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Hovey alone lost twelve hundred killed, wounded, and missing,—one-thirdof his division.
Had McClernand come up with reasonable promptness, or had I known theground as I did afterward, I cannot see how Pemberton could have escapedwith any organized force. As it was he lost over 3000 killed and wounded,and about 3000 captured in battle and in pursuit. Loring’s division, whichwas the right of Pemberton’s line, was cut off from the retreating army, andnever got back into Vicksburg . Pemberton himself fell back that night tothe Big Black River. His troops did not stop before midnight, and many ofthem left before the general retreat commenced, and no doubt a good part ofthem returned to their homes. Logan alone captured 1300 prisoners and 11guns. Hovey captured 300, under fire, and about 700 in all, exclusive of 500sick and wounded, whom he paroled, thus making 1200.
McPherson joined in the advance as soon as his men could fill their car-tridge-boxes, leaving one brigade to guard our wounded. The pursuit wascontinued as long as it was light enough to see the road. The night of the16th of May found McPherson’s command bivouacked from two to six mileswest of the battle-field, along the line of the road to Vicksburg. Carr andOsterhaus were at Edwards’s Station, and Blair was about three miles south-east. Hovey remained on the field where his troops had fought so bravely andbled so freely. Much war material abandoned by the enemy was picked upon the battle-field, among it thirty pieces of artillery. I pushed through theadvancing column with my staff, and kept in advance until after night.Finding ourselves alone we stopped and took possession of a vacant house.As no troops came up we moved back a mile or more, until we met the headof the column just going into bivouac on the road. We had no tents, sowe occupied the porch of a house which had been taken for a rebel hospital,and which was filled with wounded and dying who had been broughtfrom the battle-field we had just left.
While a battle is raging one can see his enemy mowed down by the thou-sand and the ten thousand, with great composure. But after the battle thesescenes are distressing, and one is naturally disposed to do as much to alleviatethe suffering of an enemy as of a friend.
We were now assured of our position between Johnston and Pemberton,without the possibility of a junction of their forces. Pemberton might indeedhave made a night march to the Big Black, crossed the bridge there, and, bymoving north 011 the west side, have eluded us, and finally returned to John-ston. But this would have given us Vicksburg . It would have been hisproper move, however, and the one Johnston would have made had he been inPemberton’s place. I 11 fact, it would have been in conformity with Johnston’sorders to Pemberton.
Sherman left Jackson with the last of his troops about noon on the 16th,and reached Bolton, twenty miles west, before halting. His rear-guard didnot get in until 2 a. m. the 17th, but renewed their march by daylight. Heparoled his prisoners at Jackson, and was forced to leave his own wounded,—in care of surgeons and attendants however. At Bolton he was informed of