The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-08-08
SURRENDER OF VICKSBURG.

(From the Chatham Record Of July Sd
Yesterday was the forty-eighth an
niversary of the surrender of Vicks-
burg. which was one of the most I'M
portant events OF the war and disas-
trous to the Confederate cause. AL
though so important, yet not many Of
our readers know much about it be-
cause it was out West and the atten-
ton of our people in this section was
directed chiefly to the operations IN
Virginia. More men were surrendered
at Vicksburg than at Appomattox
Court House, and yet the name of the
latter place is much more familiar
to our people than the former. h
number paroied at Appomattox was
28,231, and the numbe parOled at
V1ckSburg was 29,491.
Vicksburg is a city in the State
of Mississippi, situated on a bluff on
the eastern AMI Of the Mississippi
river, and was considered the key to
that river, and therefore the desperate
efforts Of the Federal army to cap
ture it and of the Confederate army
to retain possession Of it. With that
city in the possession Of the Federals
they would Ia Uninterrupted com
mun1caton up and down that r1Ver,
and thereby cut off communication be-
tween the COnfederateS on the east
and west sides Of the Mississippi.
Accordingly the Federals determined
on it's capture and for that purpose
sent a large army under Gen. Grant
to invest the city by and and a large
fleet of %gunbOats to attack by the
water front.
The Federal army, said to be $4,000.
began the investment of Eicksburg on
the 18th of May, 1858, completely cut
ting off all approaches by land, while
the ~gunbOats cut off all communica-
ton by the river. 1t was impossible
for any supplies or reinforCements to
be brought into the doomed city. It
was hoped that Gen. Joseph f. John
ston. who had an army Of 25, 900,
might come to the rescue Of the be-
leaguered garrison, but he found it
impossible Gas he thOught) to relieve
them. as the Federals had so strongly
~entrenched themselves around the city
that he could not successfully, with
a smaller force, assault them. The
Federals had hoped to capture the
city by an assault, and so -four days
after they arrived there, on the 22d
Of May, they made a very vigorous
assault IN the Confederate lines, which
was repulsed with heavy loss. Other
unsuccessful assault were made, and
then, finding that the city could not
be taken by assaults, a regular siege
was begun. with the hope OF starving
out the garrison.
That siege was a terrible ordeal for
the inhabitants and garrison of ViCks-
burg. After the tenth day the SOL
Aiers were fed on half %rations, and
then On only one biscuit and a bit Of
bacon a day, and so famished did they
became that mule steak was consid-
cred a delicacy. For fOrty-seven days
they were confined in their narrow
trenches without any opportunity Of
moving about. because there was dur
ing the daytime a perfect rain of
minnie balls, which prevented any
body from showing the least part OF
his body, While at night, in conse-
quence Of the close proximity of the
enemy, it was impossible for the men
to leave their positions for any length
of time. Under such circumstances it
is not surprising that half Of the men
became sick and unfit for duty, and
at the time Of the surrender fully one
half Of those reported for duty were
undergoing treatment. Further re-
sistance seemed a useless sacrifice of
life. and therefore, by and with the
advice of his generals, the command
ing general decided to surrender. This
general was Lieut-Gen. j.. c. Pember-
ton, whose name has probably never
been heard Of by a majority of our
readers. and yet was an officer of
such high rank. He was severely crit
icized at the time by many of the
newspapers of that day, but he seems
to nave done all that could have been
done to save Vicksburg. Gen. John
ston- was also criticized for not reliev-
ing the beSieged.
AS at A~ppomattOx. so at Vicksburg,
Gen. Grant gave liberal terms of sur
render. He. gave the privilege of be-
ing paro1ed instead of being carried
to Northern prisons, the officers to re-
tain their side arms and baggage and
the field. staff and cavalry officers to
a k with them one horse apiece: The
surrender of Vcksburg, occurring the
same week as the battle Of Gettys-
burg. served to dishearten the South
ern people very much, but even then
the war was carried on for nearly two
years longer.