Adam Badeau, Military history of Ulysses S. Grant from April 1861 to April 1865. Volume 1

[273] ardor of victory, got so far ahead of the main body that it was thought advisable to halt for the night. The house where they stopped was lonely, and, before long, they discovered that their position was unsafe, in fact, a mile or more in advance of the troops, and they returned to the vicinity of the column, which was just going into bivouac on the road. The headquarters' tents and wagons had not come up, and they stretched themselves under the porch of a house used as a rebel field hospital. The bleeding and the dying from the battle were crowded close inside, and the slumbers of the men who had conquered were disturbed by the groans of their wounded foes.

That night, Grant received Halleck's dispatch of the 11th of May, ordering him to return and cooper. ate with Banks; but the campaign that seemed so daring had been won. The subordinate was indeed retracing his steps, but with victorious banners; no danger now of rebuke; no more countermands, no more recalls.

Only the celerity of the movements which have been described prevented the junction of the rebel armies; for, as has been seen, Pemberton was actually moving to join Johnston when Grant came up and attacked him. Pemberton had even sent word to Johnston of the route he was taking, saying: ‘I am thus particular, that you may be able to make a junction with this army;’ but, in a postscript, he added: ‘Heavy skirmishing now going on in my front.’ This was the preliminary firing of the battle which forever prevented any junction between the two rebel armies. The next dispatch from Pemberton announced to his commander that he had been ‘compelled to fall back with heavy loss.’