The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-07-18

ham grasped the flag and with about
sixty followers crossed the ditch. plant.
ing the flag on the slope of the walls
Before the attack McClernand's bat
teries, had bombarded Fort Beauregard
and preached wall in one of the bas
lions. By climbing upon one another's
shoulders Sergeant Joseph Griffiths and
squad of thirteen rRen escaladed the
wall, which was twenty feet high. and
crawled In through the breach. par
ty of Waurs Texas legion attacked
the daring Iowans, and in hand to
hand struggle Eve Of the Iowans were
killed and seven wounded After a
time the sergeant and Private Trine
emerged from the breach. driving be-
fore them thirteen Texans, who had
been disarmed in the struggle inside.
The heroes of this gallant deed at
the bastion were John Robb. NJ. l..
Clemens, Alvin Drummond. Hezekiah
Drummond. W. II. Needham, e. L. An
derson. Hugh Sinclair, N. G. Messenger.
William Griffin. Allen Cloud. David Jor-
dan and Richard Arthur, besides Crit
fths and Urine. The two Drummonds,
Anderson. Griffiths and Arthur were
killed. Colonel Graham declared that
with support at the proper time he
could have captured the fort. He chung
to the ditch and bastion until dark.
when he and his party were overpow-
cred by the Texans and captured.
Grant Orders a Fresh Attack.
While the Iowans were fighting their
way to the fort General w. ]. Lam
dram's brigade charged upon the flank.
and the Seventy-seventh Illinois plant
ed its flag alongside of that Of Colonel
Graham. When Colonel Stone went to
the rear wounded he told his division
commander that his men were inside
the fort, as. in fact, they were, and
that Landram's brigade and others had
planted flags upon the Confederate
works. He said that with support the
works could be held.
When Grant heard the news from
the front line he ordered the assault
resumed at all points. Fresh brigades
went forward from the positions they
had held all the morning, but in every
case met with repulse. AS the troops
were all in line and more or less en-
gagged with the enemy, there were no
reserves to draw upon to follow up the
successes gained by the daring few. A
division was ordered to reinforce Nc
Clernand and follow up the success of
Lawler and Landram, but did not reach
the scene until nightfall. By that time
the Confederates had rallied to the
danger point. and this attack was also
repulsed.
Grants assault May 10 cost him
about 1000 men and that of the 22d
over 5000 Netherlands corps suf-
fered most, and the loss of the
Twenty-secOnd Iowa was the heaviest
of any regiment in the army. OF the
10000 men present for duty all but
5000 were engaged. The assaulted
line actually covered but two and enc
half miles and was held in the morn
ing by two Confederate brigades.
Throughout the day the entire force
of defenders did not exceed 1900 men.
but the nature of the ground was so
difficult that the works could only be
approached for assault at three points
that Is. along the roads indicated
leading to the forts. These points stood
out like salients in advance Of the main
line and protected the intervals be
tween. The forts assailed and the
breastworks alongside would not hold
over 1000 men. The Confederate loss
in repulsing the attacks of Sherman
and Mcpherson was fewer than $50
killed and wounded
Formal Siege Begun.
With the failure of the direct assault
Grant began a siege of Vicksburg. He
estimated the enemy's force greater