On the 16th General Banks issued an order for a thousand stormers, offering medals to the soldiers and promotions to the officers, and preparations were making for a third assault when on July 7 came the news of the surrender of Vicksburg. This put an end to the hopes of the Confederacy, and two days later Port Hudson surrendered, 6408 becoming prisoners of war. In addition to the important post the spoils of victory included two steamers, 51 pieces of artillery, 5000 small arms and a large quantity of ammunition.
Most important of all, the fall of these two strongholds gave free navigation of the Mississippi, or in the words of Lincoln: "The Father of Waters goes unvexed to the sea."
Among other services rendered by Nims' Battery in this siege it is claimed that one of her guns had the honor of firing the last shot at Port Hudson and also receiving the last shot from that same fort. We have already told how it fired the first shot at this place.
We quote from the story as told by C. B. Maxwell.
"During the siege of Port Hudson and on the occasion of one of the many assaults on the fortifications by the Federal army, there was captured a young soldier, of the 165th New York Zouaves. He was a bright, active lad, and while captive had his eyes open to chances, especially to making his escape. Among the things he saw was a mill in the town near the river, wherein they ground all their corn, and as that was all they had to eat it occurred to him that it would be a misfortune to himself as well as to the enemy if by any accident that mill should be destroyed. So he paid closer attention then ever to getting through the lines to reach his regiment, where rations were better both in quality and quantity, and near the end of the siege he was successful. In relating his experience he said of the corn mill: 'If they hadn't had that, I should have been obliged to take my corn on the ear.'
"This having been reported to headquarters, General Banks sent for Captain Nims and said, to him:
"'Send over a section of your battery to a point opposite and throw a few of those percussion shells into that mill. It may weaken their power of endurance. The soldier will go along to point out the mill. Of course, if you draw the fire of those heavy batteries, you will retire and report back to camp.'
"And so the first section, Lieutenant Hall commanding, made a night march to a boat landing some miles below, where a steamboat was in readiness 'to tote' us across. On the other side we marched up, being protected from view of enemy by a very high levee on that side of the river, to a point commanding a good view of the town opposite. Then all hands went to work with shovels, which we came provided with, cutting an embrasure and space to work a gun, thus making a good fort, as it were, in a short time. We then hauled the gun up the slope into position. The men not engaged in working the gun were lying on the grassy slope of the levee watching the effect of the shell on 'the large building with a nearly flat roof.' The zouave was reclining on his side with head and shoulders exposed above the levee, as were the rest.
"There had been two or three shots fired when Lieutenant Hall, looking through his field glass, remarked: 'Those were good line shots, but a little too high; just put them in on the ground floor.' Suddenly a puff of smoke curled up from the water batteries, and a 6-inch solid shot plowed a furrow across the top of the levee, and to our horror and amazement instantly killed our friend the 'Zou Zou.' We retired, quietly and quickly, after burying the body then and there making our way back by the same route by which we came, and took our place in line with the rest of the battery in time to march into Port Hudson, the surrender having been made that day. Negotiations to that end were going on the day before, while we were making the attack on the corn-mill, though of course unknown to us."
