us.

from Grand Gulf and confront me, dispatching the troops as fast as they were landed, without waiting for the whole force to move in a body. We had no transportation for the troops on shore after we crossed the river. Three days' rations had been issued, with orders that they must last five, and we also had rations in abundance on board the transports, but no transportation for them to the interior. I directed the officers to gather all the wagons and teams they could from the plantations as we moved on. We met the enemy and fought what is called in history the battle of Port Gibson, although, as a matter of fact, the battle was fought at Thompson's Hill, some five miles before we arrived at Port Gibson. After driving the enemy from that position we followed him toward Port Gibson until night overtook us. Then we lay upon our arms, not in any regular camp, but just where night had overtaken We marched on to Port Gibson the following morning, to find that the enemy had crossed Bayou Pierre, burning the bridges, of which there were two. This forced a halt to enable us to build a bridge to carry the army over. Before night we had a bridge built, the army had crossed, and the advance had marched eight miles, to the North Fork of the Bayou Pierre, where the enemy had also burned the bridge. This bridge we repaired during the night, so as to be able to cross on the morning of the third day. From there we pushed on toward the Big Black River, at Hankerson's Ferry, fighting and driving the enemy from all the high points which they had occupied, more to delay us and enable them to get back to Vicksburg than from any hope of stopping us altogether. By the night of the third day our advance was across Hankerson's Ferry, on the Big Black, and within six or seven miles of Vicksburg. There I halted the troops. Then I rode back at once that night to Grand Gulf, where our gun-boats were lying. It was seventeen miles away, and I had to get there, write my dispatches for Washington, and return by morning. I had been in the saddle since we crossed the river, three days before, and had not had a regular meal or any sleep in that time. I wrote my dispatches and sent them by courier to Young's

THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN.

621

Point, to go by dispatch-boat to Cairo, the nearest point from which they could be telegraphed to Washington. It would take these dispatches some time to reach Cairo by boat, and some time for the response-eight days, I think. I remember how anxiously I counted the time I had to spare before that response could come. You can do a great deal in eight days. Sherman, McPherson, and all of us worked and marched and moved, sleeping on the ground, our army in the lightest marching order. From Hankerson's Ferry, withdrawing the troops that had crossed the Big Black, I marched, keeping my left flank on the Big Black and my right extending out so as to occupy all the roads we could leading toward the north, so that when I arrived near to the railroad connecting Vicksburg and Jackson, my left was on the Big Black and my right at Raymond, within twelve or fifteen miles of Jackson. There McPherson encountered the enemy, fought a sharp battle, and gained a victory. Then I determined to move rapidly upon Jackson, and capture and destroy that place and the railroads leading to and from it before turning toward Vicksburg. gave my orders in the evening after the battle of Raymond for a rapid move by the right flank upon Jackson, leaving the Thirteenth Army Corps, under McClernand, where they were -in the neighborhood of Raymond—as a sufficient force between my moving column and the rebel troops in Vicksburg, in case they should come out to attack us. Jackson was taken by storm that afternoon in a heavy rain. McPherson captured an order from Johnston to Pemberton to come out from Vicksburg and force the attack there. I was rejoiced when I learned Johnston's plans, and turned about to meet Pemberton. I did meet him half way, at Champion Hill.

I

"At a point some miles before reaching Champion Hill— feeling that I had troops enough without Sherman's command, and knowing that it would be impossible to cross the Big Black, which was then much swollen, in presence of an enemy-I detached Sherman with his corps, and all the pontoons we had, and turned him upon a road to strike the Big Black some six or seven miles above where the railroad leading into Vicksburg

crosses it, expecting that by having his force on the Vicksburg side of the Big Black, he would be able to turn the enemy's position, force them back, and leave a free crossing for us on the main straight road. With the troops left with me we fought the battle of Champion Hill, captured some 3,000 prisoners, besides a considerable amount of artillery, cut off one division,

and forced back toward Vicksburg the remainder of Pemberton's army, following them until night overtook us. On the morning following the battle of Champion Hill we

pursued the enemy to the Big Black, where we found them in a fortified position in the flats on the east side of the river,

with a portion of their

cupying the heights on the west bank. I disposed my troops so as to surround

the enemy

on the side of the river where I was, not intending to make any attack then, but to await the result of Sherman's move to turn the enemy and drive them back. It was while in this position-there being then some little firing of artillery and musketry on both sides-that I received the orders directing me to go back to the Mississippi, move down and co-operate with Banks in the reduc

THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN.

623

tion of Port Hudson, and when that was secured to move, with Banks's and my forces combined, back on to Vicksburg, having then New Orleans for a base of supplies. An officer came into my lines from Banks's army, then investing Port Hudson. This officer was a brigadier-general, in a high state of excitement, a small and impressive man, so overcome with the sense of his tremendous responsibility that he seemed to stand on his toes to give it emphasis. He had the order from Halleck for me to withdraw at once with my force and join Banks. This order was so important that he, a general officer, had come all the way to bring it and to escort me, if necessary, to Port Hudson. I acknowledged the order, but said I was there in front of the enemy and engaged, and could not withdraw; that even General Halleck, under the circumstances, would not expect me to do so. The little brigadier, standing on his toes, became more and more emphatic. I pointed out that we were not only engaged with the enemy, but winning a victory, and that General Halleck never intended his order to destroy a victory. While explaining to this officer the impossibility of my retreating after I had progressed so far, one of my brigade commanders, without orders from me, had given the command "Charge!" This commander was a brave but impulsive man, and seeing an opportunity he had taken advantage of it. A bayou filled with fallen trees and débris lay between his command and the enemy, and if they had shown a resistance to the attack our men might have been slaughtered. But the enemy were tired out with fighting the day before, and so, when they saw our troops charging them, after a show of resistance they just pulled out wads of cotton from the cotton-bales, stuck them on their bayonets and muskets, and held them up as a sign of surrender. The charge, of course, was successful, and we captured the whole batch-over 2,000 prisoners-and all the artillery on that side of the river. The enemy on the west bank immediately commenced their retreat on Vicksburg, without waiting to be turned by our troops, who had successfully crossed above them, burning their bridges, however, as they left. I immediately set my command to building temporary bridges over the river,

which was then very deep and with a swift, strong current. We built three of them. One I gave McPherson the direction of, one to Lieutenant Haynes, a young engineer who was just out of the Military Academy, and one to General Ransome, a brave volunteer officer. They each adopted different plans of building, but all three bridges were completed by daylight the following morning, giving us three bridges to cross on at the same time. After we had crossed the Big Black River I moved upon Vicksburg, aiming to get possession of the Yazoo above Vicksburg before accomplishing any other object, so as to give us a base of supplies.

"I remember when I came to the point which would give us a base for our supplies. That is, having this point, it gave us a safe place to bring our supplies from the right flank of the army. You see, our army was acting as a movable column, without a base. We were nearing what is called Walnut Hills, which overlook the Yazoo, at the point where Sherman had made his attack the December before. I felt very anxious, and so did Sherman-so anxious that we became impatient. We were together at the time, riding in advance of our column. We increased our pace and rode ahead, sometimes beyond our skirmish lines. When we ascended the hill we saw that our movement was a success. I remember Sherman's exclamations of joy at my side on that hill, his rapture over the success of the movement, his compliments to me especially. He could not have been more pleased if the plan had been his We were standing at the point which had been occupied by the enemy when Sherman made his attack the fall before. The enemy held this hill, and Sherman had reached the swamps and flats below, but without the possibility then, owing to the high water, of deploying his column so as to make a successful attack.

"Of course when Vicksburg fell Port Hudson went with it. I made all the explanations necessary to Halleck, who treated me handsomely, approved my campaign to the letter, comparing the move to Napoleon's movements on Ulm. Mr. Lincoln also wrote me letters, which he published at the time, saying