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Halleck answered
Farragut's letter on the 3d of July as follows:--
The scattered and weakened condition of my forces renders it impossible for me at the present moment to detach any, to co-operate with you on
Vicksburg.
Probably I shall be able to do so as soon as I can get my troops more concentrated.
This may delay the clearing of the river, but its accomplishment will be certain in a few weeks.
Allow me to congratulate you on your great successes.
On the 15th of July
Halleck sent the following communication to the
Secretary of War in answer to his letter:--
I cannot at present give
Commodore Farragut any aid against
Vicksburg.
I am sending reinforcements to
General Curtis in
Arkansas, and to
General Buell in
Tennessee and
Kentucky.
Now let us look a moment at the position of
Beauregard's army, the only great force against
Halleck.
Both armies had lain for months in the condition of two men where one is afraid to fight and the other dares not.
Halleck says his troops were “not concentrated.”
Why were they not?
On the 10th of June
Beauregard wrote to
Lovell, commanding at
Vicksburg, as follows:--
With regard to Vicksburg, as already stated, I regard its fate as sealed.
You may defend it for awhile to hold the enemy at bay, but it must follow ere long the fate of Fort Pillow.
How important
Davis thought
Vicksburg was, is shown by his letter of the 14th of June, 1862, to
General Smith, commanding at
Vicksburg:--
