50 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



burg was limited, Gen. Grant fonnd it neces- 

 sary to extend his line of movement by land to 

 Hard Times in Louisiana. By the circuitous 

 route it was necessary to take, the distance 

 was increased to seventy miles from Milliken's 

 Bend. 



On the 29th of April, the thirteenth corps of 

 the army had reached the Mississippi, and the 

 seventeenth was well on the way. Gen. Grant 

 then embarked so much of the thirteenth as 

 could be got on board the transports and barges, 

 and moved to the front of Grand Gulf. This 

 was a strong position on the east bank of the 

 Mississippi, below the mouth of the Big Black 

 river. The plan was that the gunboats under 

 Admiral Porter's command should silence the 

 fortifications, and under cover of the gunboats 

 the troops should land and carry the place by 

 storm. 



At eight o'clock in the morning the attack 

 was commenced by the gunboats, and contin- 

 ued fiercely for more than five hours. The 

 following is the despatch of Admiral Porter re- 

 specting the attack : 



FLAG SHIP BENTON, BELOW GRAND GULF, Miss., ) 

 April 29th, 1862. $ 

 Son. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy : 



I have the honor to inform you that, by an arrange- 

 ment with General Grant, I attacked the batteries at 

 Grand Gulf this morning, which were very formid- 

 able. After a fight of five hours and thirty minutes, 

 we silenced the Tower batteries, but failed to silence 

 the upper one, which was high, strongly built, had 

 guns or very heavy caliber, and the vessels were un- 

 manageable in the heavy current. It fired but feebly 

 toward the last, and the vessels all laid by and enfilad.- 

 ed it, while I went up a short distance to communicate 

 with General Grant, who concluded to land the troops 

 and march over to a point two miles below Grand 

 Gulf. I sent the Lafayette back to engage the upper 

 battery, which she did, and drove the persons out of 

 it, as it did not respond after a few fires. At 6 p. M. 

 we attacked the batteries again, and, under cover of 

 the fire, all the transports passed by in good condition. 

 The Benton, Tuscumbia, and Pittsburg were much cut 

 up, having twenty -four killed and fifty-six wounded ; 

 but they are all ready for service. 



We land the army in the morning on the other side, 

 and march on Vicksburg. DAVID D. PORTER, 

 Acting Rear- Admiral. 



Gen. Grant, who was a spectator of the 

 scene, says : " Many times it seemed to me that 

 the gunboats were within pistol shot of the 

 enemy's batteries. It soon became evident that 

 the guns of the enemy were too elevated and 

 their fortifications too strong to be taken from 

 the water side. The whole range of hills on 

 that side were known to be lined with rifle 

 pits. Besides, the field artillery could be moved 

 to any position where it might be useful iu case 

 of an attempt at landing." He therefore de- 

 termined to run the enemy's batteries again, 

 and to turn his'position by effecting a landing 

 at Rodney, or at Bruinsburg, between Grand 

 Gulf and Rodney. Rodney is a small village 

 on the east bank of the Mississippi, some miles 

 below Grand Gulf. Bruinsburg is a small 

 place between the two others. A reconnois- 

 sance was made to a point opposite Bruinsburg, 

 and information was obtained from a negro that 



there was a good road from that place to Port 

 Gibson. Gen. Graut determined to make the 

 landing on the east side of the Mississippi, at 

 Bruinsburg. Accordingly the troops were im- 

 mediately ordered to land at Hard Times, and 

 march across to the point below Grand Gulf, 

 and at dark the gunboats again engaged the 

 batteries, and all the transports were run by. 

 They received but two or three shots during 

 the passage, and these caused no injury. 



At daylight on the morning of the 30th, the 

 work of ferrying the troops across the Missis- 

 sippi was commenced both by the gunboats 

 and the transports. The thirteenth corps, as 

 soon as landed and supplied with three days' 

 rations, was started on the road to Port Gibson. 

 The seventeenth corps followed as rapidly as 

 it could be taken across the river. Port Gib- 

 son was a flourishing village on Bayou Pierre, 

 28 miles from its mouth, and about 65 miles 

 southwest from Jackson, the capital of Missis- 

 sippi. It was connected with Grand Gulf by 

 a railroad. 



About two o'clock on the nest morning, May 

 1st, the advance of the enemy was met eight 

 miles from Bruinsburgh, on the road to Port 

 Gibson. They were forced to fall back, but as 

 it was dark, were not pursued far until day- 

 light. Then Gen. McClernand with his corps 

 pressed forward within four miles of Port Gib- 

 son. Here the road divided in opposite direc- 

 tions. Both branches, however, led to Port 

 Gibson. The enemy took a position on each 

 branch, and thus divided the pursuing force. 

 The nature of the ground was such that a 

 very small force could easily retard the progress 

 of a much larger one for several hours. The 

 roads run on narrow, elevated ridges, with 

 deep and impenetrable ravines on each side. 

 The corps of Gen. McClernand was so divided 

 that on the right were the divisions of Gens. 

 Hovey, Carr, and Smith, and on the left the di- 

 vision of Gen. Osterhaus. The three former 

 succeeded in driving the enemy from position 

 to position steadily back toward Port Gibson. 

 On the left, Gen. Osterhaus was unable to 

 move the enemy until he was reenforced by a 

 brigade of Gen. Logan's division, which was 

 the advance of Gen. McPherson's corps. An- 

 other brigade of the same division was sent to 

 Gen. McClernand on the right, and the enemy 

 were so badly repulsed there as to be able to 

 make no further stand south of Bayou Pierre. 

 Late in the afternoon, Gen. Osterhaus was suc- 

 cessful in repulsing the enemy, whom he pur- 

 sued toward Port Gibson, but night closing in 

 and the enemy making the appearance of 

 another stand, the troops slept upon their arms 

 until daylight. On the morning of the 2d, it 

 was found that the enemy had retreated across 

 Bayou Pierre, on the Grand Gulf road, and a 

 brigade of Gen. Logan's division was sent to 

 divert his attention whilst a floating bridge 

 was thrown across the Bayou at Port Gibson. 

 This bridge was completed, and Gen. McPher- 

 son's corps passed over and marched eight 



