No. 18.-report of Brig. Gren. Horatio P. Van Cleve, U. S. Army, commanding Fourteenth Brigade, of operations from April 29 to June 16.
Hdqrs. 14TH Brig., 5TH Div., Army of the Ohio, June 18, 1862.
Sir: I have the honor to make the following report of the operations of my command from the time of leaving Pittsburg to the evacuation of Corinth and the termination of the pursuit of the enemy:
The division being encamped on the field of Shiloh on April 29, we received orders to move forward toward Corinth.
General Crittenden being sick, I took command of the division.
We found the road occupied by the train of the Sixth Division (General Wood's), and on the morning of the 30th had advanced but 2 miles, when we encamped.
Here we lay till May 3, making and repairing roads.
On the 3d we crossed Lick Creek and advanced within about 12 miles of Corinth, when we were joined by General Crittenden.
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Rain on May a and 5 rendered the roads impassable for our artillery and baggage train.
On the 7th we resumed our march and encamped 6 miles from Corinth, cutting and repairing roads.
On the 9th we moved forward to Seven Mile Creek, to the support of General Nelson, who was lying there with his division and anticipating a collision with the enemy On the evening of the 10th we returned to our camp.
On the 12th we moved our camp to Seven Mile Creek, having General Nelson on our right and General Pope on our left.
Here we remained till the 17th, detailing one regiment daily from my brigade for outpost duty and a strong working party to cut and make a road across the swamp in our front.
On the 17th we advanced to the Farmington and Purdy road, 3 miles from Corinth and one-half mile north of Farmington.
This advance was general along the lines.
Here we encamped, with General Nelson on our right and General Pope on our left.
I detailed a regiment daily for outpost duty.
On the night of the 17th and all day on the 18th there was incessant picket firing on our front and to the right.
On the 19th we threw up intrenchments in front of our camp, and on the 20th advanced our line of outposts beyond the log church on the road to Corinth to within a mile and a quarter of the rebel intrenchments.
There was constant picket firing during the day and 1 of my men was mortally wounded.
In the evening the rebels brought up some pieces of artillery and shelled our reserves on outpost, wounding several men of the Eleventh Brigade.
On the 27th we received orders to be ready to advance at an hour's notice.
My whole brigade on outpost duty.
On the 28th we advanced our line of pickets and in the evening assisted in throwing up a breastwork for Captain Bartlett's battery about 1¼ miles from the rebel intrenchments.
The brigade on outpost duty this day and also on the 29th and 30th.
On the morning of the 30th the rebels evacuated Corinth.
June 1 our division went to Corinth on outpost duty and returned to camp on the evening of the 2d.
On June 4 we received orders to be ready to make a forced march at 7 a. m., with three days rations.
We marched toward Danville, Miss., but being delayed by trains in advance, made but 10 miles; bivouacked at Danville.
Here one regiment was detailed to build a bridge across the Tuscumbia.
On the evening of the 6th we resumed our march; passed through and bivouacked 11 miles beyond Rienzi, and on the 7th we marched and bivouacked 6 miles south of Rienzi.
June 10 commenced march toward Decatur, Ala.; passed through Rienzi.
The rebels having destroyed the bridges, eight or nine in number, across the swamp east of this town, we cut a new road.
We passed through Jacinto and bivouacked 1½ miles east of it.
June 11 marched 16 miles and bivouacked 3 miles from Iuka, and on the 12th marched to Iuka, where we waited for our baggage train from Farmington.
On the 13th the train arrived, and on the 14th we marched 14 miles toward Florence; encamped by Cherokee.
On the 15th we marched 12 miles to Little Bear Creek, and on the
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16th we passed through Tuscumbia and reached our present camp on the Tennessee, 2 miles below Florence.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,
H. P. Van Cleve. Brigadier-General, Commanding Fourteenth Brigade. Capt. Lyne Starling, Assistant Adjutant-General, Fifth Division.
