army, and as Sherman's advance now in the right front was hastening its march to the river at Bridgeport on the direct road to Hayne's Bluff, the future base of supplies, the train was sent to him. The bridge was promptly laid, and by the time Pemberton was safe inside his works, Sherman was well on his way to the new base on the Yazoo, which, before noon of the next day, was safely within his control. But McClernand's corps on the railroad, and McPherson's, with its right at Amsterdam, had also to cross the river without delay, and to this end it was necessary to build three additional bridges out of such materials as could be found at hand. The duty of designing and supervising their construction was mine. Fortunately, the task turned out to be a simple one. The first bridge was made of the dry trestlework timbers, which were cut down, dragged to the water one by one, rafted into place and kept steady by longitudinal side rails, all lashed firmly together and connected at both ends with proper land approaches. The actual work was most efficiently directed by Lieutenant Hains of the regular engineers.

The second bridge, two miles above, was made of cotton bales fastened end to end with a framework of scantling taken from nearby plantation houses and covered by joists and flooring held together by rack lashings applied in the usual manner.

The third, at Amsterdam, was like the first, but the dry timbers composing it were obtained by tearing down cotton gins and barns in and near the village, dragging them to the river, and making a solid raft of them across the sluggish stream. The practical work on the second and third was ably and

rapidly done by Captain Hickenlooper, McPherson's chief engineer, and all were ready for the troops to begin crossing before sun-up. Each served its purpose perfectly. Counting these improvised bridges, as well as those used between Milliken's Bend, New Carthage, and Bruinsburg on the west side of the Mississippi, there were between five thousand and six thousand feet of such bridges constructed during the Vicksburg campaign, and what is still more noteworthy is the fact that most of them were built during the night, so that no part of the army was compelled to delay its march while the bridges were under construction.

While the work was under way, Grant, Rawlins, Dana, and I spent the time together, passing from bridge site to bridge site, encouraging officers and men in their novel and necessary work. And no one could witness what was done on the Big Black without conceiving the deepest admiration for the American volunteer soldier and his unequaled capacity for the practical work of bridge building. It was only necessary to indicate and briefly explain what was wanted and leave him to do the rest. Other soldiers may be as courageous as he, but none can beat him in the general business of campaigning. He is at all times alert, active, and intelligent, and, I must add, I never saw a man or an officer of volunteers hesitate to obey orders. All he ever needs is reasonable certainty as to what is expected of him and then, if fairly well instructed and led, he is not only obedient but invincible. As General Grant used to say, "the common soldiers are as smart as town folks," and when the campaign is going right, which they are quick to perceive, they show their satisfaction

by the cheerfulness with which they march and the spirit with which they fight. All this was especially noticeable in the campaign east of the river which, from start to finish, was as gay and far more exciting than a picnic excursion, while its skirmishes and battles were "gentle and joyous jousts" which would have gladdened the hearts of the Knights at Ashby de la Zouche.

VIII

SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF VICKSBURG

First assault-Complete investment-Hot weather-Grant rides the lines-McClernand relieved-Close investment-Pemberton surrenders-Reorganization of volunteer army.

Grant's army, having closed in on Vicksburg, made a spirited effort the next morning to rush the enemy's entrenchments, but owing principally to the rough and unknown ground, covered by fallen trees and entanglements, the assault was necessarily too broken and disjointed to succeed. It was justified, however, by the chance that it would find the enemy too much discouraged and demoralized to make an effective defense or too much spread out to fully cover his whole line. According to precedent such a dash might have succeeded the evening before, immediately after our troops arrived on the ground, but the marching columns had to find their places and deploy, which on a strange terrain took too much time. Later in the war, darkness, which came on before the troops got fully into position, might have favored a successful attack, as at Selma and Columbus, in 1865, but in May, 1863, no one had had sufficient experience to venture upon such an undertaking. Besides the troops, having been march

ing and fighting constantly for three weeks, were both tired and short of regular supplies, and this made it advisable to give them a rest while roads were being opened and rations, ammunition, and clothing were coming forward from the transports at Chickasaw Landing.

Within three days all wants were sufficiently supplied to warrant a general assault, but the enemy had also pulled himself together and strengthened his position to such an extent as to make it secure. The assault was made, and although the national troops reached the entrenchments at several salients, and actually broke through at one, the general result was a complete failure, the details and causes of which have already been sufficiently set forth elsewhere in this narrative.

A complete investment and a regular siege necessarily followed, during which the officers and men displayed the same high qualities that characterized their deeds in the previous stages of the campaign. It will be remembered that there were present at first only six, and at no time more than eight, West Point officers, including Grant, and from first to last not a single experienced engineer soldier. But withal the siege operations, including sapping, mining, the construction of roads, approaches, shelters, parallels, places d'armes, and siege materials of all kinds, including even wooden siege mortars, were carried forward with as much order, regularity, and perfection as would have been practicable in any European army. It was slow, heavy, and exacting work, which tried the patience and strength of all from highest to lowest. The hot weather of June was at hand and soon began to tell heavily upon the spirits