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 1863J Grant passes Vicksburg and Grand Gulf'. 503 to a landing in the neighbourhood of Vicksburg. This attempt also failed, after having, like the earlier scheme, placed his flotilla in extreme danger. Equally unsuccessful was a fourth project to cut a canal west- ward into Lake Providence, seventy miles above Vicksburg, and find a practicable waterway through the two hundred miles of bayous and rivers into Red River, and thus reach the Mississippi far below Vicksburg in order to establish communication and co-operation with Banks and Farragut, who were engaged in an effort to capture Port Hudson. Several of these efforts went on simultaneously ; but the months of January, February, and March, 1863, passed away, notwithstanding all this labour, without having brought the problem any nearer to solution. In the early days of April Grant entered upon the prosecution of a new plan, which was in direct violation of every recognised principle of military science, and was strenuously opposed by all his ablest subor- dinate generals. Under his direction, Porter prepared a number of his ironclads and several transports to run past the Vicksburg batteries ; and on April 16 nine vessels made the perilous passage with comparatively little damage, except the loss of one transport and several coal-barges, while on the 22nd six more steamers, with provision barges in tow, repeated the undertaking with equal success. Meanwhile Grant marched his army, by a very circuitous route of seventy miles, down the western bank of the Mississippi. Placing a landing force of 10,000 upon transports, Grant next directed Porter with his gun-boats to silence the batteries at Grand Gulf. These, however, proved to be nearly as strong as those of Vicksburg; and the landing force was again put ashore. Once more running his transports past the Grand Gulf batteries at night, the general proceeded still further down the river to Bruinsburg, from which place a dry road across the two miles of river-bottom enabled the army, consisting of about 33,000 men, to reach high land on the east side of the Mississippi on April 30. A detachment pushed out twelve miles to Port Gibson the same night, and next morning occupied that place after a considerable battle. On the following day, May 2, the Confederates evacuated Grand Gulf, of which Porter with his fleet took possession on the 3rd. General Grant tells us, in his memoirs, that his first intention was to secure Grand Gulf as a base of supplies, and to co-operate with Banks in the reduction of Port Hudson. But news received from that general led him to alter this plan. He now resolved to move indepen- dently, cut loose from his base, destroy the rebel force in rear of Vicksburg, and invest or capture the city. Ten days after the battle of Port Gibson, Sherman's corps arrived from Milliken's Bend ; and Grant started with a mobile force of 35,000 men and 100 light guns, with two days 1 rations in haversacks, and an improvised waggon-train to carry ammunition. On May 12 his van- guard, under McPherson, struck a Confederate detachment of 5000 men, CH. XV.