The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-04-08
Prom the Army and Navy Journal
The Fall Of VlcksbuPg.

Inc surrender OF NlckSDufg DY the
Rebel General Pemberton, in July last,
has given rise to an unfortunate differ
ence of opinion between that gentle
man and his superior officer, General
J. E. Johnston, as to who is responsible
for this signal disaster to the rebel arms
Pemberton, in his report, which had
the advantage of first reaching the
Southern public, charges it upon John
ston, who retorts in kind in his report,
which has but just escaped from the
custody of the rebel war Office, and
made its appearance in the Richmond
papers. There is one essential point,
however, upon which the testimony Of
the two fully agrees,-which is, that the
officer after all chiefly responsible for
the loss to the Confederate cause of the
Mississippi Valley IS one U. 5. Grant
now Lieutenant General Of the United
States Army. These reports furnish
interesting testimony to the yigOr and
ability of that series of movements on
his part, by which the rebels were sur
prised, divided and beaten in detail
Up to the 18th of April, as General
Johnston informs us, they were so COM
pletely deceived as to the purpose and
direction of Grants movements that
General Pemberton's reports all indi-
Gated that the efforts Of the enemy
would be against General Bragg rather
than himself, and looked to the ahan-
donment of his attempts on Vicks-
burgh. In one of April 18th he says -
Il am satisfied Rosecrans will be rein
forced from Grants army Shall l or
der troops from TullahOmaY
By the 29th Of the month he dis
covered, however, that the enemy's
movement indicated q purpose to at
tack Grand Gulf; and on the lst of
May, he was telegraphing franticslly
for large reinforcements,' to enable
him to frustrate movement threaten
ing Jackson, and, if successful, cutting
off Vicksburg and Port Hudson
But,the rebel armies were not in con-
dition to furnish these reinforcements,
without drawing 80 heavily upon the
force in Tennessee as to compel the
abandonment of that State. Finding
themselves out generalled, a difference
of opinion arose between the Rebel
commanders, as to the best line Of ac-
ton General PembertOn, regarding
Viclsburg as his base, wished to stake
his fortunes upon the defence OF that
position; while General Johnston, find
ing himself to weak to raise the seige Of
the city, urged its abandonment, in Or
der to concentrate his forces to make
what head was possible against the vic
torious enemy. His orders to this ef-
feet, he complains, were disobeyed by
( Pemberton who, instead of manuDvr-
ing to prevent a seige, fell back, when
beaten by Grant at Big Black River, on
Vicksburg, and called upon General
Johnston to march to his relief To
/ this the latter replied, that their joint
forces-some 1900 men-were not
sufficient to raise the seige, and that
all that could be done was TO endeavor
to extricate the garrison by attacking
the enemy simultaneously at the same
point of his line By the Sd Of July,
Johnston had matured his plans and
that day sent word to PembertOn that
he hoped to attack the enemy about
the 7th, to create a diversion, and en-
able him to cut his way out. But too
late; for with the 9TH came the news of
the fall Of Vicksburg.
General Johnston was now sufficient
ly occupied with taking care OF him
self; for on the morning of the ninth,
less than three days after the receipt OF
the news from Vicksburg, General Sher-
man reached Jackson, 10 which John
ston had fallen back behind the works
thrown up for the defence Of the place.
| The scarcity of water about Jackson
| induced the belief that General Sher-
man would be compelled to make an
immediate assault; but, to the disap-
pointment of the Rebels, he commenc-
cd entrenching and constructing bate
ries.. Had he pursued the opposite
General Johnston is confident that
with the advantage given by the en-
trenchments, weak as they were, an
assault would have resulted in his dis
comfture Finding on the l6thlof July
that force had left NicksbUrg to turn
him on the north, and that Sherman
was preparing 70 concentrate upon HIM
the fire Of near two hundred guns,
Johnston withdrew his forces; all the
public property and the wounded, in a
condition to be moved, having previous
" been carried to the rear General
Johnston says: Our loss during the
siege was estimated at seventy-one
killed. five hundred and four wounded,
and about twenty-five missing. The
army retired by easy marches 70 Hor-
ton. distant about thirty-tye miles from
Jackson. Desertions during the siege
and on the march were, regret 70 say
frequent The time to strike the enc
my he adds in conclusion, with the
best hope of saving Vicksburg, was
when ne was landing near Brownsburgh.
To do this with any prospect Of success,
a rapid concentration Of all the forces
should have been made Fairly 70
pursue this course nothing remained,
in his judgment, but to abandon Vicks-
burg. with the view Of at least saving
its garrison, and if possible concentrat-
ing to prevent further advance on the
part of Grant. Of General PembertOn,
be says
"Hia disasters were due not merely to
b;a antaog1iny himself with the adj