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and Memphis and Charleston Railroads, it was a point of strategic value which required to be secured as speedily as possible by our army. Nashville, on the one hand, was endangered so long as the rebels held Corinth; on the other hand, while this state of things existed, operations against Memphis could not be undertaken to any purpose. Halleck, therefore, saw at once that he must give this matter his earliest attention. Previously to this, however, and as greatly assisting the purposes of Halleck, we must note the active and energetic movements of Gen. Mitchel. This noble specimen of a loyal general had, on the departure of Buell from Nashville, (March 28th,) proceeded with his division of about 10,000 men, by the direct southerly line towards the main stations of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, in Northern Alabama. The valuable points of the route in this direction were at Stevenson or Bridgeport, on the east, and Decatur on the west, at each of which places the line crossed the Tennessee River in its winding course. With the destruction of the two bridges, the communication of the rebels with the eastward would be effectually stopped. As the enemy had destroyed extensively the railroad and other bridges on the line of his march, and as it was necessary to keep open communication for obtaining supplies, Mitchel's force was employed, as he proceeded, in reconstructing the bridges. Having built 1,200 feet of heavy bridging in ten days, he reached Shelbyville, on the 9th of April, fifty-seven miles from Nashville and about the same distance from

Huntsville, Alabama. Using extra ordinary activity, and with the hearty co-operation of his men, Mitchel, in two days' march, arrived, on the evening of the 10th of April, within about ten miles of Huntsville. Preparations were made with great care to capture the city before the morning dawned. By three o'clock in the morning the whole column was in motion, advanc ing silently but rapidly, and not long after they marched into the city. The greatest consternation prevailed; men, women and children were suddenly roused out of their sleep, to find the dreaded and hated "Yankees" in possession. For a time the excitement is said to have been indescribable.

On the 11th of April, Mitchel telegraphed to the war department his brilliant success in "cutting the great artery of railroad communication in the southern states." Stevenson and Decatur were both entered the next day. The bridge at the latter place, which had been set on fire by the rebels, was saved. From Decatur, our troops advanced by the road and occupied Tuscumbia. Hence, "in three days," as Mitchel said in an address to his soldiers, on the 16th of April, "you have extended your front of operations more than 120 miles, and your morning gun at Tuscumbia may now be heard by your comrades on the battle-field recently made glorious by their victory before Corinth."

The extension of Mitchel's lines in order to hold the railroad, rendered his situation somewhat precarious. The enemy began to gather in force and threaten him at various points. Colo

CH. XVI.]

1862.

MITCHEL'S VALUABLE SERVICES.

177

whole length of his line, with commun!cation by railroad, while the only enemy to be apprehended were on the southern side of the river, Mitchel closed his report to the secretary of war, under date of May 1st, saying: "This campaign is ended, and I now oc

while in all of Alabama, north of the Tennessee River, floats no flag but that of the Union."

nel Turchin held Tuscumbia till the 24th of April, when he retired to Jonesborough, a station on the railroad near Decatur, in the face of a strong body of the rebels, adrancing from the direction of Corinth. It was the enemy's expectation to capture a large quantity of supplies -acupy Huntsville in perfect security, 100,000 rations-sent by Halleck, by way of Florence, a few miles distant on the Tennessee River, under convoy of a gun boat. A considerable portion of these was burned, the rest was saved. Turchin crossed the bridge over the Tennessee at Decatur. It was a costly structure, 2,200 feet in length, and while it was burning, the rebel cavalry appeared on the opposite bank. As this was the only crossing of the Tennessee east of Florence and above the bead of navigation, and west of Bridgeport near Chattanooga, its destruction was a severe blow to the rebel purposes in that quarter.

On the 27th of April, Decatur being evacuated, our troops returned to Huntsville, and hastened to Bridgeport, where the rebels were now making a stand at the bridge. Col. Sill with the advance brigade, crossed the creek beyond Stevenson by means of cotton bales and planks fastened together. He was joined by Lytle's brigade, and on the 29th of April, Mitchel took command in son. Having ascertained the position of affairs, he ordered an attack upon the enemy and drove them back upon the Bridgeport road. They attempted to blow up the bridge, but failed, and our men secured its possession.. Having now control of the crossings of the river from Chattanooga westwardly, the

VOL IV-23

per

During the month of May, several expeditions were sent out by Mitchel against the enemy, and did good service; but the want of reinforcements, none of which were sent to him, prevented Mitchel accomplishing very important results; such as securing and keeping possession of Chattanooga, advancing to Gunther's Landing, and thence proceeding to Rome, in the northwestern part of Georgia, and destroying the large and valuable foundries and armories of the rebels there. Blows like these would have told with terrible severity upon the insurgents, and had the government promptly furnished Mitchel with the men necessary, he would almost certainly have hastened on the doom of rebellion. As it was, after various encounters during May and June, our troops were compelled to retire from the outposts of which they had so resolutely taken possession, yet were not able to continue to hold.*

While Mitchel was thus cutting off the rebels at Corinth from their

* Gen. Mitchel was raised to the rank of major general of volunteers. In July, 1862, he was relieved. of his command, Gen. Rousseau succeeding him; on

the 17th of September following, he was appointed commander of the department of the south, where he

was making preparations for the campaign, when he

fell a victim to the yellow fever.

eastern communication, Halleck was Landing and Corinth.

A few days

busily engaged in making his prepara- previously, the rebels at Purdy, some

twenty miles west of Pittsburg Landing were dislodged, and the railroad bridge connecting Corinth with Jackson was destroyed.

tions for an advance on Beauregard at Corinth. The troops were not in the best condition, many of them being sick and suffering from exposure in the late series of battles. Halleck, therefore, Halleck continued his advance steadisent for Pope and his men at Newly toward Corinth, and on the 3d of Madrid (p. 143), and summoned avail- May was within about eight miles of able forces from every portion of his the beleaguered city. His army now wide department. The army being thus amounted to 108,000 men; the forces strengthened and re-organized, Halleck in the field were newly organized; gave orders, April 27th, that it should the command of the army corps on the hold itself in readiness for immediate right was given to Thomas; Buell conmovement. Pope, with his tinued to hold the centre, Pope the left, division, was on the left, Buell while the reserve was assigned to Mcheld the centre, and Grant, with his Clernand. Grant was second in comforce, was on the right. Besides these, mand under Halleck. From the nature there were other distinguished officers, of the ground, the roads were in a holding different positions under Hal- wretched condition; progress was slow leck, such as Gens. W. T. Sherman, and toilsome; and Halleck moved Thomas, McClernand, Lewis Wallace, cautiously. His plan was to approach J. C. Davis, etc. The entire army oc- the works on the front by regular siege, cupied a semi-circular line of six securing, as he advanced, all available miles, and numbered over 100,000 points, and send out movable forces to men. The force of the rebels was cut the railroads on the enemy's flank estimated to be about the same in and rear. number.*

1862.

On the 29th of April, the army began its advance, gradually but steadily. Day after day, a division or brigade moved forward, and our outposts were extended. Gen. Sherman took possession of Monterey, May 1st, a place about midway between Pittsburg

* Beauregard's real anxiety at the state of things in

the South was shown in a brief address to the planters, published in the Memphis papers, April 27th: "The

casualties of war have opened the Mississippi to our enemies. The time has therefore come to test the

Pope advanced his forces on the left, some ten miles, by extraordinary exertions, and ordered, May 3d, a reconnaissance towards Farmington, a commanding position, four miles to the east of Corinth, on the edge of the swamp. The rebels were found to be between four and five thousand in numbers, with artillery and cavalry, occupying a strong position near the town. They were driven out by assault; on the 9th, the rebels retook the town; but a

earnestness of all classes, and I call on all patriotic few days afterwards they were again

planters owning cotton in the possible reach of our enemies to apply the torch to it without delay or hesitation."

expelled.

Halleck commenced regular siege

CH. XVI.]

BEAUREGARD EVACUATES CORINTH.

179

operations, on the 20th May,* investing on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. By

Corinth on the north and east at about four miles distant, the interval being gradually narrowed by second and third parallels, until our forces, on the 27th, well protected with batteries and heavy guns were within 1,300 yards of the rebel works. On the 28th, a gene. ral reconnaissance was made, feeling the enemy's position, and unmasking his

batteries.

The next morning, Pope opened his heavy batteries upon the enemy's entrenchments, and soon drove them from their advanced battery. Sherman established another battery in the afternoon of the same day, within 1,000 yards of the rebel works,† and skirmishing parties were sent out at daybreak the next morning. On the 30th of May, Halleck communicated several times, by dispatch, with Washington, stating that the rebels had fallen back to the Mobile and Ohio Railroad; that our advanced guard was in Corinth; that the enemy's works were very strong in front of the town; that they had destroyed an immense amount of public and private property, stores, provisions, etc.; and that some 2,000 prioners and deserters had been captured. On the same day that Corinth was evacuated, an expedition, under Col. Elliott, was sent by Pope to Boonesville,

* On the 13th of May, Halleck issued an order, enjoining commanders of army corps and divisions" to see that their camps are cleared of all unauthorized hangers on," under the severest of penalties. The newspaper correspondents protested publicly against this, but Halleck was not to be moved; he had suffered from spies, and he would have no civilians of any sort in the camp.

For various interesting and valuable details, see Gen Sherman's official report, quoted in Duyckinck's "War for the Union," vol. ii., pp. 440-442.

forced marches, he reached the place, and destroyed the track both south and north of the town, together with the depot, locomotives, cars, supplies, etc. The enemy's attempts to prevent his movement were wholly unsuccessful.* On the 30th of May, Sherman issued a congratulatory order to his troops, which, which among other things, point ed out unsparingly how far short the enemy had fallen of their boastful and defiant proclamations, in hastily leaving Corinth, as they did. "The whole country from Richmond to Memphis, and Nashville to Mobile, rung with their taunts and boasting as to how they would immolate the Yankees if they dared to leave the Tennessee River.

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cruelly destroying four sick persons in a building he

* Col. Elliott was charged by Beauregard with

fired at Boonesville. Gen. Granger, who led the pursuit from Corinth with a body of cavalry, pronounced the charge an infamous falsehood. He stated that Col. Elliott found 2,000 sick and convalescent, who were in a most shocking condition; the dead and the dying lying side by side; neither surgeons nor nurses, and without water or food for more than a day. Col. Elliott had them all removed to places of safety, by his own men, and then set fire to the depot and cars (26 in all), as, said Gen. Granger, can be proved by hundreds of witnesses.

Creek, eight miles south of Corinth. The was occupied by Gen. G. W. Morgan, retreat and pursuit were continued for on the 18th of June, and held by him several days, with sharp skirmishing at until the autumn, when, Kentucky various points. Halleck wrote being invaded, he was compelled to 1862. to the secretary of war, June retire. 4th, that Pope, with 40,000 men, was thirty miles south of Corinth, pushing the enemy hard, and that he reported already 10,000 prisoners and deserters from the enemy, and 15,000 stand of arms captured.*

Commodore Foote, who had done excellent service at Island No. 10 (p. 143), left New Madrid, April 12th, and proceeded down the Mississippi with his mortar boats and transports following. His purpose was to attack Fort Pillow. or Wright, which was situated at the Chickasaw Bluff, near Islands

On the 10th of June, Baldwin and Guntown were occupied by our troops, and further pursuit was Nos. 33 and 34, and about seventy The rebels fell back to miles above Memphis. A combined

given up.

Tupello, some fifty miles by railroad from Corinth. Buell remained in Corinth till the 10th of June, when he moved along the line of railroad towards Chattanooga. Soon after, he found it necessary to move on Louisville, in order to counteract Bragg's designs in Kentucky. Grant with his army occupied the line of West Tennessee and Mississippi, from Memphis to Iuka, protecting the railroads from Columbus south, which were at that time their only channels of supply. Toward the close of June, Pope left the West to take command in Virginia. Halleck also resigned command of his department in July, and on the 23d, by order of the president, assumed the duties of general-in-chief of the army of the United States. Cumberland Gap

* Beauregard calls Pope a lying braggart, and affirms that he must have dreamed, or worse, when he

said he had taken 10,000 prisoners and 15,000 stand of

arms. Beauregard declares that less than 200 prisoners or stragglers, and some 500 damaged muskets were all that Pope got. The arithmetic of the generals is curiously at fault in this; 10,000 versus 200; 15,000 versus 500.

attack was purposed to be made by Foote with Pope's aid, but the latter was called away, as we have seen (p. 178) to assist in operations against Corinth. The fleet remained, however, watching the enemy, with almost daily firing on and from the fort; Commodore Foote, who was suffering from a severe wound received at Donelson, was relieved of his command, May 9th, by Captain C. H. Davis.

On the following morning, the rebel gun boats and ram made an attack upon our flotilla, lying at the time tied up to the bank, three on the eastern and four on the western side of the river. The ram advanced to run down the gun boat Cincinnati, Capt. R. N. Stembel, giving her a severe blow on the starboard quarter, and apparently uninjured by the broadsides of the boat. The engagement became general. The ram succeeded in damaging the Cincinnati so greatly that she soon after sunk. The other vessels did excellent service. After an hour at close quarters, one of the rebel boats being sunk

gun

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