New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-06-12

Correspondence OF the Clnelnnan GominereialJ
VIcKsBURG, May %, l866.--0n Monday last, in
company with an officer of high rank who parti- |
lcipated in the siege for my ciceT0ne, examined
the battle-felds around Vickshurg. Unless one
understands the topography of the country, it is
impossible to comprehend the magnitude of the
military operations connected with the siege. By
some mighty upheaval Of nature the whole country
is cut up into deep raEines, washes, gullies, and
sharp, angular hills. The popular idea of battle
field being plain, would be perfectly antagOnized
here. In the assaults made upon the Confederate
works. it was impossible to deploy line Of battle,
| hence the charges were made by head Of column.
We examined one road over which Blair's di-
| vision charged, and where the heaviest slaughter
ensued. The road is located on a crown Of mar
row ridge, runs over comparatively smooth ground
along the edge of the ditch on the right face of
the enemy's position and enters the parapet at the
| shoulder of the bastiOn. The crown of this ridge
road was perfectly commanded by the welserved
artillery and precise musketry of the rebels, and
to cross this point was the terrible gauntlet of the
battle. The danger was all in fifty feet, for before
reaching and after crossing this space the ap-
proach was comparatively covered. AS soon as
the head of the column reached this point the
enemy, in double rank, rose from behind his breast
works. and poured raking and terrific fire upon
the assaulting party. The rear would press for
/ ward, but to fall before the well.direGted fire.
The result was disastrous repuse, and the
production of the conviction in the minds Of the
| leading generals that such was the natural and
artificial strength of the deienses of Yieksburg,
and the determination of the force which lay be-
hind them, that the place could never be taken by
assault, and only if ever, by the regular ap-
| proaches of parallels and saps. This afterward
was the policy of the Federals. By taking ad-
vartlge of the ground, they advanced their par
alel works within a hundred yards of the redoubts
which commanded the roads, and then resorted to
the preparation of covered roads and the regular
saps. A sap is simply deep trench, so dug as to
allow of covered approach to a fortified place. At
appropriate spaces traverses are dug oT the pur-
pose OF deploying and covering the men. These
latf lFr ,1latf HtnntT nFr
ion is a hollow cylinder of wicker work, resem.
bling basket, but having no bottom, filled with
earth, and serving to cover men from the enemy's
fire while engaged in eXcavating. Scores Of these
saps y half filed with earth, may be seen around
the crumblipg works.
by means Of these the Federal army was en-
abled with small loss, to lodge itself directly
under the shadow of the Confederate fortifca.
tons Such was the proximity that artillery and
rifles were considered Inefficient and the only
effective weapon the rebels could employ was the
handgrenade. This missile is a miniature shell
about two inches and half in diameter, filed
with powder, exploded with fuse, and thrown
by hand into the trenches or Judgments of the
enemy, The officer who was with me informed
me that the prevailing impression that the morn.
ing of the 4th of July was to have been distin
guished by general assault is incorrect. Nothing
more was contemplated for that day than ter
rife sheing Of the enemyis lines, and prepare
tons for grand assault TO be made upon the 9th
He was adiutant general to one of the divisions
troops.
Tie plan was as follows: Ten soldiers from eacl
company were to be detailed to run ahead, an(
} with as many gunny bags tightly packed with cot
ton, throw them into the bitches and alongside tn
ramparts, and thus form compact foot way owe
| which the assaulting columns were to march. Tn
plan was approved by all the general officers, an
would, had not the capituation of the 4th reI
dered it unnecessary, undoubtedly proved success
full. ! have already intmated that the princiDe
losses Of the United States forces in the siege
7 Ycksburg were occasioned by the two charge
ordered by Gen. Grant. After the sappers an
miners began their work the loss was surprisingl
small. The army was then so many thousan
moles, approaching underground the stronghold
Of the enemy. But the loss in the two charge
0 must have been immense.
e have visited the cemetery into which had bee
+ gathered the Federal slain and observed upon til
t head-boafd the number 4,637. There are acres o
g graves, and yet many of the bones of the iallel
heroes have not been gathered up by those ap
s pointed for that purpose. On one OF t9e oi'
It battle we observed in one pile the skeletons
o Of seven men. The bones had been washed Of
plowed up, and were piled by an ola stump, q
e lirreverently and Unfortunately as We nave seer
bonlders in a stony field, In one Of the skulls
observed the gold filling Of the dentist, as perfec
l. as when first placed in the caWues. Here ant
a. there over large plOwed field could be detected
human remains. What q con commentary was heft
10 upon the gorles OF war VINO Wefe tnese Lauei
They fought for their country's flag, put star
- upon their generals shoulders, added brilan
" chapters to American history, won the Theoretical
applause of their country, and, so far as person
le ally concerned, have served no higher purpos
than to enrich Mississippi cotton-fed with thei
ID blood and muscle, and reappear in rich growt
ID of cotton and corn 1t is horrible to think of th
r, blood Of our Union soldiers being coined int
n gold-but the next crop Of cotton, by the tran!
mutations of nature and the conlmingllng laws
b the vegetable and animal world, will present som
e of them to the market in the lint of the grei
staple of the Southland they viii be quoted
the prices current of Liverpool by the penny an
& those of New York by the cent hope the Office
. intrusted with the work will at least, take care
the bones OF these heroes.
u Inside the wasting Qualifications of the enemy Il
! Confederate dead are buried, and their graves a