Jackson, July 9, 1863

Jackson, July 9, 1863

Jackson, July 9, 1863.

To his Excellency the President:

Your dispatch of to-day received. I have never meant to fail in the duty of reporting to the Executive whatever
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might interest it in my command. I informed the Secretary of War that my force was much too weak to attempt to raise the siege of Vicksburg, and that to attempt to relieve Port Hudson would be to give up Mississippi, as it would involve the loss of this point, and that want of adequate means of transportation kept me inactive until the end of June. I then moved toward Vicksburg to attempt to extricate the garrison, but could not devise a plan until after reconnoitring, for which I was too late. Without General Pemberton's coöperation, any attempt must have resulted in disaster.

The slowness and difficulty of communication rendered coöperation next to impossible.

J. E. Johnston.