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. Commencing 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:

(left)

The Army of the Ohio (center) General Buell Commanding. The Army of the Mississippi General Pope Commanding. The Army of the Tennessee (right) General Grant 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 September the Confederate

In

forces in the Southwest

GENERAL ROSECRANS.

advance.

began to make a general

General Grant was at this time in command of

the Union forces, General Halleck having been called to

Washington to supersede McClellan. A large rebel army under Sterling Price had occupied Iuka, twentyone miles southeast from Corinth, against whom General Grant advanced by two different routes. General Rosecrans, commanding the Army of the Mississippi, advancing from the south, while that under General Ord from the north; General Rosecrans on September 19, fiercely attacked Price, defeating him in a bloody battle, but Price succeeded in escaping; uniting his forces with Van Dorn, he marched upon Corinth. General Grant was at this time at Jackson, where he was threatened by a considerable Confederate force located at LaGrange and Ripley. Rosecrans was in command at Corinth having only nineteen thousand men in his ranks, while the enemy approached with thirtyeight thousand men, with the evident intention of retaking Corinth at all hazards, or at least, to break the Union line of communication, and force a retreat. On the 4th of October the enemy made a furious attack upon the works at Corinth, and the most desperate fighting ensued. The rebel troops rushed to the assault with their usual bravery; bravely did the garrison defend the position, repelling the enemy with enormous slaughter; during the battle General McPherson had arrived from Jackson with reinforcements, having been sent by General

GENERAL VAN DORN.

Grant in aid of the beleaguered garrison. General Grant, feeling confident of the success of the Union arms, had sent Generals Ord and Hurlburt with 4,000 men to strike the enemy in flank upon their retreat. General Rosecrans pursued the enemy from Corinth, pushing them toward the Hatchie Rive, where the force under Generals Ord and Hurlburt fell 1.pon their already bleeding and shattered columns, forcing them back, capturing a battery of artillery and several bund ed prisoners. General Rosecrans, on the next day sent the following telegram:

TO MAJOR-GENERAL GRANT:

CHEVALLA, October 6, 1862.

The enemy is totally routed, throwing everything away. We are following sharply.

W. S. ROSECRANS, Major-General.

General Grant's congratulatory order to his troops will be found in the appendix. President Lincoln dispatched to General Grant the following congratulations and inquiries: WASHINGTON, D. C., October 6, 1862

MAJOR-GENERAL Grant:

I congratulate you and all concerned in your recent battles and victories. How does it all sum up? I especially regret the death of General Hackleman, and am very anxious to know the condition of General Oglesby, who is an intimate personal friend.

A. LINCOLN.

The Federal success at Iuka and Corinth, relieved West Tennessee from ali immediate danger. This brief campaign had displayed General Grant's military judgment and the admirable clearness of his perceptions, and made the way clear for his campaign against Vicksburg.

CHAPTER VII.

THE ADVANCE TO VICKSBURG.

By general orders from the War Department, dated Oc. tober 16, 1862, General Grant was assigned to the "Department of the Tennessee," which was now extended to include the State of Mississippi, in which was Vicksburg. General Grant formally assumed his new command on the 25th of October, although he had virtually held it since the departure of Halleck for Washington. In November Grant removed his headquarters from Jackson to LaGrange, that he might be in a better position to support Sherman who was then at Memphis preparing for his movement on Vicksburg.

On the 20th of December the Confederate General Van Dorn succeeded in capturing from the Federal forces, through the cowardice of General Murphy, the important post of Holly Springs, which had been made the principal base of supplies for Grant's army. Its loss prevented Grant's co-operation with Sherman in his movement against Vicksburg, which promised to be successful.

Vicksburg is situated on the east bank of the Mississippi, twelve miles below the mouth of the Yazoo. All that the Confederacy had of engineering skill and experience was exhausted in rendering it the Gibraltar of America. It was out of the question to capture the town by the river front, and the rear had been made almost as impregnable. Already three attempts had been made by the Federals to