312 POSITION OF GRANT'S. FORCES. [SECT. X. treat to the Ohio. It seemed as if a Confederate march northward, on the west flank of the Cumberland Mountains, would undo all that Halleck had done in his southward march along the Tennessee. At all hazards, Bragg must be checked. Troops which had now become veterans were withdrawn from Grant. They were hurried up the Mississippi and the Ohio to strengthen Buell, and Grant was left weakened in presence of his Confederate antagonists. The expectation which had been entertained in Richmond that Bragg's march on Louisville would compel Grant to relax his grip on the Mississippi was doomed but he still clings to disappointment. Now came into view to the Mississippi. one of the striking lineaments of that general's character-his unconquerable tenacity. Weakened though he was, he stood fast, combating his opponents, and not yielding an inch that he could hold. He patiently waited until he was re-enforced, and then resumed his southward march. I have now to relate his temporary operations against his antagonists Price and Van Dorn, and his resumption of the march toward Vicksburg. forces. After the departure of Halleck, the Shiloh army, under Position of Grant's command of Grant, was stationed from Memphis to Bridgeport, Tennessee, along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. Grant had Memphis, Grand Junction, and Corinth as his strong posts, with his head-quarters at Jackson, Tennessee, a point in the rear, where the Central Mississippi Railroad unites with the Mobile and Ohio. It was necessary for him to hold the railroads from Corinth and Bolivar north to Columbus, which, owing to the low water in the Tennessee, had been made his base of supplies. In front of Grant lay the Confederate forces under Price CHAP. LI.] THE CONFEDERATE ATTEMPTS ON CORINTH. His antagonists 313 and Van Dorn. They could concentrate so as to threaten any one of his strong points. Encouraged by the fact that a part of his troops had been sent into Kentucky to aid Buell in resisting Bragg, every man who could be spared having been thus taken, and Grant thrown on the defensive, they thought that they might execute a successful manœuvre for the recovery of Corinth. Price therefore They attempt to take Corinth by stratagem. moved to Iuka, seemingly with the intention of assisting Bragg. It was expected that Grant would be tempted from Corinth, and an opportunity thus be given to Van Dorn of seizing it. It was the key to the military possession of Ten nessee. Van Dorn being at Holly Springs and Price at Iuka, Grant thought it possible to destroy the latter and get back to Corinth before the former could interfere. He therefore directed Rosecrans, who was at Grant to destroy Tuscumbia, to advance on Iuka, and Ord to move in combination with him, attacking Counter attempt of Price. from the west and north. At noon (September 19th), Rosecrans, who had 9000 men, was within seven miles of Iuka, moving slowly for ward. Ord had been directed to approach the place, but not to attack until he heard the sound of Rosecrans's guns. He was, however, prevented Affair at Iuka. by a strong northwest wind from hearing any sound at all. Meantime Rosecrans, who was delaying beyond Grant's expectations, came up to a point within two miles of Iuka, and there, about 4 P.M., encountered the Confederates in force. A severe conflict ensued, in which he lost a battery and 730 men killed and wounded. It was continued until dark. The men lay down on their arms, expecting to renew the engagement in the morning. it. They had es MILLIKENS LA HAINES BIĞ BLACK R. JACKSON VICKSBURG PORT GIBSON FROM MEMPHIS TO VICKSBURG. to Van Dorn. Escape of Price caped by the Fulton Road, which Rosecrans was to have occupied. Rosecrans pursued, but could not overtake them. They had checked him on one road while they had escaped by the other. Their loss, however, had been 1438. In these operations, Grant was very far from being satisfied with what Rosecrans had done. The two Confederate generals, finding that their at Attempt to take tempt to get possession of Corinth by stratCorinth by force. agem had failed, determined to take it by force. They therefore concentrated at Ripley. Rosecrans was in command at Corinth with a force of about 20,000 Ord was at Bolivar, and Grant at Jackson. men. CHAP. LI.] ATTACK ON CORINTH. 315 On the 2d of October, Van Dorn moved from Chewalla toward Corinth. Its defenses had been much changed since Beauregard had originally fortified it. Halleck had constructed works inside of those of Beauregard, and Grant, who had been eight weeks in the place, had made others inside of those of Halleck. Corinth now required a much smaller force for its defense. Assault on Corinth. Learning of the Confederate advance, Rosecrans was at first in doubt whether the real attack was to be made on himself, or on Grant, or Ord. At first he suspected that the movement upon him was nothing more than a feint. But early on the morning of the 3d Van Dorn assailed him strongly. The engagement soon became very warm, and General McArthur, who had been sent to the front and presently afterward re-enforced, was compelled to fall back, with the loss of two guns. Rosecrans, now perceiving the enemy's intention, made suitable preparations to receive him. Hamilton's divis ion held the right, Davies the centre, McKean the left. Stanley was in echelon with McKean and nearer to Corinth. Just before dark the pressure upon Davies was so severe that he was compelled to give ground. On the Confederate side, their left, under Price, was upon the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, north of Corinth; then came Van Dorn, more westwardly, on the Chewalla Road, their right being held by Lovell. The attack was therefore made on the northwest side of Corinth, on which Van Dorn had been informed by a female spy that it was weakest. But the works which Grant had constructed, consisting of four redoubts, had materially changed the condition of things. These works commanded the roads along which the Confederates must now pass. Some cannonading occurred early in the morning (Oc 316 the Confederates. ATTACK ON CORINTH. [SECT. X. Gallant conduct of tober 4th). At half past nine Price's column bore down on Rosecrans's centre with a force so overpowering as to compel it to yield and fall back. The column advanced in the form of a wedge, and was received by the fire of the batteries, which tore it through and through. It was swept by a direct, cross, and enfilading fire. Undismayed, as it came on it opened out like two great wings right and left, "the men bending their necks downward, with their faces averted like those who strive to protect themselves against a driving storm of hail." Davies's division, on which it was com ing, began to give way, but was rallied by Rosecrans in person. The storming columns carried Fort Richardson, and even captured Rosecrans's head-quarters. The fort was, however, almost immediately retaken, and, Hamil ton's division on the right now advancing, Price's column was irretrievably broken, and fled. Van Dorn should have made his attack on Rosecrans simultaneously with that of Price, but he was delayed by the difficulties of the ground. About twenty min utes after Price's attack he advanced in four columns, their line of march being under the guns of two forts, Williams and Robinette. With an audacity that extorted the admiration of the national troops, the Texas and Mississippi soldiers came forward. They advanced until they were within fifty yards of Fort Robinette, receiving without flinching a shower of grape and canister, when "the Ohio brigade arose and gave them such a murderous fire of musketry that they reeled and fell back to the woods. They, however, gallantly re-formed and advanced again to the charge, led by Colonel Rogers, of the Second Texas. This time they reached the edge of the ditch, but the deadly musketry fire of the Ohio brigade again broke them; and at the word "Charge!" the Eleventh Missouri and Twenty-sev Failure of their at tack. |