The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-08-20
EUMBER 27I.

"a III.
! we're enabled to make yi.torons assa,I,
! The 18th and l7th corps succeeded M
iurther than to gain advanced positions,
covered from the FIRE of the enemy. The
2Oth and 2lst were spent in perfectine
Communications, with our Supplies
Most OF the troops had been marching
and lighting battles for twenty days, on
an average of about FIVE DAYS ratious.
drawn from the Commissary Depart-
ment Though they had not suffered
from short rations up to this time. the
want OF bread TO accompany the other
ratons was beginning to be much felt.
On the 2lSt my arrangements for draw
ing supplies of every description being
complete, determined to make another
effort to carry Vicksburg by assault
There were many reasons to determine
me to adopt this course / believed an
assault from the position gained by This
time could be made sueeessfuHy. 1t was
the i0rte taken BY INN from Jackson,
reinforced By other troops from the ei1ast.
and that more were daily reaching him.
With the force had, a short time must
have enabled him to attack me in the
{ rear aud possibly succeed in raising
the siege. Possession of Vieksburg at
that time would have enabled me to have
turned upon Johnston and driven him
from the State, and possess myself of all
the railroads and,practical military high
ways, thus effectually secaring to our
selves all territory west Of the Ton5ig-
bee, and this before the season was too
far advanced for campaigning in this
latitude. would have saved Govern.
ment sending large reinforcements.
much needed elsewhere; and, finally,
the troops themselves were impatient TO
possess Ficksburg, and would not have
worked in the trenches with the same
zeal, believing it unnecessary, that they
did after their failure to carry the enc
my's works. Accordingly, on the Dist
orders were issued for u general assault
upon the whole line, to commence at 10
A. n. on the 22d. All the corps COM
manders set their time by mine, that
there should be no difference between
them in movement of assault. Prompt
ly at the hour designated, the three army
corps then in front of the enemys works
commenced the assault | had taken a
commanding position near McPhersons
front, and from which could see all the
advancing columns from his corps, and
part OF each of Sherman's 5 aud McCler-
nands. A portion Of the commands of
each succeeded in planting their flags on
the outer slopes of the enemy's bastions,
and maintained them there until night.
Each corps had many more men than
could possibly be used in the assault,
over such ground as interviewed between
them and the enemy More men could
only avail in case of breaking through
the enemy line, or in repelling q sortie.
The assault was gallant in the extreme
and arfliciiaIlyf, N = 70 be taken ii tfar way
At every point assaulted, and at all of
them at the same time. the enemy was
able TO show all the force his works could
cover. The assault TaIIed, regret to
arr, -v;ab.raee}4 loss side IN killed
the confidence of the troops in their
ability to ultimately succeed.
No troops succeeded in entering any OF
the enemy's works, with the exception Of
Sergeant Griffith, of the 2lst regiment
Iowa volunteers, and some eleven prl-
vaies of the same regiment. Of these
none returned except the Sergeant and
possibly one man. The work entered
by him, from its position, could give US
no practical advantage, unless others
to the right and left of it were carried
and held at the same time.
About II o'clock NJ, / received dis
match from McClernand that he was
hard pressed at several points, in reply
10 which | directed him 10 reinforce the
points hard pressed from such troops as
| he bad that were not engaged. L then
| rode round to Sherman, and had just
reached there, when | received second
/ dispatch from General McClernand, sta
ting positively and unequivocally that he
was in possession of and still held two
of the enemy's forts; that the American
flag then waved over them; and asking
| me 10 have Sherman and Mcpherson
make a diversion in his favor. This dis
patch / showed to Sherman, who imme-
diately ordered renewal of the assault
on his front. ! also sent an answer TO
McClernand, directing him to order up
Macarthur to his assistance, and started
Immediately to the position | had just
left on MePherson's line to convey to
him the information from McClernand,
of which the following is a copy:
HEADoUARrEns a3Tn AEaY CORPS,
IL THE FIELD, NEAR YIcksBURG, Miss, May zz')
, GENERAL: We have gained the enc
BUS WBEf are regnbtFeHeB4pqsspts at seEeral points
word to Macarthur to reinforce me If be
] can. Would it not be best to concentrate
} the whole or part of his command OF
this point. n,xn
! Maior-General Commanding,
Maior-General U. S. GRANT.
f P. 81 have received your dispatch
4 Nv troops are all engaged, and | canno
S withdraw any to reinforce others;
d The position occupied by me durin
4 most of the time of the assault gave m
!. a better opportunity of seeing what wa
!, going on in front Of the 18th army CORP
n than l believed it possible for the CON
a mander of it to have. / could not sc
TO his possession Efforts, nor the neeesslt
,e for reinforcements, as represented in b
j. dispatches, up to the time / left 1t, whlc
IS was between II N, and P. NJ, and
h l. expressed doubts of their CORRECTNESS
Of which doubts, the facts subsequent
rr but too late, confirmed At the time
he could not disregard his reiterated stat
ments, for they might possibly DO tru'