Progress of the War.
from Vicksburg.--the Yankee expedition to Jackson, Miss — what was accomplished, and what force accomplished it — the next move, &c.A correspondent of the New York Tribune, writing from Vicksburg on the 27th ult., says Gen. McPherson's corps is garrisoning that post, and Brig. Gen. J. E. Smith is acting as post commandant. The expedition to Jackson, Miss., had returned. The troops employed in this expedition were Sherman's army corps, the 15th, commanded by Gen. Steele; the 13th army corps, Gen. Ord commanding, with Lanman's division of the 16th army corps attached, a portion of the 16th and 9th army corps, commanded by Gen. Parker, and McArthur's division of Gen. McPherson's corps — in all about four army corps, the whole commanded by Gen. Sherman. These several commands are now encamped around the city, Gen. Ord's being on the flat just below, while the remainder are scattered about, a portion being on the line of works extending from Haines's Bluff to Big Black. Gen. Heron's corps has been sent down the river to occupy and hold Natchez. The correspondent says: ‘ The result of the expedition to Jackson may be stated briefly to be the destruction by fire of the town, and the driving of Joe Johnston and his army further into the interior. This statement of the result makes it seem insignificant; but I presume that nothing more important was intended or expected. The march to Jackson from the Big Black was a very hard one; but the return there from, accomplished in three days by Ord's corps, was still harder.--Some of the veterans of this corps, who have experienced nearly everything possible in the way of marching, assure me that the suffering of the men was greater than ever known before. They were compelled to use water from the pool and lagoons on the route; rations were whittled down almost to the starving point, and the heat was terrific. Johnston skirmished with Sherman on a small scale until the latter arrived in the neighborhood of Jackson and invested the place.--On the 13th Gen. Lanman's division made an assault upon the enemy on ground which that General was ordered to reconnoiter. It was an unfortunate affair. One brigade of the division was badly cut up, and the loss in killed and wounded now foots up seven hundred.--For this assault, which was alleged to have been made contrary to orders, Gen. Lanman was relieved of his command this division in addition to his own division. On the 17th instant, it was discovered that Johnston had evacuated during the night, after destroying all the war material that he could not take away with him. As soon as this was known our troops entered the place. The men of Lanman's division were exasperated by the losses which their ranks had sustained, and commenced a destruction of the houses by fire, which was kept up until there was but little left of the town but ashes.--Jackson has been an ill-fated place. When it was captured before, there was a great destruction worked. Joe Johnston caused one or two of the main blocks of buildings to be burned before he evacuated, and the work then commenced was finished on the 17th and 18th. Where was but lately a thriving and pretentious town of between four and five thousand inhabitants, with a State house, lunatic asylum; and many other public buildings, there is now a heap of ruins. The fate of the inhabitants of Vicksburg has been enviable beside that of the people of Jackson. The country between here and Jackson is represented as being completely devastated. --Between the two armies which have been marching and countermarching over it, it has been ground to powder. The town of Raymond was spared this destruction, I learn; for what reason I do not know. There are no indications, that I can discover as yet, of any very active movements in this quarter soon. In fact, I incline to the opinion that the next six or eight weeks will be employed by Gen. Grant in quiet preparation for an active and decisive fall campaign. There is urgent need for this preparation. This army has been in the field a long time, and the wear and tear, so to speak, is tremendous. In every department repairs and reforms are needed. The organization of the army needs an overhauling. It seems particularly necessary, owing to the incidents of the campaign ending with the capture of Vicksburg and the destruction of Jackson, that the entire army should be brigaded anew. If our old regiments are ever to be filled up by recruits or by drafted men, now is the time to do it. There are many, alas, too many regiments, represented here by mere quads of men. To fill up or be consolidate these regiments requires time and much clerical labor. Our army regulations are such that it is impossible to put and keep in such shape that they will work satisfactorily without consuming a great deal of . The intricate system of checks and balances in the army under which we are operating, and which has come to be called red tape, works out delays the necessity for which few civilians can comprehend, and which no General, however energetic, can prevent. There is another reason why this army should remain in comparative inactivity as regards movements until perhaps the first of October, and that is the fact that the season for a summer campaign has passed. There has been much said and written about the endurance of Western troops. It has been demonstrated that they can endure as much in this climate as Southern or any other kind of troops. Still I hold that there is a species of inhumanity involved in making August and September, the very worst months in the year, the time for active military operations, unless the strategic reasons therefore are very urgent. Because another feather could be added to the camel's load without breaking his back is no reason for adding the feather. Let us not hunt for the limit to the powers of our armies until the occasion imperatively demands it. Furloughs are being granted freely — amounting to about five per cent of the army. In my opinion this percentage could be increased without detriment to the service. It is really wonderful that our men stand this climate as well as they do, but it is nevertheless true that there is an amount of sickness in the army which is lamentable. Marching and trench life in Mississippi during the midsummer months are trying on the stoutest constitutions. Chronic diarriœt prevails to an alarming extent, and all the various forms of bilious and typhoid fevers are rife here. I have seen in some Northern papers a statement that there had been cases of yellow fever in Vicksburg. This is not true. But Yellow Jack will probably visit us with his scourge if we do not clean up the place soon. The town is now reeking with the filthy debris of the two armies. Walking in through the railroad depot yesterday I witnessed a sad sight. The train from Black river was just in, and was filled with soldiers emaciated and sallow hued. One poor fellow who did not seem to be as far gone as the others, thought that with a little assistance he could get from the car he was in to the platform. White attempting this he was attacked by a congestive chill. He begged to be laid down where he was. The men laid him down in the dust and dirt, thinking he would be better in a moment. In less than five minutes he was dead. The men around him did not even know his name, nor the regiment to which he belonged. To breathe one's last lying in the dust of a much-traveled road, without even an acquaintance near, is seemingly worse than to meet death gallantly on the battle field. On the Louisiana side of the river, in the country opposite Vicksburg, Kirby Smith has saved Gen. Grant all further trouble about looking after guerillas, for a time at least. He has literally destroyed everything for thirty or forty miles back from the river, and driven the inhabitants, including the negroes, within his lines. Consequently Louisiana, opposite Vicksburg, is now a waste and howling wilderness that will not subsist guerillas. What the poor people will do for the necessaries of life it is hard to say, Surely they are paying the penalty of treason at such a rate as to bring them to their senses soon. ’
Progress of the draft in the United States--the
manner in which it is being Enforced.
The United States papers have various paragraphs about the progressing draft.
All of them show more and more plainly that the United States treasury and not the U. S. army is to be benefited by the conscription.
We make some extracts from Northern papers of the 7th, which are interesting.
Referring to the draft in Washington county, N. Y., the Troy Times says: ‘
The drafting for Washington county has been completed.
Something over $25,000 has been realized from the payment of commutations.
The number of conscripts secured for service does not exceed over twenty five or thirty.
All but about one hundred of the persons drafted have reported to the Provost Marshal.
The exemptions under the law are so numerous that a large percentage of the drafted — considerably more than one-half--get off free. ’
Probably of the one hundred who have not reported but very few can now be found.--Some have run away, and others had left when the enrollment was made, or soon after.
It is a pretty clean sweep when all but one hundred from a county respond to the call of the Provost Marshal.
The draft in the 30th district commences to-day at Buffalo, and will continue daily till Saturday, the 15th, under Provost Marshal Scroggs.
The fort has been put in readiness for the reception of the officers and the transaction of the necessary business of the draft.
A detachment of four hundred soldiers from Elmira will be present to support the authorities if necessary.
It is stated that the draft in Ohio will take place in a few days; preparations are being perfected for it at Columbus.
Detailed squads from the Ohio regiments, to take charge of the drafted men, are arriving.
The draft in the West, the Milwaukie Wisconsin remarks, has very properly been deferred in order to enable the Western farmers to ingather their prolific harvest, and also because the surrender of Vicksburg diminishes the necessity of immediate reinforcements to our Southwestern army; and as Rosecrans is taking it quietly he certainly has troops enough to meet Bragg's small army.
The draft will come along some time in August, or perhaps not until the 1st of September. It is desirable to reinforce our armies early in the autumn, as Grant should be so strengthened as to make the decisive movement against the rebellion in Alabama.
By mixing the new conscripts in the old regiments, it will require but a few weeks to make them all veterans.
We suppose that the folly of creating more regiments will be abandoned.
It was a mistake last year.
Let every regiment be filled to its maximum before a new regiment is authorized.
The old officers have now obtained an invaluable experience, not merely in fighting, but in the management of men. They know how to take care of them.
The Middleburg (Pa.) Tribune says: ‘
It is generally known that of the drafted men of last summer a large number in Chapman township deserted and refused to serve their time.
On last Thursday evening two of the provost guards went to Chapman and arrested seven of these deserters and lodged them in the jail here previous to taking them to Harrisburg.
On Friday news was brought to town that a body of armed men, numbering sixty, were on their way to rescue the prisoners — threatening to burn the town if necessary.
The circulation of this news created consternation, and spread like wild fire, until some country boys came to town with their trusty rifles.
In the meantime the prisoners were sent off to Harrisburg, by way of Lewiston, as the mob had threatened to waylay the guard between this place and Selinsgrove, if foiled in the attempt in town.
The mob came within half a mile of town, when they learned that the prisoners were gone, upon which they turned back as they came. ’
Samuel S. Lambert, who was charged with the business of notifying the drafted men of Kingfield, Mass, gives a full and explicit statement, in the Farmington Chronicle, of what occurred at Kingfield on his arrival there.
He says when he drove into the village of Kingfield the first thing that attracted his attention was the store of Mr. Saunders, the enrolling officer, liberally besmeared with black paint, and groups of men at various points, much excited.
When he arrived at the tavern he heard the cry, "That's him," "that's him," and he was soon surrounded by a crowd who were loud in their threats of personal violence.--They said they had entered into a combination to resist the draft, and that they would resist it to death, and they would rather spill their blood at K than at the South.
They brought his horse and carriage along, and said they would give him fifteen minutes in which to leave town.
The Pittsburg (Pa.) Chronicle is very much afraid that the draft there, so far as filling up the ranks of the old regiments with conscripts goes, will turn out a failure.
One-half the city has been gone over now, yet, exclusive of substitutes, less than fifty of these drafted have reported for duty.
The balance have either procured substitutes, paid $300, obtained exemption, or "skedaddled." In the First Ward the "skedaddler" number over fifty, in the Second over thirty, and so on.
The last order previous to Surrendering Port Hudson.
The following is a copy of the last order issued by General Gardner before he surrendered Port Hudson:- I. Nobly have the troops performed their duty in the defence of this position, continued from the 21st of May to the present time.--The cheerfulness, bravery and zeal displayed by the troops during the hardships and suffering of this long siege have never been surpassed, and every man can feel the proud satisfaction that he had done his part in the heroic defence of Port Hudson. The place is surrendered at the last moment it is proper to hold it, and after a most gallant defence in several severe attacks, in all of which the enemy have been signally repulsed. Let all continue, during the duties that still remain to be performed, to show that cheerful obedience which has distinguished them as soldiers up to this time.
- II. The troops will be paraded at six o'clock this morning for surrender, in line of battle, in the same order as they are now at the breast works, with the heavy artillery on the right, on the edge of the prairie in the rear of the railroad depot the left extending towards the town of Port Hudson. All officers and men will be in their places under arms.
Headquarters, Port Hudson, July 8, 1863. General Orders--no. 31.
By order of Major General Gardner.
