The War in the Southwest.
[correspondence of the Richmond Dispatch] Corinth, Miss, May 26, 1862.
Arrived in Corinth this evening, and reminded of my promise to write you, let me attempt its fulfillment, although not yet sufficiently informed to furnish you anything worthy of the subject or the location.
In soite of the classic adage, ‘"Nou cuique edire Corinthum,"’ I determined to attempt the journey, and have accomplished the trip in safety, after some supposed perils and numerous vexations delays.
The Yankees have not had the same success, and their arrival seems to be indefinitely postponed.
The almost daily rumors of a fight, and of the ‘"heavy skirmishing on our right,"’ &c., prepared me to find perhaps a second Shiloh battle in progress; but all is quiet except a few sullen guns from the enemy, who are near enough to send shot inside our lines.
The cowardly wretches run from our infantry and cavalry as they did at Farmington, where they claim ‘"a victory,"’ doubtless on the principle of making our men run after them by first running away themselves.
Of course I must not tell you what I saw in a ride around our entrenchments this evening, except, perhaps, that two hundred thousand Yankees cannot take Corinth, if they dare to make the attack.--Nor can I express all I felt at the sight of these glorious heroes of Shiloh, who, Buell says, ‘"fought like devils the first day and like veterans the second day."’ Had our attack been made a day sooner, or continued one hour longer, the whole Yankee army would have been killed and captured, or destroyed before Buell arrived.
It was, perhaps, the bloodiest battle recorded in all history.
The loss of life was thirty three per cent of the armies engaged.
At ‘"Borodino,"’ considered one of Napoleon's most sanguinary battles, the destruction was only thirty per cent. --Hereafter, to have been at Shiloh will be among the proudest recollections and distinctions of the armies of the Confederacy.
It will be pardoned to a Virginian's pride to exult that the old State was so numerously represented by her sons, who bore themselves with such conspicuous gallantry on that memorable day. The list has already been published, and Beauregard has made many of their names historic is his admirable report.
But I cannot omit to repeat the mention of one widely known, and respected and beloved by very many friends, throughout the State.
Robert W. Smith, now of Alabama, was captain of a splendid cavalry company, who acted as General Bragg's body guard.
He was always in the thickest of the fight, as four horses shot under him fully testify.
Captain Smith was frequently sent on hazardous and important duty, and with his men rallied the wavering and cheered on to the charge our resistless regiments, until the brave Gen. Bragg publicly assured them on the field that they had rendered to him and to their country, on that day, the service of an entire brigade, and saluted Capt. Smith as Colonel of cavalry, and afterwards appointed him ‘"Civil and Military Governor of Corinth"’--a position whose arduous duties he still discharges wisely and well.
Others I might mention, but paper, ink and candle admonish me to postpone a report of my interviews with some of our escaped Donelson prisoners just come in — of spies shot — that vile Union meeting in Nashville — and the effect of the gloriousness that ‘"Stonewall"’ has got Winchester and 3,000 Yankee prisoners. L. 