The National tribune., 1885-10-08


The enemy were in full retreat upon Corinth.
Our army was filed with JOY, and with shouts
of triumph and victory bore the old starry BAN
ner of the Republic once more to the front.
Gen. Halleck now came to Pittsburg Land
ing and took command of the army, placing
Grant in a position unassigned, where he had
no command whatever Hailecks Jealousy OF
Grant was so strongly exhibited that 1t was
noticeable by all.
Grant was not even asked for suggestions or
consulted as 10 any movements TO be maze.
S. His soldierly qualities under these circum-
stances were sorely tried. In fact, he was
under cloud; no one could exactly explain or
understand why. He again
CONTEMPLATED SENDING HIS RESIGNATION,
but after coolly and quietly considering the
matter his better Judgment prevailed. We
now. under command of Gen. Hallcck, COM
monty known in the army as "Old Brains, :"
moved upon Corinth by succession OF IN
trenched aud fortified approaches, but so quietly
and slowly that our army continued to augment
81. until we had finally grown to be an army of
n over 100000 men. The enemy was estimated
at about the same number.
The advice to our commander to attack the
:. enemy either on his left or right flank was un-
needed. The information given Grant, and by
3 him to the commanding officer, that the enemy
were eyacuating their position, was laughed at
by Halleck. / had myself become SO thor
doubt that Beauregard was withdrawing his
whole force and eluding Haleck that asked
permission to move forward with my command,
which at that time was one division. Finally,
when Beauregard withdrew from the front OF
Haileck, it was done so quietly that when Cor
ihth was entered there was hardly trace of
the enemy left. Halleck was soon thereafter
ordered to the East and Gen. Grant again placed
in command of the Army of the Tennessee.
But his forces were so
p - SCATTERED UP AND DOWN RAILROADS
and at different points, by the dispositions made
. BY the commanding General of the Department
I, prior TO his leaving, that his army amounted TO
very small force at any one point. Soon
Buell. and Bragg started on race through
Tennessee and Kentucky, marching at times on
parallel roads and within hearing of each other.
Grant was left to guard Buell's communica-
tions Finally, when relieved from this duty,
= he defeated Price at Corinth and on the Hatchie
~ ard advanced south through La Grange and
y Oxford and drove the enemy into the central
part of the State of Mississippi. After this
bsuceess he was. under peremptOry orders from
= HaIleck compelled TO make q retrOgrade move
:. lnent. Prior to receiving this order he had
sent Sherman upon an expedition against
sSicksburg with 10000 men, intending to have
moved on himself down through the central
part of the State in the rear of Vicksburg,
thereby co operating with Sherman's force
Sherman's xpedition failed. Grant now moved
with all the available force he had to Milliken'S
Bend, just above Ficksburg. At this time he
had within his department about 100000 men,
whom he organized into Army Corps numbered
. respectively Thirteenth, Fifteenth Sixteenth,
and Seventeenth, which were commanded re-
spectively by MeClernand, Sherman, Hurlbut,
and Mcpherson.
III Hurl5ut's Corps and part of McClernand's
were left at Memphis and other points on the
: river that his communications in the rear by
,stway of the river should be kept open. The
s remainder of the Thirteenth and the Sixteenth
safd Seventeenth Corps were put in camp at
5 Lake Providence, Milliken's Bend, and Young's
Point, just below and opposite Iazoo River.
For months he was engaged in cutting canals
at Lake Providence and opposite Vicksburg
and elsewhere, at the same time sending out
expeditions in various directions over the couH-
try to ascertain, if possible, if there was any
way to secnre foothold somewhere on the va
zoo River above Haines's Bluff, so that an ad-
vance might be made by dry land OH the north
against Yicksburg. But in all of these move
ments failure was the result About this
time many people in the country began to
LOSE CONFIDENCE IN GRANT
and clamor FOR his displacement. The Presi-
dent of the United States, however. needed not
the clamor of the multitude. Having implicit
confidence in Grant, he said to those who came
to him that he wouid trust him "a little
longer" About this time Grant determined
upon 3 plan which was recognized by the
military authorities Of tho country as wholly
unmilitary and dangerous. They believed
that it was military suicide and against all
science of war. 1t was movement, however,
full of audacity and in its results showed the
genius of the man planning it. He abandoned
all his lines of communication and moved
rapidly down the west side of the Mississippi
River to Bruensburg, point four miles below
q loaded
transports with supplies, and manned them with
: men selected from my command, then the
Third Division of the Seventeenth Corps, and
ran them by the batteries of hundred guns.
! which voaited forth their fire and iron hail at
: them as they passed by. All passed safely ex-
a5cept one. This being accomplished, he crossed
: the river, moving rapidly upon Port Gibson,
! where he met the enemy and defeated him.
His forces amounted to q. 900 men, less in
number than the enemy held encircling Vicks-
burg inside their works. In rapid succession
came the victories OF Raymond. Jackson,
Champion Hills, Black River, and the invest
nent OF Vicksburg. At Champion Hills the
enemy received the severest defeat in its results
that they had yet received up to that time.
g Halleck had written letter TO Grant directing
him to
LEAVE vrCKSBURG ALONE
and move down to Port Hudson and assist
Banks: be tBanks) being his superior officer
would then nave Deen III command OF tho COM
bined fo:ces. After Port Hudson should fall
Halleck suggested that he should assal Vicks-
burg. Halieck's letter, however, came too late.
Five battles had been fought and Grant was
crossing Black River and moving in the direc-
@ tion of Vicksburg. While these battles were
: being fought, Porter, with a gunboat feet,
passed up the Y&zoO River and took possession
of Haine's Bluffs, which had been evacuated in
the meantime by the enemy. Thus it was that
safe communication was reopened with Grants
army, and again he had base of supplies.
Pemberton was driven within the walls of
Eicksbnrg and locked up, as it were, i'll that
stronghold, with but 90 days rations. Grant
had then completely turned the tables Oh tho
enemy, and had Pemberton and his whole army
within his grasp.
On the 4th day of July, 1863, the long and
bloody siege came to its termination. Pember-
ton surrendered TO Grant. Grant, at the head
of victorious army, entered the city and
planted the old flag upon the courthouse, where
1t was uniuried to the breeze amid the shouts
OF his gallant soldiers. In the capture of
Vicksburg there were surrendered to Grant
33y)Go men, including II general officers and
10 cannon,
THE LARGEST CAPTURE OF MEN
and munitions of war ever made in any modern
war up TO that time, numbering the killed,
wounded, aud captured. In the FIVE battles,
and including the siege OF VicksbuTg, Grant
had killed wounded, and captured larger
of tha fhat, .oIa rf.