When the movement from Bruinsburg commenced we were without a wagon train.  The train still west of the Mississippi was carried around with proper escort, by a circuitous route from Milliken’s Bend to Hard Times seventy or more miles below, and did not get up for some days after the battle of Port Gibson.  My own horses, headquarters’ transportation, servants, mess chest, and everything except what I had on, was with this train.  General A. J. Smith happened to have an extra horse at Bruinsburg which I borrowed, with a saddle-tree without upholstering further than stirrups.  I had no other for nearly a week.

It was necessary to have transportation for ammunition.  Provisions could be taken from the country; but all the ammunition that can be carried on the person is soon exhausted when there is much fighting.  I directed, therefore, immediately on landing that all the vehicles and draft animals, whether horses, mules, or oxen, in the vicinity should be collected and loaded to their capacity with ammunition.  Quite a train was collected during the 30th, and a motley train it was.  In it could be found fine carriages, loaded nearly to the top with boxes of cartridges that had been pitched in promiscuously, drawn by mules with plough, harness, straw collars, rope-lines, etc.; long-coupled wagons, with racks for carrying cotton bales, drawn by oxen, and everything that could be found in the way of transportation on a plantation, either for use or pleasure.  The making out of provision returns was stopped for the time.  No formalities were to retard our progress until a position was secured when the time could be spared to observe them.

It was at Port Gibson I first heard through a Southern paper of the complete success of Colonel Grierson, who was making a raid through central Mississippi.  He had started from La Grange April 17th with three regiments of about 1,700 men.  On the 21st he had detached Colonel Hatch with one regiment to destroy the railroad between Columbus and Macon and then return to La Grange.  Hatch had a sharp fight with the enemy at Columbus and retreated along the railroad, destroying it at Okalona and Tupelo, and arriving in La Grange April 26.  Grierson continued his movement with about 1,000 men, breaking the Vicksburg and Meridian railroad and the New Orleans and Jackson railroad, arriving at Baton Rouge May 2d.  This raid was of great importance, for Grierson had attracted the attention of the enemy from the main movement against Vicksburg.

During the night of the 2d of May the bridge over the North Fork was repaired, and the troops commenced crossing at five the next morning.  Before the leading brigade was over it was fired upon by the enemy from a commanding position; but they were soon driven off.  It was evident that the enemy was covering a retreat from Grand Gulf to Vicksburg.  Every commanding position from this (Grindstone) crossing to Hankinson’s ferry over the Big Black was