Major — I have the honor to make the following report of the operations of the troops under my command during the recent conflict with the enemy, resulting in his abandoning his attack upon the city of
Vicksburg.
The enemy's transports commenced making their appearance near the mouth of the
Yazoo on Christmas day, when, in compliance with orders from
Major-General Smith, I took charge in person of the defence of the swamp from the city to Snyder's mills.
Between that point and the city runs the
Swamp road at the foot of the bluffs,--the average distance of the road from the
Yazoo being about two and a half miles. The country between the road and the
Yazoo is heavy bottom — and intersected by sloughs and bayous — containing the plantations of
Captain W. H. Johnson,
Mrs. Lake and
Colonel Blake; the first two being below
Chickasaw bayou, which bayou separated
Mrs. Lake's plantation from
Colonel Blake's. The bayou runs back from the
Yazoo and makes the half way point between the city and Snyder's mills.
A lake and swamp run almost parallel to the road from near the city to Snyder's mills, and at an average distance from it of about one-third of a mile,
