Year: 1863

by those competent to Judge, that our only
hope of successful charge lay in throw
ing a tremendous force, say an entire di-
vision, or even more, upon the weakest
point, and pushing colui"n after column
through bitches, over parapets, over every
obstacle and over hundreds of the fallen,
and thus short and hard struggle might
have won Vicksburg Possibly this might
be attempted and accomplished now. But
while bitter experience might teach us q
wiser plan of attack, we must remember
that even the splendid columns of the Ten
nessee would not repeat the assault with
the same confidence of success with which
they charged on the memorable Friday
Such disaster as that would of a neces-
sity, injurc the morale of any army.


On the whole, therefore, it is hardly
probable that another attempt will be
made. But the question is constantly
asked,


is IT LIKELY THAT JOHNSON WILL BE ABLE


TO FORCE GRANT TO RAISE THE sIEGR?


answer no. johnson cannot have a
sufficient force, either in number or mo-
rdle, to render such an attempt other
than the act of madness, for some time to
come. Where is he to obtain the force ?
Loring's division is broken, disorganized
into mob. and hopelessly scattered. Bow
ems army, what is left of it, is even worse
off. They are the miserable debris of sue
cessive defeat and rout. No one can COM
prehend the fatal effect upon citizen SOL
diery of such reverses, without being an
actual observer. 1t is humiliating fact,
of which have been assured by officers
high in position, that our own army under
Sherman, after the repulse at Chickasaw
Bayou, could hardly have been brought
into action with hope Of success, and
against force of equal size. Even the
brilliant campaign of the Post of Arkansas
hardly redeemed it. What, then, must
be the condition of these tattered frag-
ments of the Confederate army of the Mis-
sissippi. which would be JOhnsons main
reliance


How is he to obtain reinforcements
Certainly Bragg will need all the troops
now under him to save himself from the
tremendous army and cunning strategy
of his vigilent opponent. Possibly Gene
raj Beauregard may render him some as
sistance from Charleston. But suppose he
does. Observe the difficulties Of approach.
If the enemy attempt to march by the
main road across the Big Black, they will
have very different foe to attack from
that which faced McClernand, and expe-
rience a widely different result. The in
trenchments at that point are formidable
in the extreme, and a we'll disciplined
army would probably have rendered our
attack a disaster, or at least victory
bought with fearful loss of life. The
outer works would sweep the circumjacent
ground as Jackson's cotton bale redoubts
swept the British at New Orleans. A
second line of intrenchments Immediately
on the river command the first, and the
steep bluffs across the stream command
the whole. Osterhaus is there with a
strong force, and the mere mention of his
name speaks volumes for the success of
the defence. Between the river and
Vicksburg the approaches are crippled
and entangled with broken bridges, telled
trees and every description of obstacles.
Should johnson overcome them all, he
would still find the work of succor hardly
begun. The position of our own army
around Vicksburg is hardly less impreg-
nable than that OF the enemy's defences
Like them, our troops are entrenched
along the crest of hills. and can only be
dislodged by the most desperate xpd OBJ
stinate valor.