Page:Decisive Battles Since Waterloo.djvu/321

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SIEGE AND FALL OF VICKSBURG.
287

noon the Union fleet of gun-boats and transports was tied along the levee of Vicksburg, and the citizens, who had been hiding in caves and living in constant terror of shot and shell for six long weeks, were able to walk about without danger.

General Grant reported his losses, from the day he landed at Bruinsburg until the surrender, at 943 killed, 7,095 wounded, and 537 missing, a total of 8,575, of whom 4,236 fell before Vicksburg, the most of them in the assault of May 22d. Twenty-seven thousand prisoners were paroled in Vicksburg, of whom only 15,000 were effective for duty. The loss of the enemy in the whole campaign, from Bruinsburg to the surrender, was 37,000 prisoners, among them 15 general officers, and at least 10,000 killed and wounded, including 3 generals. Arms and munitions for an army of 60,000 men were taken, besides a large amount of other public property, such as railway cars, locomotives, steamboats, cotton, etc. A vast amount was destroyed to prevent its capture.

Immediately after the surrender of Vicksburg, General Grant ordered the division of General F. J. Herron to go to aid in the siege of Port Hudson, which was being conducted by General Banks. Port Hudson is 200 miles below Vicksburg, and was invested about the time General Grant drew his lines around Vicksburg. General Gardner, its commander, heard of the surrender of Vicksburg, and sent a flag of truce to General Banks to ascertain the correctness of the report. The latter sent a copy of General Grant's despatch announcing the momentous event, and, on being satisfied of its correctness. General Gardner made a formal surrender of Port Hudson and its garrison, 6,000 strong. General Banks received General Gardner's sword, and immediately returned it in consideration of the gallantry its owner had displayed in the defence of the post intrusted to his charge.

News of the surrender of Port Hudson arrived just as