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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1963)
MONDAY. MAY 13. 19(1 10 B This Was The Civil War MEDrOBD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON Grant Takes Mississippi Capital 3k 1 "Vtt v J I - GRANT IN TROUBLE Despite his momen tous accomplishments in early May, 1863, Gen. U. S. Grant was still in trouble. He had to cither storm Vicskburg or besiege it. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army was gathering strength, so Grant mov ed out. The overall plans was for Grant to join his forces and strike at Fort Hudson, La. But he decided to move for Vicksburg on his own, by way of Jackson, Miss. His move was a success and Jackson fell Vicksburg was doomed. This drawing from the Library of Congress collection, shows the burning of Rebel property in Jackson. (UPI) By MERTON T. AKERS UPI Correspondent In 20 days south and east of' Vicksburg, Miss., Ulysses 6. Grant earned the name of a great captain. Between April 30 and May 19, 1 863, . Major . General Grant: 1. Ferried an Army of 43 000 across the Mississippi river. 2. Marched It 180 miles in hostile territory, skirmishing continuously. - 3. Fought and won five battles. 4. Captured and burned Jackson, Miss., the capltol. 5. Subsisted ' his army off the country without a supply base. 6. Killed, wounded and cap tured about 8,000 Confeder ates. (His losses were 4,374.) 7. Fended off one Confed- erate army under . Gen. Jo seph E. Johnston and penned another under Lt. Gen. John C. Femberton - a total of about 60,000 men - in the de fense of Vicksburg; For speed and quick results the Civil War holds no paral lel campaign. Only Stonewall Jackson approached it in the Shenandoah Va'lcy of Vir ginia. In those 20 days the little Illinois leather goods clerk wrote his name in gold among the great captains of the world. But on May 19 Grant still was in trouble. He must either- storm the works of Vicksburg or besiege it. John ston's army on the cast was gathering force. At least half of Grant's army must watch Johnston. uranis wninwind cam paign started at Brulnsburg. Miss., a port about 30 airline miles south of Vicksburg, about 60 by river. Bruinsburg was selected as a landing point on advice of slave. A squad of Illinois soldiers rowed across the Mis sissippi from the west bank and kidnaped the Negro from plantation. He showed Grant on a map how by land ing at Bruinsburg his army would be on dry ground, something the Union armv had seen little of all winter on the levees north of Vicks burg. The steamers which had run the Vicksburg batteries a short time before . made snort work of the crossing. All day and night of April 30 Grant's troops landed and neaded inland In the direc tion of Port Gibson, Miss., about 10 miles away. They carried five days' rations, all the government food thev would get for 20 days. The Confederates under Maj. Gen. J. C. Bqwen around Port Gibson were no match for the Federals. Bowen only had 4,000 to 8,000 men, thanks to feints Grant had maae north of Vicksburg and a looping cavalry raid to the east. Sherman Joins Driva Bowen abandoned Port Gib son the night of May 1 after a sharp fight and the Federals pushed on to Willow Snrlm miss., live miles farther, re- Dunaing bridges the Rebels had burned. By the time Grand Gulf Miss., a stronghold on the rlv. which .Grant's sunhnat had bombarded earlier with out any luck, was flanked and abandoned. The corps commanded by Maj. Gen.. William T. Sher man, the last of Grant's three-corps army to march down the west bank of the Mississippi from above Vicks burg, landed there and join ed the drive. At this point Federal plans called for Grant to join with tne troops of Mat. Gen. Na thaniel P. Banks on the river below and capture Port Hud son, La., which, with Vicks burg, was the last of the strongholds the Confederates had on the river. Then Banks and Grant could combine against Vicksburg. But Banks with most of his troops were up the Red River on an expedition and reported he could not join Grant be fore May 10. Now Grant made the de cision which could make or break him. He decided to go it alone and strike for Vicks burg, via Jackson on the east. To wait for Banks meant that Pemberton and Johnston would have time to loin their forces, which were sufficient to drive Grant back into the river. Grant feinted north toward Vicksburg but kept his main body marching northeastward toward Jackson. Pemberton was baffled. He had three big problems. One was Grant. Where was he go ing? Another was President Jefferson Davis of the Con federacy, who ordered Pem berton to hold both Port Hud son and Vicksburg. The third was Johnston, Pemberton's superior, who kept telling remDenon to forget Vicks burg and Port Hudson, con centrate his forces and fall on Grant from the west. John ston would strike at the same time from the east. With Grant out of the way, Vicks burg and Port Hudson would take, care of themselves. Pemberton tried to solve a little of all three problems and subsequently achieved nothing decisive. Grant's army was picking up speed now. Each regiment had two army wagons and they carried ammunition. Plantation owners along the way reluctantly furnished carriages and farm wagons to carry the provisions the army swept up as lt march ed - hams, chickens, turkeys, sweet potatoes, eggs, vege. tables - dainties to which the army was unaccustomed. By May 12 Grant had cut h i s communications with Grand Gulf. "You may not hear from me again for several days," he informed Army Comman der Henry W. Halleck in Washington. The message had to go by land and steamboat to Cairo, 111., and from there by telegraph to Washington, so Halleck was in no position to veto Grant's plan. On the same date the ad vance corps under Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson drove the Confederates from Ray mond, Miss., about 10 miles west of Jackson, in a brisk fight. On May 14 the Federals hit Jackson in the rain. Johnston, weak from an illness, had arrived only the day before. He found only 8.- 000 defending the capital. He had 15,000 more coming from time. But he was able to hold off the Federals only a part of that day and retreated north. the east and was playing for One of those who proud ly entered the Mississippi capital that day was Freder ick Dent Grant, the general's oldest son, just 12. He was sporting the sash and sword his father never wore. Here Grant had a stroke of luck. A Union agent who had been planted as a Confeder ate courier, delivered to Grant one of Johnston's or ders instructing Pemberton to meet him on the railroad which ran east from Vicks burg to Jackson. The railroad now was Pemberton's only connection with the rest of the Confederacy. Leaving Sherman's corps to destroy military installations in Jackson, Grant swung his army west toward Vicksburg, about 40 miles away. Pemberton left about 10.- 000 troops around Vicksburg and advanced with about 23, 000 east toward Jackson. He crossed the Big Black River, which ran roughly north and south east of Vicksburg. The armies clashed on Mav 18 at Champion's Hill, about halfway between Vicksburg and Jackson. The fighting was fierce. In mid - afternoon Pember ton's men broke and retreat ed. Grant lost 2,400 men Pemberton 3,800 and 27 guns. - He fell back toward Vicks burg across the Big Black leaving a rear guard to dis pute the Federal crossing. The next day Grant's men stormed the crossing and de feated the rear guard. That night the triumphant Yankees improvised bridges from logs and boards and crossed the river. On the 18th they began to move into position before the fortifications of Vicksburg. By the 19th .the investment was complete. Vicksburg was doomed. VISITS PRESIDENT Rome - (UPD - Pope John XXIII, looking haggard but in good spirits, left the Vatican Saturday to pay an extraor dinary visit to his neighbor, the president of Italy. He called for a peace "based not on fear, on suspicion" but on truth and freedom. I r:.. I ito Moo shiiski gouRBoii wma mow "OIL TO BURN" Mobilhtar 5 4 H Green Stamps MEDFORD FUEL CO. 772-2111 773 7103 For Peace of Mind! Contact your Credit Equity representative. He will be happy to furnish information, without obligation, on how to meet your pressing fi nancial problems without borrowing. CREDIT EQUITY 201 Medical Center Bldg., Medford - Licensed and Bonded in Oregon "m Sliced. Is Sausage Rolls cocoon Hormell's Nebergall's 1-lb. pkg. . . 3is1 p5 Jr-iJ lb. Select from one of the largest varieties of fresh Beef, Pork, -amb, Sea Food and Poultry to be found anywhere. aff o Big Y Meats Are Fresher! 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