wherever he met the foe; in both, this was accomplished by a celerity which left the enemy no time to recover from the effect of one blow before another fell; in both, the rapidity of the marching, and the unexpected novelty of the combinations, made the strategy more important than the fighting; in both, the results were still more remarkable than the manner of the achievements. Napoleon secured Genoa, and divided the kingdom of Sardinia from the Austrian alliance; while he created a new base for the splendid operations which speedily followed in Parma and Lombardy. Grant, besides the immediate successes of the campaign itself, won Vicksburg, opened the Mississippi river, and dealt the rebellion a blow from which it was destined never to

recover.

Grant's disadvantages were enhanced by his unfamiliarity with the country, and by the broken, rugged nature of the hills, which gave the rebels innumerable and splendid opportunities for defence, of which they never failed to avail themselves. Every hillside was a fortification, every creek a ditch, every forest an abatis. Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion's hill, and the Big Black-each battle illus trates this, and added to the losses and difficulties of the national commander. But Napoleon had more mobile and better-trained troops to contend with, and found the fastnesses of the Appenines as difficult as the ravines of Mississippi were to the American; so that their difficulties were probably equalized. Finally, although Napoleon had conquered a king. dom when he ended the campaign, he had still other states to master, which it took him a whole year to subdue; while Grant, too, was only ready to begin a

siege when the field-fighting and the marching were concluded; success to each was but the stepping-stone to other struggles, the vestibule to other and greater victories.*

*See Appendix for Grant's correspondence with the government, in regard to the Vicksburg campaign, entire.

CHAPTER VIII.

Land defences of Vicksburg-Johnston orders Pemberton to evacuate-Pemberton determines to hold out-Position of Grant's army on 19th of MayPartial and unsuccessful assault-Rebels recover their spirit-National troops rested and supplies brought up-Orders for a general assault on the 22d-Reasons for this assault-Mortar bombardment-Heavy cannonade on land front-Sherman assaults with Blair and Steele's divisions-Troops reach the parapet, but are repelled-Ransom's assault-Difficult nature of the ground-Failure of McPherson's attempt-McClernand's assault determined and gallant, but completely repelled-Distinguished bravery of individuals— Failure of assault all along the line-McClernand's dispatches-Grant's replies-Renewal of the assault-Second failure-Grant's position during the assault-Renewed dispatches from McClernand-Reënforcements sent to McClernand-Death of Boomer-Results of the assault-Comparison with assaults in European wars.

THE ground on which the city of Vicksburg stands is supposed by some to have been originally a plateau, four or five miles long and about two miles wide, and two or three hundred feet above the Mississippi river.* This plateau has been gradually washed away by rains and streams, until it is transformed into a labyrinth of sharp ridges and deep irregular ravines. The soil is fine, and when cut verti

*The official report of engineer operations at the siege of Vicksburg, by Captains Prime and Comstock, U. S. Engineers, and the manuscript memoir, already referred to, of Lieutenant (now Brevet Major-General) Wilson, have furnished most of the details of engineer operations for this and the following chapter.

cally by the action of the water, remains in a perpendicular position for years; and the smaller and newer ravines are often so deep that their ascent is difficult to a footman, unless he aids himself with his hands. The sides of the declivities are thickly wooded, and the bottoms of the ravines never level, except when the streams that formed them have been unusually large.

At Vicksburg, the Mississippi runs a little west of south, and all the streams that enter it from the east run southwest. One of these empties into the river five miles below the city, and the dividing ridge that separates two of its branches was that on which the rebel line, east of Vicksburg, was built. On the northern side of the town, the line also ran along a dividing ridge, between two small streams that enter the Mississippi just above Vicksburg: these ridges are generally higher than any ground in their vicinity. Leaving the Mississippi on the northern side of Vicksburg, where the bluffs strike the river, the line stretched back two miles into the interior, crossed the valleys of two small streams, and reached the river again below, at a point where the bluff falls back from the Mississippi nearly a mile. Here, the works followed the bluff up the river for a mile or more, so as to give fire towards the south on any troops that might attempt an attack from that direction, by moving along the bottom-land between the bluff and the Mississippi.

The whole line was between seven and eight miles long, exclusive of the four miles of rifle-trench and heavy batteries on the water-front. It consisted of a series of detached works, on prominent and commanding points, connected by a continuous line of

trench or rifle-pit. The works were necessarily irregular, from the shape of the ridges on which they were situated, and, in only one instance, closed at the gorge. They were placed at distances of from seventy-five to five hundred yards from each other. The connecting rifle-pit was simple, and generally about breast-high. The ravines were the only ditches, except in front of the detached works, but no others were needed, trees being felled in front of the whole line, and forming, in many places, entanglements which, under fire, were absolutely impassable. In military parlance, Vicksburg was rather an intrenched camp than a fortified place, owing much of its extraordinary strength to the difficult nature of the ground, which rendered rapidity of movement and unity of effort in an assault, impossible.

North of the Jackson road, the hills are higher, and covered with a denser growth of timber, and here, in consequence, the enemy had been able to make his line exceedingly strong, and difficult of approach. But, from the Jackson road to the river, on the south, the country was cleared and cultivated; the ridges also were lower, and the slopes more gentle, though the ground was still rough and entirely unfitted for any united tactical movement. What the enemy lacked on this side, in natural defences, he had supplied by giving increased strength to his works. The whole aspect of the rugged fastness, bristling with bayonets, and crowned with artillery that swept the narrow defiles in every direction, was calculated to inspire new courage in those who came thronging into its recesses and behind its bulwarks, from their succession of disasters in the open field.