58 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



ing's division of his army were cut off, besides 

 the prisoners captured. 



On the request of Gen. Hovey for more re- 

 enforcements, just before the rout of the enemy 

 commenced, Gen. Grant ordered Gen. McPher- 

 son to move what troops he could by a left 

 flank to the enemy's front. Proceeding to the 

 front, and expecting every moment to see the 

 enemy, Gen. Grant found, on reaching what 

 had been his line, that he was retreating. 

 Upon arriving at the Raymond road, Gen. 

 Grant perceived a column of troops on the 

 left and on the next ridge, which proved to be 

 Gen. Carr's division of Gen. McClernand's 

 corps. To the left, Gen. Osterhaus's division of 

 the same corps soon after appeared with his 

 skirmishers well advanced. Gen. Carr was or- 

 dered to pursue the enemy with all speed to 

 Black river, and to cross it if he could, and 

 Gen. Osterhaus was ordered to follow. The 

 pursuit continued until after dark, and a train 

 of cars loaded with commissary and ordnance 

 stores and other property was captured. Gen. 

 Grant states that " the delay in the advance 

 of the troops immediately with Gen. McCler- 

 nand was caused, no doubt, by the enemy pre- 

 senting a front of artillery and infantry, where 

 it was impossible, from the nature of the ground 

 and the density of the forest, to discover his 

 numbers. As it was, the battle of Champion's 

 Hill, or Baker's Creek, was fought mainly by 

 Gen. Hovey's division of McClernand's corps, 

 and Gens. Logan's and Quimby's divisions (thte 

 latter commanded by Brigadier-General M. M. 

 Crocker) of McPherson's corps." 



Orders were now sent back to Gen. Sherman 

 to turn his corps toward Bridgeport, and Gen. 

 Blair was expected to join him at that place. 

 Bridgeport was on the Black river, and some 

 miles north of the railroad. By crossing the 

 river at that point, Gen. Sherman would be 

 on the flank of the enemy, if they made a 

 stand at the railroad crossing of the river. 



At daylight on the next morning, the 17th, 

 the pursuit was renewed, with the corps of 

 Gen. McClernand in the advance. The enemy 

 was found strongly posted on both sides of the 

 Black river, at a point where the bluffs on the 

 west side extended to the water's edge, but the 

 east side was an open cultivated bottom of 

 nearly one mile in width, and surrounded by 

 a bayou of stagnant water from two to three 

 feet in depth and from ten to twenty feet in 

 width, extending from the river above the rail- 

 road to the river below. Along the inside line 

 of this bayou the enemy had constructed rifle- 

 pits, with the bayou serving as a ditch on the 

 outside and immediately in front of them. 

 The division of Gen. Carr occupied the right 

 in investing this position, and the brigade of 

 Gen. Lawler occupied the right of the divi- 

 sion. After a few hours' skirmishing, Gen. 

 Lawler discovered that by moving a portion of 

 his brigade under cover of the river bank, he 

 could get a position from which the enemy 

 could be successfully assaulted. He accord- 



ingly ordered a charge. Notwithstanding the 

 level ground over which a portion of his troops 

 had to pass without cover, and the great obsta- 

 cle of the ditch in front of the enemy's works, 

 the charge was gallantly and successfully made, 

 and in a few minutes the entire garrison with 

 seventeen pieces of artillery were the trophies 

 of this brilliant movement. The enemy on the 

 west bank of the river immediately set fire to 

 the railroad bridge and retreated, thereby cut- 

 ting off all chance of escape for any portion of 

 his forces remaining on the east bank. 



By this time, Gen. Sherman had reached 

 Bridgeport on the Black river above. The 

 only pontoon train was with him. By the 

 morning of the 18th, he had crossed the river 

 and was ready to march on Vicksburg. Gens. 

 McClernand and McPherson caused floating 

 bridges to be constructed during the night, 

 and were ready to cross their troops by eight 

 o'clock on the next morning. 



Early that morning, Gen. Sherman com- 

 menced his march by the Bridgeport and Vicks- 

 burg road, and, when within three and a half 

 miles of Vicksburg, he turned to the right to 

 get possession of Walnut Hills and the Yazoo 

 river. This was successfully accomplished be- 

 fore night. Gen. McPherson crossed the Black 

 river above the road to Jackson, and came into 

 the same road with Gen. Sherman, but hi his 

 rear. His advance arrived after nightfall at 

 the point where Gen. Sherman turned to the 

 right. Gen. McClernand moved by the Jack- 

 son and Vicksburg road to Mount Albans, in 

 the rear of Vicksburg, and there turned to the 

 left to get into the Baldwin's Ferry road. By 

 this disposition the three army corps covered 

 all the ground their strength would admit of, 

 and by the morning of the 19th the investment 

 of Vicksburg was made as complete as could be 

 by the forces under the command of Gen. Grant. 



In the march from Bruinsburg to Vicksburg, 

 only five days' rations were issued, and three 

 of these were taken in haversacks at the start, 

 and soon exhausted. It was a period of twenty 

 days before supplies could be obtained from 

 Government stores, during which all other 

 subsistence was obtained from the country 

 through which the army passed. It was abun- 

 dantly supplied with corn, bacon, beef, and 

 mutton. The march was commenced without 

 wagons except such as could be picked up. 

 Communications were at once opened with the 

 fleet above Vicksburg, and Gen. Grant's base 

 for supplies was changed from Grand Gulf to 

 the Yazoo. The movements by which this was 

 effected are thus described in a despatch from 

 Rear- Admiral Porter to the Secretary of the 

 Navy: 



FLAG Sntp BLACK HAWTC, ) 

 HAINKS'S BUJTF, YAZOO RIVER, May ZQth. f 



To Ifon. Gideon Wellef, Secretary of the Navy : 



On the morning of the 16th I came over to the Yazoo 

 to be ready to cooperate with Gen. Grant, leaving two 

 of the ironclads at Ked River, one at Grand Gulf, one at 

 Carthage, three at Warrenton, and two in the Yazoo, 

 which left me a small force. Still I disposed of them 



