The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-07-05

IN FRONT OFF vicKsBURG.
Inc Last Days of the S!cEs-Thc s-cn. -,
the Day of Surrender.

III" Last Days OF the Siege The Scene ON
the Day of Surrender.
1he Amecn Girl War, by the Count o,
Paris.
AN almost continuous line of half
Oastlons, lnterspersed with redoubts for
tne field artillery from Haines' Bluff TO
Big Black River. was completed by the
I'D of June. This enormous work of
clrcumvallation, which had q deyelon.
ment equal to that of the lines of coun.
tervallation, enabled Sherman to hold
III check all the forces that Johnston
could bring against him, by allowing
him time to concentrate the troops for
repulslng an attack, whatever might be
the point menaced.
This epoch, from the 22d to the 2jtb
OF June, made the termination of the
flrst period of the siege. The situation
OF the two adversaries NAV be summed
up in few words-Grant's army, which
on May % only numbered 10000 com.
Datan's, has now reached $4,000. 1t has
erected around Vicksburg from twelve to
thirteen miles of Notifications and con.
structed eighty.nine batteries, in which,
lew days later, 22O pieces of artillery
were placed in position. Eight ap-
pfoaches nave been directed against the
place by Woods. Tuttls, Blair, Logan, A.
j. Smith, Carr, Lanman and Heron.
at some points the foremost saps are
within only ten or fifteen yards of the
enemy's works. Finally, corps of OBJ.
seryation is located between the Yazoo
and the Big Black it keeps watch over
q long line of decentralization extending
from river to river and resting its left
upon the intrenched camp Of Haines'
Bluff.
Meanwhile Johnston has gradually
formed an army Of $4,000 men; he has
gathered the material and the means of
transportation, and is preparing to take
the field. In Vicksburg the scarcity of
provisions is beginning to be felt; the
ammunition is used sparingly, and the
health of the able.bodied men, whose
numbers are daily reduced by sickness,
is attended to. The artillery fire has
ceased completely, and the combatants
are 80 near each other that they are
obliged to fight at short range. The
Confederates are throwing grenades into
the trenches of the besiegers, which
cause much damage. They try to un-
dermine their works, and the Federals
reply by resorting to the same means.
This kind of warfare soon gives rise to
fresh Incidents. Logans soldiers sue.
ceed III mining the great redan situated
on the Jackson road, which was guarded
by portion of Foruey's division. On
the 25th of June at half-past o'clock
in the afternoon. violent explosion
was heard. and the air was illed with
the fragments of the salient angle of this
work, leaving vast crater in its place !;
the whole interior was laid in ruins q
few suppers engaged in digging coun-
termine were crushed; nearly all the
soldiers-few in number, howeyer-who
guarded the redan were killed, and it is
even asserted that some among them
were thrown alive into the Federal lines,
where they found themselves prisoners
as result of this strange mode of trav-
cling. A column of infantry soon
climbs ever the debris which the explo.
sion has piled -p in heaps. but the enc
my is not taken unawares; he has erec-
ted a second line at the entrance of the
work. The Sixth Missouri rushes for
ward in its turn to dispute the redan
with the Unionists; being repulsed in
this attack, it nevertheless succeeds in
maintaining its position behind the new
obstacle and pours perfect torrent of
grenades and packages of lighted car
tridges upon the assailants, who are
crowded within the crater. Cockerell's
brigade comes to its assistance, and the
combat is thus continued the whole
night. In the morning the interior Of
the redan is abandoned by both parties,
and the Federals plant themselves upon
the remnants of the exterior parapet.
They had lost about thirty men, and aad
only gained few feet of ground, but
they had weakened the enemy's line of
defence.
In order TO add to this discontinue a
new mine was begun under another
redan, situated on the left of the Jackson
road, and on July its explosion entirely
destroyed this work, killing and wound.
ing large number of Confederates
some of them were buried under the
debris, but disinterred safe and sound
several hours after. In consequence OF
the position of this mine the greater por-
tion of the earth was thrown to the side
Of the besiegers, who quickly took q pos.
session Of this kind Of parapet and
planted themselves on it, but did not try
to carry the second line Of the defenses.
Thenceforth the shovel and the pickaxe
were no longer sufficient; it was neces-
sary to prepare for the assault which was
to give the final blow to the garrison.
The parallels were enlarged and the
drilling. grounds widened; and the me-
cessary Observation-Disclosures, planks, fas'
cines, gabions-were got together near
the points of attack, and the batteries SO
arranged as to concentrate their fire at O
given signal. The solemn hour was ap.
preaching.
On the morning of the 4th OF July-a
day when the whole of America cele.
brates the anniversary of the Declara'
tion of Independence-the white flags
reappeared on the Confederate works.
They made known to both parties that
Grants conditions had been accepted by
Pemberton after consultation with all his
Generals. At 10 o'clock precisely the
Federals beheld long columns of men
dressed in brown or in gray, emerging
from those works which until then they
had not been able to approach except al
the peril Of their lives. Some deile BY
way of the postern gates, Others jump
over the pnrapets, which are thenceforth
useless; they stack their muskets, and
silently planting theis colors upon .tha!
soil which has been watered by the blo06
Of their comrades, range themselves In
front of their lines. These troops mum
| her $4,000 men, of whom. 2,l38 are