68 



AEMY OPERATIONS. 



it to be " the second coming of Christ." The 

 command of the army was taken by Gen, 

 Grant soon after its arrival at Savannah, and it 

 was advanced seven miles to Pittsburg Landing. 

 Savannah was made a depot for stores, with 

 only a few troops. Here troops and supplies 

 were sent to Gen. Grant by Maj.-Gen. Halleck, 

 both from St. Louis and Cairo. There had also 

 been such a change in the position of the en- 

 emy before Gen. Buell at Nashville, that the 

 original plan was altered, and he was directed 

 by Maj.-Gen. Halleck to make a junction of his 

 forces with those under Gen. Grant. By Gen- 

 eral War Order No. 3 of the President, dated 

 March llth, the Departments of Kansas and 

 Kentucky, respectively under the command of 

 Gen. Hunter and of Gen. Buell, were united 

 with that of the Missouri, under the designation 

 of the Department of the Mississippi, and of 

 this consolidated Department Gen. Halleck was 

 assigned the command. 



It was the original plan of Gen. Buell to 

 advance with his army in several columns 

 upon northern Alabama over the principal 

 roads leading to that region from Nashville. 

 With this object in view, the divisions of Gens. 

 Mitchell, Nelson and McCook left Nashville 

 on the same day, and by different roads. But 

 the Confederates, having retired from Mur- 

 freesboro and formed along the new line they 

 proposed to defend, rendered necessary a cor- 

 responding change in the plan of Gen. Buell. 

 A direct advance upon Alabama by Gen. 

 Buell's forces would not only have involved 

 an unnecessary amount of labor and slowness 

 of movement, owing to the destruction of 

 bridges over the watercourses, and other im- 

 pediments, but the passage of the Tennessee 

 into northern Alabama being practicable for a 

 large army at a few places only, the Confederates 

 could by means of the railroad have easily 

 collected a large force to dispute it at any 

 point. This concentration of the main body 

 of the Confederate forces in localities within 

 the contemplated field of the operations of Gen. 

 Grant's army, not only gave to the latter an 

 opportunity to employ the whole of his force 

 to the best possible advantage, but enabled 

 Gen. Halleck to order Gen. Buell to turn his 

 army toward western Tennessee, to cooperate 

 with Gen. Grant and cross the river. Thus 

 combined, they were regarded as certain to be 

 superior to the Confederate army in the num- 

 ber, armament, and fighting trim of their com- 

 mands. 



On the 28th of March, Gen. Buell left Nash- 

 ville and passed the advance of his divisions at 

 Columbia. On the 28th, 29th, and 30th the 

 divisions of his army had crossed Duck river 

 on a new bridge, and advanced through 

 Columbia, distant eighty-two miles from Savan- 

 nah. 



Meantime most active preparations had been 

 made to assemble a large Confederate force at 

 Corinth, and to fortify that position, which is 

 about eighteen miles south of Pittsburg Land- 



ing. The force of Gen. Grant was posted at 

 Pittsburg and along both sides of the river to- 

 ward Crump's Landing and Savannah, but kept 

 in active service scouring the country. The 

 importance of the approaching contest to the 

 Confederate States could not be concealed. If 

 Corinth fell, Memphis would also fall, and the 

 whole territory of the Gulf States would be 

 open to an army larger than that of the Poto- 

 mac. The plan adopted by Gens. Johnston and 

 Beauregard was to strike an unexpected blow 

 before the arrival of Gen. Buell's forces. On 

 the 3d of April, Gen. Johnston issued the fol- 

 lowing address to his soldiers : 



HEADQUARTERS ARMY or MISSISSIPPI, ) 

 COEISTU, Miss., April 3. f 



Soldiers of the Army of the Mississippi . 



I have put you in motion to offer battle to the in- 

 vaders 01 your country, with the resolution and dis- 

 cipline and valor becoming men, fighting, as you are, 

 for all worth living or dying for. You can but march 

 to a decisive victory over agrarian mercenaries sent to 

 subjugate and despoil you of your liberties, property, 

 and honor. 



Remember the precious stake involved ; remember 

 the dependence of your mothers, your wives, your 

 sisters, and your children on the result. Remember 

 the fair, broad, abounding lands, the happy homes 

 that will be desolated by your defeat. The eyes and 

 hopes of eight million people rest upon you. You are 

 expected to show yourselves worthy of your valor and 

 courage, worthy of the women of the South, whose 

 noble devotion in this war has never been exceeded in 

 any time. With such incentives to brave deeds, and 

 with the trust that God is with us, your general will 

 lead you confidently to the combat, assured of success. 

 (Signed) A. S. JOHNSTON, 



General Commanding. 



The orders accompanying the address di- 

 vided " the Army of the Mississippi " into three 

 corps. Gen. Beauregard was proclaimed to 

 be in command of the whole force. The first 

 corps was assigned to Gen. Polk, and embraced 

 all the troops of his former command, except- 

 ing detached cavalry and artillery, and reserves 

 detached for the defence of Fort Pillow and 

 Madrid Bend. The second corps was assigned 

 to Gen. Bragg, and was to consist of the second 

 division of the army of the Mississippi, less 

 artillery and cavalry "hereafter detached." 

 The third corps was assigned to Gen. Har- 

 dee, and consisted of " the Army of Kentucky." 

 To Gen. Crittenden was assigned a command 

 of reserves, consisting of not less than two 

 brigades. 



From two to three miles out on the road to 

 Corinth from Pittsburg Landing lay the five di- 

 visions of Gen. Grant's army. The advance 

 line was formed by three divisions : Brig.-Gen. 

 Sherman's, Brig.-Gen. Prentiss's, and Maj.-Gen. 

 McClernand's. Between these and the landing 

 lay the two others, Brig.-Gen. Hurlbut's and 

 Maj.-Gen. Smith's, commanded in his absence 

 by Brig.-Gen. W. II. L. Wallace. On the ex- 

 treme left of the line was one brigade of Gen. 

 Sherman's division, while the other brigades 

 were some two miles distant, forming the ex- 

 treme right of the advance line. To the left, 

 though rather behind a portion of the line 



