to a point lower down, and it was the commencement of the series of movements operating first against Grand Gulf and Port Gibson, and thence proceeding up the valley, on the east side of the Big Black, and terminating in the investment and subseguention against the city of Vicksburg. The enemy withdrawing from the Yazoo River, and his purpose of a real attack below bing now developed, the SECOND Texas Infantry, was marched back, and, after a halt of three days at is old camp on Chickasaw Bayon, was ordered, on May 2, to march below Vicksburg, and take position 2 miles, in rear of the abandoned tow of redirected to the clothes actually worn on the march, with one extra shirt, one blanket to be worn in a wisp, and no knapsack. Except the ammunition train, the transportation was, by orders strictly limited to a few indispensable cooking utensil, to the exclusion of all other camp equipage and all baggage of the men whatever. The camp with all the clothing and personal effect of officers and men, afterward fell into the hands of the enemy. Arrived near Warrenton, the regiment took its turn in manning a redoubt in the town, near the river, and in picketing the banks of the river above and below the town. The redoubt was regularly cannonaded every evening by a gunboat, whose business appeared to be to patrol the river and cover the movements of troop on the opposite side. No one in the redoubt was seriously wounded.

On May 14, the regiment was ordered to take a position near Mrs. Glass gin, 3 miles below Warrenton, as a strong advance guard to watch advance over the Big Black by Hall's or Hankinson., ferries, which are near the of this river ippi, and some 12 miles distant from the station near the gin. In this duty of advance guard, the regiment though acting strictly under general orders from the brigadier-general commanding, nevertheless acted alone and not in association with any other corps. As the forces below Vicksburg fell into the city, the SECOND Texas Infantry, was moved back, still holding its relative position of advance guard, first to its former bivouac in the rear of Warrenton, and successively into the city of Vicksburg, which it entered on Sunday, May 17. It was first posted on the extreme right of the lines adjoining the Mississippi River. Later in the evening it was moved t a position road, occupying its proper place as the right battalion of Moore's brigade. Subsequently, the same night, and hour or two after midnight, the men were roused form their bivouac on the ground, and moved out of their brigade position, and changed places with the Forty-SECOND Alabama a gallant regiment, in order that the SECOND Texas Infantry might man the fort wich commanded the Baldwin's Ferry road at the very point where the road traversed the lines to enter the city. This was the assailable point of our lines. The place of danger, the post of honor, they key of this portion of our works of defense. The other similand this position, for a similar reason, appears to have been manned by the THIRD Louisiana Infantry, a most gallant corps.

Reverting to the position occupied by the SECOND Texas; the ground is so irregularly broken here that is scarcely possible to give by description a clear notion of its configuration. The center of the position on the lines now occupied by the SECOND Texas was a fort situated on a projecting swell or mamelon of ground ell in advance of the general outline of the works. The Baldwin's Ferry road, approaching the

25 R R-VOL XXIV, pt. II