were still living, while others were dead or lifeless-most of them dead. Those that were blown beyond the immediate circle of the explosion, which occupied a large space, were being gathered up where they were in sight. Many were covered and buried beneath the falling earth and wreck, and men were already engaged in digging for the bodies, to save, if possible, those in whom life might not yet be extinct. This labor was performed under a heavy fire, and was rewarded by finding a few living, who were immediately borne off on litters, while as rapidly as they were exhumed the most of them unfortunately were laid aside-deposited with the dead. As each body was brought forth from this living tomb it underwent its brief examination— the speedy search for life or death.

"Above, around and amidst this scene of woe and death, the enemy's balls and shells whizzed and flashed in wild riot and with fatal destruction. Our position was immediately in rear of the ruins. The shelling was severe-fearful! Under any ordinary circumstances the post would have been considered untenable, but now it must be maintained, for every moment it was thought the artillery would cease and a charge be made.

"From the hostile works immediately upon the outside of our lines a small mortar had opened, throwing a twelvepound shell, and every one lighted and exploded in our midst, rarely failing to kill or wound one, probably several of the men. Our situation was the most trying to which troops can be exposed-subjected to a deadly fire without the chance of returning it or striking the foe; for our artillery at this part of the line, confronted by vastly superior metal both in weight and number, had been dismounted or crippled, and not a single piece responded to the incessant roar of the enemy's guns. The bearing of the men never attracted my admiration more than under the circumstances in which they were now placed. The large shells from the heavy batteries, striking the top of the blown-up fortifica tions, burst immediately in our faces, killing and disabling the men and almost covering us with earth; but, shaking themselves and closing up the ranks, they stood devotedly to their places, and through the smoke of battle, upon every countenance was depicted the determination to hold the parapet or die in its defense. We were kept in position here for two hours, holding ourselves in readiness to receive a charge.

"The artillery at last ceased firing for a while, but the destructive little mortar still continued to play upon us with serious effect; about forty men of the regiment were struck by it, and more of them were killed than wounded.

"It was understood that the Federals had been ordered to charge when the fire of the artillery abated, but had refused or exhibited such reluctance to do so that the order was not enforced."

Among the last casualties of the day was LieutenantColonel Senteney of the Second, who was looking over the works and making some observations, when he was shot through the head by a Minie ball and killed instantly. With bitter tears of grief and sorrow the regiment beheld the body of this gallant officer, who had led them through many trying scenes and fiery ordeals, now borne back a corpse. No more would we hear his calm and deliberate, though firm and quiet commands, and be reassured and stimulated in the hour of danger by his self-possessed and determined bearing. The men loved him as their friend, and honored and esteemed him as their commander. He was a brave soldier and an accomplished gentleman.

On the second of July Captain Covell writes: * "Our last rations are in our haversacks, 'mule meat' at that. All hope of outside relief has been abandoned. It is said that Colonel Cockrell proposed to 'cut out,' offering to lead the charging column with the Missourians, but the coils were drawn too closely, and nothing was left but surrender."

The preliminary note for terms was dispatched on the third of July. Correspondence on the subject continued during the day, and was not concluded until nine o'clock the next morning. General Pemberton afterwards came out and had a personal interview with Grant in front of the Federal line, the two sitting for an hour and a half in close communion. A spectator says, "Grant was silent and smoking, while Pemberton, equally cool and careless in manner, was plucking straws and biting them as if in merest chitchat."

It was a terrible day's work for such display of sang froid. It was the loss of one of the largest armies which * Diary, p. 257.

the Confederates had in the field; the decisive event of the Mississippi Valley; the virtual surrender of the great river, and the severance of the Southern Confederacy. The numbers surrendered at the capitulation of Vicksburg were twenty-three thousand men, with three major-generals and nine brigadiers, and upwards of ninety pieces of artillery and about forty thousand small-arms.

Weakness from fatigue, short rations, and heat, had left thousands of the troops decrepid-six thousand of them were in the hospitals, and many of them were crawling about in what should have been convalescent camps. Four thousand citizens and negroes, besides Pemberton's army, included all the souls within the walls of Vicksburg. When we consider that these people had for a month and a half been in daily terror of their lives, never being able to sleep a night in their homes, but crawling into caves, unable to move except in the few peaceful intervals in the heat of the day, we may appreciate what a life of horror was theirs.

The first result of the surrender of Vicksburg, was the fall of Port Hudson, and the consequent supremacy of the Federal arms along the entire length of the Mississippi. General Banks had invested this place; he had made two assaults on the twenty-seventh of May and fourteenth of June. He had been repulsed by General Gardner, who held the place with about five thousand men. When the news was communicated to Gardner that Vicksburg had surrendered, knowing that all hope of relief was at an end, he determined that it was useless to prolong resistance, and on the ninth of July surrendered himself and the garrison as prisoners of war.*

The estimate of losses during the long and laborious siege of Vicksburg, given above by Mr. Pollard, differs somewhat from that recorded by H. C. Clark, in his "Diary of the War." He places the Confederate loss at four thousand seven hundred killed and wounded, and twentyseven thousand prisoners captured at its close; the Federal loss at seven thousand and fifty killed and wounded, saying nothing of those who were disabled by disease in the *Lost Cause, p. 395.

malarious swamps where they were confined in terribly hot weather. From Grand Gulf to the Fourth of July the Federal loss has, upon reliable authority, been placed at thirty thousand men.

CHAPTER XXIII.

PRICE IN ARKANSAS-BATTLE OF HELENA, JULY 4TH, 1863— DEATH OF BOWEN-IN WINTER QUARTERS AT DEMOPOLIS AND MERIDIEN.

HILE Pemberton's surrendered army are being

WHI

paroled and are marching to Demopolis, Alabama; at which point and in the vicinity the Missourians were to remain encamped and reorganizing until January, 1864; we will give a glance at General Price's operations in Arkansas.

The wisdom of the Confederate government insisted on retaining him in subordinate positions. Under McCulloch, Van Dorn, Pemberton, Holmes and Kirby Smith, he and his men performed prodigies of valor-most often unavailing. He was one of the oldest and most distinguished generals in the armies of the South, although yet in the vigor of his manhood-superior in ability to any of those named-unequalled in the devotion of his followers-with a well spent life of success behind him and great personal popularity in his State, which continued to increase during the entire war-he presented the only instance in the history of the Confederacy where a leader, the chosen representative of a State--and the most powerful of the whole sisterhood-was steadily and persistently repressed and denied the recognition from the central power which was fairly his due. Like the true man he was, however, no complaint ever passed his lips which could injure the public service, but in whatever command he was placed, and to

whatever task he was assigned, his whole duty was faithfully and thoroughly discharged.

In the month of May, General E. Kirby Smith, who was in chief command west of the Mississippi, determined to make a demonstration to save Vicksburg, draw away a portion of Grant's forces and annoy his communications. As a part of his plan he sent General Holmes to make an attack upon, and, if possible, capture Helena, a town on the west bank of the river, eighty miles south of Memphis and three hundred north of Vicksburg, and the garrison of which consisted of four thousand Federals, with one gunboat lying in front.

On the thirty-first of May, General Holmes put his troops, composed of Missourians and Arkansians, in motion. for an advance. The weather was very wet, the creeks all full, and the ground covered with water. For the expedition General Holmes had Price's division of infantry, consisting of Parsons' Missouri brigade, numbering one thousand, and McRae's Arkansas brigade, of four hundred; Fagan's brigade of Arkansas infantry, numbering one thousand and five hundred; and Marmaduke's division of Arkansas and Missouri cavalry, numbering two thousand; making a total of four thousand and nine hundred.

These several commands formed a junction at Jacksonport, and, on the morning of the twenty-second of June, commenced their march in the direction of Helena. It was a toilsome and dangerous march-one of the most extraordinary recorded in the history of the war. The infantry were in water to their waists on two-thirds of the road. Heavy details of worn-out men were employed in dragging the wagons through difficult places. The mules. would be unhitched, a long rope fastened to the wagon, and a hundred men pull it through. There was no pontoon train, and over the swollen streams bridges of floating logs would be constructed which a loaded wagon would sink several feet under water. In making this terrible march twelve days were consumed, and on the evening of the third of July the jaded men had reached within four miles of Helena. Precious time had been lost.