I am, General, yours very respectfully, J. C. PEMBERTON, Lieutenant-General. To this General Grant immediately replied as follows:— GENERAL GRANT DECLINES TO ACCEDE TO THE AMENDMENTS PROPOSED BY GENERAL PEMBERTON. HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF TENNESSEE, } BEFORE VICKSBURG, July 4, 1863. } Lieutenant-General PEMBERTON, commanding forces at Vicksburg:— [Illustration: UNION HEROES STONE. SHIPLEY. ANDREWS. WHITE. MEIGS.] GENERAL—I have the honor to acknowledge your communication of the 3rd of July. The amendments proposed by you cannot be acceded to in full. It will be necessary to furnish every officer and man with a parole signed by himself, which, with the completion of the rolls of prisoners, will necessarily take some time. Again, I can make no stipulation with regard to the treatment of citizens and their private property. While I do not propose to cause any of them any undue annoyance or loss. I cannot consent to leave myself under restraint by stipulations. The property which officers can be allowed to take with them will be as stated in the proposition of last evening—that is, that officers will be allowed their private baggage and side arms, and mounted officers one horse each. If you mean by your proposition for each brigade to march to the front of the lines now occupied by it, and stack their arms at ten o’clock A. M., and then return to the inside and remain as prisoners until properly paroled, I will make no objection to it. Should no modification be made of your acceptance of my terms by nine o’clock, A. M., I shall regard them as having been rejected, and act accordingly. Should these terms be accepted, white flags will be displayed along your lines, to prevent such of my troops as may not have been notified, from firing on your men. I am, General, very respectfully, your obedient servant, U. S. GRANT, Major-General, U. S. A. To this the following was received:— UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE BY GENERAL PEMBERTON OF THE TERMS PROPOSED BY GENERAL GRANT. HEADQUARTERS, VICKSBURG, July 4, 1863. Major-General U. S. GRANT, Commanding United States forces, &c.:— GENERAL—I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of this date, and, in reply, to say that the terms proposed by you are accepted. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. C. PEMBERTON, Lieutenant-General.