AKMY OPEKATIONS. 



to the best advantage. On the 18th, at meridian, fir- 

 ing was heard in the rear of Vicksburg, which assured 

 me that Gen. Grant was approaching the city. The 

 cannonading was kept up furiously for some time, 

 when, by the aid of glasses, I discovered a company 

 of artillery advancing, taking position, and driving 

 the rebels before them. I immediately saw that Gen. 

 Sherman's division had come on to the left of Snyder'a 

 Bluff, and that the rebels at that place had been cut 

 off from joining the forces in the city. 



I despatched the DeKalb, Lieut.-Commander Wal- 

 ker, the Choctaw, Lieut.-Commander Kamsay, the 

 Komeo, and Forest Kose, all under command of Lieut.- 

 Commander Breese, up the Yazoo, to open commu- 

 nication in that way with Gens. Grant and Sherman. 

 This I succeeded in doing, and in three hours received 

 letters from Gens. Grant, oherman, and Steele, inform- 

 ing me of this vast success, and asking me to send up 

 provisions, which was at once done. In the mean time, 

 Lieutenant-Commander Walker in the DeKalb pushed 

 on to Haines's Bluff, which the enemy had commenced 

 evacuating the day before, and a party remained be- 

 hind in the hopes of destroying or taking away a large 

 amount of ammunition on hand. When they saw the 

 gunboats they ran out and left everything in good or- 

 der, guns, forts, tents, and equipage of all kinds, which 

 fell into our hands. 



As soon as the capture of Haines's Bluff and the four- 

 teen forts was reported to me, I shoved up the gun- 

 boats from below to fire on the hill batteries, which 

 fire was kept up for two or three hours. At midnight 

 they moved up to the town and opened on it for about 

 an hour, and continued at intervals during the night 

 to annoy the garrison. On the 19th I placed six mor- 

 tars in position, with orders to fire night and day as 

 rapidly as they could. 



The works at Haines's Bluff are very formidable. 

 There are fourteen of the heaviest kind of mounted 

 eight and ten inch and seven and a half inch rifle 



funs, with ammunition enough to last a long siege, 

 s the gun carriages might again fall into the hands 

 of the enemy, I had them burned, blew up the mag- 

 azine, and destroyed the works generally. I also 

 burnefl up the encampments, which were permanently 

 and remarkably well constructed, looking as though 

 the rebels intended to stay some time. Their works 

 and encampments covered many acres of ground, and 

 the fortifications and rifle pits proper of Haines's Bluff 

 extend about a mile and a quarter. Such a network 

 of forts I never saw. 



As soon as I got through with the destruction of the 

 magazines and other works, I started Lieut.-Com. 

 Walker up the Yazoo river with sufficient force to de- 

 stroy all the enemy's property in that direction, with 

 orders to return with all despatch, and only to proceed 

 as far as Yazoo City, where the rebels have a navy 

 yard and storehouses. 



In the mean time Gen. Grant has closely invested 

 Vicksburg, and has possession of the best command- 

 ing points. In a very short time a general assault 

 will take place, when I hope to announce that Vicks- 

 burg has fallen after a series of the most brilliant suc- 

 cesses that ever attended an army. 



There has never been a case during the war where 

 the rebels have been so successfully beaten at all points, 

 and the patience and endurance shown by our army 

 and navy for so many months is about being rewarded. 

 It is a mere question of a few hours, and then, with 

 the exception of Port Hudson, which will follow Vicks- 

 burg, the Mississippi will be open its entire length. 

 (Signed) D. D. PORTER, 



Com'g Mississippi Squadron. 



The result of the expedition to Yazoo City 

 is thus described in the report of Lieut. Walker, 

 addressed to Eear- Admiral Porter : 



U. 8. STEAMER BARON DE KALB, ) 

 MOUTH YAZOO KIVER, May 23d. ) 



SIR : I have the honor to report that in obedience to 

 your order I started from Snyder's Bluff on the 20th, 



with the DeKalb, Choctaw, Forest Rose, Linden, and 

 Petrel, on an expedition to Yazoo City. Arriving at 

 Haines's Bluff, I landed a force and spiked an 8-inch 

 gun on the fort there, and burned the carriage. I also 

 burned some forty tents left standing, and a steam saw- 

 mill. 



Arriving at Yazoo City at 1 p. M., 20th, I was met 

 by a committee of citizens, who informed me that the 

 place had been evacuated by the military authorities, 

 and asking protection. The navy yard and vessels had 

 been fired by the enemy. I sent a working party to 

 insure the destruction of everything valuable to the 

 rebels. The vessels burned were the Mobile, a screw 

 vessel, ready for plating ; the Republic, which was 

 being fitted out for a ram; and a vessel on the stocks 

 a monster, 310 feet long, 75 feet beam. The navy 

 yard contained five saw and planing mills, an exten- 

 sive machine shop, carpenter and blacksmith shops, 

 and all necessary fixtures for a large building and re- 

 pairing yard, which, with a very large quantity of 

 lumber, were burned. I also burned a large sawmill 

 above the town. Most of the public stores had been re- 

 moved; such as I found in town-were taken on board 

 the vessels or destroyed. Enclosed I send a list of ar- 

 ticles removed or destroyed by Acting Volunteer Lieut. 

 Brown, the officer detailed for that purpose. In the 

 hospital I found and paroled 1,500 prisoners, a list of 

 whom I enclose. 



Returning, I left Yazoo City this morning, arriving 

 here at 4 p. M. At Liverpool Landing, in a sharp bend 

 in the river, we were attacked by some field guns, and 

 about 200 riflemen concealed in the bushes, and for a 

 few minutes the firing was very sharp. The enemy 

 retreated as soon as the vessels got into position to use 

 their guns with effect. The Petrel, Linden, and Choc- 

 taw were struck with shot, but received no particular 

 injury. Sergt. Stockinger, of this vessel, was killed by 

 a rifle shot. The Linden had five wounded, the Petrel 

 two, and the Choctaw one. Most of the wounds are 

 slight. 



After the storming of their position on the 

 Big Black river, the Confederate force fell 

 back to Yicksburg, which they reached about 

 eight o'clock on Sunday night, the 17th. Their 

 army was immediately reorganized, and placed 

 as follows : Gen. Smith's division on the ex- 

 treme left, Major-Gen. Forney in the centre, 

 and Major-Gen. Stephenson on the right. Brig.- 

 Gen. Bowen's division of Missourians held the 

 reserve. 



It has been stated that by the morning of 

 Tuesday, the 19th, Vicksburg was invested by 

 the Federal army. During that day there was 

 a continued skirmishing, and Gen. Grant was 

 not without hope of carrying the works. He 

 found his forces insufficient to entirely invest 

 the works. There was therefore danger that 

 the two bodies of the enemy, under Gens. 

 Johnston and Pemberton, might yet efiect a 

 junction, as it was known that the former 

 was receiving large reenforcemsnts from Gen. 

 Bragg's army in Middle and Eastern Tennessee. 

 He therefore ordered a 'general assault to be 

 made at two o'clock in the afternoon. This was 

 made by the fifteenth army corps, which arrived 

 in time before the works on the previous day 

 to get a good position. The thirteenth and 

 seventeenth corps succeeded in gaining an ad- 

 vanced position covered from the fire of the 

 enemy. A Confederate report of the action of 

 Tuesday is as follows : " On Tuesday morning, 

 before daylight, they opened fire from their 

 batteries, our guns responding immediately and 



