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266 was directed by General McPherson, who had been appointed to command here; Logan being assigned to command the post under him. The divisions of Logan, J. E. Smith, and Herron now garrison the line of fortifications and furnish guards for the interior of the city. No troops remain outside; everything quiet here. Grant entered the city at eleven o'clock, and was received by Pemberton with more marked impertinence than at their former interview. He bore it like a philosopher, and in reply treated Pemberton with even gentler courtesy and dignity than before.

Of the number of prisoners we have as yet no precise information. Major Lockett, Pemberton's chief of engineers, reported it unofficially yesterday at twenty-seven thousand; but to-day, when the rebel brigadiers brought in their requisitions for food—which they did, notwithstanding Pemberton's clause in the capitulation that he should draw eight days' supplies from his own stores—the aggregate of the men for whom they thus drew rations was a little over thirty thousand. McPherson issued to them five rations per man, all they are to have. No citizens have yet applied for rations. The paroling is being pushed with all possible rapidity, and will doubtless be completed by the close of day after to-morrow. Among the officers already paroled are nineteen generals, with their staffs, including one lieutenant and four major-generals. Large numbers of the men express a warm desire to take the oath of allegiance, and it is certain that their officers will find it difficult to march them to their camps east of the Tombigbee. They have fifty-four hundred men on their sick lists; of these twenty-five hundred must be left behind here. Their losses during the siege are estimated by Judge Hamilton, an intelligent citizen of the place, at six thousand. Grant intends that they shall move from here to the Big Black by the Baldwin's Ferry road. Of course he will put no guards over them after they are out of the city. Pemberton having complained that the thirty wagons agreed upon in the capitulation were not enough, Grant has told him to take fifty. The universal testimony of the rebel officers is that their conscript soldiers have been worthless to them.

The official return of the field artillery surrendered makes it one hundred including many French, Spanish, and Austrian guns and two pieces [word omitted]. No report of siege and sea-coast guns has been made. Their number is from thirty to fifty. Neither do we yet know what quantity of ammunition the rebels had remaining, but some of their officers say they had only twenty rounds per man and per cannon. Captain Comstock, Grant's chief engineer, to-day visited the fortifications. He reports them as simple field works, but of considerable strength from the natural conformation of the ground—with one single exception the forts are all open at the gorge. Grant has ordered Comstock to find, if possible, a shorter line; but he reports that no line can be found which can be defended by a smaller force than the present. He says that this line can be repaired and strengthened so that five thousand men can hold it against twenty thousand.

This he will at once proceed to do, as also to obliterate the siege approach on which we have worked so hard and so long. The buildings of the town are much less damaged than we had expected. There is a considerable supply of railroad carriages here, with one or two locomotives in working condition. Orders have been given instantly to put the railroad in repair as far as the Big Black, and it will be ready to transport supplies to Sherman before to-morrow night. Of Johnston's movements we have no positive intelligence, except the report just brought in that Breckinridge's wagon train has started from Bolton under orders to go east of Pearl River.

Sherman is moving after Johnston with the utmost speed practicable. His bridges were laid on the afternoon of the 3d, and his forces started yesterday, as soon as Pemberton finally accepted Grant's ultimatum. Part of Ord's corps is also already across the Big Black, and Steele's division must be ready to cross at daylight to-morrow, though we have reports that the marching of the last of Steele and Ord from here was not completed till this forenoon. The Ninth Army Corps has moved forward towards Bear Creek, from its previous position in front of Haynes's Bluffs, but will not go further unless Sherman finds that he can compel Johnston to a general engagement. This is not now expected. It is supposed that Johnston is moving east and has the bulk of his forces already out of our way. This Sherman will ascertain positively by to-morrow or next day, and in that event the Ninth Corps will instantly return to Kentucky. The steamers are now waiting for them; meanwhile it is hardly possible that Sherman can fail to cut off some portion of Johnston's army and trains.

Grant yesterday evening sent a message to Banks to know if he still needs reinforcements. Another messenger was sent on the 1st inst. on the same business, and should be back here to-night. If Banks requires it, Herron's division will at once be sent to him, to be followed by as many other troops as may be necessary. As soon as the prisoners here are out of the way, an expedition will be sent to the Tensas, under Logan, to clear out the rebel troops there, chastise their people for the share in the recent raids on the Mississippi, and bring away the negroes and cattle. Grant designs to organize for the permanent garrison of Vicksburg one or two negro regiments of heavy artillery; for these he will ask the privilege of himself nominating the officers.

General Grant, being himself intensely occupied, desires me to say that he would like to receive from General Halleck as soon as practicable cither general or specific instructions as to the future conduct of the war in his department. He has no idea of going into summer quarters, nor does he doubt his ability to employ his army so as to make its blows tell towards the Great Result; but he would like to be informed whether the government wishes him to follow his own judgment or to cooperate in some particular scheme of operations.