The Placer herald., 1863-07-11
y1cKsHURcH sURRENDERED.

hold of the Confederates, has surrendered to
our arms. The credit of this result is due
to the skill, courage and daring of General
U. S. Grant and the Army aud Navy of the
West under bis command
The fact OF the surrender Of the city is
vouched for by President Lincoln and the
Secretary Of War E. NJ. Stanton.
CH1CKAsAw BAYOU, July 3d-3 NJ.
At eight o'clock this morning flag of
truce appeared before General Smiths front,
when the rebel Major General Bowen and
Colonel Montgomery were led bindfolded.
into our lines. They bore communication
from General Pemberton to General Grant,
of the following purpor,: "Athough l feel
confident of my ability to resist your arms
indefinitely in order to stop the further effu-
sion of blood | propose that you appoint
three Commissioners to meet three which |
shall send to arrange such terms as may
best accomplish the result" Grant replied
sui santiaIly in these words: "The appoint
ment Of Commissioners is unnecessary -
While should be glad to stop the unneces-
sary tffnsion Of blood the only terms which
can entertain are these: Unconditional surl
render. AT the same time, myself, officers
and men are ready to testify to the distin
gushed Salantry with which the defense of
Vcksburg has been conduc,ed.' At eleven
o'clock the messengers returned.
This afternoon, in accordance with rel
quest from General Pemberton, General
Grant met him outside the lines After an
hours consultation they settled the terms of
surrender. Pemberton urged that the SOL
diers might be paroled here and allowed
ralions from their own stores to carry them
to the Confederate lines. In view Of the
bravery displayed by these troops, the advan-
tages of the place, and the condition Of the
enemy, Grant finally consented to Pember-
tons request. The officers were each allow
ed horse and servant.
The number Of prisoners is said to be IS,
900, two thirds of whom are said to he in
fighting condition. The immediate cause of
the surrender was the exhaustion of supplies
and ammunition and the failure of Johnston
to come to Pemhertons aid. A general in
terchange of cvities extended along the
whole line. The surrender was just in time
to save both armies the loss of life which
would have attended the attempt to carry
the place by assault, as such an attemp, had
been determined upon for Tomorrow; July
4th.
At daylight tomorrow (4th of July) our
army will march into Vicksburg.
CAIRO July Sth.
A bearer Of dispatches from Grant to the
Government left Vcksburg at noon on July
4Ih, and has arrived here. lie brings bu,
few additional particulars ofthe surrender,-
One division of the army was marching in
to the city as he left. One of the reasons
assigned for paroling the prisoners are, that
Grant had no transportation to send them
North. and the men could be used for
more important mission than guarding pris'
oners.
The heroic defense Of this place, viii fnd
its place in history. side by side with that
Saragossa in Spain in 1908, and Genoa uni
der Massena in 1909 That men should face
starvation, death aud danger is expected
and is nevertheless held rs a merit in them,
but where whole community become so
wruoght upon that e. en women and children
face these dreaded consequences of war, it is
an evidence OF heroism worthy of the palm
lest davs of Roman glory and KnightIy
valor. correspondent Of the n Y Times
writes from Grants army, on the authority
Of Federal prisoners who We're taken to
VicksburG and released:
The women and children all remain in town,
although ordered at various times to leave. On
the day our men left. n morning report showed
the sad fact that up to that time ll9 of these I'M
fortup had hpap Had hu hal1c
whom is the wife of General Pembcrton. The
women of Vicksburg are either brave beyond Or
dinary mOrtals or deS perate in the extreme. The
shells search every part OF the town. and yet child
rem play ms usual upon the streets, and the women
seek no protection, but boldly promenade the pub
lie thoroughljucs and attend to their household
duties. In house close to the Jail our men saw
several ladies. who sat in groups on the piazza,
moved lcsurey about the house, and at times
made the air meodious with voice and piano.
What quality is this shown by these women? Is
it hcroism. desperation. or what? Death is all
about them-t Kisses through the air, crashes
through their cditices smites down their innocent
children and themselves, and yet they uncon-
c4rncdly sit. sing, chat and laugh through it all
through combination of horrors that would
almost make coward of the bravest man who
ever drew sword. These things seem incredible;
but they are true, for our prisoners unite in
vouching for the fact, all phases of which they
themselves heard and witnessed.
While in the Jail our men received messen.
ger from our feet in the shape of a 200b she'll
that made itself a capacious entrance through the
roof, passing down, it carried away nearly the
entire floor of the room in which it entered and
then exploded in the hall below. Wonderfully
enough, it hurt no one, although several were
IN the very room; it did no further damage than
to open an irregular and extended skylight in
the roof. blow ou: all the glass in the building,
and knock down enough brick, mortar and old
iron to keep busy two colored gentlemen with
wheelbarrows 4 day and half in removing he
accumulated rubbish. Almost every building in
the town bears the mark OF Shells some of which
have fallen from the mortarfect and others from
the PARROT batteries in the rear. Our men pass
ed one house through which l3-nch she'll had
dropped from roof to basement group of
ladies sat on the balcony and servants were en-
gagged in wheeling shattered fragments out of the
building.
Some correspondents state that the rebels have
cXcavated large space out of the side of a
vteen hill near the COurt- hOusp and that the