The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-06-07
BATTLE OF CHAMPION HILLS
The Defense of Black River Bridge
Special Correspondence OF the Cincinnati Gazette.
NATIONAL ENoAMrMENT, }
WALNUT HILLS, VICKsBURG, MISS
Saturday, Nav %
? CHAMPION HILLS
ADvANcE rowAnD vIcKsnrrn.

PheTsOn's corps had the left and centre,
and moved east of Sherman's. When the
head of Sherman's column reached Boil
ton, On the 18th, letter was received
from Gen. Grant, stating that battle
had taken place on the preceding dav,
Saturday, the 18th in a section of coun-
try forming an angle, with Bolton, Ray
mond and Edwards Ferry as the points.
This is known as the battle Of Champion
Hill, which it was not my fortune TO see,
and am reduced, therefore, to the ne
cessity Of giving simply the most gener-
al details of that struggle.
THE BATTLE OF CHAMPION HILL.
McClernand's corps had the advance
and encountered the rebel pickets seven
miles from Edwards Station, but did not
press forward until plan of attack was
agreed upon. The rebels had three di.
visions, commanded respectively by Gems.
LOring, Bowen and Stevens, and were
well posted on the hills, with which the
entire country back of Vicksburg
abounds.
The battle lasted fully three hours,
commencing at ten o'clock. Generals
AADNN1J OdiE anu OhtNIuhuA were I0OAI
engaged General Blair occupying the
left and keeping the rebels we'll inclosed
toward Bakers creek, branch of Four
teen Mile creek, over which they were
driven with heavy loss. They left ten
guns, with caissons and ammunition
train on the field, and were utterly
routed. Blair's division, which formed
a junction with A. j. Smith, at RAYMOND.
filled a gap on our right, occurring be-
tween the forces of the latter and those
of Osterhaus, and resisted the entire
rebel force thrown on that side, which
they commanded from hill with a 90
pound Parrott gun, which we captured.
After the repulse on our right the rebels
were seized by panic and rushed for the
left, whence they escaped toward the Big
Black River Bridge, over which thew
pressed. Here the want of cavalry was
felt, although the few mounted men we
had were used 20 the best advantage.
Our rear was threatened by Gen. Nc
Reynolds brigade with two 6-pound bat
teries, but Col Clark Wright with the
9th Missouri cavalry and four mountain
howitzers, flanked him on the Browns
vile road, and run him over the Black
River at the Bridgeport Ferry, capturing
one hundred and sixty prisoners and
two teams. On the evening of the battle
the cavalry came to the Mississippi resi-
dence of Jefferson Davis, where his
brother, Joe Davis, was found quietly ut
home, surrounded by every comfort and
luxury peculiar to the wealthy class of
the Cotton States. A number of valuable
documents were captured, and an extern
sive public and private correspondence
of the Confederate States. 1t will be borne
in mind that this affair had no other
relevancy TO the battle of Champion
Hill, than that il prevented McReynolds
from reinforcing the rebels which might
have turned the fortunes of the day.
Gen. Osterhaus was wounded in the leg
by piece of shell during the battle, but
as an offset to this the rebel Gen. Thigh
man was killed during the bloody strug
gle, which marked another step in the
gigantic movement toward the capture or
reduction of Vicksburg.
THE PASSAGE OF BLACK RIVER BRIDGE.
After the defeat of Champion Hill, the
rebels reinforced those already occupy
ing the strongwork, guarding the long
bridge crossing Big Black River 1t was
the general impression that the battle
of Nicksburg, or o. least the battle which
should decide the fate of that place,
would be fought at this bridge, but events
proved the partial error of that impress
sion, and caused an additional loss of
blood, but did not prevent or even re-
tard the mighty onward movement of
this most brave and intrepid army.
In justice to your correspondent, IL is
proper here to state that it was impos-
sible to gather the particulars and details
of the events Transporting simultaneously
throughout the army, especially as IL
was in active progress day and night
and while fighting at one end was press
ing onward at another.
The bloody struggle which resulted in
the destruction of Big BlacA River
Bridge eliminated
ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANT CHARGES IN
HISTORY.
The rebels held a position between us
and the bridge, naturally strong, but
rendered a hundred times stronger by
the skillful planting oil ten guns on the
elevation separated from US by one of
those everlasting bayous peculiar TO the
country The fate of the bridge hung
on the possession of this elevation. The
bayou must be crossed. There is no way
TO circumyent it, no way TO cross the riV-
er but al this point LAWYERS Brigade
all honor TO it's ordered 10 carry the
point. They must cross an open field In
front Of the bayou; they mus swim or
wade through IT, and storm the work on
the opposite side They appeared on the
field the ten guns opened their murder
Gus fire many noble fellows fell, but the
ranks closed in again and the column
pressed on. IL reached the bayou and
plunged in solid mass into the green and
stagnant water Then followed a double
struggle with death in horrid shape; but
God was on the side Of the brave patri-
OTIS who thus imperled their lives Tor
their country's sake, aud nino-tenths OF
the enemy's shot fell harmlessly into the
dark ana sullen water OF the deep bayou,
The noble brigade re- formed, still un-
der heavy fire, on the other side Of the
bayou aud dashed upon the rebel work.
The trench was leaped the face OF the
work was covered thick with Chamber
ing forms each with hands uplifted, car
rying the deadly bayonet The embrA-