Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 7.djvu/618

Rh Coldwater, but was defeated by Chalmers' command reinforced by Colonel McCulloch, Maj. G. L Blythe attacking in the rear, and fell back to Hernando and thence to Memphis.

On April 25th a Federal detachment went down the west side of Lake Saint Joseph from Bayou Vidal, and pushing away a detachment of Trans-Mississippi cavalry under Maj. Isaac F. Harrison, made its way to Hard Times landing, building bridges for the army to follow. On the 29th Grant had 10,000 soldiers in transports at Hard Times, and Porter was sent against the batteries at Grand Gulf with seven ironclads. A fierce artillery battle raged throughout the forenoon of the day, ending in Porter's repulse. Thereupon Grant immediately disembarked his troops and marched them to De Shroon's landing; and in the following night the gunboats made another attack on the Grand Gulf batteries, under cover of which the empty transports were run past. Grant was now beyond the last Confederate fortifications on the south, and on the 30th of April he was safely on shore at Bruinsburg, below Bayou Pierre, with 20,000 men. Bowen at Grand Gulf, with the brigades of Cockrell and M. E. Green, was being reinforced by Tracy's and Baldwin's brigades; but these commands were all small in numbers, and his aggregate of effective men was but a little over 5,000. He already had part of Green's brigade posted on the direct road to Bruinsburg on Bayou Pierre, as well as on the Big Black, and he now sent General Green with a detachment of 450 men, and the Sixth Mississippi, under Col. Robert Lowry, to occupy the roads from Bruinsburg to Port Gibson, and soon reinforced them with Tracy's brigade. He was threatened on all sides, above and below.

During the night of April 30th McClernand was skirmishing with Green; and at 1 o'clock a. m., May 1st, he made an attack in force, which Green repulsed. But the Federal lines were spreading out and threatened to