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steamer and several barges had passed through it; when the rapid fall" of the river closed it for the season.

A third and more determined effort to flank the defenses of Vicksburg was made on the east side of the Mississippi, by way of the 'Yazoo Pass;' which, leaving the great river a little below Helena, flows through Moon Lake into the Coldwater, and down this stream into the Tallahatchie, which, uniting with the Yallobusha, forms the Yazoo.

Brig.-Gen. L. F. Ross, with a division of Gen. McClernand's corps from Helena, and the 12th and 17th Missouri, of Sherman's corps, headed this expedition, some 5,000 strong, which included the large gunboats Chilicothe and De Kalb, five smaller ones, and eighteen transports, under the command of Lt. Watson Smith. The passage through the levee of the Mississippi having been considerably enlarged, our vessels in succession boldly entered on the narrow, tortuous, but now headlong current, which bore them under a gigantic, overarching forest, into Moon Lake, and thus onward to the Coldwater. So constant and formidable were the obstacles encountered, in the shape of abrupt turns, fallen trees, inadequate depth, and sturdy limbs that swept away smoke-stacks and other standing fixtures, that three days were required for this transit, though the distance was barely twelve miles. Of course, the Rebels, who were fully and constantly posted, did not diminish these impediments, but were prone to aggravate them.

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Proceeding31 down the Coldwater, the obstacles to be overcome were changed rather than diminished. The channel was a little wider, but hardly less crooked, while its current was sluggish; the impulse gained from the Mississippi having been lost by a diffusion of the water over the swamps and bottoms on either side. Two mortar-boats here overtook the flotilla; and the mouth of the Coldwater was at length reached: our vessels having experienced some damage to rudders, wheels, and other works, but having encountered no serious resistance from the enemy; and with no vessel sunk or disabled.

Moving down the Tallahatchie, to a sharp easterly bend ten miles above its junction with the Yallobusha, the expedition was brought " to a stand, just above the little village of Greenwood.

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Maj.-Gen. W. W. Loring had been dispatched " from Jackson to the Yazoo to bar any access by our forces to the valley of that river; and, having hastily studied its configuration and that of its chief tributaries, had chosen this as the point most favorable for resistance. The meeting streams approach within a mile, two or three miles above their junction; receding directly afterward. Loring, with his engineer, Maj. Meriwether, had obstructed the Tallahatchie by a raft, with an old steamboat sunk behind it, and thrown a line of defenses, composed of cotton-bales and earth, across the neck of the peninsula; its best guns, says Lt. Smith's invincible lack of resolution and energy, and manifest indifference, retarded, by several days, the arrival of our vessels at this point, and was the true cause of our utterly

34 Loring reports that this raft had not been completed when our fleet arrived. The New York Tribune correspondent with the expedition I needless failure.

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ROSS FAILS TO REACH THE YAZOO.

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of course, trained upon the approach | An hour of this satisfied her, and she down the Tallahatchie, which a bend just here rendered as difficult and perilous as could be.

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backed completely out of the fight; when the De Kalb came forward and fired away for two hours: then she, too, gave it up; leaving the Rebel works essentially intact.

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The next day was devoted by Ross to erecting a land battery in front of the Rebel lines, under cover of woods; Loring withholding his fire on it to economize his scanty ammunition. At 10 next morning, both gunboats renewed the bombardment, aided by our land battery. During the day, one of the Chilicothe's shells tore through the enemy's parapet, knocking out a cotton-bale, and igniting a tub of cartridges beside the Whitworth gun; whereby Lt. Waul, serving it, was wounded, and 15 of his men burned some of them badly. Other damage was done; but the Rebels worked throughout the ensuing night, repairing and strengthening their works. Our fire was renewed for a short time next day; and the day after was devoted on both sides to fortifying.

Next morning," the attack was renewed with spirit on our side; but the Chilicothe was soon hulled by an 18-pound shot from the enemy's rifled Whitworth gun, which entered one of her port-holes, striking and exploding a shell, whereby 14 men were killed or severely wounded. The Chilicothe then drew out of the fight; and, though it was kept up till sunset by the De Kalb and our land batteries, it was plainly of no use: so Ross, next morning, concluded to give it up, and return by the way he came; which he did unmolested. Brig.-Gen. J. F. Quinby,

The Chilicothe, Lt. Foster, first attempted to pass; when the Rebel battery opened, and a 32-pound shell struck her turret, slackening her speed; and she soon backed around the bend until only her bow protruded; when she renewed the cannonade with her heavy bow-guns, and received one or two more shots, which did her no essential harm. of McPherson's corps, joined " him

35 March 13.

96 March 16.

37 March 21.

Quinby now returned to the ground just abandoned before the defenses; but had scarcely done so when he received" an order from Grant to withdraw the expedition; which he forthwith obeyed, returning to the Mississippi unmolested.

and assumed command on his retreat. | row water-courses; so that they were severally scraped clean of everything above their decks when they had been wearily driven and warped up the bayou and across Little Black Fork into Deer creek, up that stream to Rolling Fork, and across into the Sunflower; down which they floated almost to the Yazoo; where their progress was finally arrested, and vessels and men obliged to retrace their toilsome, devious way to the Mississippi.

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Admiral Porter, having reconnoitered the country directly eastward of the Mississippi from Steele's bayou, just above Milliken's Bend, and listened to the testimony of friendly negroes, informed " Gen. Col. . C. R. Ellet, commanding the Grant that a devious route, practica-ram Queen of the West, having the ble at that stage of water for lighter gunboat De Soto and a coal-barge in iron-clads, might be found or opened company, ran" the Vicksburg batthence into the Sunflower, and so teries without injury, and thence into the Yazoo below Yazoo City, steamed down to the mouth of Red but above Haines's Bluff; where- river, thence raiding down the upon, Grant decided to attempt it. Atchafalaya to Simmsport; thence Ascending with Porter, in the ram returning to the Red, and going up Price, pioneered by several other that river to a point 15 miles above iron-clads, through Steele's bayou to the mouth of the Black, where he Black Fork or bayou, which makes captured the steamboat Era, with across from Steele's into Deer creek, 4,500 bushels of corn; thence asGrant, finding their way constantly cending the Black and Washita to impeded by overhanging trees, hur- Gordon's Landing, where his treachried back to Young's Point for a erous pilot, Garvey, ran the Queen pioneer corps; but was soon advised ashore, just as she was opened on by Porter that there was more seri- from the bank by a Rebel battery, ous work ahead; when Sherman was which soon shot away her lever and sent with a division; most of which escape-pipe, then cut in two her was debarked at Eagle Bend, on the steam- pipe, filling her with scalding Mississippi, and thence marched steam, and compelling Ellet and his across to the bayou (Steele's), here crew to abandon her she being her-she but a mile from the river-much of wholly disabled and impotent-esthe distance being now under water, caping on cotton-bales, and reaching and requiring to be bridged or cordu- the De Soto, which was just below. royed before it could be passed. And Going down the river, the De Soto such was the height of the water in was run into the bank and lost her the bayous and streams that our rudder; when she and her barge boats could with difficulty be forced were scuttled and burnt; Ellet and through the branches of the trees his crew taking refuge on the Era, which thickly overlaced those nar- throwing overboard her corn. Con

38 March 23.

99 March 14.

40 March 15.

1 Feb. 10.

42 Feb. 12.

THE INDIANOLA CAPTURED THEN DESTROYED.

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Gulf, encountered" the Rebel ram Webb, as also the captured Queen of the West (which had somehow been repaired so as to be serviceable), with two other less formidable gunboats, in all mounting ten heavy guns, and manned by several hundred men. These attacked her with such energy and skill, mainly by butting her with their rams, while they danced about her, dodging her shots, that she was soon disabled; having been rammed for the seventh time by the Webb, and now directly in her stern, which was completely stove in. Being in a sinking condition, she was surrendered and immediately run ashore.

tinuing down the river, well aware | and, when nearly opposite Grand that the Rebels would soon be after them, the traitor Garvey was installed as pilot, and soon contrived to run the Era hard aground also, just after reaching the Mississippi-she drawing two feet water, and the shallowest of these rivers being now good for at least thirty. Ellet, by the time she was with difficulty got off, appears to have suspected that Rebels were not the safest pilots for National war vessels; though he does not seem to have shot the scoundrel, or done any thing else but intimate that his style of piloting was not approved. Four armed boats were sent down after him, but turned back by their leader, the Webb, unexpectedly meeting our heavy iron-clad Indianola, which they did not choose to encounter; so the Era made her way up to the station just below Vicksburg; receiving, by the way, salutes that meant mischief from Grand Gulf and Warren

ton.

The Indianola, Lt.-Com'g. Brown, was one of our finest iron-clads: 174 feet long by 50 broad, with five boilers, seven engines, thoroughly shielded, and armed with two 11-inch and two 9-inch guns. Leaving the mouth of the Yazoo, she had drifted" nearly by Vicksburg undiscovered; and the batteries finally opened on her had done her no harm whatever. Keeping on down, she was just in season, as we have seen, to shield Ellet and the Era from probable capture; and she now swept proudly down the river, expecting to drive all before her.

After blockading for some days the mouth of Red river, which she did not enter for want of pilots, she was returning up the Mississippi; 43 Night of Feb. 13.

Farragut being away on the Gulf coast, the Rebels had now the mastery of the river between Vicksburg and New Orleans-a mastery which they soon lost by a Yankee trick. A worthless coal flat-boat, fitted up, covered, and decorated by Porter, with furnaces of mud and smokestacks of pork-barrels, to counterfeit a terrible ram, was let loose" by him, unmanned, above Vicksburg; and floated down by the batteries, eliciting and surviving a tremendous cannonade. The Rebels in Vicksburg hastened to give warning of this fearful monster to the Queen, lying under their batteries at Warrenton, eight miles below; whereupon, the Queen fled down the river at her best speed. The Indianola was now undergoing repairs near the point where she was captured; and word was sent from Vicksburg that she must be burned at once to save her from the monster's clutches. A few hours later, when it had been discovered that they had been thrown into

44 Feb. 24, 91 P. M.

45 About Feb. 24.

hysterics by an old coal-boat, fresh | than the west. It was in pursuance

word was sent that they had been sold; but, ere this arrived, the Indianola had been blown to splinters--not even her priceless guns having been saved. The Webb now escaped up the Red river; leaving our supremacy on the Mississippi once more undisputed and unbroken.

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of this plan that he had so abruptly ordered a discontinuance of and withdrawal from the various expeditions looking to the control of the valley of the Yazoo, and the capture or destruction of the thirty Rebel steamboats employed on that river or laid up near Yazoo City. All being at length prepared, and the Winter overflow of the Mississippi so far abated that the so-called roads of that region were no longer generally under water, but only beds of the profoundest and softest black mud, Gen. McClernand, with his (13th) corps, was impelled" down the west bank of the great river to New Carthage; McPherson following directly with his (17th) corps; each moving no faster than it could be accompanied by its trains. The roads were so inconceivably bad that the advance was inevitably laborious and slow. The river-bank, being higher than

Admiral Farragut, commanding below Vicksburg, having applied to Admiral Porter for iron-clads and rams to operate against certain small but formidable Rebel iron-clads and rams which held possession of Red river, the rams Switzerland, Col. Chas. R. Ellet, and Lancaster, Lt.Col. John A. Ellet, were prepared for running the Vicksburg batteries; which they attempted to do; but with ill success. Instead of being started in due season, it was daylight when they came under the Rebel fire; whereby the Lancaster was sunk and the Switzerland badly cut up. The latter succeeded in passing. Of the country back of it, the march several frailer vessels, which from time to time made the venture, two or three were sunk; the residue mainly went by unscathed.

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was mainly along the levee; of course, under constant observation from the Rebel pickets and scouts across the river.

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When our van was barely two Months had now flitted since our miles from New Carthage, it was earlier attempts on Vicksburg-stopped by a break in the levee, months of fitful but costly effort to through which the waters of the reduce that Rebel stronghold, which Mississippi were pouring out into the was only stronger and haughtier than bayou Vidal, forbidding approach to Gen. Grant-long since con- the village, which was temporarily vinced that it could not be success- transformed into an island. After fully assailed from above, unless we boats had been collected to effect a had full control of the Yazoo, for crossing of the upper break, it was which he had so persistently but found that the process would not vainly struggled-now decided on only be tedious but would have to an entirely new line of operations- be repeated below. Grant now deturning Vicksburg on the south, and cided to march around the bayou, assailing her from the east rather avoiding New Carthage, and striking

46 Night of March 24-25.

47 March 29.

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