While the troops were standing as here described an officer from Banks’ staff came up and presented me with a letter from General Halleck, dated the 11th of May.  It had been sent by the way of New Orleans to Banks to be forwarded to me.  It 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 now if he knew our position.  The bearer of the dispatch insisted that I ought to obey the order, and was giving arguments to support his position when I heard great cheering to the right of our line and, looking in that direction, saw Lawler in his shirt sleeves leading a charge upon the enemy.  I immediately mounted my horse and rode in the direction of the charge, and saw no more of the officer who delivered the dispatch; I think not even to this day.

The assault was successful.  But little resistance was made.  The enemy fled from the west bank of the river, burning the bridge behind him and leaving the men and guns on the east side to fall into our hands.  Many tried to escape by swimming the river.  Some succeeded and some were drowned in the attempt.  Eighteen guns were captured and 1,751 prisoners.  Our loss was 39 killed, 237 wounded and 3 missing.  The enemy probably lost but few men except those captured and drowned.  But for the successful and complete destruction of the bridge, I have but little doubt that we should have followed the enemy so closely as to prevent his occupying his defences around Vicksburg.

As the bridge was destroyed and the river was high, new bridges had to be built.  It was but little after nine o’clock A.M. when the capture took place.  As soon as work could be commenced, orders were given for the construction of three bridges.  One was taken charge of by Lieutenant Hains, of the Engineer Corps, one by General McPherson himself and one by General Ransom, a most gallant and intelligent volunteer officer.  My recollection is that Hains built a raft bridge; McPherson a pontoon, using cotton bales in large numbers, for pontoons; and that Ransom felled trees on opposite banks of the river, cutting only on one side of the tree, so that they would fall with their tops interlacing in the river, without the trees being entirely severed from their stumps.  A bridge was then made with these trees to support the roadway.  Lumber was taken from buildings, cotton gins and wherever found, for this purpose.  By eight o’clock in the morning of the 18th all three bridges were complete and the troops were crossing.

Sherman reached Bridgeport about noon of the 17th and found Blair with the pontoon train already there.  A few of the enemy were intrenched on the west bank, but they made little resistance and soon surrendered.  Two divisions were crossed that night and the third the following morning.