LEVEE AT YOUNG'S POINT. 223 Very near to the mouth of the canal, lay the steamer Magnolia, the headquarters of Gen. Grant, the nearest point to Vicksburg, out of range of the enemy's guns. The levee varied in width, from four to ten feet, and was from ten to fifteen feet in height. It was in constant requisition as a line of communication between the regiments and the landing. At first, a strong guard was kept on either side, to prevent any but pedestrians from using it. As the flood increased, equestrians were permitted to ride upon it; finally, it became the refuge of the army, until the troops were driven to transports by the rising waters. During our sojourn at Young's Point, horses and mules occasionally passed over it, and groups of soldiers were constantly to be gathered upon it, for air and exercise. "Twas the only terra firma to be seen, and was the spot where the sunny and shady side of army life were hourly exhibited. At Young's Point, at that time, war was robbed of its "pomp and circumstance," stood out in lines of stern reality, and taxed the endurance and patriotism of every man within its bounds. The location of our boat, so as to be accessible to hospitals and regiments, afforded a fine opportunity to witness the shifting scenes on the levee, which were constantly and rapidly changing. The superior officers, with their orderlies, could scarcely be distinguished from their subordinates, for all uniforms were faded and soiled, and the horses and mules alike jaded and forlorn. Mules were used entirely for transportation, as their toughness and dogged persistence far exceeded that of horses. The scattering of groups of soldiers at the approach of quadrupeds, and the attempted drill of regiments on the spongy |