Bill Boggs and
myself secured a pass this morning early and started down to the canal. We
followed the river bank until we were about one mile and half from the ditch,
when we saw that we were upon a bayou that ran back up the river about two
miles. We had to turn back, feeling pretty badly sold as it made us four miles
extra walk. Young poplars were so thick that we could not see where we were for
a while. The levee is broken in two places. Our division (6th McArthur) is
repairing the upper one, and the lower division the lower one. The water is
running through here badly. They are planting artillery behind the levee all
along between camp and the ditch. The levee forms a substantial breastwork. One
mile this side of the ditch we came, for the first time, within full view of
Vicksburg. The town lies upon the west side of a sloping bluff. One large
church and the court house and one earthworks could be distinguished quite
plainly. The town did not look more than two or three miles distant, but
it is not less than eight. An officer was looking through a glass, he could see
transports at the wharf, and a crowd collected around someone who was taking
observations. As we passed the mouth of the Yazoo we could look up and see
three or four gunboats and as many rams, while on this side lay the
"Chillicothe" and three rams. As I was going down I was hailed by two
cavalry men who had just passed me. On looking up, whom should I see but Oll
and Dave Hubler, formerly of Co. E, 12th Ind. They belong to Co. C, 4th Ind.
cavalry. They told me that Geo. Hissung is down here. They are body guard to
Gen. Smith. Pat Gallegher and Bill Humphrey, our old first lieutenant and
orderly, are here. Nearby is the far famed ditch. About noon we sat down on its
banks and took a good rest. The boys encamped there say the water has risen one
foot today. It is now five feet deep and has a rapid current. It averages over
twenty feet wide upon the surface. The Mississippi is rising rapidly. I went
down to the lower end of the ditch, it is one mile and one-eighth in length.
There are heavy details at work throwing up a levee on the west side of it. We
have thirty two-pound parrots blockading the river. They are posted behind the
levee here. When we arrived Gen. McClernand was taking observations. The Rebels
are throwing up heavy works below the mouth of the ditch upon the opposite
side. It is about three miles distant. We could see them moving around, coming
up and going away. We lay there about two hours and watched them. We could see
two heavy earthworks, or forts, and one line of rifle pits. We went from here up
to the head of the ditch. It starts in an eddy and there was a tug, "The
Ivy," lying in front to keep out the driftwood. It is hard to tell if the
thing will prove advantageous. Large details at work, showing that the generals
still have faith in it. We understand that they have sent for a dredge. There
are encampments all the way between our division and the ditch. Gen. Steele's
division is below the mouth of it. We came back to camp a little after dark,
tired and hungry, having traveled during the day about twenty miles, but were
amply repaid. McClernand is a homely man, apparently about forty-five years of
age, with black whiskers and a Roman nose. I saw a fine looking general, said
to be Gen. Steele.
SOURCE: Seth James
Wells, The Siege of Vicksburg: From the Diary of Seth J. Wells,
Including Weeks of Preparation and of Occupation After the Surrender, p.
32-4
