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for the surrender of the city of
Vicksburg, public stores, &c. On your accepting the terms proposed, I will march one division, as a guard, and take possession at eight A. M., to-morrow.
As soon as rolls can be made out and paroles signed by officers and men, you will be allowed to march out of our lines, the officers taking with them their side-arms and clothing, and the field, staff, and cavalry officers, one horse each.
The rank and file will be allowed all their clothing, but no other property.
If these conditions are accepted, any amount of rations you may deem necessary can be taken from the stores you now have, and also the necessary cooking utensils for preparing them; thirty wagons also, counting two two-horse wagons or mule teams as one, will be allowed to transport such articles as cannot be carried along.
The same conditions will be allowed to all sick and wounded officers and soldiers, as fast as they become able to travel.
The paroles of these latter must be signed, however, whilst officers are present authorized to sign the roll of prisoners.
I am, General, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
This letter was immediately submitted to a council of
General officers.
My own inclination was to reject these terms, but, after some discussion, I addressed
General Grant as follows:
General: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of this date, proposing terms of capitulation for this garrison and post.
In the main, your terms are accepted; but, in justice both to the honor and spirit of my troops, I have to submit the following amendments, which, if acceded to by you, will perfect the agreement between us: At ten A. M. to-morrow, I propose to evacuate the works in and around
Vicksburg, and to surrender the city and garrison under my command, by marching out with my colors and arms, stacking them in front of my present lines, after which you will take possession; officers to retain their side-arms and personal property, and the right and property of citizens to be respected.
I am, General, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
Early on the morning of the fourth, the following reply was received:
Headqurters Department of the Tennessee, before
Vicksburg, July 4, 1863.
General: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your communication of third instant.
The amendments proposed by you cannot be acceded to in full.
It will be necessary to furnish every officer and man with a parole, signed by himself, which, with the completion of the roll of prisoners, will necessarily take some time.
Again, I can make no stipulations with regard to the treatment of citizens and their private property; while I do not propose to cause them any undue annoyance or loss, I cannot consent to have myself under any restraint by stipulations.
The property which officers will be allowed to take with them, will be as stated in my proposition of last evening; that is, officers will be allowed their private baggage and side-arms, and mounted officers one horse each.
If you mean by your proposition for each brigade to march to the front of the line now occupied by it, and stack arms at ten o'clock A. M., and return to the inside and remain as prisoners until properly paroled, I will make no objection to it. Should no notification be received of your acceptance of my terms by nine o'clock A. M., I shall regard them as having been rejected, and shall act accordingly.
Should these terms be. accepted, white flags should be displayed along your lines, to prevent such of my troops as may not have been notified, from firing upon your men.
I am, General, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
In response to this note, I immediately dispatched the following, accepting the terms of surrender as modified by
General Grant:
General: I have the honor to acknowledge the recent of your communication of this date, and in reply to say that the terms proposed by you are accepted.
Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
These terms, it may be proper to say, were approved by every division and brigade commander, with one exception (
Brigadier-General Baldwin), who, without offering any objection to them, insisted upon holding out, but assigned no reason for it. In accordance with this agreement, the garrison was surrendered at ten o'clock A. M., and the
Federal forces immediately took possession of our works and placed guards in the city.
If it should be asked why the Fourth of July was selected for the day of the surrender, the answer is obvious.
I believed that on that day I should obtain better terms.
Well aware of the Vanity of our foes, I knew they would attach vast importance to the entrance on the Fourth of July into the stronghold of the great river, and that, to gratify their national vanity, they would yield then what could not be extorted from them at any other time.
This question of time was also
