The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-07-28

| ne TWO meets E1u oOtBOArGcu \ tGks- burg without serious effect. and Sherman had lost c.oce men by attacking from the land side. Grant now concentrated a, loung's poin, to try his hand on the canal. He had determined 10 capture Nlcksburg. and this was the easiest way. Thousands of soldiers wen, to work with pick. wheel-barrow ard spade. and . powerful dredge boat was also brought into operation al the lower end of the ditch 4 bulkhead was constructed across the mouth of the cut. and II was hopefully believed that when the spring floods came the canal would prove q grand success.
 The work was begun in January and vigorously pushed until near the middle of March. At tha, time the bed ot the canal was down at leas, elgh; fee, in the shaIlowest spot, while in others |; was three or four feet lower. The hard work had sent hundreds of men ,e tie hospital and the grave, but few days would see the iron-clads and transports floating across the peninsula and fianking Nieks- burg. Then came disaster The food in the Mississippi suddenly increased. the bulkhead vas driven in with terrible crash. and seven feet of water wen, boom ing through the ditch with such speed that a number of the diggers were over whelmed and all the tools lost. IL was hoped tha; the current would SCOUT on, deeper channel. but l; simply caused a removal of all the camps n the ne'gh- borhood. tiled ID the swanlps and then ceased running. Grant had failed JUS, as Williams had f4i.es.. Tac Mississippi would run ,s.st the Caaa. instead oi into |.
 Years ai,ef w,le1 errhoa, ard battery were aa iaegs. and ne solG4ei slept t h ; grave CT tiled tAe soil. the great r.Nef w,s st ed with sudden wh,m. and alone and gn.ided |, oui IS way aeross n neck of land in the mos, vigorous man, ner.
 another route. He went sevcnty-fve miles above Vicksburg to Lake provi- dence, intending to work down into Swan lake, Black river, Red river and so on down inta the Mississippi. This would flank Vicksburg just the same, and he went at his task wish determination 10 win. If Captain Eads were asked to-day how much time and money he would de- mand so open that route and send ten steamboa,s down he would place the sum at hundreds of thousands and the time at months. A the very outset fse-thousand men were set al work to deepen the sluggish creek six or seven miles long. l. was the story of the cutoff at Island No. 10 over again. Trees. stumps. snags and roots were the constant and trouble some obstructions, and the men working in the mud and water and malaria were soon made sick. There was scarcely a mile of the long route free from obstruc- ton. and Grant was beaten again. He succeeded Tn passing a few crafts as far as Lake Providence, and then he gave up the task. 1, was a route that could not float barge unless the Mississippi remained q; a hgh stage to furnish water.
 Gran, vas disgusted hu: no, disheart- ened He al once prepared for .A third attempt. Striking north of N:eksburg abou, one hundred and forty mics he began operations at Moon lAse. From the river he cut canal ;o enable his boats 10 enter the lake. The lake dis charged into Yazoo lass. the pass into Coldwa,er. ,he latter Into the Talla- ha,ehie, and :his stream emp;led into he Iazoo. Gran, could flank everything by this route. and the north now looked upon I'icksburg as good as captured. The Mississippi poured into Moon lake and created heavy curren, along ,he entire route, and the adjacent country was overtiowed. so tha, the confedera,es had l,tie show to prevent the complete success of this grand scheme.
 Bu, if they could not prelent Gram; from opening the route and using II. they were no, to remain passive spec,a- tors. The day that the federals began operations a, Moon lake. the confeder- ates began work on the Tailahatchie. eigh, or ten miles above the Yallobusha Here. a, sharp bend in the river, For, Pemberton was erected. While the fort ing to boast of as work of strength, its location and the nature of the ground on all sides made it impregnable and brough, disaster to Grznf's scheme.
 The iron-clads were leading the way down the Tallahatchie, and nothing more serious than fusilades by concealed sharpshoo;ers had been encountered when Fort Pemberton suddenly made i,s presence known. The Chiliico,he. heavily armed and thick-plated iron-clad. moved boldly down and opened fire. sup posing il to be some field work thrown up 10 hurry to protect two or three ligh, guns. In the course of half an hour The iron-clad backed out oi range of the heavy guns of the fort. and later on second gun-ooA, also found the fire of the fort too much for her.
 A force of infantry was then landed. battery constructed as near the for. as possible, and when all was ready the gun-boats and battery opened ire and continued it for hours sometimes sliene- ing the confederate guns for time, and again having plenty to do to hold their own. The gun-boats were considerably damaged by the accurate fire. and as the infantry had no show to carry the fort by 2 land attack the expedition was abandoned, and Grant had to score another failure