Life and Public Services of General Ulysses S. Grant; From His Boyhood to the Present Time. and a Biographical Sketch of Hon. Schuyler Colfax

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1868. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XIV. BATTLE AT BIG BLACK RIVER. ON the morning of the 17th, McClernand's forces found the enemy strongly posted on both sides of the Biff Black Iliver, at the railroad-bridge. In front of the eastern bank was a wide bayou, nearly twenty feet across: this was a natural wet ditch, behind which were rifle-pits. The west bank was a high bluff, with twenty pieces of artillery in position to command the east bank and the approaching Federal forces. Trees had been felled to form an abatis. Engineering science could have hardly constructed a more formidable position than Nature here offered for defence. Here Pemberton took his stand with four thousand men. He said, So strong was the position, that my greatest, almost my only, apprehension was a flank movement by Bridgeport or Baldwin's Ferry, which would have endangered my communications with Vicksburg. But he had against him the men who had been at Donelson, at Corinth, and at Champion's Hill. The artillery-firing and skirmishing continued for two or three hours; when Gen. Lawler--who was rushing around in his shirt-sleeves, determined to cross somewhere--discovered a spot on the left of the rebel defences, where, by moving a portion of his brigade through a piece of woods, he thought an assault might be made. The supporting troops, seeing a part of Lawler's men start, animated by their repeated victories, dashed after them without waiting for orders, and rushed over the bayou in the midst of a murderous fire, which swept down a hundred and fifty of their number. On reaching the end of the rebel parapet, a place was seen wide enough for four men to walk abreast: through this the assaulting party rushed with fixed bayonets and loud cheers. The astonished rebels, accustomed to defeat, as Pemberton said, ...