The National tribune., 1901-11-28

: beneficent boon TO sufferers. EaruestIv
} n9pefui!y, faithfully, MRS. CORA B. MIL
i-hh' OLD ConStock Bldg, kokomo. Ind.
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defense of the place. The attack was. il
, fact, a complete surprise to the troops.
! Inc garrison was captured; a large
quantliy OF military supplies, valued al
S4U0,UOO, were destroyed, and the rail
road and telegraphic communication in,
i terrupted.
! Gen. Grants report of this disaster
made Dec. p, did not reach Washington
until Dec. 26.
The army was at once upon short ra-
lions. Gen. Qulnby's Division, then en-
eamped on the Yakana, with which the
present writer was serving as Colonel of
the o6th Ill, was ordered to proceed at
| once to Memphis with 600 wagons TO
bring supplies TO the army.
This was forced march. Every man
! realized the Importance of dispatch and
entered upon the task with alacrity.
Heavy rains fell and the road was muddy.
but the division moved rapidly. making
y miles the day we arrived in Memphis.
1t was supposed when we started on
/ the trip that we would return to Oxford
/ with the loaded train, but Gen. Grant be-
came satisfied that it was useless 20 fur
ther prosecute the original design. He re-
moved his headquarters from Oxford to
/ holly Springs, and gradually sent the
| troops northward to the line Of the Mem
! phis & Charleston Railroad leaving Holly
4 Springs himself Jan. 10, 1863.
LUxURIEs FROM THE NORTH.
On reaching Memphis I was agreeably
surprised to find my brother Mai john
| NJ. Raum, of the 120th ILL.,, on duty there
with his regiment, as part Of the garri-
| son, and what added greatly to the pleas
nre OF the visit was the fact that my
mother, Mrs. Juliet G. Raum, was there
She came down from home to see her
son John and to carry a large quantity
of supplies for the boys.
She knew the soldiers of the seth Ill
i (my regiment WELL and her visit to our
camp was like q ray of sunshine on
dark day
Quinby's Division remained in Mem
phis three days. Both officers and men
enjoyed the visit. They met many old
friends; and not having seen the Paymas-
ter for four months, many Of the officers
embraced the opportunity to replenish
their exchequer and their wardrobes
They marched out of the city as the
escort OF the great wagon train, but the
regiments were distributed along the line
of the railroad, which they guarded dur
ing the balance Of the Winter and Spring.
bhEhAAR FAILURE.
We must now return to Gen. Sherman.
We left him Dec. p with his army
aboard transports opposite the mouth of
1azoo River. His campaign was for the
capture Of Vicksburg.
The city of Yieksburg is situated on
the Mississippi River near the southwest
ern extremity Of a high range of bluffs
nearly 30 miles long.
From these bluffs eastward the country
is high and rolling, but to fbe west, ex-
tending to the Mississippi River, is an al
luvial bottom, with many lakes and
hayous, the whole subject to overflow.
The Yazoo River. formed by the Cold
water and the Yalobusha, drains north
western Mississippi; this river, flowing
southwest, strikes the high land at
Haynes's Bluff, passes along the base Of
the ridge for three or four miles, and then
enters the alluyiai valley, and curYing
northwaTd reaches a distance of FIVE miles
from the base Of the ridge before it bends
70 the southwest to make its way into
the Father of Waters. The mouth of the
Yaz0o is u miles above Vicksburg at the
head OF Tuscumbia Bend, which forms
the upper section of one of the greatest
curves in the Mississippi River. The
rlYer as II ran at that time down Tus-
cumbia Bend flowed northeast until Il /
struck the bluff three miles above Vicks-
burg, when it caromed suddenly to the
southwest and flowed along the base of
the bluff. As a result of this wonderful
movement Of the waters there is a large
body Of low, marshy lands 10 miles long
and from two miles to eight miles wide
lying between these bluffs and the Biissis-
sippi River on the one side and the va
ZOO River on the other side. The Con-
federate commander at Nitksburg, Maj
Gen. Martin L. Smith, not only fortified
the city Of Vicksburg, but fortified every
available position along the bluffs as far
up as Hayness Bluff. Snyder's Bluff, |
three miles below Haynes's Bluff and 13
miles above Yicksburg, was not only well |
fortified, but the Yazoo River was OBJ |
structed by heavy raft extending across
the stream, on each side OF which was
stationed battery of artillery.
Swamps, lakes and bayous running par
allel with the Yazoo River intervene be-
tween the banks Of that river and the base |
of the hills from Snyder's Bluff along the |
ridge TO the Missouri River, between |
these swamps lakes and hayoBs there are |
but four practicable approaches to the |
high ground in this distance of 10 miles. |
All of these points were well fortified by |
the Confederate commander, and the l
troops for their defense were under the |
command of Gen. S. ID. Lee.
IL was into this network of bayous, |
lakes and swamps that Gen. Sherman was /
about TO lead his gallant army. He fully |
recognized the fact that the position pos
sessed great natural strength for the |
enemy, bat he had high hopes that with |
the assistance OF the navy he would be |
able to silence the rebel batteries and |
carry some point of the high ground by !
storm, and thus gain n foothoid from
which he could attack the Confederate
forces on equal terms.
On Dec. 20 the entire feet proceeded |
up the Yazoo River, the gunboats in the
lead and some Of them distributed along
the column Of transports 10 aid in their
defense as they steamed along amidst the /
eanebrnkes and thick growth that cover |
the banks Of the Yazoo River. Aorgan's |
Division had The advance, followed in or
der by Steele, Morgan l.. Smith ard A. j. /
Smith. When the point OF debarkation /
was reached Gen. DeCourceys, Steuart's /
and Blair's Brigades We're sent forward 1
about three miles in the direction Of I
Yicksburg. The next day the wh9ie army, |
having been assigned TO their several po- |
sitions, moved out in four columns. and |
as each head OF column met the eBemy's |
pickets they drove them toward yiels- |
burg. During the night OF Dec. 81 the
ground IN front of each head of column 1
was carefully rcconnoitered. 'and it was |
found to be as difficult as II could possi- /
bly, be from nature and ART" Gen Sher- I
man says: Immediately in our front WIS /
:. lsayf,Tf t1uSs.a bio only .zf fwf F.o:rfe oy :,