MONDAY. MAY 13. 19(1
10 B
This Was The Civil War
MEDrOBD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON
Grant Takes Mississippi Capital
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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
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