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| Ruins of Bishop Green's House. |
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| Bridge Prison at Jackson. |
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with the venerable prelate from Vicksburg to Jackson.
A hotel near the railway station, kept by a violent rebel known as Dick Edwards, called the “Confederate House,” was a special object of the wrath of the Union soldiers, because, when General Prentiss and his fellow-prisoners were taken to Jackson by railway, after the battle of Shiloh,1 the proprietor refused the famished soldiers food or drink, and the women, who crowded the galleries in front of his house, sent boys to the captives with insulting,
and, in some cases indecent messages.
The building was reduced to ashes, and when the writer was there, three years afterward, only a few scattered bricks lying among rank grass marked its site.
Another object of their hatred was soon demolished.
It was a portion of an old covered bridge over the Pearl River, which had been inclosed and converted into a prison for Union captives.
There, over the often turbulent waters, in cold and storm, they had been crowded b and most cruelly treated.
Two or three were in it when Sherman's troops took possession of the town.
It seems to have been selected by the Confederates as a place to torture and permanently disable their captives in, as was their practice elsewhere, for they had many other places in the city in which to confine prisoners.
When Sherman had completed his work of destruction, he fell back by way of Clinton, across the Big Black, toward Vicksburg, followed by a great multitude of negroes, of both sexes and all ages.
Most of these were the infirm and children, the able-bodied having been sent farther south by their masters.
On Sherman's departure, some Confederate troops in the vicinity re-entered Jackson, and burned Bowman's large hotel, because he had given shelter to wounded National soldiers.
By Sherman's operations, Vicksburg was secured from all danger of an immediate attack.
Grant proceeded to cast up a line of strong works for its defense,2 and sent out expeditions to other places.
1 See page 273, volume II.
2 These works were completed at the beginning of 1864. They were three miles in length, extending around the city from river to river. The entire line, including eleven batteries, was called Fort Grant. The batteries were named and located as follows:--Battery Rawlins, on the Warrenton road, half a mile south of the town. Battery Castle (site of Mr. Burwell's house), near the railroad bridge, on the prolongation of Washington Street. Battery Comstock, in the southeastern portion of the town, on Crawford Street, near the residence of Mr. Willis. Battery Clark, in the eastern part of the city, between Grove and Jackson Streets. Battery Boomer, one half mile east of the city, on the Jackson road. Battery Sherman, one hundred yards in advance of Battery Wilson, between Jackson road and Win bayou. Battery Crocker, three-fourths of a mile north of Win bayou. Battery Ransom, one-fourth of a mile north of Fort Crocker. Battery Smith, one-fourth of a mile west of Ransom. Battery Hickenlooper, one mile north of the city, on the Valley road. I am indebted to Captain William J. White, aid-de-camp of General T. J. Hood. for the information contained in this note. See note 1, page 616, volume II,
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