St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-22
MEMOIRS OF VICKsRURG.
GEN. j. Ii. SanbOrn Tells How the
Siege WINS Made. 7Itl m

Siege Was Made. 7'Hi v
Gen. j. B. Sanborn delivered an interest
ing address last evening before the MEM
bers of Winthrop Post, G. A. r., and the
Sons of Veterans on the Memoirs of Vicks-
burg. The speaker was in command of the
First brigade, Seventh division, Seventeenth
army CORPS and was the first to march into
Vicksburg after the surrender, and was
through the whole Vicksburg campaign
from the beginning to the end, in which he
took very prominent part. He was intro
duced by DR.. LeaSure and while speaking
pointed out the principal points of interest
on map that was suspended from the
wall.
The speaker commenced by giving descrip
ton of the general encouragement of the
country during the years 1862 8, and the con-
duct of some of the people in the North in
regard to the lukewarm support of the war.
The reference i'll this connection to Dick
Yates, governor of Illinois, and o. P. Morton,
governor of Indiana, caused the audience to
applaud with a good deal of vim. In 1852
Gen. Grant attempted to throw the enemy, in
the valley of the Mississippi upon the defen-
sive, by commencing campaign down the
Mississippi Central railroad. This was,
however, after a while abandoned and
the Union army went into winter
quarters near the base of supplies. He then
described the fall campaign as adopted, with
Sherman to make the attack on Hams bluff
and how it failed, what encouragement there
was in the North and the great courage and
determination of the army. The great trouble
in the attack on Vicksburg was that all
around the north and east of that stronghold
was one everlasting morass and the great
problem to be worked out was to find the
nearest point practicable to Vicksburg, where
the army could set it's feet on dry land
and have a base of supplies from which
it could receive its clothing, rations, camp
and garrison equipage. The speaker de-
scribed the plans tried by which to get to a
point below Vicksburg where there was dry
land-the Yazoo pass, Buffers canal, etc. At
length Gen. Grant formed, or rather
RIPENED PLAN
that he had conceived, which was to run the
| transports down the river by aid of the gum
boats and the darkness of the night, and land
q part of the troops below the city with all
the supplies. The troops and transports were
accordingly assembled at Millikn's Bend, and
soon after the attempt was made. All got
through, with the exception of the transport
Henry Clay, which was sunk. After getting
the army south of Vicksburg the speaker
proceeded to give the particulars OF the loca-
ton of the troops, and where they were sent,
and at last their location and concentration
around the north and east of Vicksburg on
the dry land. At that time seventy regiments
of infantry and thirty batteries of ar
tillery were on the south of VickS-
burg in the state Of Mississippi. Dur
ing all this time, Gen. Sherman with his
corps had been making demonstrations in the
vicinity of Hams bluff. The army al this
time was full of life and hope and confidence.
The general followed with a description of
the march on Vicksburg, the battle of Ray
mond, and the next day another at Clinton,
where they struck the great railroad and
highway leading from Vicksburg to Savannah
and Charleston, and said that nothing con-
nected with the road was spared. Ties, rails
and everything shared the common fate of
destruction. The particulars were given of
the battle with Johnsons army
and the battle of Champion Hills. The
last, he said, was the hardest fought
battle of that campaign. This was won by
the Union troops and the rebels were routed
at all points. The enemy was pursued and
captured at Black river. After clearing up
the surrounding country the troops COM
menced in earnest surrounding Vfcksburg,
after which, about the goth of May, the time
was occupied in closing up on the siege, re-
cOnnoitering keeping the line open, attempts
to blow UP the garrison, diminishing, aTtil-
lery firing, ETC., while the gunboats were
firing upon the garrison all night, every
night. So this was continued up to the
Fourth of July, when the stronghold SUR
rendered with over 10000 soldiers, and the
Union army marched in. At the conclusion
of Gen. SanbOrns remarks Col. James Fl.
Davidson offered u resolution of thanks to the
general for the interesting narration that he
had given of this event, which was justly re-
garded as one of the greatest ones of the war,
and the audience dispersed after a round of
applause.