We have had gratifying intelligence from the Southwest for
several days past, particularly in the vicinity of Vicksburg. It is pretty
certain that Grant will capture the place, and it is hoped Pemberton's army
also. There is a rumor that the stars and stripes wave over Vicksburg, but the
telegraph-wires are broken and communication interrupted.
SOURCE: Gideon Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles,
Secretary of the Navy Under Lincoln and Johnson, Vol. 1: 1861 – March 30,
1864, p. 311
