The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-10-26

OPENING OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
By JOHN McELROY.


send on one of his divisions Immediate
ly, and to follow with the other as soon
as he had completed the work Of de-
struction. Steele's Division was start
ed at once, and later in the day Sher-
man followed with Tuttle's. and reach
ing Bolton Station about dark Of May
16 was met by one Of Gen. Grant S
staff officers with orders to change di-
rection to the right on what was known
as the Upper Jackson road, which
crossed the Big Black at Bridgeport.
By this time Grant had won the vic
tory and he wanted to thrust Sherman
forward to interpose between Pember-
ton and the intrenchments around
Vicksburg. Blair's Division had al
ready been ordered to Bridgeport to
meet the rest of Sherman's Corps
Sunday morning, May II, dawned
very bright and fair with all of the
Thirteenth and Seventeenth Corps clos
ing i'm rapidly around the intrenchments
at the railroad crossing of the Big
Black. Inside of these intrenchments the
Confederates were in much confusion,
with no one seeming to have a head for
direction and certainly no ones orders
receiving much attention. PembertOn
had brought forward Vaughn's East
Tennessee and Baldwins Louisiana and
Mississippi Brigades from the intrench-
mentS of Vicksburg, to encourage his
demoraliZed men, and to these were
added Bowen's Division of Missourians.
There were, therefore, five brigades-
Vaughn's, Baldwin's, Greenes, Ville-
pigue's and Cockrell's-engaged in the
defense, with about 5000 in the breast
works
The field guns had been placed be-
hind this line and the horses sent across
the river for safety. Carr's Division
enemy with heavy line of skirmish-
ers, supported by two brigades deploy-
ing in the woods to the right of the
road while Osterhaus was bringing his
division up on the left. Along the front
of both of these divisions the firing be-
came very heavy. and continued SO for
nearly three hours. The position was
SO strong and the ground in front SO
open that the Union advance was
checked, and to some it looked as if
the army would be brought to a stand
still until f1anking movement could
be made which would give Pemberton
time to recover himself and get his
army in shape behind the works of
Vicksburg. The whole front of the
rebel line was occupied by cleared
fields of from 400 to 600. yards
in width. This allowed a converging
fire of the infantry and artillery be-
hind the breastwOrks and the cannon
stationed on the bluffs upon an as
saulting party, and which would rem
Col. Kfnsman's Gallant Charge.
AT this moment the gallant Col. Kins-
man, of LAWYERS Brigade, Carrs Di-
vision, discovered weaker point in the
abatis which offered desperate chance
to strike the enemys line. The man.
ner in which it was done is best told
in the official report of Col. Michael K
Lawler, commanding the brigade:
During the greater part Of the fore
noon heavy but Intellectual musketry
firing was kept up by the enemy upon
my men, briskly responded to by our
sharpshooters. Late in the forenoon,
finding it impossible to press farther
forward along the river bank toward
the enemy, as l had intended, Col.
kinsman, 23d Iowa. proposed to
charge at once the enemy's works and
drive them out at the point of the bay
onet, and asked my consent to the
same.
"Foreseeing that charge by sim