The Plot—General Sherman’s Part—His Successful Feint at Haines’
Bluff—Joins the Main Army—The Advance toward Jackson, the
State Capital—The Victorious Entry of the City—On to Vicksburg
again—Assaults—Siege—Victory—General Sherman goes after
“Joe” Johnston.
DURING the weeks of early spring the deeply laid plot against
Vicksburg ripened into action. Quietly the master mind of the plan to
reach and take it, had laid out the work for his commanders. On
different sides toward the enemy feigned attacks were made to deceive
the rebels. March 29th, the Thirteenth Corps, led by McClernand, made
the advance from Milliken’s Bend, the grand starting-point.
Gen. Sherman, with the Fifteenth Corps, was to bring up the rear, and
would therefore be last to leave in the general advance.
April 28th a message in cipher, _i. e._ secret characters, understood
only by those in correspondence, was received by him from General Grant,
apprising him of the time chosen for an attack on Grand Gulf. It also
informed him that an assault upon Haines’ Bluff, on the Yazoo River,
should “come off” at the same time, if it could be done in a way to be
understood by our loyal people. For, to deceive the enemy and gain
advantage over him, while the pretended attack was thought to be [the]
real one, ending in defeat, would depress the national feeling, and do
more harm than good. This was the problem for General Sherman to solve.
He was sure he could make the affair understood by his troops, and those
for whom they were fighting would not long be in the dark. He therefore
took ten steamers, and embarking with his true-hearted warriors, started
from Milliken’s Bend for the Yazoo. The spectacle was beautiful—itself
a _deception_ when contrasted with the havoc and horrors of conflict.
When the fleet steamed into the mouth of the river, other vessels were
waiting to join in the _ruse_. The whole number of boats then moved,
April 29th, to the Chickasaw Bayou. The morning of the following day the
fleet pushed forward to the fort. Now came preparation for action in the
gunboats of Admiral Porter, the stir of the gunners about their massive
engines of destruction. A few moments later the thunder of bombardment
opened, and for four hours it echoed over the works and waters. The
gunboats then retired out of range, and General Sherman landed his
force, while the rebels looked on, expecting an immediate attack by him.
No sooner had the last soldier left the transports than the naval force
advanced and renewed the fire on the fortress. General Sherman saw that
the feint had succeeded, the foe was getting ready to resist an assault.
Says General Grant in his official report: “To prevent heavy
reënforcements going from Vicksburg to the assistance of the Grand Gulf
forces, I directed Sherman to make a demonstration on Haines’ Bluff, and
to make all the show possible. From information since received from
prisoners captured, this ruse succeeded admirably.”
Meanwhile, the magnificent naval scene in the passing of Vicksburg by
Admiral Porter’s fleet, and the unrivalled and romantic raid of Colonel
Grierson through the heart of the enemy’s country to Baton Rouge,
cutting railroads southeasterly of the same defiant Gibraltar, gave
their promise of success to the bold plans of General Grant.
While General Sherman was frightening the enemy, and learning his
strength and positions, General Grant sent for the heroic commander. He
at once forwarded to Grand Gulf the two divisions of his corps left at
Milliken’s Bend; and soon as the night covered his feints on the Yazoo,
sailed down the tide to his encampment at Young’s Point. Nor did he
pause long here. With all his troops, excepting a garrison to hold the
position, he hastened to Hard Times, four miles from Grand Gulf, which
you will see lies on the banks of the Mississippi in Louisiana. It was a
remarkable march of sixty-three miles in about five days. The columns
reached Hard Times on the morning of the 6th, and the same evening
commenced crossing the ferry to join General Grant.
And now began in earnest the great movement of the army toward
Vicksburg; for here the supply-wagons were furnished and in line of
march, arrangements made to send on more when needed, and the long
cavalcade put in motion. General Sherman commanded at Hard Times upon
General Grant’s advance, till the provision for the many thousand troops
was completed. Unless you have seen this part of army-work, you have no
idea of the immense scale on which it is conducted. There are miles of
wagons, hundreds of horses and mules to draw them, and an army of
teamsters to drive the brute muscle of the campaign. The gigantic
locomotive storehouse moved toward Hawkinson’s Ferry on the Black River,
where the commander-in-chief was waiting for it and Sherman’s Corps.
While this deliberate and determined progress was made, the
Mississippians were getting alarmed. The Governor of Mississippi issued
a flaming proclamation, calling upon the people “to awake and join their
brothers in arms, who were baring their bosoms to the storm of battle in
defence of all they held dear.”
On May 12th, “Generals Sherman and McClernand had skirmishing at
Fourteen-Mile Creek, and McPherson a successful engagement at Raymond.
Sherman and McPherson then started for Jackson, the capital of
Mississippi, the former on the turnpike road, the latter on the Clinton
road. The rain fell in torrents, making the roads at first slippery and
then miry. But the troops marched without straggling, and in the best of
spirits, about fourteen miles, and engaged the enemy about twelve
o’clock M., near Jackson. The wily rebel General Johnston, in command
there, made a vigorous feint of resisting Sherman’s progress by posting
infantry and artillery on the south side of the city, meanwhile moving
nearly all his force against McPherson. But Sherman at once penetrated
this device, by sending a reconnoitring party to his right, which
flanked the position. The enemy retreated, after a heavy engagement with
McPherson, who had beaten him. From Jackson McPherson and McClernand
turned to Bolton; but Sherman was left at Jackson, and effectually
destroyed the railroads, bridges, factories, workshops, arsenals, and
every thing valuable for the support of the enemy. General Grant
meanwhile, with the other two corps, had gained the decisive victories
of Champion’s Hill on the 16th of May, and Big Black River on the 17th.
Early on the former day he sent for Sherman ‘to move with all possible
speed until he came up with the main force near Bolton. The despatch
reached him at ten minutes past seven A. M., and his advance division
was in motion in one hour from that time.’ The other followed on its
heels, and both reached Bolton that night, by a forced march of twenty
miles. There orders came to keep on to Bridgeport; and by noon of the
next day the march to Bridgeport was accomplished. There Sherman assumed
the advance, starting before dawn of May 18, and rapidly marched toward
Vicksburg. By a quick detour to the right he managed to throw himself
before night on Walnut Hills, in a brilliant manœuvre, and thereby
established communication between the army and the fleet in the Yazoo.
On these latter movements of Sherman the comment of General Grant is as
follows:—‘His demonstration at Haines’ Bluff, in April, to hold the
enemy about Vicksburg, while the army was securing a foothold east of
the Mississippi; his rapid marches to join the army afterwards; his
management at Jackson, Mississippi, in the first attack; his almost
unequalled march from Jackson to Bridgeport, and passage of the Black
River; his securing Walnut Hills on the 18th of May, attest his great
merit as a soldier.’
“General Grant first determined to carry Vicksburg by assault, and
ordered a general attack for two o’clock of the 19th of May. General
Sherman was, curiously enough, on the ground he had before gallantly but
vainly striven to take, in December, having now seized it from the rear
without a struggle. Promptly at the hour his men rushed to the work. The
interval was a broad reach, rugged and broken with deep ravines, and
strewed with abatis or felled timber, and with groves of standing trees.
It would have been a rough and impenetrable region even if unswept with
artillery. But in truth the enemy’s cannon, carefully disposed, raked
and enfiladed almost every step. But the order was Forward! and forward
went the gallant brigade of General A. L. Lee, of Osterhaus’s division,
and, struggling across the impediments, gained the crest of one of the
ridges and planted the colors of the Thirteenth infantry on the enemy’s
first line of works. The charge cost this regiment six officers and
seventy-seven men killed and wounded out of two hundred and fifty. The
column was then called off and covered from fire. General Grant’s report
says: ‘The Fifteenth Army Corps, _from having arrived in front of the
enemy’s works in time_ on the 18th to get a good position, were enabled
to make a vigorous assault. The Thirteenth and Seventeenth Corps
succeeded no further than to gain advanced positions covered from the
fire of the enemy.’ On the morning of the 22d, a second and more
terrific assault was made by all three corps, preceded by a tremendous
cannonading from guns and mortars, mingled with the heavy booming from
the entire fleet. The orders were to advance without firing a musket.
The army dashed forward across ravines and ditches, over ground covered
with artful tangles of cane and grapevines, to find only new
difficulties. Yet so far did some of the gallant brigades advance as to
lie underneath the guns of the fort, while hand-grenades and lighter
shells were hurled over the parapet among them. The assault is worthy to
be mentioned with the names of Mamelon, Vert, and Malakoff. But, like
the Crimean stronghold, this Sebastopol of the Mississippi could only be
carried by assault after a protracted siege. With fearful loss, the
gallant army was retired from the unequal fight, and regular approaches
commenced. The conduct, triumphant issue, and joyful results of the
siege, are familiar. On the 4th of July, 1863, after a campaign of
extraordinary energy, the unconditional surrender of Vicksburg closed up
a series of movements of which General Halleck declares, ‘No more
brilliant exploit can be found in military history.’
“While, however, the rest of the army, on the national holiday, moved
into the city they had won, to rejoice in their success, and to rest
after exhausting labors, for Sherman and his corps there was still work
in hand. About a fortnight before the surrender, General Joe Johnston
was threatening the rear of the besieging army with a large improvised
force. Grant at once sent this message to Sherman: ‘You must whip
Johnston fifteen miles from here.’ But Johnston drew back upon Jackson,
and General Sherman was notified to be ready to start against the latter
place on July 6th. ‘I placed Major-General Sherman in command of all the
troops designated to look after Johnston. Johnston, however, not
attacking, I determined to attack him the moment Vicksburg was in our
possession, and accordingly notified Sherman that I would again make an
assault on Vicksburg at daylight of the 6th, and for him to have up
supplies of all descriptions ready to move upon receipt of orders if the
assault should prove a success. His preparations were immediately made,
and when the place surrendered on the 4th, _two days earlier_ than I had
fixed for the attack, _Sherman was found ready, and moved at once_ with
a force increased by the remainder of both the Thirteenth and Fifteenth
Army Corps, and is at present (July 6th) investing Jackson, where
Johnston has made a stand.’
“General Sherman was now intrusted with the chief part of General
Grant’s army: he moved so quickly that the latter was able to telegraph
to Washington, July 12th, ‘General Sherman has Jackson invested from
Pearl River on the north to the river on the south. This has cut off
many hundred cars from the Confederacy. General Sherman says he has
force enough, and feels no apprehension about the result.’”
Nor was there occasion to fear; for the rebel chief was under the eye of
a lion in war’s arena, that never missed his prey when fairly within his
reach.