HALLECK, HENRY W. 



377 



in arras, on the 22d of the coming month. In 

 anticipation of his part of the grand move- 

 ment, early in February, Halleck sent his 

 chief of staff to Cairo, to direct, in his name, 

 when necessary, all operations auxiliary to 

 the armies about to take the field on the Mis- 

 sissippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers, 

 which their respective commanders soon put 

 in motion. Operating by the Ohio River as 

 the base, and the navigable Tennessee and 

 Cumberland as perpendicular lines of opera- 

 tions, it is needless to repeat history by stat- 

 ing the success of Halleck's masterly strat- 

 egy, carried out by his able lieutenants, 

 against the Confederate first line of defence. 

 In a little over three months of his sway in 

 tho West, Forts Henry and Donelson had fall- 

 en, the strategically turned flanks of the ene- 

 my's line, protected by the powerful works of 

 Bowling Green and Columbus, were deserted, 

 and Nashville, the object of the campaign, 

 was in his possession. In the mean time, Cur- 

 tis had been sent to drive the Confederates out 

 of Missouri, and, early in March, gained the 

 decisive battle of Pea Ridge, in Arkansas, the 

 enemy flying before him to the protection of 

 the White River ; and Pope, dispatched to 

 New Madrid, after taking that place, con- 

 fronted the fugitives from Columbus at Island 

 No. 10, which, by the happy device of Hamil- 

 ton's cut-off canal, was turned and taken in 

 reverse, and this strong barrier of the Missis- 

 sippi removed by the joint action of the Army 

 tiii'l Navy. By these masterly operations, the 

 Confederate first line, from Kansas to the Al- 

 leghany Mountains, being swept away, and 

 the enemy's strongholds captured or evacu- 

 ated, the Federal forces moved triumphantly 

 southward, pressing back the insurgents to 

 their second line of defence, extending from 

 Memphis to Chattanooga. 



On March 11, 1862, to give greater unity to 

 military operations in the West, the Depart- 

 ments of Kansas and Ohio were merged into 

 Halleck's command, the whole constituting 

 the Department of the Mississippi, which in- 

 cluded the vast territory between the Alle- 

 ghany and Rocky Mountains. General Buell, 

 inarching by railroad from Nashville, was di- 

 rected, on the withdrawal of the enemy from 

 Murfreesborough, to unite with General Grant 

 proceeding to Pittsburg Landing by the Ten- 

 nessee. Their fortunate union secured the 

 success at Shiloh. Then, to more immediately 

 direct military operations, Halleck took the 

 field, and, after reorganizing and recruiting 

 his forces, moved on Corinth, where the ene- 

 my was strongly intrenched on the important 

 strategic position, at the junction where the 

 railroads connecting the Gulf of Mexico and 

 the Mississippi River with the Atlantic Ocean 

 came together. By striking a vigorous blow 

 here on the enemy's left centre, Halleck pro- 

 posed to repeat the strategy which had suc- 

 ceeded against the first line ; but success was 

 indispensable, hence, he made every step of his 



progress so secure that no disaster should be in- 

 curred, involving the loss of what had already 

 been gained with so much effort and blood- 

 shed. So admirably were his successive camps 

 guarded against surprise or sudden dash, that 

 General Beauregard dared not attack, though 

 on May 2d he made his arrangements, and is- 

 sued his proclamation to "the soldiers of Shiloh 

 and Elkhorn " that he was about to give bat- 

 tle. A month after the initiation of Halleck's 

 march, May 27th, his compact columns were 

 close upon Corinth's fifteen miles of heavy in- 

 trenchments, strengthened by powerful bat- 

 teries or redoubts at every road or assailable 

 point, and the whole covered to the boggy 

 stream in front by a dense abatis, through 

 which no artillery or cavalry, nor even infan- 

 try skirmishers, could have passed under fire. 

 On the next day, heavy siege-guns were put 

 in position, and every thing made ready for a 

 desperate attack upon the enemy, who had 

 been hotly contesting the advance. On the 

 29th, operations were earnestly resumed against 

 the enemy, who, though driven back at all 

 points, preserved an unbroken front, and 

 served his batteries with great energy. On the 

 morning of the 30th the enemy's slackened 

 fire proved what, from the noise of explosions 

 and moving trains during the preceding night, 

 had been feared that Beauregard, despairing 

 of maintaining himself in this immense strong- 

 hold of the Confederacy, constructed with so 

 much labor and care, had fled. Upon the oc- 

 cupation of Corinth, its enclosing and com- 

 manding fortifications were found to be im- 

 pregnable to assault ; within, desolation and 

 smouldering ruins were everywhere visible ; 

 and the evacuation, commenced some days be- 

 fore by the removal of the sick, fully completed. 

 Immediately General Pope was sent in pursuit 

 of the retreating enemy. Soon after, General 

 Buell was dispatched toward Chattanooga to 

 destroy the railroad connections. General 

 Sherman was put in march for Memphis, but 

 the Navy had captured the place when he had 

 reached Grand Junction ; without delay, bat- 

 teries were constructed on the southern ap- 

 proaches of the place, to guard against any 

 sudden return of the enemy ; and, with pro- 

 digious energy, the destroyed railroad to Co- 

 lumbus was rebuilt to maintain the communi- 

 cations with the Mississippi and Ohio, in jeop- 

 ardy by the sudden fall of the Tennessee, by 

 which supplies had been received. 



It had now been a little over six months 

 since General Halleck assumed command at St. 

 Louis, and, from within the limits of his de- 

 partment, during this period, the enemy had 

 been driven from Missouri, the northern half 

 of Arkansas, Kentucky, most of Tennessee, 

 and strong lodgments made in Mississippi and 

 Alabama. General Halleck was severely criti- 

 cised for consuming six weeks in reaching Cor- 

 inth; but when the condition of the roads, 

 the hostile state of the country, the rawness 

 of his troops, and a narrow escape from a de- 



