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110 LIFE OF LIEUTENANT-GENERAL GRANT.
not to bring on a general engagement unless he was confident
he was able to defeat him; and also to order Blair to move
with him.
“About five o’clock on the morning of the sixteenth, two men,
employees on the Jackson and Vicksburg railroad, who had
passed through Pemberton’s army the night before, were
brought to my head-quarters. They stated Pemberton’s force
to consist of about eighty regiments, with ten batteries of ai-
tillery, and that the whole force was estimated by the enemy at
about twenty-five thousand men. From them I also learned the
positions being taken up by the enemy, and his intention of at-
tacking our rear. I had determined to leave one division of
Sherman’s corps one day longer in Jackson, but this information
determined me to bring his entire command up at once, and I ac-
cordingly despatched him, at half-past five A.M., to move with all
possible speed until he came up with the main force near Bolton.
My despatch reached him at ten minutes past seven A.M., and
his advance division was in motion in one hour from that time.
A despatch was sent to Blair, at the same time, to push forward
his division in the direction of Edward’s Station with all p ossi-
ble despatch. MeClernand was directed to establish communi-
cation between Blair and Osterhaus, of his corps, and keep it
up, moving the former to the support of the latter. McPherson
was ordered forward, at forty-five minutes past five A.M., to join
MeClernand, and Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, of my staff, was
sent forward to communicate the information received, and with
verbal instructions to Mc Clernand as to the disposition of his
forces. At an early hour I left for the advance, and on arriving
at the crossing of the Vicksburg and Jackson railroad with the
road from Raymond to Bolton, I found McPherson’s advance
and his pioneer corps engaged in rebuilding a bridge on the
former road that had been destroyed by the cavalry of Oster-
hans’s division that had gone into Bolton the night before. The
train of Hovey’s division was at a halt, and blocked up the road
from further advance on the Vicksburg road. I ordered all
quartermasters and wagon-masters to draw their teams to one
side, and make room for the passage of troops. McPherson
was brought up by this road. Passing to the front, I found
Hovey’s division of the Thirteenth army corps at a halt, with
our skirmishers and the enemy’s pickets near each other. Hovey
was bringing the troops into line, ready for battle, and could have
brought on an engagement at any moment. The enemy had
taken up a very strong position on a narrow ridge, his left rest-
ing on a height where the road makes a sharp turn to the left
approaching Vicksburg. The top of the ridge and the pre-
cipitous hillside to the left of the road are covered by a dense
forest and undergrowth. To the right of the road the timber
extends a short distance down the hill, and then opens into
cultivated fields on a gentle slope and into a valley extending
Object Description
| Title | Illustrated life,campaigns and public services of Lieut. General Grant |
| Creator | T. B. Peterson & Brothers |
| Subject [LCSH] | Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885 |
| Description | Contains a full history of the life, campaigns, battles and his orders, reports and correspondance with the War Department and the President. |
| Date Original | circa 1865 |
| Format | Book |
| Digital Format | JPEG |
| Language | eng |
| Contributing Institution | Illinois State Library |
| Rights | Materials in this collection are made available by the Illinois State Library. To request reproductions or inquire about permissions, contact: islimg@ilsos.net. Please cite the item title and collection name. |
| Identifier | 3898087 |
| Type | Text |
| Collection Name | Illinois and the Civil War - Documents |
| OCLC number | 830038423 |
Description
| Title | Page 110 |
| Transcript | 110 LIFE OF LIEUTENANT-GENERAL GRANT. not to bring on a general engagement unless he was confident he was able to defeat him; and also to order Blair to move with him. “About five o’clock on the morning of the sixteenth, two men, employees on the Jackson and Vicksburg railroad, who had passed through Pemberton’s army the night before, were brought to my head-quarters. They stated Pemberton’s force to consist of about eighty regiments, with ten batteries of ai- tillery, and that the whole force was estimated by the enemy at about twenty-five thousand men. From them I also learned the positions being taken up by the enemy, and his intention of at- tacking our rear. I had determined to leave one division of Sherman’s corps one day longer in Jackson, but this information determined me to bring his entire command up at once, and I ac- cordingly despatched him, at half-past five A.M., to move with all possible speed until he came up with the main force near Bolton. My despatch reached him at ten minutes past seven A.M., and his advance division was in motion in one hour from that time. A despatch was sent to Blair, at the same time, to push forward his division in the direction of Edward’s Station with all p ossi- ble despatch. MeClernand was directed to establish communi- cation between Blair and Osterhaus, of his corps, and keep it up, moving the former to the support of the latter. McPherson was ordered forward, at forty-five minutes past five A.M., to join MeClernand, and Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, of my staff, was sent forward to communicate the information received, and with verbal instructions to Mc Clernand as to the disposition of his forces. At an early hour I left for the advance, and on arriving at the crossing of the Vicksburg and Jackson railroad with the road from Raymond to Bolton, I found McPherson’s advance and his pioneer corps engaged in rebuilding a bridge on the former road that had been destroyed by the cavalry of Oster- hans’s division that had gone into Bolton the night before. The train of Hovey’s division was at a halt, and blocked up the road from further advance on the Vicksburg road. I ordered all quartermasters and wagon-masters to draw their teams to one side, and make room for the passage of troops. McPherson was brought up by this road. Passing to the front, I found Hovey’s division of the Thirteenth army corps at a halt, with our skirmishers and the enemy’s pickets near each other. Hovey was bringing the troops into line, ready for battle, and could have brought on an engagement at any moment. The enemy had taken up a very strong position on a narrow ridge, his left rest- ing on a height where the road makes a sharp turn to the left approaching Vicksburg. The top of the ridge and the pre- cipitous hillside to the left of the road are covered by a dense forest and undergrowth. To the right of the road the timber extends a short distance down the hill, and then opens into cultivated fields on a gentle slope and into a valley extending |
| Collection Name | Illinois and the Civil War - Documents |
