Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-06-01
MORNING LEABKR,
lIoNDAK MaRNING.r -.,IgNE l. .lsss
Tho SIEGE Of VicksburE.

rAIoNDAY MaREING.r -JUNK L. 1858
The Siege Of VicksbHrE.
q. Correspondence 81. Louis ReputhcanslT
Is REAR OF VIcksBURG, May p.
The sirongholdof the rebel power on the
Mississippi IS now completely invested by
the army Of General Grant. Y
The fragments Of the insurgent forces
which escaped from the victories ofrPoTt
Hudson, of jackson. Of Champion or Mid
way Hills, and of Big Black, have retired
within the strong but small circle Of de-
feuses which surround the city at dis
tance Of about two miles from its heart.
There a stubborn resistance IS now being
made, the redoubis and rifle pits giving
the rebels an advantage IN the way OF
safety, but none, 1 think, in the way Of
p moral strength. Presumpively the ad-
vantage is with the attacking party, and
especially in this case, where our army,
since its bold move from Youngs Point, by
the way Of Grand Gulf, has been uniformly
and brilliantly successful
To-day our forces are busy from right to
left, over the entire line, ia creeping more
closely to the formidable works Of the enc
my. At several points our sharpshooters
are so near the redouhts. and 50 we'll shell
tered by the remarIa,hiy rough ground,
that they totally prevent the enemy from
using his guns They sre near enough,
too, to indulge in jocoss conversation with
the rebels in their rife-pits. As today an
Illinois boy cried OUT
Hullo, there, Seeesh !"
Hullo"
aeot any liquor in Vioksburg ~
Plenty
aWeil, wen come in, tonight, and take
horn"
At the same time our heavier artillery
is being pushed up slowly in such q way
as to bear very effectually on the enemy s
works The ground is such that the hills
occupied by us are just about as coREen-
lent and commanding as those occupied by
them. What works they have within the
line we are now attacking is not known,
but they cannot be extensive, for their
present line is quite near the city. If the
rebels retire from their present position,
they subject the city to destruo uo.ions
Below and above Vieksburg our mortsr
feet is grumbling and laundering, very
slowly but steadily, and we can see the
huge shells bursting over the town. A
warm place 10 live in now.
IEREAR or yIcksBURG, May p
To-day general charge upon the enc
my's works was ordered and made, though
I cannot yet learn that at any point the
works we're completely carried. The sin
gularly rough nature Of the ground makes
it almost impossible to tell what we have
to encounter before us, and rapidly
fatigues the men. But we advance in this
way steadily, and at each charge our sharp
shooters obtain better field for their oper-
atoms Our artillery hastens to get bet
ter position, small intrenchments being
thrown up to protect il; and thus we have
the curious spectacle of hostile redoubts
already frowning upon each other, at a
distance of but few hundred yards
The guns Of the rebels reply TO our
shelling but seldom. They are evidently
outstanding their ammunition, for they
can get no further supply. 1 think they
are short Of artillery too. Their redoubfs
are constructed for field guns, and within
the last three weeks Grant has captured
about seventy Of these.
HIn the meantime, we have new base
Of supplies from the Yazoo, through which
reinforcements, provisions, ammunition
and heavy guns can be sent as rapidly as
we please.
The rebel force within Vieksburg cannot
now be more than 10000. Before the
dght at Jackson they may have had 45 900,
but part Of that number we forced up
norihward, toward Canton, say 10000. at
the battle Of Midway Hills (or Champi
on's Hill, on the 10th lust, their effective
force was perhaps $4,000 men. OF these
at tleast 10000 were killed, wounded, cap
tured or driven to escape northward or
southward, in such way as to prevent
them from returning to Vicksburg. At !
the fight on Big Black on the 18th, we cap
tured nearly 1900, and scattered many |
more in such way that they are more |
likely to have struggled home through the |
woods than to have reported for duty.