The National tribune., 1899-10-05


took place within my range of vision and
knowledge, and some "hearsay" during that
campaign, / can truthfully state, as my
firm conviction, that the responsibility of
our defeat rested not with Gen. e. W. Nor
gan and De Courcey's Brigade, as has been
claimed, but with the commander of the
expedition. The same cause that defeated
the French army at Waterloo defeated ours
at Chickasaw Bayou. Had Napoleon
moved his army to battle early in the morn
ing he would have whipped Wellington
hours before Blucher arrived; had Sherman
Immediately upon landing his troops
moved upon the enemy's works he could
have captured them hours before Pember-
tons army arrived to strengthen them.
After the fall Of Vicksburg was told by
one of the enemy, who seemed to be posted,
that they had only 1000 men sherman
estimated the strength of the enemy at
10000 to hold the works at Vicksburg and
miles along those bluffs in front of Sher-
man, and that they had taken all their light
artillery from the city back onto those hills;
that had Sherman taken part of his army
on board steamers he could have landed it
at the levee in front of the city and captured
it.
REBEL ARMY REINFORCED.
Gen. Sherman in his orders to his di
vision commanders, Dec. 3D. said: when
we begin to act on shore we must do the
work quickly and effectually." Had he
followed those orders himself there is not
doubt that we could have captured those
= bluffs-the enemy called them Walnut
Hills. But let us see how Sherman carried
out his own orders.
According to statement in his Memoirs,
three divisions Of his army (possibly &c, 1000
TO 25,000 men) landed ON the bank Of the
Yazoo, from three TO four miles from the
enemy's works, about noon, Dec. 20. About
noon Of the Goth the charge on the bluffs
was ordcred-three days after we landed
which gave ample time for thousands of the
enemy TO arrive from Pemberton's army, as
it was evident they did.
: We heard the rumbling of cars and the
whistle of locomotives day and night for
two days before we made the charge. Our
3 suspicious were confirmed by the report of
those captured from De Courcey's Brigade,
within few yards Of the enemy's
batteries, who, when paroied, said there
were thousands of rebels back of those hills
who did not participate in the engagement.
, They were also confirmed by the news
brought by McClernand that Grant had
been obliged TO fall back, after the burning
of his stores by Van Dorm at Holly Springs,
which Sherman says occurred on the goth,
. and that Grant fell back very soon after.
ward"
This being so, it left Pemberton's army
OF 35 900 to $4,000 men free for seven tc
. nine days, and three days after they knew
we had landed ON the bank of the Yazoo, in
which to come by rail and reinforce the
enemy In our front before the charge.
With regard to this, Sherman says in his
Memoirs: Gen. Pemberton, who had tele
graphic and railroad communications with
Vicksburg, was therefore at perfect liberty
to reinforce the place with garrison equa
If not superior to my command" He says
also, that Gen. Grant was perfectly aware
of this and had sent me word of the change
but it did not reach me in time. Indeed,
was not aware of it until after my assault o.
the 29th. and until the news was brough
me by Gen. McClernand rs related"
A little before this in his Memoirs he says
From our camp at Chickasaw we coult
hear the whistle of the trains arriving il
Vicksburg. / was more THAI
convinced that heavy reinforcemeats wer,
coming TO Vicksburg"
But he speaks Of this as occurring afte
the assault, which was true; but it wa
equally true that the same reasons-rein
forcements arriving-was apparent 10 u
for two days and nights previous to tn
charge. And why not, with telegraph
and railroad communications, and six o
4
How well We remember the fresh earth
works, visible at different places along tn
hillside that morning before the charge, tha