to their guns. The bluffs are a sheet of flame. The Confederates set a block of houses at the front of the bluff on fire to light up the river, but at two o'clock all the gunboats and all but one of the transports are safely moored at Hard Times. The transport Henry Clay is the only vessel lost -set on fire by a shell. On the night of the 22d five more river steamers safely passed the batteries.

Just below the mouth of the Big Black is Grand Gulf-a landingplace on the east side of the river, where the bluffs rise seventy-five feet above the water, and where the Confederates had erected a line of `batteries. In the upper battery were two seven-inch rifled guns, one eightinch smooth-bore, and a 30-pound rifled cannon. Three-quarters of a mile farther down were one eight-inch smooth-bore, two 32-pounders, and one 100-pound rifle and five smaller cannon.

At 7 A.M. on the morning of April 29th the gunboats attacked the batteries. The Confederates' cannon could send their shot and shell straight down upon the boats, which suffered so much that at one o'clock they withdrew. General Grant saw a better way.

At eight o'clock in the evening the gunboats and the transports ran past these batteries and came to anchor four miles below. While this was going on General McClernand's troops were marching from Hard Times to Mr. De Shroon's plantation.

At daylight, April 30th, 18,000 troops were drawn up in long lines on the bank of the river. The steamboats ran out their planks, the regiments went on board, and at noon they were on the eastern shore.

General Pemberton was greatly perplexed. He had more than 60,000 men, but they were widely scattered. At Vicksburg there were 22,000; at Port Hudson, 16,000; at Grand Gulf, 2500; at Fort Pemberton, on the Yazoo, more than one hundred miles from Vicksburg, 7000. While General Grant and a portion of the gunboats were moving down the river, General Sherman and the rest of the fleet (eight gunboats) were threatening to attack at Haines's Bluff, on the Yazoo. At that moment a cavalry force under General Grierson was sweeping south the whole length of the State, destroying bridges and railroads.

It was startling news which came to Pemberton over the wires on the evening of the 30th-that a great body of Union troops had crossed the river and was marching north-east from the plantation of Mr. Bruin towards Port Gibson, on the south side of the Big Black, ten miles south-east of Grand Gulf. He saw that it was not at Haines's Bluff, north of Vicksburg, but that south and east of the city was the great danger. Grant was threatening his rear. He sent telegrams in all directions for troops at

Granada, Columbus, Meridian, and other points, to hasten to Jackson, the capital of the State. He sent Tracy's and Baldwin's brigades to Port Gibson to join General Green and oppose Grant's advance.

At daylight, May 1st, General Carr's division of McClernand's corps came upon the Confederate pickets at Magnolia church, three miles west of Port Gibson.

The Confederates were commanded by General Bowen, who had 8500 men, and who posted them across the road near the church, in a strong position on uneven ground, with a canebrake in front. They fought stubbornly, but were driven, losing 60 killed, 340 wounded, 600 prisoners, and a battery. The battle was fought by McClernand's corps. General Bowen retreated, burning the bridge over the south fork of the Bayou Pierre.

The Union troops pressed on, entered Port Gibson, rebuilt the bridge, marched eight miles to the north fork, found the bridge there on fire, extinguished the flames, put in new timbers, and at daybreak, May 3d, the army was moving across it.

General Pemberton hurried up reinforcements, swelling the Confederate force to 17,000; but Bowen saw that he must retreat still farther. He crossed the Big Black to the northern bank and blew up the batteries at Grand Gulf. The gunboats took possession of that place, and Grant made it his base of supplies..

"Join me as quickly as possible," was the order sent April 29th by Grant to Sherman, who was at Haines's Bluff on the Yazoo, and who received it the next morning.

"Take up your line of march for Hard Times," was Sherman's order to General Steele and General Tuttle, commanding divisions at Milliken's Bend. In the darkness his own and Blair's divisions moved away from before Haines's Bluff to Milliken's Bend, and thence began their march for Hard Times.

"Organize a train of one hundred and twenty wagons," was Grant's order to Sherman.

The wagons worked their way through the woods and over the corduroy roads to Hard Times, and were ferried across the river to Grand Gulf. Sherman's troops crossed, and on May 7th the whole army was on the east bank of the river.

General Grant had planned a campaign which must be carried out with great energy. He proposed not to march directly upon Vicksburg, but to push north-east to Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, capture it, destroy the railroad, then turn abont. march west, cross the Big Black,

and drive the Confederates from Haines's Bluff and open communication with the Yazoo River. The one hundred and twenty wagons would carry only five days' rations. When those were gone the army must live on whatever corn and bacon they could find in the granaries and smokehouses of the plantations.

His troops were the Thirteenth Corps (McClernand), Fifteenth Corps (Sherman), Seventeenth Corps (McPherson). They marched north-east.

At daylight, May 12th, Logan's division of McPherson's corps came upon the Confederate pickets at Fourteen Mile Creek, a small tributary of the Big Black. They belonged to Gregg's brigade, which had come in hot haste from Port Hudson to dispute Grant's advance to Jackson. Gregg was driven, losing more than five hundred men and two cannon.

A railroad runs east from Vicksburg to Jackson, crossing the Big Black at Bovina. Edwards's Station is the first east of the Big Black. The town of Raymond is fourteen miles south-east of Edwards's Station, and the same distance from Jackson. Clinton is the first station on the railroad west of Jackson.

"Grant cannot live long for want of provisions," was the message sent by Jefferson Davis, in Richmond, to Pemberton.

"Proceed at once to Mississippi and take chief command of the forces there," was Davis's message to Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, who arrived at Jackson May 13th, just as Gregg, with Walker's brigade, was coming into the city after being defeated at Raymond.

"I am too late," was the message which flew over the wire to Richmond from Johnston.

"Vicksburg must be held at all hazards," was the despatch to Pemberton from Jefferson Davis, who was undertaking to direct affairs. Johnston had laid his plans to concentrate the scattered Confederate troops, and defeat Grant in a pitched battle. Pemberton was holding Vicksburg, and had his army scattered along the Big Black at the several ferries.

General Grant saw that he must act with great energy, move east, wipe out the forces gathering at Jackson under Johnston, then turn and confront Pemberton, cut off his communications, open his own, and pen him up in Vicksburg.

There was excitement in Richmond and also in Washington. General Grant had not informed General Halleck of his plans, but had exercised his own judgment as to what he ought to do. General Halleck was angry at what he regarded as rashness and disobedience on the part of General Grant, and sent a despatch ordering him to turn back, go down