May 20, 1863, The Charleston Mercury
The movements in Central Mississippi are by far the most important and critical of any now transpiring in the great theatre of the war. The accounts from that quarter, both by mail and telegraph; have for several days been of a very confused and unsatisfactory character. We know, however, that a large force of Confederate troops is now collected in that Department, and, with the able direction of General JO. JOHNSTON, there is every reason to hope that the enemy will not be permitted to gain any substantial advantage. In the absence of official information, we gather from our exchanges such paragraphs as throw light upon the situation of affairs in and near Jackson. The Mobile Advertiser says:
The occupation of Jackson by the enemy in force, is not so serious a matter in a military point of view as it appears at first sight. Gen. Johnston yielded it without a fight, in preference to risking a battle with overwhelming numbers. He would have taken that risk if Jackson had been of greater importance than as a point of railroad in possession of the enemy. But that possession he already had at Clinton. That the movement of Gen. Grant is a bold one must be admitted – that it has been so rapid, as up to this point, to surprise and outgeneral the Confederate authorities, cannot be denied. But in the boldness of the enterprise consists its danger. He has stretched out his line from his base at the crossing of the Mississippi River, to Jackson, a distance of some seventy-five miles, and however great his force may be, a line of that length is fearfully exposed to even an inferior enemy of disciplined troops in the field. Near his left wing, resting on the Mississippi, in the neighborhood of the Big Black, is the main body of General Pemberton’s army. General Johnston, with some 3000 men, is in front of his right, and in a position to communicate with or join Pemberton in a night’s march; whilst a third army is being massed on this side of Jackson, subject to orders to cross Pearl River above Jackson and cooperate in a fight with the enemy in front, or to cross below and attack him in the rear. There is also reason to believe that a column of reinforcements from Port Hudson is still behind Grant, and will be manoeuvred to take part in the battle soon to come off.
The situation is briefly this: The enemy is many miles from his depot of supplies, with his line weakened by that great extension; he is confronted by a large and disciplined army of Confederate troops, in the hands of a master of the art of war; Vicksburg and Port Hudson are strongly fortified, and, as we know positively, are amply provisioned for a long siege; Grant’s army must soon be weakened by the expiration of the terms of enlistment of many of his troops, and hot weather and Mississippi water will soon weaken it a great deal more by a number of indefinite leaves of absence.
The Jackson Appeal, of the 14th instant, thus alludes to the enemy’s advance:
Gen. Grant has commenced his movements from the river, and developed to some extent his immediate programme. We learn he has changed his river landing from Bruinsburg to Grand Gulf, and that his advances are made eastward on the south side of Big Black, from the Mississippi. His troops have all left Port Gibson. A movement by one column of the Federal army was made in force yesterday toward Edward’s Depot. Their strength has not been stated. At four o’clock, p.m., our forces then on the spot were prepared to hold them in check until other plans to repulse them could be consummated. At a late hour last evening no collision had taken place.
At dark last night couriers arrived from Raymond, reporting a serious skirmish near that village yesterday. We have heard two or three accounts from different gentlemen, and as they correspond in most of the essential particulars, we presume the facts are about as follows: General Gregg, with an infantry force of about 4500, and a portion of Colonel Adams’cavalry, occupied a position about a mile southeast of Raymond. Early in the morning a Federal force between eight and ten thousand strong advanced upon them, and skirmishing commenced about 9 o’clock, a.m. The enemy continued to receive reinforcements up to one o’clock, when he opened a heavy artillery and musketry fire upon our lines. This was replied to by small arms alone some two hours, when General Gregg received intelligence that heavy reinforcements were about to join the enemy, and he withdrew his men in good order. The troops were fatigued from previous exertions, and so much exhausted by the fight, that a withdrawal from the field was a prudential step, especially as it was known to the commander that the enemy’s reinforcements were ready to attack, while his own could not possibly reach him for a few hours.
A gentleman who left Raymond at 4 o’clock informs us our troops were marching through the town in order and slowly at that hour. The enemy were pressing up also, and their shells were falling in the suburbs. Reinforcements were met by the couriers about four miles from town, and it was expected a new position would be taken as soon as our forces met. The loss is estimated to have been considerable on both sides.
The Columbus Sun obtains the following statement from a gentleman who had just reached that place from Jackson:
On Tuesday a sharp contest was had with the advance force of Grant’s army, at Raymond, six or eight miles southwest of Jackson. The enemy outnumbered us at least five to one. Our forces were compelled to fall back upon Jackson, which they did in good order, late at night. On Wednesday evening, just at dark, the train on which Gen. Johnston and staff had taken passage for Vicksburg arrived in Jackson, and the General remained over, superintending the movements of the troops. On Thursday morning, at about 9 o’clock, the enemy appeared in force a few miles south of Jackson, and attacked and drove in our pickets. Our force did not exceed 8000 and so rapid had been the movements of the enemy that several of our regiments had not yet been arranged for action. The force of the enemy was estimated at 30,000. It seemed to be the purpose of General Johnston merely to delay the enemy’s arrival in the city as long as possible, in order to allow our forces time to withdraw our commissary and quartermaster stores. Our informant left Jackson 3 o’clock, p.m., Thursday. He states that some three or four buildings had been burned before he left, set on fire by the shells of the enemy.
The train which left Jackson on Thursday evening came near being overtaken and captured by a battalion of Yankee cavalry. A few miles west of Brandon the cavalry were seen a short distance from the road, but the speed of the locomotive having been increased to nearly thirty miles an hour, the train escaped. We have since learned that Brandon is in possession of the enemy, and that the road between that place and Jackson has been destroyed. The people of Jackson and vicinity, including the military as well as the civilians, are greatly incensed at Gen. Pemberton, and openly accuse him of bad faith. Our informant states that this feeling is strongest among the Commissaries and Quartermasters, who state that they might have saved everything had Pemberton given them orders to move a few hours sooner. There appears to have been no fighting but with artillery, and this was at very […..] taw.’ The majority of the public stores were removed, still a great quantity was destroyed by our men to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy. All the railroad rolling stock, &c., was removed.