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but was brought up again all standing by the heavy batteries at Fort Pillow; about fifty miles above Memphis。 About this time Admiral Farragut; with another large sea…going fleet; and with the cooperating army of General Butler; was entering the Mississippi River by the Passes; and preparing to reduce Forts Jackson and St; Philip in order to reach New Orleans; so that all minds were turned to the conquest of the Mississippi River; and surely adequate means were provided for the undertaking。
The battle of Shiloh had been fought; as described; on the 6th and 7th of April; and when the movement of the 8th had revealed that our enemy was gone; in full retreat; leaving killed; wounded; and much property by the way; we all experienced a feeling of relief。 The struggle had been so long; so desperate and bloody; that the survivors seemed exhausted and nerveless; we appreciated the value of the victory; but realized also its great cost of life。 The close of the battle had left the Army of the Tennessee on the right; and the Army of the Ohio on the left; but I believe neither General Grant nor Buell exercised command; the one over the other; each of them having his hands full in repairing damages。 All the division; brigade; and regimental commanders were busy in collecting stragglers; regaining lost property; in burying dead men and horses; and in providing for their wounded。 Some few new regiments came forward; and some changes of organization became necessary。 Then; or very soon after; I consolidated my font brigades into three; which were commanded: First; Brigadier…General Morgan L: Smith; Second; Colonel John A。 McDowell; Third; Brigadier…General J。 W。 Denver。 About the same time I was promoted to major…general volunteers。
The Seventy…first Ohio was detached to Clarksville; Tennessee; and the Sixth and Eighth Missouri were transferred to my division。
In a few days after the battle; General Halleck arrived by steamboat from St。 Louis; pitched his camp near the steamboat… landing; and assumed personal command of all the armies。 He was attended by his staff; composed of General G。 W。 Cullum; U。 S。 Engineers; as his chief of staff; Colonel George Thom;U。 S。 Engineers; and Colonels Kelton and Kemper; adjutants…general。 It soon became manifest that his mind had been prejudiced by the rumors which had gone forth to the detriment of General Grant; for in a few days he issued an order; reorganizing and rearranging the whole army。 General Buell's Army of the Ohio constituted the centre; General Pope's army; then arriving at Hamburg Landing; was the left; the right was made up of mine and Hurlbut's divisions; belonging to the old Army of the Tennessee; and two new ones; made up from the fragments of the divisions of Prentiss and C。 F。 Smith; and of troops transferred thereto; commanded by Generals T。 W。 Sherman and Davies。 General George H。 Thomas was taken from Buell; to command the right。 McClernand's and Lew Wallace's divisions were styled the reserve; to be commanded by McClernand。 General Grant was substantially left out; and was named 〃second in command;〃 according to some French notion; with no clear; well…defined command or authority。 He still retained his old staff; composed of Rawlins; adjutant…general; Riggin; Lagow; and Hilyer; aides; and he had a small company of the Fourth Illinois Cavalry as an escort。 For more than a month he thus remained; without any apparent authority; frequently visiting me and others; and rarely complaining; but I could see that he felt deeply the indignity; if not insult; heaped upon him。
General Thomas at once assumed command of the right wing; and; until we reached Corinth; I served immediately under his command。 We were classmates; intimately acquainted; had served together before in the old army; and in Kentucky; and it made to us little difference who commanded the other; provided the good cause prevailed。
Corinth was about thirty miles distant; and we all knew that we should find there the same army with which we had so fiercely grappled at Shiloh; reorganized; reenforced; and commanded in chief by General Beauregard in place of Johnston; who had fallen at Shiloh。 But we were also reenforced by Buell's and Pope's armies; so that before the end of April our army extended from Snake Creek on the right to the Tennessee River; at Hamburg; on the left; and must have numbered nearly one hundred thousand men。
Ample supplies of all kinds reached us by the Tennessee River; which had a good stage of water; but our wagon transportation was limited; and much confusion occurred in hauling supplies to the several camps。 By the end of Aril; the several armies seemed to be ready; and the general forward movement on Corinth began。 My division was on the extreme right of the right wing; and marched out by the 〃White House;〃 leaving Monterey or Pea Ridge to the south。 Crossing Lick Creek; we came into the main road about a mile south of Monterey; where we turned square to the right; and came into the Purdy road; near 〃Elams。〃 Thence we followed the Purdy road to Corinth; my skirmishers reaching at all times the Mobile & Ohio Railroad。 Of course our marches were governed by the main centre; which followed the direct road from Pittsburg Landing to Corinth; and this movement was provokingly slow。 We fortified almost every camp at night; though we had encountered no serious opposition; except from cavalry; which gave ground easily as we advanced。 The opposition increased as we neared Corinth; and at a place called Russell's we had a sharp affair of one brigade; under the。 immediate direction of Brigadier…General Morgan L。 Smith; assisted by the brigade of General Denver。 This affair occurred on the 19th of May; and our line was then within about two miles of the northern intrenchments of Corinth。
On the 27th I received orders from General Halleck 〃to send a force the next day to drive the rebels from the house in our front; on the Corinth road; to drive in their pickets as far as possible; and to 〃make a strong demonstration on Corinth itself;〃 authorizing me to call on any adjacent division for assistance。
I reconnoitred the ground carefully; and found that the main road led forward along the fence of a large cotton…field to our right front; and ascended a wooded hill; occupied in some force by the enemy; on which was the farm…house referred to in General Halleck's orders。 At the farther end of the field was a double log…house; whose chinking had been removed; so that it formed a good block house from which the enemy could fire on any person approaching from our quarter。
General Hurlbut's division was on my immediate left; and General McClernand's reserve on our right rear。 I asked of each the assistance of a brigade。 The former sent General Veatch's; and the latter General John A。 Logan's brigade。 I asked the former to support our left flank; and the latter our right flank。 The next morning early; Morgan L。 Smith's brigade was deployed under cover on the left; and Denver's on the right; ready to move forward rapidly at a signal。 I had a battery of four twenty…pound Parrott guns; commanded by Captain Silversparre。 Colonel Ezra Taylor; chief of artillery; had two of