The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-12-07

the works on either side was made at
imminent risk of life. Consequently
the Engineers took full advantage of
the truces that sometimes occurred for
the purpose Of burying the dead to get
survey OF the ground between the
works. Maj. S. H. Lockett, Pember-
tons Chief Engineer, tells how Gen.
Sherman prevented him from getting
a much desired examination of the
ground in his front:
while standing on the parapet of
this work Federal orderly came up to
me and said that Gen. Sherman wished
to speak to me. Following the orderly,
l reached group Of officers standing
some 200 yards in front Of our line. One
OF these came forward, introduced him.
self as Gen. Sherman, and said:
I saw that you were an officer by
your insignia of rank, and have asked
you to meet me, to put into your hands
some letters intrusted to me by North
ern friends OF some of your officers and
men. / thought this would be q good
opportunity to deliver this mail before
it got too DID,
To this I replied:
"Yes. General, 1T would have been
very old. indeed. IL you had kept in until
you brought it into Vicksburg your
SELF
80 you think, then," said the Gen.
eral. II am a very slow mail route"
well, rather" was the reply, when
you have to travel by regular ap-
proaches, parallels. and zigzags"
Yes" he said, that is a slow way
sure way, and l was determined to de-
liver those letters sooner or later"
The General then invited me to take
seat with him on an old log near by,
and thus the rest Of the time Of the
truce was spent in pleasant conversa-
ton. In the course Of it the General
| remarked:
You have an admirable position for
defense here. and you have taken ex-
cellent advantage Of the ground
"Yes, General" replied, "but It is
equally as well adapted to offensive op-
erations. and your Engineers have not
, been slow to discover it,
ITO this Gen. Sherman assented. In
tentionally or not, his civility certainly
prevented me from seeing many other
| points In our front that / as Chief En-
gineer was very anxious to examine"
Garrison ON the Point OF Mutiny.
Despite the vigorous defense which
| the Union troops encountered there was
no doubt that large portion Of the
garrison was at the point Of open mu-
| tiny They were strongly dissatisfied
with the management OF the defense,
and the steady advance Of the Union
works, which they could not arrest, had
a very depressing effect upon them.
They saw that their case was hopeless
unless something entirely unexpected
| happened. All the bloodshed and labor
were Of no avail to stop the slow, deadly
advance of the Union army, making It
| only question of time when they
would have to succumb. For a long
time they had been buoyed up with
stories Of relief from Kirby Smith on
the west side Of the river, and Joe john
ston on the east, and the most had been
made OF Jefferson layis's promise to
save the city at whatever cost. After
Milliken,s Bend there was no longer the
slightest hope from Kirby Smith and
Dick Taylor. and that OF relief from
Joe Johnston was rapidly dying the
death OF despair. Pemberton tried to
reanimate them with preparations to
escape across the Mississippi River, and
actually did much work In tearing down
frame houses In Vic<sburg and making
small fafboats from the material thus
obtained. At the time Of the surrender
there were large number OF these
tcompieted and very much In view. De-
serters and others han fully Informed
lGen. Grant of thss plan. Commodore
tPOrtes was not and he toolE pre-