EXECUTIVE OFFICE, JACKSON, MISS., May 5, 1863.

Recent events, familiar to you all, impel me, as your chief magistrate, to appeal to your patriotism for united effort in expelling our enemies from the soil of Mississippi. It can and must be done. Let no man capable of bearing arms withhold from his State his services in repelling the invasion. Duty, interest, our common safety, demand every sacrifice necessary for the protection of our homes, our honor, liberty itself. . . . Awake, then, arouse, Mississippians, young and old, from your fertile plains, your beautiful towns and cities, your once quiet and happy, but now desecrated, homes ! Come and join your brothers in arms, your sons and neighbors, who are now baring their bosoms to the storm of battle at your very doors, and in defence of all you hold dear.

...

Fathers, brothers, Mississippians, while your sons and kindred are bravely fighting your battles on other fields, and shedding new lustre on your name, the burning disgrace of successful invasion of their homes, of insult and injury to their wives, mothers, and sisters, of rapine and ruin, with God's help, and by your assistance, shall never be written while a Mississippian lives to feel in his proud heart the scorching degradation! . . . Let no man forego the proud distinction of being one of his country's defenders, or hereafter wear the disgraceful badge of the dastardly traitor who refused to defend his home and his country!

JOHN J. PETTUs, Governor of Mississippi.

Notwithstanding the proclamation of Gov. Pettus, the army advanced toward Jackson. It moved in two columns; Generals Sherman and McClernand on the right, and Gen. McPherson on the left.

About half-past three o'clock on the morning of the 12th, Gen. Logan's division encountered the rebel vedettes near Raymond, under Gen. Gregg. Regiments were deployed, the cavalry called in, and preparations made for battle. A few hours later, the enemy were encountered, about six thousand strong, within two miles

of Raymond, strongly posted. Their artillery swept a bridge which it was necessary McPherson should cross: the infantry were posted on a range of hills to the right and left, and among ravines in front.

The battle was to be fought here. Orders were sent back to clear the road of all trains, and move up the troops to the front. Before they could arrive, the

enemy were beaten.

As usual, they came on with a "yell," and with great fury rushed at De Golyer's (Eighth Michigan) battery, but were driven back with grape and. canister. The Twentieth, Sixty-eighth, and Seventy-eighth Ohio, and Thirteenth Illinois, were closely engaged with the enemy. Later, the rebels still holding their position, a charge was ordered by Gen. McPherson; and the Eighth Illinois, led by Col. Sturgis, went in with fixed bayonets in fine style, broke their line, and drove them in disorder. During the battle, the Eighth Illinois and Seventh Texas Regiments, which had opposed each other at Fort Donelson, met again, and fought with unflinching ardor. The Eighth Missouri, an Irish regiment, fought with determined bravery. At Winchester, two Irish regiments which had been pressed into the rebel service, refused, when brought on to the field, to fire on the American flag; and at Fredericksburg the Irish troops piled up their dead within forty feet of the muzzles of the rebel cannon. For centuries, at Fontenoy, at Albuera, at Waterloo, the valor of Irishmen has shed lustre on the flag of England in war, which has returned them only persecution peace.

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Logan, with the advance, pressed the retiring enemy,

and at five o'clock entered Raymond in triumph. Generals McPherson and Logan were constantly under fire, animating the troops; the latter having his horse shot under him.

The enemy retreated toward Jackson. The rebel loss was one hundred and three killed, and seven hundred and twenty wounded and taken prisoners. Our loss was sixty-nine killed, and about three hundred and sixty wounded and missing.

At Raymond, the Union officers found newspapers published in Jackson the day previous, from which they learned, to their surprise, that the "Yankees had been whipped at Grand Gulf and Port Gibson, and were falling back to seek the protection of their gunboats.' It was by such falsehoods that the rebel press sought to deceive the people of the South.

Pemberton had been entirely deceived by Grant and by himself.

He had an invincible reluctance to change his base, and could not imagine that Grant had launched his columns into the country, to find their base in their haversacks and in the supplies around them. By advancing to Raymond, Grant exposed, of course, his line of communication with Grand Gulf; and Pemberton thought it the highest generalship to move south to Raymond, and seize this line, which he believed. indispensable to Grant's army. Pemberton said, "My own views were expressed as unfavorable to any movement which would remove me from my base, which was and is Vicksburg."

But Pemberton, it is seen, was about to assail a line of communication which did not exist. Grant had

said, "I shall communicate with Grand Gulf no more." He would open a line of communication again with the North; but it would not be until he had placed the old flag on the capitol of Mississippi, and driven Pemberton and his army fifty miles back, within the intrenchments at Vicksburg.

CHAPTER XIII.

PEN

BATTLE AT JACKSON.

EMBERTON now advanced his army to Edward's Station. On the 12th, he had telegraphed to Johnston, “The enemy is apparently moving his heavy force towards Edward's Dépôt. That will be the battleplace."

Without knowledge of this telegram, of course, Grant, the same day (the 12th), wrote to McClernand," Edward's Station is evidently the point on the railroad the enemy have most prepared for receiving us. I therefore want to keep up appearances of moving upon that place." The day Pemberton was thus theorizing, Grant fought and won the battle of Raymond against Gregg, far on the road to Jackson; and that night he ordered McPherson to "march at daylight for Clinton and Jackson." And to Sherman he wrote, "You will march at four, A.M., in the morning, and follow McPherson." At the same hour, he sent to McClernand, "Start with your three divisions as soon as possible, and on to Raymond."

McPherson, as ordered, had advanced on Clinton, where he arrived about two o'clock, and immediately burned the bridges, tore up the railroad-track, and destroyed the telegraph.