ARMY OPERATIONS. 



41 



killed and eighty-three wounded. The iron- 

 clads were struck by many balls. A shot 

 passed through a porthole of the De Kalb and 

 exploded, killing two and wounding fifteen. 

 Two shells entered portholes of the Louisville 

 and exploded, killing one and wounding ten, 

 two mortally. The other boats which were 

 engaged escaped without serious injury. Seven 

 thousand prisoners, eight thousand stand of 

 arms, twenty cannon, and a large amount of 

 ordnance and commissary stores were cap- 

 tured. 



On the 15th, an expedition in light-draft 

 steamers, under the command of Gen. Gorman 

 and Lieut.-Oom. J. G. "Walker, proceeded up 

 the "White river and captured the towns of 

 Des Arc and Duval's Bluff. The former is 

 situated in Prairie county, Arkansas, and was 

 once a thriving commercial town. It is situa- 

 ted on the "White river, and is about fifty 

 miles north east of Little Rock, the capital of 

 the State. Duval's Bluff, a little below Des 

 Arc on the "White river, was the station of a 

 Confederate camp, and an earthwork fort. It 

 is an elevated position. The* expedition re- 

 tucned to Napoleon on the 19th. Some pris- 

 oners and a few guns were captured by the 

 expedition. St. Charles, a village on the Ar- 

 kansas river, a short distance above Arkansas 

 Post, was also captured by a force sent by Gen. 

 McClernand. 



The next two days after the engagement at 

 Fort Hindman were devoted to the care of 

 the wounded and the burial of the dead. On 

 Thursday, the 15th, the corps of Gen. Sher- 

 man, which had embarked during the previous 

 night, proceeded down the Arkansas river to 

 Napoleon, at its mouth. The rifle pits were 

 levelled, the fort completely blown up and de- 

 stroyed, and a hundred wagons which had been 

 captured were burned. On the 18th, Gen. Mc- 

 Clernand embarked with the remainder of the 

 troops and arrived at Napoleon. 



Meanwhile Gen. Grant, leaving Memphis in a 

 swift steamer, met Admiral Porter at the cut- 

 off up the White river, on the 18th, and thence 

 proceeded to Napoleon, where future move- 

 ments were arranged in consultations with 

 Gens. McClernand, Sherman, and others. On 

 the same day he returned to Memphis. 



Orders were immediately issued by Gen. 

 McClernand to move down the river, and at 

 eight o'clock on the next morning, the 19th, the 

 signal for departure was given. Shortly after- 

 ward all the transports were on the way. A 

 severe storm prevailed, and the fleet came to 

 at the foot of Ozark Island until it had par- 

 tially subsided. It then moved to Chicot's 

 Bend, where the principal portion were moored 

 for the night. On the next day, the fleet moved 

 down to Milesia, and by two o'clock of the fol- 

 lowing day, the 21st, it arrived at Young's 

 Point, its place of destination. A small force 

 .was immediately landed, to reconnoitre the 

 country. 



Young's Point is on the western side of the 



Mississippi river, about nine miles above Vicks- 

 burg, and nearly opposite the mouth of the 

 Yazoo river. 



On the 22d, the troops were landed and 

 posted a little farther down the river, so as to 

 defend the line of a canal which had been com- 

 menced a year previous, across the peninsula 

 formed by a curve of the river, first to the 

 north and then to the south. The purpose of 

 this canal had been to afford a passage for the 

 transports up or down the river, beyond the 

 reach of the batteries at Vicksburg. A little 

 below the extreme point of the peninsula, and 

 on the opposite side of the Mississippi, is Vicks- 

 burg. 



Meantime the army of Gen. Grant was 

 moved to Memphis, thence to be transported 

 to Young's Point. On the 20th, Gen. McAr- 

 thur left Memphis, on fourteen transports, 

 with his corps. He had been preceded by 

 other bodies of troops, making at that time one 

 hundred and twenty- five trao sports with troops 

 and stores which had left. The forces of Gen. 

 Grant consisted of the veteran soldiers of the 

 "West. The naval force was also greatly in- 

 creased by the addition of several ironclads, 

 as the Chillicothe, Indianola, Lafayette, East- 

 port, and a number of other gunboats. 



On the 2d of February, Gen. Grant arrived 

 at Young's Point and assumed the command. 

 The divisions of the Army of Tennessee had 

 also reached there, excepting the one com- 

 manded by Gen. Logan, and excepting the 

 troops occupying the posts in Tennessee. 



The attack on Vicksburg, from up the river, 

 had demonstrated the strength of its defensive 

 works on the north, and convinced Gen. Grant 

 that they were too strong to be carried with- 

 out a very heavy loss. The first step for him 

 to accomplish, therefore, was the transporta- 

 tion of his army below the city, in order to 

 make an attack from the south. The passage 

 by the river was too hazardous to be attempt- 

 ed.* The formidable batteries on the river 

 front at Vicksburg were capable of destroy- 

 ing all the transports. "Work was therefore 

 recommenced on the canal across the penin- 

 sula, on the western side of the river, which 

 had been located by Brig.-Gen. "Williams at the 

 first attempt to capture the city. This canal 

 had been improperly located, its upper termi- 

 nus being in an eddy, and the lower terminus 

 being exposed to the enemy's guns ; neverthe- 

 less it was thought that it would be completed 

 sooner than a new one could be constructed. 

 "While this work was in progress, the river 

 continued to rise rapidly, and great labor 

 was required to keep the water out of the ca- 

 nal, and also out of the camps of the laborers 

 and soldiers. In addition, the rain was in- 

 cessant, and the magnitude of the work was, 

 from these causes, grealy increased. The earth 

 taken out of the excavation was placed on the 

 west side, and thus formed an embankment or 

 levee, which it was supposed would prevent 

 the water from flooding the country on that 



