d, had about thirty-three
thousand men. It was absolutely necessary for success that Grant, with
inferior numbers, should succeed in destroying the smaller forces to
the eastward, and thus prevent their union with Pemberton and the
main army at Vicksburg. His plan, in brief; was to fight and defeat a
superior enemy separately and in detail. He lost no time in putting his
plan into action, and pressing forward quickly, met a detachment of the
enemy at Port Gibson and defeated them. Thence he marched to Grand Gulf,
on the Mississippi, which he took, and which he had planned to make a
base of supply. When he reached Grand Gulf, however, he found that he
would be obliged to wait a month, in order to obtain the reinforcements
which he expected from General Banks at Port Hudson. He, therefore, gave
up the idea of making Grand Gulf a base, and Sherman having now joined
him with his corps, Grant struck at once into the interior. He took
nothing with him except ammunition, and his army was in the lightest
marching order. This enabled him to move with great rapidity, but
deprived him of his wagon trains, and of all munitions of war except
cartridges. Everything, however, in this campaign, depended on
quickness, and Grant's decision, as well as all his movements, marked
the genius of the great soldier, which consists very largely in knowing
just when to abandon the accepted military axioms.

Pressing forward, Grant met the enemy, numbering between seven and eight
thousand, at Raymond, and readily defeated them. He then marched on
toward Jackson, fighting another action at Clinton, and at Jackson he
struck General Joseph Johnston, who had arrived at that point to take
command of all the rebel forces. Johnston had with him, at the moment,
about eleven thousand men, and stood his ground. There was a sharp
fight, but Grant easily defeated the enemy, and took possession of the
town. This was an important point, for Jackson was the capital of
the State of Mississippi, and was a base of military supplies. Grant
destroyed the factories and the munitions of war which were gathered
there, and also came into possession of the line of railroad which ran
from Jackson to Vicksburg. While he was thus engaged, an intercepted
message revealed to him the fact that Pemberton, in accordance with
Johnston's orders, had come out of Vicksburg with twenty-five thousand
men, and was moving eastward against him. Pemberton, however, instead
of holding a str