Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 21.djvu/203

 M.u,t.Hiin'tit to

at the surrender of the city was about 75,669 men. Co-operating with Grant's army was the Mississippi river gunboat fleet under Ad- miral Porter, which with the transports and supply boats must have numbered 200 vessels one of the grandest armies and flotillas com- bined that the world had ever seen. To this powerful military and naval force the Confederate Government could only oppose about 22,000 effective men at and in the vicinity of Vicksburg, with about thirty-seven siege guns in position on the river front. This is all the Confederates had till after grant landed in the vicinity of Port Gibson on the Mississippi side.

GRANT GROPED TO SUCCESS.

Grant with his great army and flotilla groped to success through many failures. He realized that Vicksburg could not be taken by gunboats or any armament on water. He attempted for several months to reach the high lands above the city with boats through Steele's Bayou, Deer Creek, Yazoo Pass, Cold water and Talla- hatchie rivers, and other bayous in the Yazoo Delta, and failed. He then tried cutting a canal opposite and below Vicksburg on the Louisiana side, so as to reach the high lands below Vicksburg with his boats. He failed in this also. He then adopted the bold plan of running gunboats and transports by the batteries of Vicksburg April i6th and 22d, and moved his great army down the river on the Louisiana side, and' rapidly crossed it over opposite Port Gibson with the boats which had run by the batteries. After doing this he dis- played good and bold generalship. General Pemberton was not pre- pared for. this movement, and Grant soon ran over a small division of Confederate troops near Bayou Pierre under General Bowan, and marched a compact army of 50,000 men to Jackson, fifty miles east of Vicksburg, defeated and drove off about 6,000 men collected there to reinforce General Pemberton, under General Johnston, destroyed the railrords, and then turned and marched directly towards Vicks- burg. General Pemberton only had the garrison of Vicksburg to operate against Grant after he crossed. He could only take 20,000 effectives out of the city to fight a battle, and the alternative was pre- sented to him of either giving up the city, or taking the chances of fighting a battle with the greatest odds against him in the open field. He determined to take those chances, but the rapid and bold move- ments of Grant, after landing, really prevented a union of Pember-