66 



AEMY OPEKATIONS. 



grateful acknowledgment for the almost inestimable 

 service you have done the country. 'I wish to say a 

 word further. When you first reached the vicinity of 

 Vicksburg, I thought you should do what you finally 

 did march the troops across the neck, run the bat- 

 teries with the transports, and thus go below ; and I 

 never had any faith, except a general hope that you 

 knew better than I, that the Yazoo Pass expedition 

 and the like could succeed. When you got below and 

 took Port Gibson, Grand Gulf, and vicinity, I thought 

 you should go down the river and join Gen. Banks, 

 and when you turned northward, east of the Big 

 Black, I feared it was a mistake. I now wish to make 

 the personal acknowledgment that you were right and 

 I was wrong. 



Yours, very truly, A. LINCOLN. 

 Major-General GRANT. 



Major-Gen. Halleck, the General-in-Chief, in 

 his annual report, thus speaks of Gen. Grant's 

 operations: "When we consider the charac- 

 ter of the country in which this army opera- 

 ted, the formidable obstacles to be overcome, 

 the number of forces and the strength of the 

 enemy's works, we cannot fail to admire the 

 coqrage and endurance of the troops, and the 

 skill and daring of their commander. No more 

 brilliant exploit can be found in military his- 

 tory. It has been alleged, and the allegation 

 has been widely circulated by the press, that 

 Gen. Grant, in the conduct of his campaign, 

 positively disobeyed the instructions of his su- 

 periors. It is hardly necessary to remark, that 

 Gen. Grant never disobeyed an order or in- 

 struction, but always carried out to the best 

 of his ability, every wish or suggestion made 

 to him by the Government. Moreover, he has 

 never complained that the Government did not 

 furnish him all the means and assistance in its 

 power, to facilitate the execution of any plan 

 he saw fit to adopt." 



After the capture of Vicksburg, Gen. Grant 

 reported that his troops were so much fatigued 

 and worn out with forced marches and the la- 

 bors of the siege, as to absolutely require sev- 

 eral weeks of repose, before undertaking anoth- 

 er campaign. Nevertheless, as the exigencies 

 of the service seemed to require it, ho sent out 

 those who were least fatigued on several im- 

 portant expeditions, while the others remained 

 at Vicksburg, to put that place in a better de- 

 fensive condition for a small garrison. 



Immediately upon the surrender of the city, 

 Gen. Sherman, with his force increased by the 

 remainder of both the thirteenth and fifteenth 

 corps, moved in pursuit of Gen. Johnston. 

 When Gen. Grant moved his army from Jack- 

 son to Vicksburg, Gen. Johnston moved north 

 to Canton. It now became the object of Gen. 

 Johnston to collect a force to attack the rear 

 of Gen. Grant. His energies were thus devo- 

 ted during the whole siege of Vicksburg. Yet 

 the country had been so exhausted of men to 

 fill the army in Virginia, a force could noj; bo 

 obtained sufficient to rescue Vicksburg. With 

 the troops which he had collected, he now ap- 

 proached the rear of the Federal army. The 

 country for fifty miles around Vicksburg had 

 by orders of Gen. Grant on the 26th of May 

 been laid waste by Gen. Blair, who drove 



off the white inhabitants and burned the grist 

 mills, cotton gins, and granaries, and destroyed 

 the crops. 



The result of the expedition of Gen. Sher- 

 man is thus stated in the despatches of Gen. 

 Grant: 



VICKSBTTRO, July 15th. 

 To Major- Gen. Halleck, General-in-Chief: 



General Sherman has Jackson invested from Pearl 

 river on the north to the river on the south. This 

 has cut off many hundred cars from the Confederacy. 

 Sherman says he has force enough, and feels no ap- 

 prehension about the results. 



Finding that Yazoo City was being fortified, I sent 

 Gen. Herron there with his division. He captured 

 several hundred prisoners, five pieces of heavy artil- 

 lery, and all the public stores fell into our hands. The 

 enemy burned three steamboats on the approach of 

 the gunboats. The De Kalb was blown up and sunk 

 in fifteen feet of water, by the explosion of a shell. 



Finding that the enemy was crossing cattle for the 

 rebel army at Natchez, and were said to have several 

 thousand there, I have sent troops and steamboats to 

 collect them, and destroy all their boats and means for 

 making more. 



(Signed) U. S. GRANT, Major-General. 



VICKSBTTBG, July 18th. 

 To Major- Gen. H. W. Halleck, General-in-Chief: 



Joe Johnston evacuated Jackson the night of the 

 16th instant. He is now in full retreat east. Sher- 

 man says most of his army must perish from heat, 

 lack of water, and general discouragement. 



The army paroled here have, to a great extent, de- 

 serted, and are scattered over the country in every di- 

 rection. 



General Ransom was sent to Natchez to stop the 

 crossing of cattle for the eastern army. On arrival, 

 he found large numbers had been driven out of the 

 city to be pastured. Also, that munitions of war had 

 recently been crossed over to wait for Kirby Smith. 

 He mounted about 200 of his men and sent them in 

 both directions. They captured a number of prison- 

 ers, 5,000 head of Texas cattle, 2,000 head of which 

 were sent to Gen. Banks, the balance have been and 

 will be brought here. In Louisiana they captured 

 more prisoners, and a number of teams loaded with 

 ammunition. Over 2,000,000 rounds of ammunition 

 were brought back to Natchez with the teams cap- 

 tured ; and 268,000 rounds, besides artillery ammuni- 

 tion, were destroyed. (Signed) U. S. GRANT, 

 Major-Gen. Commanding. 



The destruction of property at Jackson was 

 most complete. On the south the railroad was 

 injured as far as Brookhaven, a distance of 

 fifty miles. On the north it was torn up at 

 intervals for twenty miles. At Jackson exten- 

 sive machine shops, five locomotives, and a 

 large number of cars were destroyed by fire. 

 The road east was torn up at intervals to Bran- 

 don, fifteen miles. The bridges at Jackson, 

 some of which were costly, were also de- 

 stroyed. This destruction secured Gen. Grant 

 in the undisturbed possession of the western 

 part of the State. The city was formerly one 

 of the most prosperous in the Southern States. 

 It was thus described at the time of its cap-; 

 ture : " As the seat of government, it has the 

 capitol buildings, the penitentiary, the gover- 

 nor's house, the asylum for the deaf and dumb 

 and the insane; and in addition a fine court 

 house, two excellent hotels, largo blocks of 

 stores, a cotton factory, a couple of founderies, 

 grist mills, and a large number of splendid 



