I want you to have your pioneer corps, or one regiment of good men for such work, detailed, and at the landing as soon as possible.

The party will want to take with them their rations, arms, and sufficient camp and garrison equipage for a few days.  I will have a boat at any place you may designate, as early as the men can be there.  The Eighth Missouri (being many of them boatmen) would be excellent men for this purpose.

As soon as you give directions for these men to be in readiness, come up and see me, and I will explain fully.  The tug that takes this is instructed to wait for you.  A full supply of axes will be required.

Very respectfully,

U. S. Grant, Major-General.

This letter was instantly (8 a.m.) sent to Colonel Giles A. Smith, commanding the Eighth Missouri, with orders to prepare immediately.  He returned it at 9.15, with an answer that the regiment was all ready.  I went up to Milliken’s Bend in the tug, and had a conference with the general, resulting in these orders: 

Headquarters department of the Tennessee
before Vicksburg, March 16, 1863

Major-General W. T. Sherman, commanding Fifteenth Army Corps.

General:  You will proceed as early as practicable up Steele’s Bayou, and through Black Bayou to Deer Creek, and thence with the gunboats now there by any route they may take to get into the Yazoo River, for the purpose of determining the feasibility of getting an army through that route to the east bank of that river, and at a point from which they can act advantageously against Vicksburg.

Make such details from your army corps as may be required to clear out the channel of the various bayous through which transports would have to ran, and to hold such points as in your judgment should be occupied.

I place at your disposal to-day the steamers Diligent and Silver Wave, the only two suitable for the present navigation of this route.  Others will be supplied you as fast as required, and they can be got.

I have given directions (and you may repeat them) that the party going on board the steamer Diligent push on until they reach Black Bayou, only stopping sufficiently long at any point before reaching there to remove such obstructions as prevent their own progress.  Captain Kossak, of the Engineers, will go with this party.  The other boat-load will commence their work in Steele’s Bayou, and make the navigation as free as possible all the way through.

There is but little work to be done in Steele’s Bayou, except for about five miles abort midway of the bayou.  In this portion many overhanging trees will have to be removed, and should be dragged out of the channel.

Very respectfully,

U. S. Grant, Major-General.