It is very hard to get anything reliable from
Vicksburg, except what comes to the War Department.
The accounts received through other sources are of that reckless, slashing, blood and thunder style that creates in the public mind great doubt as to their reliability.
The Mobile
Tribune, of the 2d, has some in formation from the enemy's camp, brought by
Mr. Saunders, of
Selma, Ala. The
Tribune says:
‘
He has been inside the
Yankee lines ever since
Grant invested the place, and was allowed to leave by
Gen. Grant, in order to bring away
Mrs. Hundley, wife of
Col. D. R. Hundley, of the 31st Alabama, who was wounded and taken prisoner at
Port Gibson.
He reports that in the big fight on Friday of week before last, the
Yankees confess that they lost twenty thousand men.
On Thursday of the same week we sunk two of the enemy's gunboats, which shell the town every day, having set fire to some houses, and already killed a few women and children, but doing very little other damage.
Thirty one of
Vaughn's East Tennessean having deserted and taken the oath, state, that so far our losses in the city amount to only a thousand.
Mr. Saunders reports that the
Yankees lose from fifty to four hundred every day, our sharpshooters killing them off whenever they show themselves near their guns, which they are obliged to handle at night.
One of our sharpshooters has already immortalized himself in the
Yankee army.
He tells them he is a one eyed man, and as he shoots a Belgian rifle, whenever the peculiar whistle of that weapon is heard the
Yankees call out, "Look out, boys, there's old one eye!"
They say he can kill at one thousand yards, and never misses.
One day two Yankee Captains were looking from behind a cotton bale, and old One Eye killed them both at one shot.
Mr. Saunders also saw one other
Captain with an amputated leg, which he owed to the same unknown man.
Col. Hundley knows the man, says his name is
Elliott, and that he belongs to the 30th Alabama.
He is known in
Alabama as the best marksman in the
State.
Gen. Grant speaks very disparagingly of
Johnston, and says he will whip him certainly if he comes to attack him where he is. He has received heavy reinforcements since the fall of
Snyder's Buff.
Among the killed of the
Yankees since they have invested
Vicksburg, are
Maj. Gen. Kerr, Brig.Gens. Burbridge,
Lay,
Bowman, and one other, name forgotten.
The two gunboats sunk were the
Natchez and the
Nightingale.
Grant says he will starve
Vicksburg out in ten days, but this is known to be an idle boast.
Mr. Saunders states that the stench of the dead
Yankees offended citizens six miles from the battle-field.
Gen. Pemberton sent a flag of truce to
Grant and demanded that he remove his wounded and bury his dead, which demand was complied with.
The Federals, when they approached
Vicksburg, were perfectly sanguine of an immediate capture of our stronghold, and invited the ladies into
Vicksburg to see their sweethearts, as the rebels were all to be sent
North.
Gen. Grant demanded a surrender of the city, and gave
Pemberton three days to consider the proposition.
The rebel General replied that he didn't want three minutes to consider the question, but invited
Grant to open upon him as soon as he pleased.
After the terrible slaughter on Friday,
Gen. Grant issued an order for new ladders to be made and the assault to be renewed on Saturday, at 2 o'clock, but the men refused to be led again to the "slaughter pen." The 20th Ohio sent up a petition to
Gen. McClernand, and positively refused to participate again in the murderous work.
Mr. Saunders heard frequent conversations between the
Federals and
Col. Womack, chief of
Grant's staff, expressed the opinion that
Vicksburg would not be taken for six months, if ever.
They imagine, now, that our force in
Vicksburg is from 75,000 to 100,000 men.
The entire Federal loss around the entrenchment at
Vicksburg is estimated by them at from 35,000 to 40,000.
General Grant sent in to
Pemberton to know why he fired railroad spikes and poisoned balls at them?
The only answer
Gen. P made to this cession was that the whole story was a d — d lie. The Federals are seizing upon all sorts of pretexts to account for their tremendous Losses.
’
A correspondent of the Mobile
Register writing from
Jackson, Miss., on the 29th, gives the following view of the position of affairs around the beleaguered city:
‘
The principal fighting at
Vicksburg has lulled, and the enemy has fallen back and commenced fortifying among the bills in parallel lines with those of
Pemberton.
His assaults on the
Vicksburg works have been terribly disastrous.
More of the enemy have been slaughtered before the
Vicksburg trenches than in any other battle of the war, being from 20,000 to 30,000.
This is a great number of men to be put
hors du combat in a single battle; for in this estimate I do not mean to include the enemy's losses at
Grand Gulf.
Raymond,
Jackson,
Baker's Creek, or Big Black; nor do I make the statement without the most careful inquiry.
Suffice it that my information is correct.
I telegraphed you that
Vicksburg was closely besieged.
At the time I did so the enemy had command (and yet have) of the
Mississippi river in his front, above and below the city, of the
Yazoo river to Snyder's Bluff, where his right wing rested; of the
Big Black river to the Southern Railroad bridge, where his left wing rested; his northern base of operations at Snyder's Gulf.
The Big Black and
Yazoo rivers flow from
Northern Mississippi in a south westerly direction; the
Yazoo discharges into the
Mississippi a few miles above
Vicksburg, and the Big Black at
Grand Gulf, some eighty miles below.
The enemy had massed his army--100,000 men — on a line from the bridge to the bluff, a distance of some twenty miles, being from river to river, while his gunboats and pickets held the rivers.
I have furthermore stated that reasonable fears were entertained for the safety of
Vicksburg; and although the face of affairs has in a great measure changed, I see no good reason for an abandonment of those fears.
True, the enemy have assaulted the works, and have encountered an extraordinary amount of slaughter; so great as to deter them for a while, at least, from a similar experiment; but they are still in front of our entrenchments, with an army believed to number 70,000 effective men. They have fallen back and commenced a series of fortifications parallel with those in their front, and communication with
Vicksburg yet remains cut off, and can only be had by such means as it would be impolitic for me to mention.
A want of water of necessity compels the enemy to fall back on the Big Black, which he has done, and he can only supply himself by hauling.
Here his lines assume a convex form, having wheeled his left round on the
Mississippi river, and, unless well protected by salients, his flanks are of necessity exposed.--The same want of water prevails from here to the Big Black.
In dry weather the creeks dry up, there are few springs, and I have never yet seen a well — all are cisterns, which do not furnish but a bare supply for the families who sunk them.
Now, until the way shall be cleared by driving off the enemy, it is impossible either to throw supplies or reinforcements into
Vicksburg.
The enemy is evidently sick of the fight, and prefers to adopt the slow method of besieging and starving out the garrison.
Sickness will exist in his camps to an alarming extent, but we must remember that the garrison of
Vicksburg will suffer also.
I hope that, in making these statements I will not be considered an alarmist.
I am, however, sanguine of ultimate success, and hope for the best, but the truth might as well be told first as last.--Unless
Vicksburg is relieved it must ultimately fall.
The movements of
Gen. Johnston and others it is improper in me to mention, but from them I draw the most cheering inferences.
The garrison of
Vicksburg is better supplied than I at first supposed; for the planters, on the appearance of the enemy, drove most all of their hogs, sheep and cattle into the city, and also sent in 400 wagon loads of corn, which is an invaluable help at this time.
The movements of
Grant show his consciousness in the strength of numbers, and his quick movements misled those high in authority, while it is believed he has received orders to take
Vicksburg if he has to sacrifice his entire army.
Banks is reported to have crossed with his main army at Bayon Sara, and is said to be moving up to
Grand Gulf.
If so, he is expected to operate against
Warrenton, and on the
New Orleans road.
Banks and his forces are considered of but little consequence.
Gov. Pettus and
Gen. Johnston have issued a joint appeal to the people of
Mississippi to volunteer, as ninety days troops, as cavalry or infantry.
There is no time for procrastination; they have but one choice — fight, or give up to the
Yankee.
No half-way measures will do; it is "neck or nothing." "I don't think the
Yankees will ever come here," is a foolish remark or opinion from anybody west of the
Bigbee river.
’
