Alfred Roman, The military operations of General Beauregard in the war between the states, 1861 to 1865

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3.

Corinth, April 24th, 1862.
Major-General M. Lovell, New Orleans, La.:

Two 10-inch and four rifled guns are under orders to you from Mobile. Do you want them? If not, say so to General S. Jones, and order them to Vicksburg.

G. T. Beauregard.

4.

Corinth, April 25th, 1862.
Captain D. B. Harris:

In consequence of news from Louisiana, put works below Vicksburg, to prevent passage of river from New Orleans. Put guns in position first, then construct works. System preferred is one main work, and detached batteries, not too far from each other. Should you not have time, send guns to Jackson, Mississippi, and be ready to destroy railroad between two places, when necessary.

G. T. Beauregard.

5.

Corinth, April 29th, 1862.
Governor J. J. Pettus, Jackson, Miss.:

Please send immediately to Vicksburg, to report to commanding officer there, one regiment of unarmed or partially armed volunteers. Also, one to Columbus, Mississippi. They will be armed as soon as possible.

G. T. Beauregard.

It is needless to accumulate further evidence. Other telegrams and letters to the same effect will be found in the Appendix to this chapter.

On his arrival near Pittsburg Landing, General Pope established himself behind Seven Miles Creek, a stream that lies seven miles from the Tennessee River. The Federal forces, as then reorganized, subdivided, and located, amounted, as we have already stated, to about one hundred and twenty-five thousand men, with General Halleck, as first, and General Grant, as second, in command.¹ The Confederate army, under General Beauregard, with the reinforcement of Van Dorn's seventeen thousand men, numbered about fifty thousand, but was daily decreasing on account of sickness.

General Pope's recent successes on the Mississippi River had given him an overweening opinion of his capacities as a commander. He was an officer of intelligence and activity, but inclined to undertake almost any movement without sufficiently considering the consequences that might follow. The expression