conflict until after
night, and for longer time than any other
corps. Ay, success was also Us great as that
Of any other corps. -
Iplanted my lag upon two Of; the enemy s
works, where they waved for some eixnt
Aours-taklng 4 number Of prisoners, aud
forcing the enemy, through his fears, to mass
his forces to stop my progress.
Another rn1Gor charges me with the re-
fponsfbi]ity Of the loss sustained BY the 9TH
/ cr army corps And wherefore, do you i'm
parts Of the liue should continue the attack
Us vel! as ,nfnc. OF, that should be reinforced
ono or the other.
IN asking the former, I but asked what
Gen. Grant had expressly and peremptorily
ordered. Tie fault, therefore, II any, was not
ter, I only asked what, in nasslng 1ur forces
Oh single aud shaking point, would hare
materially conduced to the success Of tho
attack. !. =.
Perhaps our cndeayors would have been
crowned with suce: 8 if the latter plan OF at-
It was but fair for I'LL to cooperate under an
order from common superior, alike binding
On all, for the attainment Of common Oh.
ject. and # loss was sustained By Others, 1t
,sas also sustained By me, probably In still
greater proportion; but not us q consequence
Of anything that said or did, but as a conse-
quence Of the order alluded to, and the effort
to cnfsy it jDt0 SprreSsful affcct
Coming as it did, from competent authority,
1t Is not my province, DOT Is this the proper
occasion to impugn that order. Without in
tending injustice to any one. may be permit
Milliken'a Bend 10 Bruins Landing, mud to
the field Of Port Gibson. At the latter place
ii WAS the first to attack the enemy and break
his force. This battle was Getermlnatc Of all
our following successes. Pursuing the Gu
emy next day, 1t captured the town of Port
bank Of Bayou Pierre; thence marching
towards Edwards Station, on the Vicksburg
and jackson Fai1ro9d, it encountered and
drove back the enemy from one Of the eros
sings Of Fourteen Mile Creek. On tho same
day that Gen. Sherman drove him back from
son beat him near Raymond. Soon
after it led the advance to Bolton,
on the railroad, and again against the
enemy at Champion Hill, FIRST ATTACKING him
and achieylng asignal victory, with tho asstst-
bore TIC brunt here is attested br tie con.
epicuous part borne By Gen. Hovey. mud the
greater loss sustained bg bis division, Rap.
ftly pu7tuIpg the routed enemy. Ye captur.a
many prisoners, together with Edwards Sta
lion, and all Of The encmy's stores there. dur
BTs o'clock lie next morning, W we o,1is overtoot &
tie enemy in considerable force on the Biz
Black river, and immediately engaged him.
ntrs u IL ,a no,n, Us - tho hxeoat
many prisoners and eighteen pieces Of cannon'
Thence we marched upon .vicksburg, and
naTs oodG VEL ms 1een tn
for some 70 eieht hoursi led nv ground' 5afs