of inspection that he did not invite me to accompany him, and I never failed, if I were at liberty, to accept his invitations. Much of the exact information about the condition of the works which I was able to send to Mr. Stanton, Wilson put in my way.
grant's effort to secure reenforceMENTS.
We were no sooner in position behind Vicksburg than Grant saw that he must have reënforcements. Joe Johnston was hovering near, working with energy to collect forces sufficient to warrant an attempt to relieve Vicksburg. He eventually gathered an army behind Grant of about 25,000 men. This made it necessary to keep more troops in our rear, facing the other way, than could well be spared from siege operations, and therefore Grant ordered down from Tennessee, and elsewhere in his own department, all available forces. He also sent a personal request to General Banks, then before Port Hudson, for reënforcements. Banks was Grant's senior, and commanded an independent department; of him Grant could only make a request.
As no reply came from Banks, I started myself on the 30th for Port Hudson, at Grant's desire, to urge that the reënforcements be furnished.
The route used for getting out from the rear of Vicksburg at that time was through the Chickasaw Bayou into the Yazoo and thence into the Mississippi. From the mouth of the Yazoo I crossed the Mississippi to Young's Point, and from there went overland across the peninsula to get a gunboat at a point south of Vicksburg. As we were going down the river we met a steamer just above Grand Gulf bearing one of the previous messengers whom Grant had sent to Banks. He was bringing word that Banks could send no forces; on the other hand, he asked reënforcements from Grant to aid in his siege of Port Hudson, which he had closely invested. This news, of course, made my trip unnecessary, and I returned at once to headquarters, having been gone not over twenty-four hours.
As soon as this news came from Banks I sent an urgent appeal to Mr. Stanton to hurry forward reinforcements sufficient to make success beyond all peradventure. The government was not slow to appreciate Grant's needs. Early in June I received the following despatch from Mr. Stanton:
Your telegrams up to the 30th have been received. Everything in the power of this government will be put forth to aid General Grant. The emergency is not underrated here. Your telegrams are a great obligation, and are looked for with deep interest. I cannot thank you as much as I feel for the service you are now rendering. You have been appointed an assistant adjutant-general, with rank of major, with liberty to report to General Grant if he needs you. The appointment may be a protection to you. I shall expect daily reports if possible.
Secretary of War.
My appointment as assistant adjutant-general was Stanton's own idea. He was by nature a very anxious man. When he realized from my telegrams that I was going every day on expeditions into dangerous territory he was at once alarmed lest I be caught by the Confederates; for as I was a private citizen, it would have been difficult to exchange me. If I were in the regular volunteer service as an assistant adjutant-general, however, there would be no trouble about an exchange; hence my appointment.
DIVERSIONS OF LIFE BEHIND VICKSBURG.
These trips which caused Mr. Stanton so much anxiety were the chief variations from my business of watching the siege. Among the most interesting I made were those to inspect the operations against the enemy who was trying to shut us in from the rear beyond the Big Black. His heaviest force was to the northeast. On June 6th the reports from Satartia, our advance up the Yazoo, were so unsatisfactory that Grant decided to examine the situation there himself. That morning he said to me at breakfast:
"Mr. Dana, I am going to Satartia to-day; would you like to go along?"
I said I would, and we were soon on horseback, riding with a cavalry guard to Haynes's Bluff, where we took a small steamer reserved for Grant's use and carrying his flag. Grant was ill, and went to bed soon after he started. We had gone up the river to within two miles of Satartia, when we met two gunboats coming down. Seeing the General's flag, the officers in charge of the gunboats came aboard our steamer and asked where the General was going. I told them to Satartia.
"Why," said they, "it will not be safe. Kimball [our advance was under the charge of Brigadier-General Nathan Kim-
