On the morning of
the 3rd when the rebels hung the flag of truce from their fort on the Jackson
road, word soon passed along our whole line to that effect and soon firing
ceased and the works on both sides were lined with the soldiers of the
different armies talking to each other. It must have astonished the Rebs to see
we were so close upon them. In front of our brigade we could almost shake hands
with them. How anxiously they and we felt as to what Pemberton's reply to Grant
would be, and when about half past nine on the 4th we saw the stars and stripes
float from the fort we had stormed unsuccessfully, the air was rent with cheers
and how relieved we all felt. Orders soon came for us to get ready to march
into the city. Logan's division in the advance and the 45th Illinois in the
advance of the army owing to their gallantry in storming Fort Hill. The day was
a terrible hot one. We packed knapsacks and were soon ready to march. It was
hard work but soon we got on the Jackson road and were inside the rebel lines.
We marched through long rows of arms, stacked on both sides of the road and
their late owners sitting or standing quietly by them. There were no cheers as
we passed through these men but the salutations were "How are you
Yank?" "How are you Reb?" "Give us something to eat
Yank," when our boys would throw them hard tack, coffee and what else they
could spare. The march was a terrible one and notwithstanding that it was
marching into Vicksburg. I never saw so many men affected by the heat. When we
reached the Court House I saw our glorious banner floating from its dome where
only in the morning the rebel flag had been waving to the breeze. Our men could
restrain themselves no longer and gave one long, loud cheer. We marched around
the Court House, which is a fine large building, and then halted, stacked arms
while waiting for further orders. They soon came to us to march back to the
fortifications and halt on the inside. We did so; reached them about dusk and
bivouacked for the night. Captain Dickey of General Ransom's Staff soon came
and ordered me on duty as "officer of the day" and to post guards for
the night along the fortifications to keep the prisoners from escaping. I had a
hard time of it but no one can appreciate my feelings of the satisfaction I had
as I rested on a cannon which but a few ours before was shotted against
us. The night was a beautiful one and in making my "rounds" I would
come across groups of rebel prisoners who would be sitting by a fire discussing
their fate. They were anxious to know what was going to be done with them,
whether they would be sent North, which they feared; or paroled. They spoke of
the incidents of the siege and of the assault on the 22nd of May and how they
slaughtered us with so little loss to themselves. As I had eaten no dinner and
but a cracker for supper, I was glad when morning came and I was relieved from
duty. I slept during the morning as I was completely exhausted, and in the
afternoon visited the rebel works opposite our front. I was amazed at their
strength and, after we got in, how they could have slaughtered us. You must
look to history as to the amount of war material and men surrendered. I was
surprised to see their men so well dressed and looking so well. I asked some of
them about their rations of mule meat and they say it was issued once, which
was more for effect than anything else, as they told me themselves they could
have lived several days longer without being starved on what they had, but many
of them said they were afraid of what we might do on the 4th; well they might,
for in the morning orders had been issued for a national salute of 34 rounds,
shot from every gun in position around Vicksburg, and several mines were to
have been exploded blowing up their forts. Taking it all in all, it was well
for both sides as many thousands of lives would have been sacrificed on both
sides in the assault.
SOURCE: Joseph
Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph
Stockton, pp. 19-20
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