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504 Grant's victories in Mississippi. [ises two miles from Raymond. After an engagement of two or three hours, the enemy broke and retreated through that town, and McPherson at once occupied the place. That same evening Grant ordered an immediate advance upon Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, fifty miles east of Vicksburg, where the Confederate General Johnston had collected about 11,000 men. Grant had kept his several corps within such easy sup- porting distance that he had an overwhelming force against Johnston. The latter, after a defensive battle on May 14, which showed his relative weakness, retreated ; and Grant's victorious army occupied Jackson. Grant left one corps in Jackson only long enough to destroy the converging railroads for several miles in all directions, as well as to burn the bridges, factories, arsenals, and military stores, completely ruining the place as a railroad centre and military depot. His other two corps he immediately moved westward in the direction of Vicksburg. On the 16th, with these, he encountered the bulk of the Confederate forces, 20,000 strong, under General Pemberton, at Champion's Hill, about half-way between Jackson and Vicksburg. The Confederates were strongly posted on a ridge sixty or seventy feet high. At this point occurred the severest battle of the campaign, in which the Confederates were defeated, losing 24 guns, 2195 prisoners, and perhaps an equal number of killed and wounded. The Federal loss was a total of 2441. The Confederates were now forced to retreat towards Vicksburg, with the Federal army in swift pursuit. On the 17th Pemberton's beaten army made its last stand at the bridge over the Big Black River, from which however it was soon driven ; and it found no rest until it had shut itself up within the fortifications of Vicksburg. Grant had thus carried out one of the most brilliant campaigns in military annals. In twenty days he had marched 180 miles with only five days 1 rations, fought five battles, in each of which he brought his practically united force against the enemy's separated detachments, capturing 88 guns, over 6000 prisoners, and finally shutting up the opposing army in a fortified city, from which it could not escape. All this he did in the enemy's country, in bad weather, by swift marching and skilful strategy, living for the greater part on the resources of the country through which he was moving. After investing Vicksburg, Grant's first care was to establish a line of supplies from Milliken's Bend, by way of the Yazoo river, to the bluffs north-east of the city, where Sherman had made his first assault in the previous December. Grant had hard fighting on the 19th, before he could bring his lines close to the city fortifications, and on the 22nd he attempted by a general assault in force to gain entrance, but without success. His army was not yet altogether out of danger, for the Con- federate General Johnston was still near Jackson, only fifty miles away, with a force nearly as large as his own. But reinforcements soon reached Grant; and by June 14 his numbers were increased to 71,000