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

PembertOn Tries to Stop the Rout of His
Beaten Army-Vain Attempt to Stay
the Pursuit mt the Crossing of the Big
Black Gen. LAWYERS Magnificent ut
Charge-Demoralfzed Flight of the
COnfederates-Pember Falls Back
to tfcksburE-Grant Restores Conn
municatfOn With the Mississippi River.
The battle of Champion's Hill was
much the most severe defeat the Con-
federates had sustained in a field ac-
ton since the beginning of the war
While the casualties were not go great
as in the battles on the Peninsula, at
Antietam and Stone River the defeat
ed army was left in a far more shat
tered condition. The Confederates had
never been struck SO quick and hard
as Grant had hit them, and though the
brunt of the battle had been borne
by HoveyS and Logan's Divisions, yet
these had gone at the enemy with an
aggresSiveness that seemed like feroci-
ty, and had torn the enemyS organiZa-
lion to pieces. McClernand had half of
The army under his command, and if
he had struck with anything like thz;
swiftnesS and determination of McPner-
son, Pemberton could have hardly got
ten across the Big Black River with
more than d small remnant of demon
allied men. AS it was he had lost Lor-
ing's Division of 5000 men, which was
cut off and compelled to make wide
sweep around to join Johnston, had left
1000 killed and wounded upon the bat
tlefield, and had lost 1000 prisoners
and from "A to so pieces, with a vast
amount of stores and equipments. He
only saved his wagons by the accident
of having ordered them back when he
received Johnston's order to join him.
Among his killed was BRIG. Gen. Thigh
+, Ii
and was shot in q vain effort to rally
the demoraliZed and broken troops
Stevensons Division, which had been
holding VickSburg, was completely
routed and broken up.
The value of time in war was never
better illustrated. for Johnston had re-
ceived from Pemberton notice that he
was on the way to join him and John
ston had advanced from Calhoun Sta
tion with two brigades to meet him, but
instead he met at Livingston a messen-
ger with the Information of Pember-
toms defeat and rOut.
Grant, with his determined habit of
reaping the whole field of battle, was
with McClernand's men, urging forward
a hot pursuit, and Osterhaus. Carr and
A. j. Smith were pushing ahead with
energy to break down all efforts to COW
er the retreat. Loring had attempted
TO occupy the Clinton and Raymond
fOduS " COScE Tic ItlTtdl VI bONcH -
Division. but Osterhaus attacked him
fiercely, and soon drove him back on
the Raymond road. Smiths Division
had attacked Tilghman's Brigade and
broken it, and Carr moved swiftly along
the Clinton road and succeeded in get
ting possession of the only ford across
Bakers Creek, which prevented LOr-
ing from rejOining Pemberton. and he
made his way without baggage, wag-
Ons or cooking utensils to Crystal
Springs. on the New Orleans Railroad,
% miles south Of Jackson, where he re-
ported to Johnston.
Giving the enemy no rest, Carrs Di-
vision pushed the Confederates through
Edwards Station, reaching that point
al p. m. and going into bivouac there.
Pemberton and his officers strove hard
10 gather up their broken forces ant.
bring order out of the chaos. Pember-
ton ordered the demoraliZed regiments
of StevensOn's Division to move on to
ST. Adams Station and reorganize there,
but most of them gave out when they
reached Bovina, and threw themselves
on the ground to rest.
1t seems singular, but the reports of
the Confederate officers show that their
troops were much more physically ex-
hausted by their fighting in position and
their disorderly retreat after defeat than
the Union troops. which had marched
for hours to attack them, and had then
asSaiied them over difficult ground and
kept up a relentless pursuit. Most of
leading west of Edwards Station, and
crossed the river by the railroad bridge
and one improvised with a steamboat
The Confederate reports show
strange inequality I'm the losses. Stew
enson's Division had 233 killed to 131
in Bowen's and 1s in Loring's. Steven
son also lost 2,851 prisoners to 868 I'm
R0wen'S Division and 1on in T.nrin0'S @
Division. Stevenson's Division, being OF
no present fighting value, Pemberton
got Bowen's Division together as we'll
as he could. and placed it in the fortifi-
cations which he had previously pre-
pared to defend the crossing of the
Big Black River. He hoped to check
the Union army there and also give
Loring a chance to rejoin him. When
Loring came up il was intended that
he should form on the west bank OF
the river, and the two divisions would
be able to hold the Union army at bay
But Loring never appeared.
The Fortifcations.
At the railroad bridge crossing the
Big Black Pemberton had constructed
Il very elaborate system of fOrtifications
and which the Confederate engineers
had thought ample to defend the river.
At each of the fords there had been
tetes-de- -pont-bridge heads-made to
cover them. The rapid advance of the
Union troops seized these, however. be-
fore the rebels could get into position
To defend them. Where the railroad
Crosses the river the stream makes a
sharp curve to the west, leaving a wide
stretch of bottom land nearly one mile
straight across it's curve. This bottom
land is entirely fiat, and was then open,
excepting some punches of timber and
line Of willows along a bayou which
ran nearly straight across the curve.
This had in IL at the time two feet or
more Of water. Advantage had been
taken of this ditch to make it part of
the works. and behind it had been
raised a line of breastworks of cotton
bales with dirt thrown over them. In
front were heavy abatis and open
fields from 400 to 500 yards wide. On
either side of the river the bluffs were
from 40 to so feet high and the ground
very broken. Artillery planted on the
west side would cover and assist the
men In defending the breastworks be-
hind the ditch. Communication was
secured by planking the railroad
bridge, and above the bridge steam
boat was anchored across the stream
II extended nearly the width Of the
river and planks laid from her bow
and stern completed the bridge.
Sherman Comes Up.
4 Immediately upon discovering the