To this General Grant immediately replied as follows.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE.

Before Vicksburg, MISS., July 4, 1863.

Lieutenant General J. C. PEMBERTON,
Commanding Confederate Forces, Vicksburg, MISS:

GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your communication of July 3. The amendment proposed by you cannot be accede to in full. It will be necessary to furnish every officer and man with a parole signed by himself, which, with the completion of the rolls of prisoners, will necessarily take some time.

Again, I can make no stipulations with regard to the treatment of citizens and their private property. While I do not propose to cause them any undue annoyance or loss, I cannot consent to leave myself under any restraint by stipulations. The property which officers will be allowed to take with them will be as stated in my proposition of last evening; that is, officers will be allowed their private baggage and sidearms, and mounted officers one horse each.

If you mean by your proposition for each brigade to march to the front of the lines now occupied by it, and stack arms at 10 a. m., and then return to the inside, and there remains as prisoners until properly paroled, I will make no objection to it.

Should no notification be received of your acceptance of my terms by 9 a. m., I shall regard them as having been rejected, and shall act accordingly. Should these terms be accepted, white flags should be displayed along your lines, to prevent such of my troops as may not have been notified from firing upon your men.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

U. S. GRANT,

Major-General.

To this the subjoined answer has this moment been received:

HEADQUARTERS, Vicksburg, MISS., July 4, 1863.

Major General U. S. GRANT,
Commanding United Stated Forces, &c.:k

GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of this day, and in reply to say that the terms proposed by you accepted.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. C. PEMBERTON,

Lieutenant-General.

All preparations for occupying the town are completed. In an hour it will be in our possession. In anticipation of this result, orders were yesterday given to Sherman to prepare to cross Big Black and strike at Johnston. In addition to the forces previously under his command, he takes from the lines here the remainder of the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Army Corps. These move out instantly by way of the railroad bridge, while Sherman has built bridges at Messinger's Ford and Birdsong Ferry. They all march Light, with provision of hard bread, coffee, and sugar and slat only. Sherman is restricted by no special instructions, except that he is to destroy railroads, bridges, and crops. Alexander Ross, lawyer, of Magnolia, Columbia County, Arkansas, conscript in the rebel army, deserted to us recently at Lake Providence, reports the existence of a strong Union feeling in all parts of that State. Union men, including many large slaveholders, are organized in secret societies, with watchwords and passes, in Montgomery, Clarke, Hempstead, Calhoun, Bradley, and Colombia Counties. There have been fights between these societies and Confederate troops with various results. Where the former have been defeated, they have generally been hanged without trial. Among the conscripts in Marmaduke's and Tabbat's [J. C. Tappan's?] troops are many of these secret Unionists. He also reports that in Arkansas the Confederates have, under Sterling Price, sixteen regiments, in four brigades, commanded by Parsons, Fagan, Frost, and McRae, averaging 400 men to each regiment, with one brigade of 1,500 conscripts and civilians, under General Cabell. There is also under Marmaduke a brigade of 1,500 cavalry, poorly mounted, and armed with shot-guns.