May 22, 1863, The New York Herald
The news from the Southwest is most important. It is known that General Grant’s forces abandoned Jackson on Friday and Saturday last, having other work to attend to. General Joe Johnston telegraphs to Adjutant General Cooper, from the rebel camp between Livingston and Brownsville, that General Pemberton had been attacked on Saturday morning near Edwards’ depot by the Union forces, and was compelled to fall back behind the Big Black river after a hard fight of nine hours duration. A despatch to the Mobile register, dated from Jackson on the 18th, says that the Union loss in the attack on that city was admitted to be six hundred men by a Union officer, who bore a flag of truce into Jackson; that the rebels had retreated beyond the Big Black, destroying the bridge behind them; but that our forces had advanced eight miles north and there found General Joe Johnston in line of battle. This correspondent, however, states that, according to rebel advices, their troops – twelve thousand strong – fought twenty-four thousand Union troops, sustained themselves and fell back to their intrenchments at night. They admit a heavy loss, and pronounce the battle severe, though indecisive.
A despatch from Murfreesboro yesterday says that the rebels admit that General Grant has defeated Johnston, and secured the railroad bridge across the Big Black river, thus cutting off Vicksburg from supplies and reinforcements. These statements, it must be observed, all come, either directly or indirectly, from rebel sources. The latest official news we have is the announcement t General Halleck by General Grant of this capture of the city of Jackson on the 14th instant.
Our correspondence from General Hooker’s army today is very interesting, although no important movements have yet to be recorded. The resignation of General T.F. Meagher having been accepted, he took an impressive farewell on Wednesday of the remnant of that gallant brigade which he led with unequaled bravery through so many bloody fields, and whose dead mark every battle ground of the war with a mournful testimony of their devotion and patriotism. Entering into the service numbered by thousands, the brigade remains today only half a full regiment; the rest have sealed their faith to the country by the sacrifice of life.
By an arrival from Newbern we have the particulars of the mode by which the communication with the North by way of the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal has been cut off by the capture of the two despatch boats Emily and Arrow by the guerillas on the banks of the canal, on the 14th and 15th inst. The connection between Roanoke and Norfolk is thus severed, as it is evidently no longer safe to trust our boats on that route. The rebels first captured the Arrow, and, putting a crew on board, proceeded down the canal until she met the Emily, and made her an easy prey.
The United States steamer Union, which arrived here yesterday, from a voyage in which she carried supplies to the blockading squadron of the South Atlantic, the East and the West, reports that on her return she captured the British schooner Linnet, a noted blockade runner, with a valuable cargo on board.