Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-06-19
In THE REAR OF vICKsBuRG, Mss,
Irpa OF 1879

In TIE REAR OF vIcKsBuRG, MISS,
r June LIST, lS63 (
r Be it known that on the first day of June
in this year of our Lord 1868, am sitting
: beneath huge magnolia tree, whose thicl
, shade protects me from the terrible scorchine
: rays of the sun, and whose large white bios
SONS, sweet-scented, fill the air around with
fragrance. Right at my feet is grsssy lawr
of perhaps ten rods in width, and winding
along between wood. covered bluffs. Tn,
white clover now partially going out OF bloom
makes rich carpet, and upon this lawn the
regiments Of the 4th Division are now en-
camped. We are within Smelling distance o.
the enemy's works, and occasionally one Of
their nice little pets drop down near US. All
night in front Of us the occasional shell
from the mortar boats is heard bursting in
the air, and through the day, here and there
can be heard slow cannonading. This is
interspersed with now and then change
when the continual roar of several batteries
VIII be heard, and in the night time the heav-
ems will flash like the continue! glimmer OF
the heat lightning in sultry summer sky.
The problem of how long it will be before
the American flag again waves over the Court
House Of Vicksburg has not yet been solved
| have seen in some daily that Gen. Thomas
predicted its fall by the 18th of May. How
in the world any man of common sense, af-
ter viewing the country, could make such a
prediction / am at a loss to understand. The
city ard place is no doubt the strongest of
any in the United States. From the Black
River to Vicksburs it is the toughest country
| ever saw. Before came here l supposed
had seen as rough country as there is any
where between the Rocky chain and the At
lantic; but never saw I such broken country
before. On moving camp to change our po.
sitlon three-iourths of a mile, we have to
march three miles. l passing around from
Haines' Bluff to this place we went over hills
as steep as those of the Green Mountains,
crooked about, sometimes passing around on
ridges, and at others vending through deep
gorges. Our road took. in all points of the
compass, and sometimes the sun was in front,
then in the rear, again on the right, then
the Left, and SO on. The gorges and hil-sides,
where not cultivated, are covered with the
oak, cypress and beech, thiclly interspersed
with magnolias that here grow to mammoth
size. Between the trees to fill up as it were,
often the cane grows so thick as to be utterly
| impossible.
The gorges are at present, for the mos.
part dry, and frequently it is quite difficult
for US to get good water. Upon either side
of Eicksburg, up the Yazoo. and down the
Mississippi, as far as the Black River, are
continuous bluffs. Such is the country
around Vicksburg, and so much has nature
done toward making natural defensss for this
place. Their weak point was in drawing sup
plies from jackson, to the Black River, and
when Gen. Grant landed south OF the river
and cut the railroad, it was certain that the
troops in the city must depend merely upon
their own stores, until Grant could be driven
back. This could be done only in one way
and that by holding the Black and bringing
force from the east sufficient to overpower
the enemy. This they failed to DO Grant
forced the river and thus was able to put il
between him and any enemy he might have
in his rear. The confederates well under
stood that the fight at the bridge must be a
decisive one, and for this they drew nearly
all their force out of the city. But they were
overpowered, after desperate fighting upon
both sides, and they had then nothing to dc
but retire behind their Notifications which
they soon did, and the Federal army now lies
round the bcleagued city,-our sharp shoot.
ers often lying directly under the enemy's
works, and SO vgilant are they, that some OF
the enelny's batteries have been silenced for
several days. Men creep into places where
they cannot leave all the day long, but must
crawl away in the night, or have their pro
visions carried to them at that time. The
rebel works are of immense strength. The
Notifications are many of them 90 feet high
and some of them we could not reach with
Is foot scaling ladders. The bitches in
front are from Is to 20 feet. Nothing in fact
that labor could add to this naturally strong
place has been spared.
. There has been but one regular charge
made upon the enemy's works. This was
some ten days since, and is termed by ths
, boys the" whisky CHARGE what truth
| am unable to say. At that time we were
! at Snyder's Bluff The result was the los:
Of SON., 1000 on our side, and perhaps loo
upon the side Ct the rebels. 1t is said thai
in the rear of the frsi works there is still
another chain of forts, and then still a thirt
and fourth inside of these. If we take the
city,-which We shall surely do in time, we
need not despair of anything that the rebels
can place in front of us. think the rebe
force in the city is perhaps 10000, not over
that.
j Deserters continually come into our lines
Our Division (4th) is well on the left, ant
!, where the rebel pickets and sharp shooters
have. been, outside of the forts, and. abattis