THE GRAND ASSAULT ON VICKSBURG. them, after dark, to fall back a short distance to a point where the irregularities of the ground afforded them comparative shelter and safety. 311 decimation to no purpose, ordered | of the column a fire that swept it down in an instant. No troops could or should persist in braving such utter, useless destruction. The rear of the column attempted to rush on; but it was madness; and soon all had sought cover from that deadly fire. The two following days were devoted to bringing up and distributing provisions-the campaign in Mississippi having thus far been prosecuted on our part with scarcely a day's rations for three days' service: the country traversed being drawn upon for whatever it could afford while roads were made, cannon planted, &c.; the enemy likewise improving the time to the utmost. And now Gen. Grant ordered a second and more determined assault at all points, to be made simultaneously at 10 A. M. 79 At the moment named, our soldiers darted from under cover and rushed upon the Rebel works before them their men all shielded by their breastworks, while ours were necessarily exposed to a close and deadly fire. Sherman's attack was made by Frank Blair's division, led by the brigade of Gen. Hugh S. Ewing, 30th Ohio, with Giles Smith's and T. Kilby Smith's closely following; sharp-shooters skirmishing in the advance, and a storming party carrying boards and poles wherewith to bridge the ditch-five batteries concentrating their fire on the enemy's bastion constructed to command the approach. Still, the assault was not abandoned; but, swerving to the left, Ewing's men, in the advance, crossed the ditch on the left face of the bastion, and, climbing up its exterior slope, planted their colors near the top, and burrowed in the earth for shelter from the flanking fire of the enemy; while Giles Smith's brigade, turning down a ravine, found cover, formed line, and threatened the parapet still farther to the left; Kilby Smith deploying his men on the off slope of a spur of hill, and keeping up, with Ewing's, a fire on any head that appeared above the parapet. Our artillery and infantry being still at work, our stormers easily held their ground; and, at length, Giles Smith's and Ransom's brigades attempted to carry the parapet by assault; but were repelled with loss. Meantime, Steele's division, which had advanced half a mile farther to the right, was fighting desperately to little profit; yet, on the receipt of a dispatch from McClernand to Grant, announcing that his corps had carried three Rebel forts, Sherman ordered Tuttle to renew the assault on his left; and Mower's brigade was In vain. The storming party had sent up where Ewing's had been rereached the salient of the bastion pulsed. Mower did his best; and the unassailed, and passed toward the colors of his leading regiment (11th sally-port, when there shot up be- Missouri) were planted beside those hind the parapet, a double rank of of Blair's storming party, and there the enemy, who poured on the head remained till withdrawn after night 79 May 22. fall; but no substantial success was achieved to balance the heavy loss. Steele had like ill success in his attack; his men advancing across ravines and gullies to a point between the bastion and the Mississippi; whence they made their way, under a heavy fire, up to the parapet, which they failed to carry, but held possession of the hill-side beneath it till night; when they were withdrawn, like the rest. The assault by McPherson's corps, in the center, was equally spirited and equally fruitless, save in carnage: our losses being probably tenfold those of the strongly fortified and thoroughly sheltered Rebels. Some ground was here gained in the assault; but it was mainly abandoned after dark. On our left, McClernand's attack seemed for a time more effective, or, at least, was believed by him to be so. Rushing forward to the assault precisely at 10 A. M., Lawler's and Landrum's brigades had, within 15 minutes, carried the ditch, slope, and bastion, of the fort they confronted, which was entered by Sergeant Griffith and 11 privates of the 22d Iowa; all of whom fell in it but the Sergeant, who brought away 13 Rebels as prisoners. The colors of the 48th Ohio and 77th Illinois were planted on the bastion; and, within the next quarter of an hour, Benton's and Burbridge's brigades, fired by this example, had carried the ditch and slope of another strong earthwork, planting their colors on the slope; while Capt. White, of the Chicago Mercantile Battery, carried forward one of his guns by hand to the ditch, double-shotted it, and fired it into an embrasure, disabling a Rebel gun ready to be fired, and doubtless doing execution among its gunners. McClernand supposed his assault successful, and reported to Grant that he had carried two of the Rebel forts; and again: "We have gained the enemy's intrenchments at several points, but are brought to a stand;" at the same time asking for rëenforcements. Grant, when he received the first dispatch, immediately ordered the assault on Sherman's front (where he then was) to be renewed; while he started back to his original position with McPherson in the center; which he had not reached when he received from McClernand the further message above cited; whereupon, though distrusting its accuracy, he ordered Quinby's division of McPherson's corps to report to McClernand; whose dispatches he showed to McPherson as an incitement to press the enemy in his front, so as to prevent a concentration against our left. Nothing came of all this but aggravated losses-mainly on our side. McClernand's taking of the forts was after the well-known similitude of the captured Tartar: his men could get into them at the cost of not coming out again. Two hours later, he wrote again that: "I have lost no ground. My men are in two of the enemy's forts [which was partially true of his dead]; but they are commanded by rifle-pits in the rear. Several prisoners have been taken, who intimate that the rear is strong. At this moment, I am hard pressed." And that was the sum total of our progress in this quarter: the assault of Osterhaus's and Hovey's divisions, farther to our left, having been promptly repulsed by a deadly enfilading fire, which drove them to take shelter FAILURE OF THE GRAND ASSAULT. behind a friendly ridge and remain there; while McArthur's division, which had been ordered by Grant to rëenforce McClernand, proved to be some miles distant, so that it did not arrive till next morning; and Quinby's two brigades came up, fully observed by the enemy, who correspondingly shifted their own forces. When these brigades came to hand, it was nearly dark; and Col. Boomer, commanding one of them, was killed as he led his men into action. Finally, at 8 P. M., our men were recalled from the more advanced and imperiled positions they had taken, leaving pickets to hold the ground solidly gained, wherever that was practicable; and our army sank to rest, having lost nearly 3,000 men in this wasteful assault-a third of them, Grant estimates, by reason of McClernand's mistake in supposing and reporting that he had carried two forts by his initial effort."0 Grant, in his report, gives the following excellent reasons for ordering this assault: "I believed an assault from the position gained by this time could be made successfully. It was known that Johnston was at Canton with the force taken by him from Jackson, reenforced by other troops from the east, and that more were daily reaching him. With the force I had, a short time 80 The diary of a citizen of Vicksburg, who was a resident during the siege, gives the following account of this day's experiences within the city among civilians, who had only to con sult their own safety: "The morning of this day opened in the same manner as the previous one had closed. There had been no lull in the shelling all night; and, as daylight approached, it grew more rapid and furious. Early in the morning, too, the battle began to rage in the rear. A terrible onslaught was made on the center first, and then extended farther to the left, where a terrific struggle took place, resulting in the repulse of the attacking party. Four gunboats also came up to engage the batteries. At this time, the scene presented an awfully sublime and terrific spectacle-three points being attacked at once; to wit, the rifle 313 must have enabled him to attack me in the rear, and possibly to succeed in raising the siege. Possession of Vicksburg at that time would have enabled me to have turned upon Johnston and driven him from the State, and possess myself of all the railroads and practical military highways: thus effectually securing to ourselves all territory west of the Tombigbee; and this before the season was too far advanced for campaigning in this latitude. It would have saved Government sending large rëenforcements, much needed elsewhere; and, finally, the troops themselves were impatient to possess Vicksburg, and would not have worked in the trenches with the same zeal, believing it unnecessary, that they did after their failure to carry the enemy's works.' He afterward adds : "The assault of this day proved the quality of the soldiers of this army. Without entire success, and with a heavy loss, there was no murmuring or complaining, no falling back, nor other evidence of demoralization. mined upon a regular siege. The troops now, being fully awake to the necessity of this, worked diligently and cheerfully. The work progressed rapidly and satisfactorily until the 3d of July, when all was about ready for a final assault." "After the failure of the 22d, I deter Vicksburg was now completely invested; for Porter's gunboats watched the river above and below to prevent any escape to or succor from the Louisiana side; with 13inch mortars and 100-pounder rifled Parrotts mounted on rafts, anchored under the high bank, whence, entirely out of harm's way, they could pits by the enemy in the rear; the city by the mortars opposite; and the batteries by the gunboats. Such cannonading and shelling has perhaps scarcely ever been equaled; and the city was entirely untenable, though women and children were on the streets. It was not safe from behind or before; and every part of the city was alike within range of the Federal guns. gunboats withdrew, after a short engagement; but the mortars kept up the shelling, and the armies continued fighting all day. Several desperate charges were made in force against the lines without accomplishing their object. It would require the pen of a poet to depict the awful sublimity of this day's work-the inces sant booming of cannon and the banging of small arms, intermingled with the howling of shells, and the whistling of Minié-balls, made the day truly most hideous." The 81 throw shell into the city-some of them having a range of 34 miles. We still held military possession of the peninsula opposite, which we had vainly tried to coax the Mississippi to cross; and a 3-gun battery on the levee annoyed the Rebel garrison, finally burning up their foundery, wherein they were casting shot and shell. The Cincinnati had been sunk by the Rebel batteries; but there were five large gunboats left two above and three below the town. And so, keeping a sharp lookout for an attack by Jo. Johnston on his rear, Grant sat down to digging his way into Vicksburg from the east, with a force not very much superior in numbers to that which he had so badly beaten at Champion Hills and the Big Black, and whose capture was now but a question of time. For Pemberton was notoriously short of both provisions 8 and ammunition -42,000 percussion caps having been smuggled in to him after the investment; yet he was ultimately reduced to ten per man. Of his 30,000 men, 6,000 were in hospital, sick or wounded, leaving probably not more than 15,000 thoroughly fit for duty. His hopes of relief were slender; for the Big Black in our rear, with the sharp, wooded ridges among which our besiegers were encamped, afforded strong defensive positions, which were carefully improved. The sheltering woods rendered our camps much cooler than the naked, dusty city; while the 81 May 27. 82 deep ravines gave birth to many welcome springs of cool, sparkling water. Thus our soldiers actually improved in health as they dug their way into Vicksburg; so that, while | Grant could hardly have put 20,000 men into line of battle the day after the unlucky assault, he had many more effectives a month later; beside which, he had been rëenforced by Lauman's division, and by two others from Memphis, under Gen. C. C. Washburne, one drawn from Missouri, under Gen. F. J. Herron, and two divisions of the 9th corps, under Maj.-Gen. J. G. Parke. Our first mine was sprung under a principal fort opposite our center, on the 25th, throwing down a part of its face: a bloody struggle following for its possession, in which we but partially succeeded. Three days later, another face of the same fort was blown off; and now the enemy were obliged to recede a little, constructing or strengthening other defenses behind it; and thus the siege. went on-the rugged ground rendering tedious approaches unnecessary and fort after fort being mined, while counter-mines were run by the enemy-the diggers of either army often hearing the sound of each other's | picks, which gave token that only a thin screen of earth divided them. Had it been essential to dig down those serried heights, which constituted the Gibraltar of the Rebellion, the work would doubtless have been done; but Famine mines more surely June 3: "We are now eating half rations : 82 The diary of John W. Sattenwhite, 6th bread, rice, and corn-meal mixed." June 10 : Missouri (Rebel), who fought throughout the "Our beef gave out to-day. We are now drawsiege, notes, under date of May 26: "We have ing one-quarter of a pound of bacon to the been on half rations of coarse corn-bread and man." June 18: "Our rations changed: 1 poor beef for ten days." June 1: "We are pound of flour, pound of bacon to the man: now eating bean-bread, and half-rations at that." I quite light." NEGOTIATIONS FOR A SURRENDER. 83 315 "HEADQUARTERS, DEP'T OF TENNESSEE, "NEAR VICKSBURG, July 3, 1863. "Lt.-Gen. J. C. PEMBERTON, Commanding Confederate forces, Vicksburg, Miss.: "GENERAL: In conformity with the agreement of this afternoon, I will submit the following propositions for the surrender of the city of Vicksburg, public stores, etc. On your accepting the terms proposed, I will march in one division as a guard, and take possession at 8 A. M. to-morrow. As soon as paroles can be made out and signed by the officers and men, you will be allowed to march out of our lines: the officers taking with them their regimental clothing, and staff, field, and cavalry officers one horse each. The rank and file will be allowed all their clothing, but no other property. If these conditions are accepted, any amount of rations you may deem necessary can be taken from the stores you now have, and also the necessary cooking utensils for preparing them, and thirty wagons also, counting two two-horse or mule teams as one. You will be allowed to transport such articles as can not be carried along. The same conditions will be allowed to all sick and wounded officers and privates, as fast as they become able to travel. The paroles of these latter must be signed, however, whilst offiof prisoners. cers are present authorized to sign the roll and rapidly than any engineer. The | hostilities to remain suspended meanharassed, shattered garrison could time. Accordingly, after conferring better fight on their ramparts than with his Major-Generals, Grant sent starve behind them. At length, after by Gen. Logan and Lt.-Col. Wilson 45 days of isolation, Pemberton, the following letter: hopeless of relief, and at the end of his resources, hung out a white flag in front of Gen. A. J. Smith's division; and our men, sent forward to inquire as to its purport, were informed that Gen. Bowen and Col. Montgomery, of Pemberton's staff, bore a communication from their chief to Gen. Grant. Duly blindfolded, they were taken to Gen. Burbridge's tent, whence their message was communicated to Our commander, and proved to be an application for an armistice, with a view to arranging terms of capitulation. Gen. Grant promptly responded, requiring an unconditional surrender; to which Bowen demurred, expressing a wish to converse with Gen. Grant. This was declined; but a willingness avowed to confer with Gen. Pemberton, if he wished, at such time as he should appoint. Pemberton accordingly named 3 P. M. of that day; at which time, the meeting took place: Pemberton being attended by Bowen and Montgomery; Grant by McPherson, Ord, Logan, and A. J. Smith, beside his staff. Pemberton required that his men should be paroled and marched beyond our lines with eight days' rations drawn from their own stores [they applied to our commissary for rations next day ]; the officers to retain their private property and their body-servants. Grant morrow, I propose to evacuate the works in heard all that they proposed, then and around Vicksburg, and to surrender the broke up the conference, promising marching out with my colors and arms, city and garrison under my command, by to send his answer before night; and stacking them in front of my pres "I am, General, very respectfully, "Your obedient servant, “U. S. Grant, Major-General.” Pemberton responded as follows: "HEADQUARTERS VICKSBURG, "Maj.-Gen. GRANT, com'ding U. S. forces: "GENERAL: I have the honor to acknow ledge the receipt of your communication of this date, proposing terms for the surrender of this garrison and post. In the main, your terms are accepted; but, in justice both to ed in the defense of Vicksburg, I have the the honor and spirit of my troops, manifesthonor to submit the following amendments; which, if acceded to by you, will perfect the agreement between us. At 10 o'clock to 83 July 3, 8 A. M. |