Year: 1867

TO Tho Besieged at Vicksburg


Noticing few days since, in an obituary
column OF a Southern paper, the following


announcement, relieves me from an obli-


Sation voluntary entered into before the
close of the late war: ~


died at -, on the 18th inst, j


N, aged A years. The deceased wa


long and favorably known as steamboat


pilot, and throughout the rebellion firm
iriend'of the Southern cause, for which he


made many sacrifices and rendered valua.


bic services"


The promise 1 gave NJ. was that would


not divulge what he then told me, but. his


death relieving me from that promise. |


now offer it to the public through your
columns: .z-llas3 -s sF n =
1t will be remembered that among the
many reasons that operated to prevent the


fall OF Vlcksburg, Miss, when it was first
attacked by Gen. Sherman, and afterwards
SO laDorlously besiegede by General Grant.


was the certainty of the information the
enemy seemed to get. Notwithstanding
every precaution was taken to prevent
spies from obtaining and transmitting in
iormation-notwithsta the river was
close y v atehed to prevent the least me ssape
from being floated down to toVicksburg-uey-
ertheless Information, and that, too, of the
most positive nature, daily reached the enc


my, TO the great annoyance of the officers
anu men, who were slowly wearing their
llVes away under an almost tropical sun,
ana also to the modification of the Com
manding General. .d.Is5-


Iti my object, briefly, to show how that
information was transmitted. M. was at
that time an impressed pilot in the service
OF the Union army. having in charge one
OF the transports lying below Young's
Roint on the west side of the Mississippi.
Ills plan for advising the enemy inside the
garrison OF Vicksburg of what was taking
place or contemplated in the Union army
was simple and eftective-so simple that it
easily evaded all attempts at detection.
During three or four hours of each day, NJ,
after gathering from the officers at head
quarters what Information he desired-for
officers would talk-would repair to farm
house down on the point, and with large
mirror which he had previously taken from
the cabin of the steamer, amuse himself by
throwing the suns reflection up and down
the river, occasionally darting the concen-
trated rays of May or June sun into the
eyes of some gull or loon, quietly floating
on the water, causing it to dive down or
fly up with half frightened shrek, and
thee turning it full upon the enemy's
works along the Vicksburg levee. No one
thought of suspicion-no one asked him
what he was doing-for the employment
was so simple and apparently abstracted, |
that none thought for moment of at
tributing any other motive than mere idle |
pastime.


But this was his secret previously
agreed upon between himself and General |
Pemberton! Vicksburg is mainly upon a |
high bluff; the lower part of the CITY dur |
ing certain hours of the day being entirely |
In the shade. Commencing at the upper
end of the city and within view, M. had |
selected thirteen houses behind and above
these. TIE each. one of these houses a letter
of the alphabet was given. From the WIN
dow in the farmhouse he threw the reflec-
ton first upon one house, then upon an
other, an officer of Pemberton's staff in the
secret. at the same standing on the levee
with his back to NJ, and yet reading every
word easily and rapidlT. And he not only
gave information of what was transpirin9
i'll the Union camp at Young's Point but
also gathered from Northern newspapers
important news relative to the movements
OF armies elsewhere, sending it across the
river in the same manner.


This plan was Kept up until short time
before Gen. Grant made arrangements for
going below Vicksburg, crossing at Grand
Cult, and coming up in the rear. Just be-
fore tnat event NJ. was ordered to another
point, and consequently the enemy had no
light upon the subject of that last move
which finally resulted in the capture of that
of the Confederacy.


These facts l obtained from M. himself
while afterward an officer on board one of
our transports with him, and have every
reason to believe, from experiments made
at the same place, that it was "a plain, un-
vanished tale" he related to. me.