the Confederate
works in their front being at first left to the guns of the fleet.
Two epaulements for field artillery were thrown up on either side
of the road at Foster's Creek to command the passage of the stream,
but no siege guns were mounted there. The extreme right of the
siege batteries was at No. 2.

While all eyes were turned upon the siege works and every nerve
strained for their completion, Logan's presence in the rear, though
at no time so hurtful as might fairly have been expected, was a
continual source of anxiety and annoyance. To find out just what
force he had and what he was about, Grierson moved toward Clinton
on the morning of the 3d of June with the 6th and 7th Illinois,
the old 2d Massachusetts battalion, now merged in the 3d, a squadron
of the 1st Louisiana, two companies of the 4th Wisconsin, mounted,
and one section of Nims's battery. Grierson took the road by
Jackson, and, when within three miles of that place, sent Godfrey,
with 200 men of the Massachusetts and Louisiana cavalry, to ride
through the town, while the main column went direct to Clinton.
Godfrey pushing on briskly through Jackson, captured and paroled,
after the useless fashion of the time, a number of prisoners, and
rejoined the column two miles beyond. When eight miles west of
Clinton, Grierson heard a report that Logan had gone that morning
toward Port Hudson, but pushing on toward Clinton, after crossing
the Comite Grierson found Logan's advance and drove it back on the
main body, strongly posted on Pretty Creek. A three hours' engagement
followed, resulting in Grierson's retirement to Port Hudson, with
a loss of 8 killed, 28 wounded, and 15 missing; 3 of the dead and
7 of the wounded falling into the hands of the enemy. Logan reports
his loss as 20 killed and wounded, and claims 40 prisoners. Among
the killed, unfortunately, was the young cavalry officer, Lieutenant
Solon A. Perkins, of the 3d Massachusetts, whose skill and daring
had commended itself to the notice of Weitzel during the early
operations in La Fourche, and whose long service without proper
rank had drawn out the remark: "This Perkins is a splendid officer,
and he deserves promotion as much as any officer I ever saw."

Banks determined to chastise Logan for this; accordingly, at daylight
on the morning of the 5th of June, Paine took his old brigade under
Fearing, with the 52d Massachusetts, the 91st New York, and two
sections of Duryea's battery, an