Dec. 26, 1862. |
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| The Black Hawk. |
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| Upper entrance to Vicksburg.2 |
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the fleet and army passed up the Yazoo (which, in a great bend, sweeps: round within a few miles of Vicksburg1) twelve miles, to Johnston's Landing, the troops debarking
at points in that vicinity along the space of three miles, without opposition.
to understand the difficulties in Sherman's way, we must consider, for a moment, the topography of his field of intended operations.
The bluffs or hills on which Vicksburg stands rise a little below the city, and extend northeast twelve or fifteen miles to the Yazoo River, where they terminate in Haines's Bluff.
In the passing rear of the city the ground is high and broken, falling off gradually toward the Big Black River, twelve
miles distant.
This, range of hills, fronting the Mississippi and the Yazoo, was fortified along its, entire length, and the only approach to Vicksburg by land was up their steep faces, through which roads were cut in a manner indicated by the, engraving.
At the base of these bluffs.
Were rifle-pits.
To render the, approach still more difficult, there is a deep natural ditch, called Chickasaw Bayou, extending from the Yazoo, below Haines's Bluff, passing along near the base of the bluffs for some distance, and emptying into the Mississippi.
Added to this is a deep slough, whose bottom is quicksand, and supposed to have once been a lake which stretched along the foot of the bluffs, and entered the Bayou where the latter approached them.
These formed a natural moat in front of the fortifications, while on the plain over which Sherman had to approach the bluffs the cypress forests were felled in places, and formed a difficult
abatis.
Sherman's army was organized in four divisions, commanded respectively by Brigadier-Generals G. W. Morgan, Morgan L. Smith, A. J. Smith, and Frederick Steele.
The first three divisions had three brigades each, and the fourth one (Steele's), four.
In the plan of attack Steele was assigned to the
1 the Yazoo River is a deep and narrow stream formed by the Tallahatchee and Yallobusha Rivers, which unite in Carroll County, Mississippi. It runs through an extremely fertile alluvial plain.
2 this is a view on what is called the Valley road, the one entering Vicksburg from the north, nearest the river. At the point where this little sketch was taken was a strong palisade, and near it was a block-house, both. Of which were well preserved when the writer visited Vicksburg, in April, 1866.
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