Adam Badeau, Military history of Ulysses S. Grant from April 1861 to April 1865. Volume 1

[200] the utter futility of his effort having been amply demonstrated; the enemy also suspended fire. Porter's loss was eighteen killed and fifty-six wounded. One of his vessels was struck as many as forty-seven times.

Grant had witnessed the bombardment from a tug in the stream, and, immediately upon its close, he signalled the admiral, who took him aboard the flagship. There, he at once requested Porter to run by the batteries at Grand Gulf that night, with his entire fleet, as a cover to the transports, while the troops should be disembarked at Hard Times, and marched to De Shroon's, a point on the western shore, three miles below Grand Gulf. Porter promptly acquiesced, and that night the gunboats again engaged the batteries, while all the transports ran by, receiving no damage in the passage, only one or two being struck. They were thus ready, on the morning of the 30th, to take the troops aboard at De Shroon's. During the night, the Thirteenth corps marched around to that place, on the levee. The gunboats also passed below the batteries.

Grant had previously ordered the eastern shore below Grand Gulf explored, to find a landing-place, and hardly hoped to get a footing anywhere north of Rodney; but, that night, information was procured from a negro, that a good road led from Bruinsburg, six miles below Grand Gulf, to Port Gibson, twelve miles in the interior, and on high ground. When the embarkation began in the morning, it was with a view to steam down the river, until hard land should be found, but, this information being relied on, the first transports went direct to Bruinsburg, and found the negro's story correct; a good dry road leading to