74 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



chieftain and patriot forbids me to trust myself in giv- 

 ing vent to the feelings which this sad intelligence lias 

 evoked. Without doing injustice to the living, it may 

 safely be asserted that our loss is irreparable. Among 

 the shining hosts of the great and good who now clus- 

 ter around the banner of pur country, there exists no 

 purer spirit, no more heroic soul, than that of the illus- 

 trious man whose death I join you in lamenting. 



In his death he has illustrated the character for 

 which through life he was conspicuous that of single- 

 ness of purpose and devotion to duty with his whole 

 energies. Bent on obtaining the victory which he 

 deemed essential to his country's cause, he rode on to 

 the accomplishment of his object, forgetful of self, while 

 his very life-blood was fast ebbing away. His last 

 breath cheered his comrades on to victory. The last 

 sound he heard was their shout of victory. His last 

 thought was of his country, and long and deeply will his 

 country mourn his loss. JEFFERSON DAVIS. 



On the 10th of April, President Lincoln, 

 having received reports of the battles at Pitts- 

 burg Landing, or Shiloh, issued the following 

 proclamation : 



WASHINGTON, April 10, 1862. 



It has pleased Almighty God to vouchsafe signal 

 victories to the land and naval forces engaged in sup- 

 pressing an internal rebellion, and at the same time to 

 avert from our country the dangers of foreign interven- 

 tion and invasion. 



It is therefore recommended to the people of the 

 United States that, at their next weekly assemblages 

 in their accustomed places of public worship, which 

 shall occur after the notice of this Proclamation shall 

 have been received, they especially acknowledge and 

 render thanks to. our Heavenly Father for these ines- 

 timable blessings ; that they then and there implore 

 spiritual consolation in behalf of all those wbo have 

 been brought into affliction by the casualties and ca- 

 lamities of sedition and civil war, and that they rever- 

 ently invoke the Divine guidance for our national 

 counsels, to the end that they may speedily result in 

 the restoration of peace, harmony, and unity through- 

 out our borders, and hasten the establishment of fra- 

 ternal relations among all the countries of the earth. 



In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and 

 caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. 

 Done at the city of Washington, this tenth day of April, 



in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred 



and sixty-two, and of the independence of the United 



States the eighty -sixth. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 

 By the President WM. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. 



On the 8th Gen. Sherman, with a body of 

 cavalry and infantry, advanced on the Corinth 

 road. His progress was at first checked by a 

 force of the enemy's cavalry, which afterward 

 was driven back. The roads were found in a 

 bad state, in consequence of the heavy rain on 

 Sunday night, and strewn with abandoned wag- 

 ons, ambulances, and limber boxes. A general 

 hospital, containing about two hundred and nine- 

 ty wounded Confederate soldiers, was also found. 

 The force of Gen. Sherman returned to camp 

 at night. 



It was charged against Gen. Grant that the 

 commencement of the battle was a surprise to 

 the Federal forces, and that he was absent 

 from the field until some hours after. In re- 

 ply he said : " As to the talk of our being sur- 

 prised, nothing could be more false. If the 

 enemy had sent us word where and when they 

 would attack, we could not have been better 

 prepared. Skirmishing had been going on for 

 two days between our reconnoitring parties 



and the enemy's advance. I did not believe, 

 however, that they intended to make a deter- 

 mined attack, but simply to make a recon- 

 noissance in force. My headquarters were at 

 Savannah, though I usually spent the day at 

 Pittsburg. Troops were constantly arriving to 

 be assigned to the different brigades and divi- 

 sions. All were ordered to report at Savannah, 

 making it necessary to keep an office and some 

 one there. I was also looking for Buell to ar- 

 rive, and it was important that I should have 

 every arrangement complete for his crossing 

 and transit to this side of the river." 



Gen. Beauregard issued the preliminary or- 

 ders for his troops to move from Corinth at 

 one o clock on the morning of the 3d of April. 

 The movement did not commence until during 

 the forenoon. It was expected to reach the 

 Federal lines in time to commence the attack 

 on the 5th. They arrived too late in the after- 

 noon of that day to attack. It could not have 

 been with the advance of this force that " skir- 

 mishing had been going on for two days." 



On the 9th of April, Maj.-Gen. Halleck, with 

 a portion of his staff, left St. Louis for Pitts- 

 burg Landing, to assume command in the field. 

 His first efforts were devoted to reorganizing 

 the army. Two days after his arrival, an ex- 

 pedition was sent under convoy of the gunboats 

 to destroy the railroad bridge over Bear Creek, 

 seven miles inland from Chickasaw. This was 

 successfully done by Gen. Sherman, and cut the 

 communication between Richmond, Va., and 

 Corinth. The state of the roads delayed for some 

 days any movement of importance. Frequent 

 skirmishes, however, took place with the Con- 

 federate infantry and cavalry hovering near. 

 On the 22d of April, Gen. Pope, with his divi- 

 sion, numbering about 25,000, arrived at Pitts- 

 burg Landing from New Madrid. On the 

 27th, orders were issued by Gen. Halleck for 

 the army to hold itself in readiness for an im- 

 mediate movement. Gen. Grant's divisions 

 formed the right wing of the army, those of 

 Gen. Buell the centre, and those of Gen. 

 Pope the left wing. Gens. Grant and Buell 

 retained the immediate command of their re- 

 spective armies. The advance of the army 

 was now gradually commenced. Day after 

 day a division or a brigade was moved a few 

 miles, and the outposts extended. On the 1st 

 of May, Monterey was occupied. It is a small 

 village in McNairy Co., Tenn., four miles from 

 the Mississippi line, and about midway be- 

 tween Pittsburg Landing and Corinth. A few 

 days previously, an expedition under Gen. 

 Wallace had gone as far as Purdy, about twen- 

 ty miles west of Pittsburg Landing, and de- 

 stroyed the bridge of the railroad connecting 

 Corinth with Jackson. 



On the 2d of May, Gen. Beauregard issued 

 the following address to his soldiers : 



HEADQUABTEBS OF THE FORCES AT COEINTH, ) 

 MISSISSIPPI, May 2, 1S62. f 



Soldiers of SMloh and Elkhorn :' We are about to 

 meet once more, in the shock of battle, the invaders 



