Please inform me by telegraph whether you wish me to go to General Rosecrans after the fall of Vicksburg, or whether you have any other orders for me. I should like to go home for a short time.

C. A. DANA.

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

BEHIND Vicksburg, June 15, 1863-8 a. m.,

VIA MEMPHIS, June 18-11 a. m. (Received June 20-5. 30 a. M.)

General Parke reported here last evening. Three brigades landed at Young's Point yesterday; two more debark to-day. General Parke will take his position on the extreme left of the lines, where General Herron is now posted. General Herron takes Hovey's place, between Generals Lauman and Carr. General Hovey's brigade [DIVISION?] becomes a reserve. The enemy yesterday laid aside his long-standing inactivity, and opened violently with both artillery and musketry. Two mortars placed at the left of our center, in a ravine near the railroad, in front of A. J. Smith, fired during the day some sixty shell at the trenches of Logan, in McPherson's center. These mortars are out of reach of our artillery and sharpshooters. Though they had the range pretty accurately, they accomplished nothing more than wounding one man. On General Sherman's lines the enemy fired vehemently with musketry, but did no great damage. They are hard at work placing a 42-pounder, brought up from their water battery, so as to bear on General Sherman's center. In that place our approach has reached the ditch of their main fort at the salient. It has been Sherman's intention to crown the parapet of this work at that point, but having reason to believe that the enemy have placed a mine there, he is now opening trenches parallel with the ditch along each flank of the work and crown of the glacis instead. The curtains are each about 100 feet long. On each flank Sherman intends to place six 12-pounder howitzers. The violence of yesterday's fire has also led him to place a battery of four 12-pounder howitzers and two 30-pounder Parrotts in an advanced position, within 50 yards of the fort. These batteries were opened at daybreak this morning, with what effect is not reported. The musketry firing about Sherman's sap was active all night on McPherson's right. Morgan gained yesterday an important advantage by permanently occupying a fortification or spur of the ridge along whose crest the enemy's lines extend; hitherto a ravine has extended between him and them. At McPherson's center, Logan told me last evening that his sap yesterday debouched upon the rebels's salient at which he has been working. This fort has no ditch, but is escaped and is 25 feet high, the escarpment being formed by cutting away the natural declivity of the hill. This escarpment McPherson will either dig down or mine. McClernand is pressing his approaches, but is still much farther off than either of the others. He has some heavy 24-pounders in position and is getting up some 8-inch navy guns. On Lauman's front nothing of importance has been done in the way of regular approaches, but rifle-pits have been opened and our lines considerably shortened. Lauman has brought from Warrenton a rebel rifled 64-pounder, and has a 9-inch columbiad derived from the same source ready to place. General Parker's arrival makes a very great addition to our engineering strength in that quarter. Two competent engineers absent on sick leave also returned yesterday, so that we shall no longer be deficient in that regard. General