when, night coming on, all the combatants rested from their awful work of blood and carnage. Our men rested on their arms in the position they had at the close of the night, until the forces under Major-General Lewis Wallace arrived and took position on the right, and General Buell's forces from the opposite side and Savannah, were being conveyed to the battle-ground. The entire right of General Nelson's division was ordered to form on the right, and the forces under General Crittenden were ordered to his support early in the morning. THE SECOND DAY'S BATTLE. General Buell, having himself arrived on Sunday evening, on the morning of Monday, April 7, the ball was opened at daylight, simultaneously by General Nelson's division on the left, and Major-General Wallace's division on the right. General Nelson's force opened up a most galling fire on the rebels and advanced rapidly as they fell back. The fire soon became general along the whole line, and began to tell with terrrible effect on the enemy. Generals McClernand, Sherman and Hurlburt's men, though terribly jaded from the previ ous day's fighting, still maintained their honors won at Donelson; but the resistance of the rebels at all points of the attack was terrible, and worthy of a better cause. DON CARLOS BUELL. But they were not enough for our undaunted bravery, and the dreadful desolation produced by our artillery, which was sweeping them away like chaff before the wind. But knowing that a defeat here would be the death-blow to their hopes, and that their all depended on this great struggle, their generals still urged them on in the face of destruction, hoping by flanking us on the right to turn the tide of battle. Their success was again for a time cheering, as they began to gain ground on us, appearing to have been reinforced; but our left, under General Nelson, was driving them, and with wonderful rapidity, and by 11 o'clock General Buell's forces had succeeded in flank. ing them, and capturing their batteries of artillery. They, however, again rallied on the left, and recrossed, and the right forced themselves forward in another desperate effort. But reinforcements from General Wood and General Thomas were coming in, regiment after regiment, which were sent to General Buell, who had again commenced to drive the enemy. About 3 o'clock in the afternoon, General Grant rode to the left where the fresh regiments had been ordered, and, finding the rebels wavering, sent a portion of his body-guard to the head of each of five regiments, and then ordered a charge across the field, himself leading; and as he brandished his sword and waved them on to the crowning victory, the cannon balls were falling like hail around him. The men followed with a shout that sounded above the roar and din of the artillery, and the rebels fled in dismay as from a destroying avalanche, and never made another stand. General Buell followed the retreating rebels, driving them in splendid style, and by half-past 5 o'clock the whole rebel army was in full retreat to Corinth, with our cavalry in hot pursuit, with what further result is not known, not having returned up to this hour. JOHN C. BRECKENRIDGE. We have taken a large amount of their artillery and also a number of prisoners. We lost a number of our forces prisoners yesterday, among whom is General Prentiss. The number of our force taken has not yet been ascertained. It is reported at several hundred. General Prentiss was also reported as being wounded. Among the killed on the rebel side was their Generalin-Chief, Albert Sydney Johnston, who was struck by a cannon-ball on the afternoon of Sunday. Of this there is no doubt, and it is fur ther reported that General Beauregard was wounded. This afternoon Generals Bragg, Breckenridge and Jackson were commanding portions of the rebel forces. THE SUMMING UP OF THE TWO DAYS. There has never been a parallel to the gallantry and bearing of our officers, from the Commanding General to the lowest officer. General Grant and staff were in the field, riding along the lines in the thickest of the enemy's fire during the entire two days of the battle, and all slept on the ground Sunday night, during a heavy rain. On several occasions General Grant got within range of the enemy's guns and was discovered and fired upon. Lieutenant-Colonel McPherson had his horse shot from under him when alongside of General Grant. Captain Carson was between General Grant and your correspond. ent when a cannon-ball took off his head and killed and wounded several others. General Sherman had two horses killed under him, and General McClernand shared like dangers; also General Hurlburt, each of whom received bullet holes through their clothes. The first day's battle having closed with every indication of a complete success for the Confederate cause, on the following day General Beauregard, who succeeded Johnston, telegraphed to the Confederate government as follows: CORINTH, Tuesday, April 8, 1862. TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR, RICHMOND: We have gained a great and glorious victory. Eight to ten thousand prisoners and thirty-six pieces of cannon. Buell re-inforced Grant, and we retired to our entrenchments at Corinth, which we can hold. Loss heavy on both sides. BEAUREGARD. In a congratulatory order issued by General Grant to the troops under date of April 8, he says: "The General commanding congratulates the troops who so gallantly maintained their position; repulsed and routed a numerically superior force of the enemy, composed of the flower of the Southern army, commanded by their ablest Generals, and fought by them with all the desperation of despair. In numbers engaged, no such contest ever took place on this continent. In importance of result, but few such have taken place in the history of the world.” Three years after, General Sherman, in a speech delivered at St. Louis, on the 19th of July, 1865, having reviewed the incidents of the commencement of the war, says of this battle: "There was gathered the first great army of the West. Com mencing with only twelve thousand, then twenty, then thirty thousand, and we had about thirty-eight thousand in that battle; and all I claim for it is, that is was a contest for manhood; there was no strategy. Grant was there, and others of us, all young at that time, and unknown men, but our enemy was old, and Sidney Johnston, whom all the officers remembered as a power among the old officers, high above Grant, myself, or anybody else, led the enemy on that battlefield, and I almost wonder how we conquered. But, as I remarked, it was a contest for manhood-man to man, soldier to soldier. We fought, and held our ground, and therefore counted ourselves victorious. From that time forward we had with us the prestige. That battle was worth millions and millions to us, by reason of the fact of the courage displayed by the brave soldiers on that occasion; and from that time to this, I never heard of the first want of courage on the part of our Northern soldiers." After the engagements of Shiloh and Pittsburg Landing, the Confederate forces retreated to Corinth, where all their available forces were again rendezvoused behind a series of fortifications that were deemed impregnable. General Halleck, who had now assumed command, sent for all of the unemployed troops in his department, concentrating them at Pittsburg Landing. He had 120,000 men in his command, with a large array of field and siege guns. This large army he designated as the "Grand Army of the Tennessee," and it was composed of three armies, as follows: The Army of the Ohio (center) General Buell Commanding. The Army of the Mississippi The Army of the Tennessee (right) (left) General Pope Commanding. Cautiously the Union General advanced toward Corinth, occupying six weeks in advancing sixteen miles; heavy skirmishing was of daily occurrence, the Union forces being generally successful. General Halleck finally planted his army before Corinth. Although General Grant had expressed an opinion that he could carry the works of the enemy by storm, General Halleck rejected it and settled down to a regular siege, which was safely prosecuted according to the established rules of war, from April 30 to May 30, 1862, the enemy having abandoned their entrenchments the night before. By this victory the Union forces had broken the second line of the interior defence of the Confederacy, and they were forced back upon their third line the strategic points of which were Vicksburg, Jackson, Meriden, and Selma. The Union forces pursued the retreating foe, capturing many prisoners and destroying much public property. The importance of Corinth as a stronghold is evidenced by the fact that it was kept by the United States forces as a strong military post until the beginning of 1864. Several minor movements and skirmishes of considerable moment took place in different parts of this department; on these occasions the Federal forces were generally successful, yet up to September General Grant's department was particularly quiet. the earlier part of Sep In GENERAL ROSECRANS. tember the Confederate forces in the Southwest began to make a general advance. General Grant was at this time in command of the Union forces, General Halleck having been called to |