Ellsworth American., 1886-01-21

From tcncraI Grants Century Article.
We had no iesy-sun~ except SIX thirty
two Founders, and there were none at the
West to draw from Admiral Porter. how
ever, supplied us wilh a battery q navy
gun. OF large callber, anu with these. and
tn. ti-id-artl.l.rS used "a The cimpIl-u. the
siege began The fii-t thing to Do Wa, 10
get the artillery 10 batteries where they
would occupy commanding positions; then,
to establish the camps, under cover from the
fire Of the enemy, bu; a. near ~ as possible
and then 10 construct Tte-plts and covered
WAYS, to connect the entire command by ne
shortest route. rue enemy did not haFass
Us much while We were constructing our
batteries. Probably their artillery ammuni-
ton was short. and their infantry was kept
down bv our sharp-sho3ters, who we're al
wa,s on the alert. and ready to fire at head
whenever it showed itself above the rebel
works.
In no place were our lines more than six
hundred yards from the enemy. II was
necessary, therefore, TO cover our men by
something more than the ordinary parapet.
TO give additional protection, sand bags,
bullet proof, were placed along the tops OF
the parapels, far enough apart 10 make
loopholes for musketry. On top OF these.
logs were put. BY these means the men
were enabled to walk about erect, when OH
duty, without fear Of annoyance from sharp
shooters The enemy used in their defense
explosive musket-baIls. thinking no doubt,
that. bursting over our men III the trenches,
the, would do some execution. do not
remember a single case where man was
injured BY piece of one Of these shells.
When they were hit, and the ball exploited,
the wound was terrible. Ia these cases
solid ball would have hit as well. Their use
is barbaGous, because they produce lncreas-
ed suffering without an, corresponding adj
vantage 10 those using them.
The enemy could not resort to our method
to protect their men. because We had an in-
exhaustible supply OF ammunition to draw
upon, aud used it freely. Spllntefs from
the timber would have made havoc among
the men behind.
There were no mortars with the hesiegers,
except those that the navy had in front Of
the city; but wooden ones were made by
taking logs of the toughest wood that could
be found, boring hem out for siA or twelve
FOUNDER shells, and binding them with
strong iron bands. These answered as coe-
from them into the trenches Of the enemy.
The labor of building the batteries and Of
intre nching was largely done by the pion
eers assisted by negroes who came within
our lines and VITO were paid fer their work
but details from the line had often TO be
made The work was pushed forward as
rapidly as possible. and when an advanced
position was seculed and covered from the
fire of the enemy, the batteries were advanc
ed. By the goth of June there we're two
hundred and twenty guns IN position, mos'-
" lgh, field-pieees, besides battery OF
neavy guns belonging to, and manned and
commanded by, the navy. We we're now
as strong for defense against the garrison
of Vicksburg as they were against US; but
knew that johnson was in our rear and was
receiving constant reinforcements from the
East He had at this time larger force
than had had at any time prior to The bat
tie of Champions Hill
From the 23d of May the work Of fortify-
ing, and pushing forward our position near
er to the enemy, had been steadily progress-
ing. At the point on the Jackson road in
front of Ransom's brigade sap vas run up
to the enemy's parapet, and by the 25th of
June we had it undermined and the mine
charged. The enemy had countermined,
but did not succeed in reaching our mine.
At this particular point the hill on which
stood the rebel work rises abruptly. Our
sap ran close up to the outside of the enc
my's parapet In fact this parapet was also
our protection. The soldiers Of the two
sides occasionally eonversed pleasantly