The National tribune., 1884-08-28

When Ten. SbeTDlanS S army returned TO the
mouth of the Yazoo River on the afternoon of
Jan. 2, 1865, after its repulse before Chickasaw
Bluffs, it found Maj.-Gen. John A. McClernand
on board the steamer Tigress with orders to
sUPERsEDE GEN. SHERMAN.
He brought the news that Gen. Grant was
not coming to Vicksburg by the interior route
through Mississippi, but had turned back from
Coffeeyille and Oxford to Holly Springs and
Memphis Ii was the withdrawal of Grants
attack from the north which, as related in the
reminiscenee of the battle of Chickasaw, had
left Gen. Pemberton free to throw his whole
army upon us at the latter place. The fleet,
accompanied by the gunboats under Admiral
Porter, moved 10 miles up the Mississippi, and
rendezv0used at Milliken's Bend. The army,
still on board the transports, was re-organlzed
into two army corps-the First commanded
by Gen. George w. Morgan, and the Second by
Gen. Sherman, Gen. McClernand being in chief
command. Among the troops there was great
anxiety and interest as 10 what the army
would undertake next. Chance threw into the
hands of Gen. McClernand
A FoRTUIToUs OPPORTUNITY,
which he improved in such a way as to inspire
his troops with new confidence and courage.
While we had been operating on the YaZoo
small ordnance steamer, 1.-THE Blue wing COM
ing down with load of musket cartridges and
mails for the army, was captured by rebel
boat, which had come down out of the Arkan-
sas River. The captured steamer had been
towed up the latter stream to
ARKANSAS POST,
or Fort Hindman, as it was called, about 90
miles from the Mississippi The fort was a
heavy Fashioned earthwork, built upon the site
of an old Government trading post, the mart
for many years of traffic with the Indians.
group of old-styled brick buildings, with an
orchard and cleared space Of perhaps 100
acres. constituted all that was left of Arkansas
Post until the COnfederates took possession OF
ii early in 1862 and built Fort Hindman at the
head OF long, ox-bow curve in the river. Thus
situated. the fort. which stood on a bluff bank
80 feet above the water, commanded the river
both up and down to the extent of the range of
its guns From the rear of the fort long par
apet, reretted with logs, extended back nearly
or quite half mile facing down the river In
4 front Of this parapet. which was guarded by a
! deep outside ditch, the timber had been cut
| and constructed into cteUGar de friSe, so that
the place, garrisoned by about 5000 Texas
/ troops was
A FORMIDABLE OBSTACLE
1 to the Federal possession of that portion of
Dixie. As long as it remained in Confederate
hands there could be no safety for the COM
munications Of an army operating riverward
against Kicksburg, and Gen. McClernand. while
waiting for the water to rise and the Winter
A to pass away, resolved TO move his whole force
against il. The feet steamed up, and on the
1 sth Of January reached the mouth of White
River, which flows into the Mississippi, 10
miles above the mouth of the Arkansas. Be-
tween the White and the Arkansas Rivers there
4 is bayou or cut-oti, navigable at ordinary
stages of water, and forming perfect channel
/ OF communication. To deceive the enemy as to
its destination, the transport fotilla, preceded
/ by three ironclad gunboats, moved up the White
1 River, took the cutoff across to the Arkansas
and appeared just below Fort Hindman on the
10th OF January. The landing was difficult,
but the troops got promptly ashore on the cast
bank. and moved up toward the fort, Gen
Sherman's corps in the advance. About a miie
below Fort Hindman was an exterior line oi
rihe-pits, strengthened by a levee running
from the river to the swamp and inclosing q
large village of log huts outside the fort il
which majority of the garrison apparently
lived. at this point they made
THEIR FIRST STAND,
and Gen Sberman's corps, coming upon this
obstacle moved by the flank TO the right 81
as TO reach round and inclose the entire pesi
tIon.
By the time that Gen. Morgans corps was
ashore with its artillery and ready TO suppor
Sherman's advance, the short Winter day wa
spent 1t was followed by bright and beau
tiiul night, with full moon, and the troops
though moving over strange ground, covered
and obscured by dense woods and fhickets
rapidly enveloped the rebel lines. Finding
themselves in danger of being surrounded
the Confederates, soon after dark, abandoned
their outer line and fell back to a second vii
lage Of cabins standing in cleared space il
rear Of the fort and shielded by dense thick
cts in front and toward the river. Word wa
sent TO Gen. Sherman that the enemy hat
abandoned his front line and that commander
who was leading Steeles division by lon
road round the swamp, was obliged to counter
march, and did not get back into position il
front Of the new line until nearly morning
just before sunset the rebels bad
OPENED FIRE FROM THE FORT
upon the transports in the river, and by wa
of keeping them busy and getting the range
the three iron-clads had steamed up and en-
gagged the fort IN gallant style. 1t was thi
fire from the gunboats, In q position frDr
: which they could have ralIed the rear Of th
cross levee, that forced the enemy TO abando
his front line early that night. The Confed
; crate gnnners maintained their fire sharply
: with two s-inch smooth bore guns in casemat4
: on the river front, and from a 9-inch Colum
! bad, ca baFbetic, on the southwest angle of th
J fort. The casemates were mailed with raj
J road iron, closely matched and interlocket
J which proved quite an effective armor; bu
} one Of the gunboats got an S-inch she'll into
Gst>GlMdAcs through the BlNpFaSufe. WHICH Oh
stroyed half the detachment working the gul
|: THE DUEL
! between the fort and the gunboats presente
I quite a pretty spectacle, but comparative
! small damage was done on either side. Gel
Sherman before daylight had his column we
q extended round to the right. giving room f
+ Gen. Morgan TO put one division into lin
The remainder of Morgans corps, includiI
:, De COurcy's brigade, which had been 30
. verely handled at Chickasaw Bayou. bivo
! acked in some large cornfelds near the Ian
i ing, known as lambdins Farm. The mig
I, was sharp aud frosty but fence-rails we
a abundant, and as McClernand had no speci
! object in c0ncealng his numbers or postio
n fires were allowed and the biyouac was MAJ
: comfortable.
q The troops up at the front could hear
I. FORMIDABLE PREPARATIONS
y going on within the enemy's lines. Wago
n and artillery were moving. and the whole "a
n rison was az work tearing down houses bull
W ing rife-trenches, extending the outer parap
t. and making ready for the morrow.
=, From some pickets captured soon after Ian
J. ing in the afternoon it had been learned th
Of two boat loads Of re-enforcements were
~ pected from Duvalps Bluff and Little Rock, f.
sp ther up the river. A trap was set for the
ID Two sections Of Fosters battery with two ]
Il Founders from the Chicago Mercantile Bate
d, were sent on board the steamer Des Are
TO drop five miles down the river, land on t
I'D west bank and cross the neck of land to Smitl
a. Plantation, on the river above the fort. I'll
Tx was accomplished, and before morning the
gs guns were grinning over the leyee near t
X Plantation housa q mile and n half al,aya I