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On the 5th of March I formally assumed command of the district, retaining my headquarters for the time at
Jackson as the most central point of observation and the junction of two railroads.
General Bragg's forces began to arrive at
Corinth on the 6th, when they, with the other troops reaching there from other quarters, were organized as fast as possible into brigades and divisions.
As a material part of the history of the campaign, I might here dwell upon the perplexing, inexplicable lack of cordial cooperation, in many ways, in the essential work of organizing the Confederate army being assembled at
Corinth, as efficiently and speedily as possible for the work ahead, that was manifested by the War Department at
Richmond, but it must suffice to say that a drawback was encountered from
that quarter which served to delay us, while helping to make the operation which we finally took in hand fall greatly short of its momentous aim.
Five Federal divisions (reinforced a few days later) had reached
Savannah, twelve miles below
Pittsburg Landing, on the east bank of the
Tennessee, by the 13th of February.
This force, aggregating some 43,000 men of all arms, was under the direct command of
General C. F. Smith, and embraced the greater part of the army that had triumphed at
Donelson.
One division, without landing at
Savannah, was dispatched, under
General W. T. Sherman, to endeavor to land, and to reach and cut some trestle-work near
Burnsville, on the Memphis and Charleston railroad.
Effecting a landing, short, however, of
Eastport, the intervening country was found so inundated as to be seemingly impracticable.
So, this expedition, hardly characterized by a really vigorous effort to reach the railroad, was abortive — a result aided somewhat by the opportune presence on the ground of
Brigadier-General Chalmers with a Confederate force of 2500 infantry.
On his way upon this expedition,
General Sherman had wisely sent back from
Pittsburg Landing a request that a Federal division should be dispatched at once to that point, to prevent the Confederate forces from occupying it and obstructing his return; consequently
Hurlbut's division was sent thither, and it was found on its transports at that point by
Sherman on his return that far down the river on the 16th of March.
Sherman, landing there his own division, made an apparently objectless short march into the interior and back on the 17th of March.
Making his report the same day to
General Grant, who had just reached
Savannah,
General Sherman stated that he was “strongly impressed with the position” of
Pittsburg 
