Corinth, operations at
General Halleck arrived on the battle-ground of
Shiloh (q. v.) from his headquarters at
St. Louis on April 12, 1862, and, being
Grant's superior in rank, took command of the
National troops.
Grant was preparing to pursue and strike
Beauregard while his shattered army was weak; but
Halleck restrained
Grant, and twenty days after the victory he began a march against
Beauregard at
Corinth.
On May 3 his advance, under
General Sherman, was within six or seven miles of
Beauregard's lines.
His forces had been reorganized under the name of the
Grand Army of the Tennessee, and
Grant was made his second in command.
His whole force, approaching
Corinth with great caution, numbered, with the accession of
Buell's army, about 108,000 men.
Beauregard had been reinforced by
Van Dorn and
Price, with
Missouri and
Arkansas troops, and by the command of
Gen. Mansfield Lovell, who had come up from New Orleans.
For twenty-seven days the
National troops were busy piling up fortifications in the approaches to
Corinth, interrupted by frequent sorties from that town.
Then the
Confederates were driven from their advanced works (May 29), and
Halleck prepared for a conflict the next day. Although much strengthened,
Beauregard was unwilling to risk a battle with the
Grand Army of the Tennessee.
All the night of May 29 the
National sentinels had heard the incessant roar of moving railway-cars at
Corinth; and at daybreak, just as
Halleck sent out skirmishers to “feel the enemy,” the earth was shaken with a series of explosions, and dense columns of smoke arose above the town.
There was no enemy to “feel” ;
Beauregard had evacuated
Corinth during the night, burned and blown up whatever of stores he could not carry away, and fled
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in haste to Turpelo, many miles southward, where he left
General Bragg in command of the Confederate forces (now called the Army of the Mississippi), and repaired to
Mineral Springs, in Alabama, for the restoration of his impaired health.
Halleck took possession of
Corinth, and was soon afterwards called to
Washington to perform the duties of general-inchief of all the armies of the republic.
He left
General Thomas in command at
Corinth, and
General Grant of his old army, with enlarged powers.
At
Ripley, Miss., the troops of
Price and
Van Dorn were concentrated, 40,000 strong, after the battle at
Iuka (q. v.), and at the close of September, 1862, they moved on
Corinth.
They bivouacked within 10 miles of
Corinth on the night of Oct. 2.
On the morning of the 3d
Rosecrans was prepared to meet an attack.
Hamilton's division formed his right,
Davies's his centre, and
McKean's his left, on the front of
Corinth.
A brigade, under
Colonel Oliver, with a section of artillery, was then formed, while the cavalry watched every approach.
Early in the morning the
Confederate advance, under
Colonel Lovell, encountered
Oliver.
The latter being hard pressed,
General McArthur was sent to his support, but both were pushed back.
To these both
McKean and
Davies sent help.
Very soon afterwards the
Confederates made a desperate charge, drove the Nationals, and captured two guns.
The Confederates had resolved to capture
Corinth, with its immense stores.
They now pressed heavily on the
National centre.
Davies was pushed back, when
Stanley sent
Colonel Mower with a brigade to his assistance; and
Hamilton was pressing through a thick mire on
Lovell's left, when darkness fell, and the struggle ceased.
The Confederates enveloped
Rosecrans's front, and rested on their arms.
Van Dorn believed he would have possession of
Corinth before sunrise.
He had sent a shout of triumph to
Richmond by telegraph.
The battle was resumed before the dawn.
Both parties had prepared for it. The National
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Plan of battle at Corinth. |
batteries around
Corinth were well manned, and a new one, mounting five guns, had been constructed during the night.
After a considerable cannonading, the
Confederates, in heavy force, came out at a little past nine o'clock, advanced rapidly, and fell violently, in wedge-form, upon
Davies, intending to break his line and rush into
Corinth.
The struggle was very severe.
Grape and canister shot made fearful lanes through the
Confederate ranks, yet they pressed on.
Davies's forces gave way, but soon rallied.
The Confederates captured Fort Powell on
Davies's right, and fully twenty men penetrated
Corinth to the headquarters of
Rosecrans, on the public square, which they captured.
But the victorious Confederate column was soon pushed back, and Fort Powell was retaken by the 56th Illinois Regiment.
At the
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370]
same time
Hamilton's guns were making fearful havoc in the
Confederate ranks.
The latter soon fled to the woods.
Meanwhile
Lovell had fallen upon Fort Robinett and the adjacent lines, and a terrible battle ensued.
The fort was stormed by a strong Confederate force, led by
Colonel Rogers, of
Texas.
Within lay prone
Colonel Fuller's Ohio brigade, who, aroused, delivered such a murderous fire that the assailants recoiled.
In a moment they rallied, and again charged.
The 11th Missouri and 27th Ohio poured a terrific storm of bullets upon them, and at the command “Charge!”
the Nationals swarmed over the parapet, and sent the assailants flying in confusion to the forest.
By noon the
battle at Corinth was ended, and the whole Confederate force was retreating southward, vigorously pursued.
The National loss in the
battle at Corinth and in the pursuit was 2,363, of whom 315 were killed.
Of the
Confederate loss there is no positive record.
One of their historians (
Pollard) admits a loss of 4,500, and
Rosecrans estimated it at 9,363, of whom 1,423 were killed and 2,248 made prisoners.
The Confederates had 38,000 men in the battle; the Nationals less than 20,000.
