Chapter 23:
- Vicksburg, the second prize of the war. -- Gen. Grant. -- what his persistency was worth. -- his New scheme of attack. -- two parts of the enterprise. -- Porter's gunboats run the batteries. -- Grant's march from Milliken's Bend. -- blindness of Gen. Pemberton at Vicksburg. -- antecedents and character of this commander. -- his extreme incompetency. -- President Davis blamed. -- his caprice and obstinacy. -- Grant crosses the Mississippi and moves towards Port Gibson. -- Gen. Johnston's telegram to Pemberton. -- critical opportunity of the campaign. -- Pemberton refuses to use it, and disregards Johnston's despatch. -- battle of Port Gibson. -- extraordinary valour of Bowen's command. -- Grant turns grand Gulf and moves upon Jackson. -- Gen. Johnston's arrival at Jackson. -- situation and strength of the Confederate forces. -- evacuation of Jackson. -- Johnston offers a second opportunity of attack to Pemberton. -- the latter disobeys the order and commits a fatal error. -- Sherman's incendiary record in Jackson. -- his use of the fire-brand. -- Grant forces battle upon Pemberton. -- battle of Baker's Creek. -- tremendous exertions of Stevenson's division. -- Gen. Loring fails to support him, remains inactive, and is cut off in the retreat. -- Pemberton's New position upon the Big Black. -- its strength. -- it is shamefully abandoned. -- disgraceful retreat of Pemberton's army. -- the fate of Vicksburg virtually decided at the Big Black. -- Gen. Johnston orders the evacuation of Vicksburg. -- Pemberton entrapped there. -- siege and surrender of Vicksburg. -- confidence of the garrison restored. -- prospect of relief from Johnston. -- how it was visionary. -- two assaults of the enemy repulsed. -- painful operations of siege. -- sufferings of the garrison. -- Johnston has some hope of extricating the garrison. -- Taylor's attack and repulse at Milliken's Bend. -- Pemberton's despatch to Johnston. -- the reply: “something may yet be done to save Vicksburg.” -- Johnston prepares to attack on 7th July. -- Pemberton surrenders on Fourth of July. -- his conference with Grant. -- a terrible day's work. -- extent of the disaster to the Confederate cause. -- surrender of Port Hudson. -- other events in the region of the Mississippi connected with the fall of Vicksburg. -- operations in the Trans-Mississippi. -- battle of Helena. -- object of Gen. Holmes' movement on Helena. -- an extraordinary march. -- an extraordinary council of war. -- Gen. Price protests against an attack. -- he is ordered to take “Graveyard” fort. -- he succeeds. -- the other attacks fail. -- disastrous retreat of Gen. Holmes. -- the campaign in Lower Louisiana. -- Gen. Taylor's capture of Braslear city and its forts -- his operations in the Lafourche country. -- his successes neutralized by the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson. -- Banks returns to New Orleans and the enemy holds the entire line of the Mississippi
The object of the enemy's operations, second to Richmond, was distinctly the possession of Vicksburg and the opening of the whole length of the Mississippi River. Enormous efforts had been made to obtain these two great prizes. Five attempts upon Richmond had failed. Three at tempts upon Vicksburg — that of Porter's fleet; that of Sherman's army; and that of Grant, which may be designated as an attempt to force a passage to the rear of the town, including the project of a canal across the isthmus and the enterprises known as the Yazoo Pass and Sunflower Expeditions-had accomplished nothing. Foiled again at Chancellorsville, in the great aim of the Virginia campaign, the enemy turned with renewed vigour upon the second object of the war, and public attention was immediately directed to the great campaign likely to decide the fate of the Mississippi Valley. Gen. Grant had already obtained a great reputation for persistency-a slight title to merit, it may be remarked, when a commander has at his disposal abundant means, and at his back a government so generous and rich as never to call its officers into account for the loss of life and of treasure in any case of ultimate success. He now proposed to change his plan of operations against Vicksburg. He determined to invest the town, and having turned the defences on the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers, to cut off the defenders from all communication with the east. One part of the enterprise was to run Porter's gunboats and a number of transports past the works at Vicksburg; while a land force, consisting of two corps, under Grant in person, should march from Milliken's Bend to Carthage, a distance of thirty-five miles, interrupted by marshes and streams. Both movements succeeded. On the 16th and 22d April, two fleets of gunboats and transports ran the batteries with insignificant disaster, and repeated the lesson that had been taught more than once in the war, that, unless where obstructions have been placed, steamers will run the gauntlet of almost any fire. By the last of April, Grant, having marched down the west bank of the river, and joined Porter's gunboats at Carthage, was ready to execute the next step in his scheme of attacking Vicksburg from the southeast. His adventure was a complete surprise to Gen. Pemberton at Vicksburg. This commander, who had been appointed to what the Confederates designated as the department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, had been so blind as to suppose Grant's object was not Vicksburg, but Bragg's army in Tennessee, and as late as the middle of April, he had proposed to order troops to Tullahoma, under the delusion that Rosecrans would be reinforced from Grant's army. The mistake was characteristic of a commander who was in no way qualified for the great trust to which he had been exalted. The appointment of Gen. Pemberton to the defence of
