The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-01-21
THE LATE SIEGE OF vICKSBURG
The Expedition of Gen. Sherman.
sToRMING OF TElE WORKS.
OF THE NATIONAL ARMY,

last. between the Federal forces under General
Sherman and the rebels, is from the st. Louis
Republican. 1t is stated that the expedition was
six days in sailing down to Nicksburg, while three
days were amply sufficient 1t is claimed that this
delay greatly diminished our chances Of success,
as the rebels were informed of the movements Of
the expedition and were enabled to extend and
strengthen their works after they learned its proba
BILE destination The army was landed ON the
south bank of the Yazoo river, a few miles above
its mouth, on the Goth and eth of December last:
TOPOGRAPHY or THE FIELD.
In order to understand the subsequent movements
it may be we'll to notice that the city OF Nicksburg
stands on the fourth Of the chain of Chickasaw
bluffs which jut upon the east bank of the Mssis-
sppi at intervals between Columbus and Baton
Rouge. The same chain Of bluffs appears on the
east bank of the Yazoo, at point about twelve
miles from its mouth. Upon this chain ct bluffs,
extending between the two rivers, the rebels have
constructed series Of strong tortihcatons. At
Hanes' Bluff the batteries of heavy guns have
complete control of the Iazoo river at Vicksburg,
of the Mississippi.
One peculiarly of this country is that the streams
are liable ut times fill to overfowing the banks
OF the Mississippi AMI tS tributaries. In order to
protect themselves against the lnr0ads ut Hoods,
dykes or levees have been built, of height vary
ing frul four to ten feet. These sluggish Streams
| and the !1ng ponds which hemmei in, are, in
the lang ge Of the country called "bayous"
The whole uf the lower Mississippi territory is in
tersected in places By These mpediments to loco
| notion
THE FoRTlFIC ATIoNs.
At the time of our bomhardment of the forts at
yicksburg, they included only few earthworks at
either end of the landing above and below the city
numbering in all some forty grns. Now they ex-
tend from river to the other distance of seven
miles. Heavy ordnance has been mounted at
Hanes Bluff, and on the intervening cress be-
tween the two places One hundred and five guns
have been placed on the city front alone. The
sides of the hill along the line have also been
trenched with pits masked with abattiS and folled
timber, and field batteries have been placed COM
manding every approach. The bayous have CON
tributed to the means of natural defense, as they
are hardly to be crossed, except by bridges. They
are, as it were, species of moat in front of the
works behind.
THE ATTACK-sUNDAY.
| Our purposes soon made clear by the move
ments of their columns ON Saturday along the two
roads leading from the Yazoo to the citadel. Onr
army lay in the peninsula incosed between the Old
river and the Chickasaw bayou or creek. General
| Morgan proceeded along the creek road as | shall
designate it, until he reached Mrs. Lakes house, a
mile to the front. Here the enemy was seen posted
behind the evee, which makes turn 50 rs to afford
good breastwork for rffemen They had two
pieces of artillery in position. Captain Hoffman S
battery and the 18th Illinois drove it off after a
brief contest. The enemy retired TO the base of
! the bluff, which had Just become visible through
the woods. The main body of our troops kept on
next (Sunday morning along the edge of the creek,
and were again met by body OF infantry con-
cealed behind this levce, and having several field
pieces at the base of the bluff General Morgan
| l.. Smith brought forward brigade from one 6irec-
tion while General Blair ordered up another to sus
tain Colonel DeCOurcy in his opposition. The re-
suit was that after terrific encounter between our
field pieces and those of the enemy for two hours,
in which the trees and ground were cut up terribly,
but we lost few men, at signal the brigade of
DeCourcy and the rest were ordered up to the
charge.
THE FIRST LINE EASILY TAKEN.
General Morgan l.. Smith wounded early in
| the action, when the command devOlved upon Gen
| eral D. Stuart. Colonel Wyman, while in the act
of telling his men to rise ana rush forward, was
pierced in the groin by bullet, and died IN less
| than two hours. These things led to some tempo
rary arrangement but the brigade Of DeCourcy
rushed on. The rebels fed taking their outer field
pieces, and wheeling them up the hill. Our men
came to the bayou in front of the first line of works.
to find them abandoned, and entered atterward
without much opposition. This gave rise TO the
report that we had taken battery from the rebels;
all of which is untrue, | am assured we have
neither taken nor lost single gun.
The losses III Sundays action amounted to nearly
| two hundred. The amount of cannonading was
excessive, and seemed fit overture for the grand,
thrilling tragedy of the following day. Several OF
the regiments learning the ease with which we had
captured the first line OF rifle pits expressed their
there fighting enough for all who were willing
GENERAL sTEELE's ATTEMPT.
We should have stated that Saturday, while
the troops of General Morgan were being landed
between Old River and the mouth of Chickasaw
creek, portion of General Steele's forces had
been met mile and half further up the river,
with view of penetrating TO the rear OF Vicks-
burg, and, if possible, cutting off the railroad COM
munication with the Big Black river. The divis-
ion of General Steele being by far the largest OF
the four, the large Brigade of General Blair was
detached and sent to the extreme right crossing the
peninsula diagonally. Steele, with the balance OF
his forces landed under Of gunbOats, and had
gotten perhaps mile and a half inland, when he
found himself surrounded by swamp ON the one
side the impossible bayou on the other, and the
bluffs lined with batteries in front. After receiving
the shells for an hour, while vainy reconnoiterne
the locality, he sent notice of this fact to General
Sherman, who ordered him to return to the main
body, which he did on Monday morning.
THE BATTLE On MONDAY.
As the operations of Monday form one of the mos
interesting chapters in the history of the war; anc
may be placed among the most brilliant achieve
ments, we have been particular to arrive at th'
facts aS nearly as possible. Having been an eye
Witness of the fighting, we are prepared 70 speal
with knowledge Of its intensity and desperation,
The work assigned TO this army was to assault
strong Notifications, TO storm the hight upon whcl
the works were placed, and 10 do this in the pres
ence of a vigilant and INSCRIPTIONS foe. We has
accomplished luTlueI lndu 10
the enemy's position, and contemplate the tormda
Bile nature of his preparations. All the lighting o
the previous day was mere interlude TO tina
which was TO follow, Could we gain the SUNNI
f of the hills after awful slaughter, it was not a
all certain chat furious effort would not be mad
to drive us out again In other words, ptche
: battle might have TO be fought after the enemy wa
}, driven from his stronghold ON the hillside.
$ THE STORM OF ARTILLERY.
5 On Monday morning, therefore, the cannon
\ opened faltering, uncertain and tttul a. hrst-
mere contest between batteries in front. Batter
after battery wheeled forward with US, an
battery after battery wheeled down by the enemy
y The "ball," as it usually does in seges, opene
with artillery only. At bend in the Chickasa
creek, where it becomes mere bayou at the foot
! the bluffs, we had four thirty pound Parrot
Around it, and on either wing, were hOwitzer
rifed brass pieces, steel guns-sxty cannon in al
7. The enemy had been opening fire from one spo
+ then another, from ravine and ledge and abutmen
~ from earthwerk and crest, until they had great
number in action. Two sixty -four Founders at Il
g top of the ravine commenced sending their shel
p bowling through the air. The rapid, incessan
n spiteful fire Of the guns began to assume perso
atty Of vehemence, Shot and she'll whstled shr
u and furiousy across the separating space--a tho
le sand yards in all. For three hours the contest
of furious, the bursting shells being mingled in Il
+ confused roar of cannons.
r. AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE.
- The spectacle at this time was something I
~ grand and fearful to depict. The batteries in 4
n woods were firing as rapidly as possbei the she
were seresching in all directions, aud stunning I