THE FIGHT AT MEMPHIS.

The people of Memphis, emboldened by the presence of a formidable rebel fleet, and encouraged by the confident predictions of its commander, Commodore Montgomery, that he would "soon send Lincoln's gunboats to the bottom," had collected upon the banks of the river, and at all points of observation in the city, to see this great sight, not at all doubtful of the result.

Commodore Foote had, at his own request, on the score of his health, which had greatly suffered, been relieved from duty, and our fleet was now in charge of Commodore Charles Henry Davis, an officer well known for his scientific attainments, and who was now determined to lose no time in winning honors like those which a grateful country had awarded to the gallant Foote. Memphis gave him a splendid opportunity, and he made the most of it. On the 5th of June he left Fort Pillow, with a fleet of nine boats-five gunboats, two tugs, and Colonel Ellet's two rams, the Queen City and Monarch. To oppose this force Montgomery had eight boats, mounting twenty-four guns, most of them rifled and pivoted.

Want of space, and direct relevancy to the subject, forbid our describing the famous battle. It should be read in its terribly picturesque details. The city on the hill-side, like the tiers in an amphitheatre; the crowding inhabitants, eager, bitter, hopeful, and breathless; the hostile lines of armed vessels the roar of their artillery; the Queen City, under Colonel Ellet, crushing in the sides of the Price like pasteboard; the Monarch, under Captain Ellet, drenching the Beauregard with boiling water; the burning of the boats; the humanity. of Davis and his men, as they pick up the drowning rebels; the explosion of the Jeff. Thompson, which shakes Memphis to its foundations; such are some of the elements of this grand pictorial display. We can only state the results. The rebel flotilla, rammed by Ellet's boats, and torn to pieces by our shot, was put entirely hors de combat. Three of the largest vessels, the Price, Beauregard, and Lovell, were sunk; one,

the Jeff. Thompson, was burned; and the three others, the Bragg, Sumter, and Little Rebel, were captured. It was a clean sweep, and with no loss to ourselves. Colonel Ellet was

the only man wounded, and his ram, the Queen City, the only boat disabled, and that but temporarily. It was a gallant action, and will rank high among the most memorable achievements of the navy.

Memphis, a hot-bed of treason, was thus brought into our possession, on the 6th of June. The river was open to Vicksburg, above and below, and the new element, waited and longed for by Grant, had at length fairly come into his calculation. “On to Vicksburg" was now his cry, not to be abated until Vicksburg should fall, and the great river, upon which the last chances of rebel success depended, flow, with Union boats, barges, and commerce, "unvexed to the sea."

NEW EFFORTS OF THE ENEMY.

But the rebels were now fairly awake to their condition. If the people were alarmed and distrustful, and ready, upon Federal occupancy, to "come back to their old allegiance," the responsible leaders, selfish, clever, and determined, made good use of the lessons of disaster. The war was inaugurated for them and by them, and the people must be made to carry it on for their behoof. If they could not, as at first, "fire the Southern heart," they could at least press the Southern body into service; and this they did in a most unscrupulous and tyrannical, but effective manner. A sweeping conscription act was passed by the Confederate Congress, giving virtual power to the President to call out and place in the military service all white men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, for three years or the war. No military despotism was ever so severe and so uncompromising.

A little later, camps of instruction were established in each State the levies were distributed according to a proportional system among the States; lieutenant-generals were appointed, to command corps and departments; and troops from the

same State were brigaded together, this latter being an infinitessimal concession to the Grand Lama of States-rights. In a word, every nerve was strained by the Confederate authorities to regain lost ground, repair their broken fortunes, and achieve, at least, a partial success.

The results were striking. The disasters of the spring of 1862 were followed by the successes of the Peninsula, the victories of the second Bull Run, and the advance into Maryland. Rebel troops gathered in large numbers in the West, and Grant was to have no easy task in his advance upon. Vicksburg.

The first step towards Vicksburg was the capture and occupation of Holly Springs, by Sherman, on the 30th of June.

NOTE.-Beauregard left the ariny at Tupelo on the 15th of June, relieving himself from duty, on account of ill-health, which he certified by the opinion of two surgeons. For two months he was in retirement with his family at Mobile and Bladon Springs; and turned up again at Charleston, in an unimportant command. He had evidently fallen under the displeasure of the Davis administration.*

The rationale of this is thus presented by the Confederate General Jordan, in an excellent article on Jefferson Davis, in Harper's Monthly Magazine for October, 1865:

"General Beauregard, for some time in bad health, thought it best for the service to take advantage of the lull in operations, incident to the position of his army at Tupelo, after the successful evacuation of Corinth, and by a short respite from duty, seek to recuperate. He therefore retired to Bladon Springs, some twelve hours distant by railroad, turning over the command to General Bragg, with instructions looking to the preparation of the army for the field at once on his return, which he anticipated would be in three weeks. But no sooner had Mr. Davis heard of this step than he telegraphed General Bragg to assume permanent command. General Beauregard was thus laid on the shelf-not to be reinstated, as Mr. Davis passionately declared, though the whole world should urge him to the measure."

The last sentence he substantiates by referring to "Notes of interview of Congressional Committee with Mr. Davis, to request restoration of General Beauregard to his command."

NOTE (see page 104).

The portion of the Army of the Tennessee, commanded by General Thomas, consisted of the divisions of T. W. Sherman-formerly Thomas's, of the Army of the Ohio-Hurlbut, W. T. Sherman, McKean, and Davies. That commanded by General McClernand, of the divisions of Judah and Lew. Wallace.

CHAPTER XI.

IUKA AND CORINTH.

AFTER A BRIEF HALT, FORWARD.-ADMINISTRATION.-IUKA.-PRICE MARCHES UP.GRANT'S SAGACITY. THE BATTLE.-ROSECRANS AND ORD.-DIFFICULT GROUND.PRICE RETREATS SOUTHWARD.-CORINTH.-THE FORTIFICATIONS.-PRICE'S ATTACK -VAN DORN's.-THE BLOODY REPULSE.-ORD AND HURLBUT IN FLANK AND REAR. -"HOW DOES IT ALL SUM UP ?"-SKETCHES OF COMMANDERS.

ON the 11th of August, by general orders from the War Department, General Halleck was assigned to the command of "the whole land forces of the United States, as general-inchief." This caused a new arrangement to be made at the West; and for the time, until that could be made, it gave General Grant an extended military jurisdiction, great labors of administration, and-one good thing at least-" ample room and verge enough" for his new schemes. In the mean time, from June till September, there was but little fighting in his department. He bent his energy to a thorough reorganization, and sent some of his troops, by orders from Washington, to re-enforce Buell's army, seriously threatened by Bragg's advance through East Tennessee and Kentucky towards the Ohio River. He also kept his cavalry in constant reconnoissances, to ascertain the position of the enemy, and to guard all parts of his command against secret movements and surprises. With his weakened force he could not do more.

His orders with regard to passes and paroles-carefully distinguishing between innocent, suffering citizens and the friends and sympathizers of the rebellion are clear and statesmanlike. His treatment of guerrillas, who were battening, like birds of prey, upon friends and foes alike, was sharp

and relentless.* Rebel sympathizers were to pay, by sudden seizure of their property, for such depredations. "The Memphis Avalanche," a newspaper echoing the secret thoughts of the citizens, in an overbold manner, was suddenly suspended for uttering treasonable sentiments, and only permitted to renew its issue upon the withdrawal of its seditious editor. The disposition made of fugitive negroes was practical:† they

* GENERAL ORDERS, NO. 60.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF WEST TENNESSEE,
MEMPHIS, TENN., July 8, 1862.

The system of guerilla warfare now being prosecuted by some troops organized under authority of the so-called Southern Confederacy, and others without such authority, being so pernicious to the welfare of the community where it is carried on, and it being within the power of the community to suppress this system, it is ordered, that wherever loss is sustained by the Government, collections shall be made, by seizure of a sufficient amount of personal property, from persons in the immediate neighborhood sympathizing with the rebellion, to remunerate the Government for all loss and expense of the same.

Persons acting as guerrillas, without organization, and without uniform to distinguish them from private citizens, are not entitled to the treatment of prisoners of war when caught, and will not receive such treatment.

By order of

JOHN A. RAWLINS, A. A. G.

MAJOR-GENERAL U. S. GRANT.

We give the following order in full, as indicating the true military course, in pursuance of the Act of Congress :

GENERAL ORDERS, No. 72.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF WEST TENNESSEE,
CORINTH, MISS., August 11, 1862.

The recent act of Congress prohibits the army from returning fugitives from labor to their claimants, and authorizes the employment of such persons in the service of the Government. The following orders are therefore published for the guidance of the army in this matter:

1. All fugitives thus employed must be registered; the names of the fugitive and claimant given; and must be borne upon the morning report of the command in which they are kept, showing how they are employed.

2. Fugitives may be employed as laborers in the Quartermaster's, Subsistence, and Engineer department; and whenever by such employment a soldier may be saved to the ranks, they may be employed as teamsters and as company cooks, not exceeding four to a company, or as hospital attendants and nurses. Officers may employ them as private servants; in which latter case the fugitives will not be paid or rationed by the Government. Negroes thus employed must be secured as authorized persons, and will be excluded from the camps.