Diary of Major Joseph Stockton, June 25, 1863

For some time General Logan's division of McPherson's corps had been mining under the rebel Fort Hill, one of the most prominent works and one capable of doing us a good deal of mischief. It was decided to explode the mine today and if the breach was sufficient, to go in as far as possible. We were all drawn up in line of battle to assist Logan or make a diversion in his favor if need be while all the batteries were to open on the rebel works to keep them engaged. He had 2200 pounds of powder in barrels in the mine but their fort was a strong one being at least twenty-four feet thick, of clay and sand. About four o'clock the mine was fired and was in a measure a success. There was no noise but an immense cloud of dirt, interspersed with bodies of men, thrown high in the air. At the same time firing from batteries and rifle pits was tremendous. Our men—the 45th Illinois—rushed into the breach which was made, but a partition of earth some three or four feet thick was blown up, over which our men fought all afternoon and night. Numbers were killed and wounded on both sides, but they held their ground. At night our regiment was ordered out to the advance works in our front, and which was not more than 40 feet from their works, where we remained all night and had two men seriously wounded by their hand grenades. To rest was impossible, as shells from our own and rebel batteries passed over our heads every few minutes; sometimes the shells would explode prematurely and the pieces fly among us; our escape was miraculous. We were in direct range of the different batteries; for instance: There were batteries planted at four different corners and we are in the center and the firing at each other, beside the thousands of minie bullets striking all around us, can give one an idea of how we were situated. We (Ransom Brigade) are also mining a fort in our front and will soon have it done. We are some 30 feet under ground now.

SOURCE: Joseph Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph Stockton, pp. 18-9

Major-General Ulysses S. Grant to Colonel George G. Pride, June 15, 1863

Walnut Hills Miss.

June 15th 1863.

DEAR PRIDE,

I received your very welcom[e] letter and should have answered it sooner but find my time very much taxed.—I will avail myself of your offer should there be another movement made under my command. I missed you wonderfully in [getting] our wagons, baggage and everything over the river with the limited means at hand. I felt that you would have expedited matters one half. All is going on here now just right. We have our trenches pushed up so close to the enemy that we can throw Hand Grenades over into their forts. The enemy do not dare show their heads above the parapets at any point so close and so watchful are our sharpshooters. The town is completely invested. My position is so strong that I feel myself abundantly able to leave it so and go out twenty or thirty miles with force enough to whip two such garrisons. If Johnstone [sic] should come here he must do it with a larger Army than the Confederacy have now at any one place. This is what I think but do not say it boastingly nor do I want it repeated or shown.

Yours Truly

U. S. Grant

SOURCE: John Y. Simon, Editor, The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 8, p. 379