BEHIND Vicksburg, MISS., June 6, 1863-7 p. m.,

VIA MEMPHIS, June 12-5 p. m.

Kimball reports from Mechanicsburg that on entering that place from Satartia day before yesterday, he found the enemy drawn up in line of battle. Attacked immediately, and drove him out. His cavalry were pursuing as he wrote. No other particulars. General Grant has just started for the place, deeming it necessary to examine the situation there himself. I go with him. The siege goes on steadily. Deserters all report short rations and divided councils within, a great part of the soldiers and all the citizens desiring to surrender.

They fired a good deal yesterday, having evidently received a new supply of caps.

C. A. DANA.

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

HAYNES' BLUFF, June 7, 1863,

VIA MEMPHIS, June 10.

On approaching to within 2 miles of Satartia last evening, we found that N. Kimball had retreated to Oak Ridge Post-Office, sending the commissary stores and baggage by the river to this place. The gunboats were also coming down, and General Grant returned here with them.

The reason of Kimball's movement appears to be an extraordinary fall in the Yazoo, which caused him to fear that his supplies might become insecure at Satartia. His affair on the 4th was but a small skirmish, in which he took some 40 prisoners, with no loss to himself, as I am informed from Kimball. We have no official report. A rebel deserter reports that General W. H. T. Walker is at Yazoo City with eight brigades, and that Joe Johnston is advancing from Canton to the Big Black with a large force.

C. A. DANA.

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

BEHIND Vicksburg, MISS., June 8, 1863-10 a. m.,

VIA MEMPHIS, June 10-5 p. m.

I have just returned from the vicinity of Mechanicsburg, whither I went with a party of cavalry from Haynes' Bluff yesterday. There were no signs of any considerable force of the enemy, though Kimball had retreated from there the day before in a semi-panic. No doubt Johnston has moved some of his troops this side of the Big Black, but his main force yet stays at Canton. The idea of operating in that direction, both for devastation and for more direct military objects, General Grant has by no means abandoned. His intention has been to put C. C. Washburn in command there, but I now think he will send Sherman with a force of from 15,000 to 20,000 troops, including 2, 5000 cavalry. The country is like the rest of this peninsula-broken, wooded, unpopulous, with few streams. It still has many cattle, but the corn is pretty thoroughly cleared out. Johnston cannot move through it without bringing all his supplies with him.

Advises from Port Hudson to the 4th instant were brought yesterday by Colonel J. Riggin, of General Grant's staff. The siege has not reached