and mortar-boats, which had been harassing the
garrison at intervals, day and night, for more than ten days, joined
hotly in the bombardment, but ceased firing, by arrangement, as
soon as the land batteries slackened. The fire of the fleet,
especially that of the mortars, was very annoying to the garrison,
especially at first, yet the actual casualties were not great.

The Confederate losses during the assault are not known. In Beall's
brigade all the losses up to the 1st of June numbered 68 killed,
194 wounded, and 96 missing; together, 358; most of these must have
been incurred on the 27th of May. The Confederate artillery was
soon so completely overpowered, that it became nearly useless, save
when the Union guns were masked by the advance of assaulting columns.
Three 24-pounders were dismounted, and of these one was completely
disabled.

With the result of this day the last hope of a junction between
the armies of Banks and Grant vanished. It may therefore be
convenient to retrace our steps a little in order to note the
closing incidents of this strange chapter of well-laid plans by
fortune brought to naught.

Dwight returned from his visit to Grant on the 22d of May, and
reported to Banks in person at his headquarters with Grover on
Thompson's Creek. In his account of what had taken place, Dwight
confirmed the idea Banks had already derived from the despatch that
Dwight had sent from Grand Gulf on the 16th, before he had seen
Grant. Grant would send 5,000 men, Dwight reported, but Banks was
not to wait for them. Practically this had no effect whatever upon
the campaign, and how little impression it made upon the mind of
Grant himself may be seen from his description, written in 1884,
of his interview with Dwight. It was the morning of the 17th of
May and Grant's troops were standing on the eastern bank of the
Big Black ready to force the passage of the river:

"While the troops were standing as here described, an officer from
Banks's staff came up and presented me with a letter from General
Halleck, dated the 11th of May. It had been sent by way of New
Orleans to Banks to forward to me. He ordered me to return to
Grand Gulf and to co-operate from there with Banks against Port
Hudson, and then to return with our combined forces to besiege
Vicksburg. I told the officer that the order came too late and
that Halleck would not give it then if he knew our position. The
bearer of the despatch insisted th