Opening of the Mississippi River

AUGUST 8, 1863.]

HARPER'S WEEKLY.

501

ABRAHAM, WHO WAS BLOW'D "FREE" MILE IN DE AIR.

THE SIEGE OF VICKSBURG—HUTS ON THE HILL-SIDE.

VICKSBURG.

WE publish in this number two remaining pictures from Vicksburg, from sketches by our special artist, Mr. Theodore R. Davis. One of them represents the man

WHO was BLOWED "FREE" MILE IN DE AIR.

Mr. Davis writes:

"HEAD-QUARTERS MAJOR-GENERAL M'PHERSON,

July 1, 1863.

"This negro, the only person who escaped with his life at the time the mine under Fort Hill exploded, was at work with a number of the rebel soldiery 'sinking a shaft' for the purpose of discovering any gallery that might have been 'run by our miners' beneath their works.

"The negro was blown a distance of nearly three hundred yards, and was, when picked up, in a most disturbed state of mind:

" 'De Lord, massa'— quoth he—'tink neber should light—yah, yah! went up 'bout free mile. Ax a white man when I start whare wese going, and de next I know'd he was just nowhere but all over.'

" While sketching Abraham the officers gathered around, and the numerous queries put to him were rather wittily responded to.

"Finishing the sketch, he scrutinized it for a moment, then broke into a Yah, yah! de Lord, dis chile shore—Massa give me a quarter?'

"One of General M'Pherson's staff, Colonel Coolbaugh, bestowed a silver half upon the delighted African, who made tracks for the negro

quarters near in a style showing that he was but little the worse for his aerial voyage."

The other picture shows us the tents which our troops erected in the sides of the hills to shelter them from the fierce June sun—a very striking picture. Mr. Davis writes:

"THE CANE HUTS IN THE HILL-SIDE.

"Without tents, our men are reduced to all sorts of expedients for shelter, camped, too, within musket-shot of the enemy. In every hill-side near our works may be seen such scenes as are shown in the sketch that I send. Shelter and bed are made of the cane that grows so abundantly every where in this region. It furnishes excellent shelter and a comfortable bed, as I, who have slept many nights on one, can testify."

OPENING OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

WE reproduce on this page a sketch, by Mr. J. R. Hamilton, of this interesting event, which may strictly be termed historical. The New Orleans correspondent of the New York Times gives the following description of it:

"The whole town was thrown into a state of pleasing excitement on Thursday last, just after the Creole sailed, by the sudden appearance at the levee of the large steamboat Imperial, just in from St. Louis. She came down freighted with some 600 head of cattle, part of a large haul that was made at Natchez a short time ago. She had a pleasant, unmolested trip all the way down, and reported the river perfectly quiet between this and St. Louis." (Next Page)

THE OPENING OF THE MISSISSIPPI—ARRIVAL OF THE STEAMER "IMPERIAL" AT NEW ORLEANS FROM ST. LOUIS, JULY 16, 1863.—[FROM A SKETCH BY MR. J. R. HAMILTION.]