the river, unite his forces with those of General Banks, and attack Port Hudson.

Through the winter and spring Grant has been trying to get at Vicksburg. He has made such slow progress that the Confederates have laughed at him. It has never occurred to them that he might suddenly abandon the attempt to get in at the front door and make his appearance with a loud knocking at the back door. But there he is, and whatever is done to stop him must be done quickly by Pemberton and Johnston.

The rain is pouring on the morning of May 14th, but there is great activity in Jackson. General Johnston is loading supplies, ammunition, and baggage of every description into the cars. He knows that Grant is pushing east to capture the city. He has only Gregg's and Walker's troops to oppose him. He posts Gregg on the road leading to Raymond, facing west, and Walker on the Clinton road, leading north, and hopes that they will be able to hold the intrenchments till General Maxey arrives from Port Hudson with a brigade, and Colonel Gist with another from South Carolina, which will give him eleven thousand. They are only twenty-four hours distant.

Through the morning the Union soldiers stood in the pelting rain. They could not handle their cartridges; but at noon the clouds cleared, and Sherman advanced against Gregg, and McPherson against Walker.

The

Crocker's division was in the front on McPherson's line, Logan in his rear, with Stevenson's brigade on the left to flank the Confederates. conflict began in a thicket a mile in front of the Confederate breastworks. Crocker's men quickly cleared the woods.

Going south-west, we see
General Johnston acts

McPherson waited to hear from Sherman. Sherman's artillery beginning the cannonade. with admirable prudence. He orders the Confederate artillery and skirmishers to keep up a continuous fire. He sees that he cannot resist the combined attack of McPherson and Sherman, and while his seventeen cannon are flashing, Walker and Gregg are hastening northward. It was three o'clock before Sherman was ready to advance. When his troops moved on they found only a line of skirmishers and the artillerymen, who surrendered, two hundred and fifty in number, with ten

cannon.

Crocker's division at the same time rushed across the open field, drove the Confederates, capturing seven guns and several hundred prisoners. With drums beating and colors flying, the Union troops entered the city and flung out the Stars and Stripes above the capital.

A cotton warehouse with a steam-engine and machinery, which Sherman thought might be of value to the Confederates if not destroyed, was set on fire by his orders. Soldiers with crow-bars and sledges tore up the tracks of the railroads. There were

Mechanicsville

BLAIR

Vernon

Brownsville

Clinton

VICKSBURG

Raymond

Grand Gulf
Bayou Pierre
Port Gibson.

Bruinsburg

NACKSON

GRANT'S MOVEMENT IN REAR OF VICKS-
BURG.

barrels of flour, bacon, and ham in the warehouses which Johnston had not been able to take away, and the Union soldiers, who had had little to eat since crossing the Mississippi, satisfied their hunger with the captured food. General Grant supposed that Johnston would retreat southward, but he was, instead, marching towards Clinton, northward, hoping to join Pemberton. He did not comprehend the meaning of Grant's movement; neither did Pemberton understand it. General Johnston had ordered Pemberton to march north-eastward towards Clinton, hoping thus to join the two forces and make an army large enough to resist Grant. Pemberton called a council of his officers. They were divided in opinion as to what ought to be done. He decided at last not to march to join Johnston, but to attack Grant's rear, not seeing that what on the 14th was the rear, on the 15th would be Grant's front. The Union troops were no longer moving east, but all were facing west-Hovey's, Logan's, and Crocker's divisions at Bolton Station, marching along the rail

east and join his superior. He did not realize that, while his troops were scattered, Grant at sunset on the night of May 15th had thirty-two thou

sand men at hand. Pemberton had eighty regiments, with about twentyfive thousand men.

On the south side of the railroad, half-way between Edwards's and Bolton stations, was the plantation of Mr. Champion, on a hill which rises seventy-five feet above the surrounding plain and extends southward more than a mile. The road from Clinton running west winds along the eastern base, joins the Middle road, which runs along the southern slope, and crosses Baker's Creek.

It was nearly eight o'clock on the morning of the 16th of May when A. J. Smith's division, which had bivouacked near Mr. Elliston's house, moving west along the Raymond road, came upon Loring's division of Pemberton's army. Bowen's Confederate division was next in line towards Champion's Hill, while Stevenson's division was at the foot of the hill, near the junction of the Clinton and Middle roads. Pemberton's troops were all hastening north with the intention of joining Johnston, but suddenly found that they must fight a battle. Hovey's Union division was advancing rapidly towards the hill, with Logan close at hand and Crocker not far behind. At ten o'clock there was a rattling fire along the picket lines. Both armies were deploying-Hovey's division of Grant's army at the turn of the road, facing west; Logan's, moving by the right flank, holds the right of the line, his men facing south.

In front of Logan was Barton's Confederate brigade; in front of Hovey, Lee's and Cummings's brigades. Hovey began the attack, his left flank pushing up the hill, advancing step by step, charging upon Cummings's brigade, capturing eleven cannon.

J. E. Smith's and another brigade of Logan's division advanced on Hovey's right, but met with a stubborn resistance.

General Logan halted a soldier who was making his way to the rear. "The rebels are awful thick up there, general," the soldier said.

"Then that is the place to shoot them," was the answer.

Logan brought up his reserve brigade-Stevenson's. We are not to forget that the Confederate general Stevenson commanded a division, while the Union general Stevenson commanded a brigade. The Union Stevenson's men rushed across a ravine, striking the Confederate line between Barton's and Lee's brigades and captured seven guns.

Things had gone badly with the Confederate Stevenson, but help was at hand. Bowen arrived, Cockrell's brigade in advance, with Green's behind it. They came upon Hovey's flank, forcing the Union troops down the hill and back through Mr. Champion's fields, compelling them to abandon all but two of the eleven cannon captured.