Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1863-07-22
LATEST NEWS.
ARMY COREsPONuEMCE.
VICKsBURo, July 10, 1856

NlCksBCR0, July ~, 1868.
At nine o'clock and fifteen minutes, on
the morning Of the Fourth Of July We
we're ordered to fall in line to march inlo
Vicksburg. Five minutes later We were
on the road.
We marched up to our 6rst line Of
forts and halted in full view Of . rather
interesting ceremony, namely, the rebels
were marching out Of their strongholds,
stacking arms and retiring to the ravines.
A full grown smile of congratula.ion
passed along the ranks of the Goth 1t
the 81 ght Of our southern brethern' SO
peacefully laying aside their arms and
subsiding into mere spectators at the
Fourth Of July entertainment which we
had prepared for them at 80 great an ex.
pense OF life and time and money.
At about half past ten o'clock our col
or sergeant (Gracc, Of Co C,) with cor
poral on each side moved up to the front,
bearing the beautiful flag of the Goth
which was planted on the captured fort
at the extreme (,ebe) right, and the word
given to move on;-neyer were the
words FORWARD, MARCH" given to more
willing ears, nor obeyed by more willing
feet than were ours on that occasion.
Through the heat aud dust we march
ed to lively music up to and through the
walls of the fort, ('hey had been leveled
for the purpose) past their rife pits and
into the suburbs of this most noisomes OF
rebel nests, when being ordered to stack
arms we sat down in the shade to rest,
and felt that if only the people at home
could at that moment have known that
we were in Vicksburg we would have
been ready to sing Nunc Dimittis "
with just as piOns Simeon ~ ever lived.
After short time we fell in again, and
marched down into the ravines, and past
the 4oth, 4lst and AID Georg a, which
regiments sat lisilessly gazing at us with
eyes whose only speculation was of the
kind indicating y wonder how soon they
would be able to exchange their rations
Of mule bee: and pea meal Tor something
more toothsone at Uncle Sans expense,
We went up into the forts and took pos
session of them. spent the rest Of the
day in looking about Tho works.
They are formidable, remarkably 80 /;
but not because OF the strength Of their
construction, as Of the strength Of their
position, A small quadrangle fort with
not impossible ditch crowns the ve;y
steep bluff which rises from tho river bot
toms to the height OF probably $50 feet.
1t contains two small pieces Of brass field |
artillery and ten inch mortar. Once at
the top of the hill. it would not DO diff
cult to take 4; Lor would the rifle pits !
which flank it on the western and south
ern faces, interpose any great obstacles to
any force near enough to get on them,
but once over to the outer walls, your
trouble woull only Just commence. At
every step in forward direction you
would find yourself more and more iney.
tricably involved in a net work Of rifle
pits which extend along the tops Of the
rid yes, down the hillsides and across the
hollows at every possible and somo i'm
possible angles, from which the enemy !
could easily retreat to the next, being al |
ways under cover, aud invisible, while you
WOuid every uomeut occoHc Ino'c anu
more exposed to fire on both fsnks and
in front, in face Of which 10 troops could |
stand. 10 have taken Vicksburg by storm
would have been to lose two hundred |
thousand men But we could and did |
starve them out. saw the mule beef
which was given them to eat, and divid-
ed nv rstions with some poor fellows Of
The 4lst Georgia who told me that beng
unable to make up their minds to eat the
nasty stuff, they had gone three days
wishout eating anything. Can it be that
the stories wo hear Of want Of food at
the South have some foundation :? If not,
Why was not so important a place as
Vicksburg stored with provisions enough
70 last six months at least
We have just received orders to get
ready to take the boat for Port Hudson
tomorrow morning at o'clock. Hur.
rah for Port Hudson !! We have lots to
do aud must stop.
Our regiment has only lost 6,s men
here, two killed and three wounded, but
We have pretty large list Of sick.