The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-08-27
hesiegeof VielssbaFg-
We find the following in Deming's

w e md the following Ia nenmg s.
"Life Of Grant, published by the
National Publishing Company, Gin
cinnati, Ohio: .s.--e~seez.--z-sz
"1'he hope of suecor frem John
son is already vanished Illusion.
'Haine's Bluff is impregnable Big
Black is held by an army clouds Of
cavalry envelope the country, and
patrol every avenue. The war creeps
nearer and nearer; artillerymen are
upon every crest; sharpshooters are
in every ravine; every morning dis
closes news breastworks,. and new
batteries like mushrooms spring up
every night The approaching cir
cles of fire., like Tho waves of the.
ocean, move those in advance, and
are moved by those behind; and
s'Thus far shalt thou come, and no
farther" is powerless to arrest their
march. The rank and file have been
canvassed by officers, and refuse to
go out and fight. A definite treaty
has been ratified between the rebel
and national pickets at one point of
the line, which provides for the alb
solute cessation of hostillities by
night, and authorizes our sappers,
without even the protection Of a sap
roller, to lead their approaches up
to the angles of the redoubts.. Civ
ilities are constantly interchanged
between the belligerent1 outposts.
tDeserters flock to our trenches. The
soldiers of the two armies not only
brag of their prowess, and chaf each
other across the parapets, but meet
by night, and dring at the same well
of refreshing water between the two
lines, exchange rations and guilds,
discuss the abilities of the two com
manders, wrangle and jar, but use
no sharper weapon than the tongue,
and part as if the secret truce was
authorized by orders from their
respective headquarters. &a :
tsGrant wants no Daniel to inform
him that the end is near. He does
not even wish to be befriended by
the torpor and irresolution of the
garrison for he issfulB prepared to
enforce his claim upon Vicksburg
by his. might I have already re
counted the progress Of 9his <ap-
iproaches up to the first of July; by
the Sd, the pickaxe and the spade
have spent all their strength, and the
cannon and the musket are about to
resume their undivided sway Grant
has appointed the 9Th of july for
the assault. But what is this ? At
ten o'clock on the morning of the
Sd, a white flag suddenly appears
upon the -precipice in McPherson's s
front, heralding the approach of
Gen. Bowen and Col. Montgomery,
the aide Of Pemberton, with a com
munication for the general in chief.
1t proposes an armistice, and the
appointment Of three commissioners
by each commander to arrange terms
of surrender, in order to 'tspare the
effusion of blood" Gen. Grant re-
plies, that 'sthe seffusion of blood
can be ended at any time you may
choose, by the unconditional sur
render OF the city and garrison. Men
who have shown SO much endurance
and courage as those now in Vicks-
burg will always challenge the re-
spect of an adversary, and, 1 can as
sure you, will be treated with all the
respect due to prisoners of war. 1
do not favor the proposition of ap-
pointing commissioners to arrange
the terms of capitulation, because l
have no terms other than those in
dicated above" ss.-..-a.. ~.....-..-
"Gen. Bowen and his companion
were received by Gen. A. j. Smith.
The rebel officers expressed strong
wish to see Gen. Grant; but, when
this was respectfully declined, they
requested that he would appoint the
time and place for an interview with
Pemberton. To this Gen. Grant
readily assented, and named three
O'Clock in the afternoon, between
McP front and the enemy's
intrenchments. luJ
GA sturdy old oak which had
weathered the storms of centuries
stood upon the hillside, midway be-
tween the embattled lines, with its
midsummer burden of leaves torn
and blasted, and even it's branches
splintered by passing shot. 1t had
been appropriately selected as the
place of rendezvous. The crack of
the rifle, the boom Of the cannon,
are hushed in Difference to nego-
tiation upon which such weighty is.
sues hang. Soldiers of both armies
swarm the confronting parapets, as
if they would read their fate upon
the impenetrable faces Of the two
commanders. The preconcerted
gun echoes and re-echoes from the
cliff. The day is sultry. The clouds
hang lowering. Not even the rustic
of leaf, nor the fall of a raindrop,
breaks the ominous silence of the.
hour. The general chief is al
ready on the spot, attended by Nc
Pherson, Ord, Smith, and several
members of his staff. 1t is noticed,
that, in honor of the occasion, Grant
has thrown off the blouse, which he
habitually wore during the siege,
and donned a weather stained freck
coat, decorated with the tarnished
insignia of his rank; and he even
dignified the ceremonious interview
by wearing regulation sword,
which had not appeared in bublic
for months. Gen. Pemberton pre-
sents himself, accompanied by Bow
en- and Montgomery. The tall and
1.-THE figure of the Confederate OFF,
Ger is encased in fresh suit of gray,
with all the decorations of his rank.
AS he approaches, his full black
L l.