424 



GRANT, ULYSSES S. (His MILITARY CAREER.) 



the arrival of Gen. Buell's army of 40,000 men, 

 which was marching south through Tennessee 

 to join Grant. On April 6 the Confederate 

 army, numbering nearly 50,000 men, com- 

 manded by Gen. A. S. Johnston, made a vigor- 

 ous attack at daylight, drove the national troops 

 back in some confusion, and continued to press 

 the advantage gained during the entire day. 

 Gen. Johnston was killed about one o'clock, 

 and the command of the Confederates devolved 

 upon Gen. Beauregard ; 5,000 of Grant's troops 

 did not arrive on the field during the day, so 

 that his command was outnumbered, and it re- 

 quired all his efforts to hold his position on the 

 river until evening. Late in the afternoon the 

 head of Buell's column crossed the river, but 

 not in time to participate actively in the fight- 

 ing, as the enemy's attacks had ceased. Grant 

 sought shelter that night in a hut, but the sur- 

 geons had made an amputating hospital of it, 

 and he found the sight so painful that he went 

 out into the rain-storm which was raging and 

 slept under a tree. He had given orders for 

 an advance all along the lines the next morn- 

 ing. Buell's troops had now joined him, and 

 the attack was pushed with such vigor that the 

 enemy were steadily driven back and retreated 

 nineteen miles to Corinth. On this day Grant's 

 sword-scabbard was broken by a bullet. His 

 total loss in the battle was 1,754 killed, 8,408 

 wounded, 2,885 missing; total, 13,047. The 

 enemy acknowledged a loss of 1,728 killed, 

 8,012 wounded, and 957 missing; total, 10,699, 

 but there are evidences that it was considerably 

 greater. The national officers estimated the 

 Confederate dead alone at 4,000. 



On the llth Gen. Halleck arrived at head- 

 quarters and took command in person. The 

 forces consisted now of the right and left wings, 

 center, and reserve, commanded respectively by 

 Thomas, Pope, Buell, and McClernand, num- 

 bering in all nearly 120,000 men. The enemy 

 was behind strong fortifications, and numbered 

 over 50,000 estimates placed it at 70,000. 

 Grant was named second in command of all 

 the troops, but was especially intrusted with 

 the right wing and reserve. On April 30 an 

 advance was begun against Corinth, but the 

 enemy evacuated the place and retreated, with- 

 out fighting, on May 30. On June 21 Grant 

 moved his headquarters to Memphis. Gen. 

 Halleck was appointed general-in-chief of all 

 the armies July 11. Grant returned to Corinth 

 July 15, and on the 17th Halleck started for 

 Washington, leaving Grant in command of the 

 Army of the Tennessee ; and on Oct. 25 he was 

 assigned to the command of the Department 

 of the Tennessee, including Cairo, Forts Henry 

 and Donelson, northern Mississippi, and por- 

 tions of Kentucky and Tennessee west of the 

 Tennessee river. He ordered a movement 

 against the enemy at luka to capture Price's 

 force at that place, and a battle was fought 

 on the 19th and 20th of September, the 

 plan promised success, but the faults com- 

 mitted by the officer in immediate command of 



the troops engaged rendered it an incomplete 

 victory, and permitted the enemy to escape. 

 The Union loss was 736, that of the Confeder- 

 ates 1,438. Grant strengthened the position 

 around Corinth, and remained there about 

 eight weeks. When the enemy afterward at- 

 tacked it, Oct. 3 and 4, they met with a severe 

 repulse. Rosecraus was in immediate com- 

 mand of the national troops. On the 5th they 

 were struck while in retreat and badly beaten 

 in the battle of the Hatchie. The entire Union 

 loss was 2,359. From the best sources of in- 

 formation, the Confederates lost nearly twice 

 that number. 



After the battle of Corinth, Grant proposed 

 to Halleck, in the latter part of October, a 

 movement looking to the capture of Vicksburg. 

 On Nov. 3 he left Jackson, Tenn., and made 

 a movement with 30,000 men against Grand 

 Junction, and on the 4th he had seized this 

 place and La Grange. The force opposing him 

 was about equal to his own. On the 13th his 

 cavalry occupied Holly Springs ; on Dec. 1 he 

 advanced against the enemy's works on the 

 Tallahatchie, which were hastily evacuated, 

 and on the 5th reached Oxford. Ou the 8th 

 he ordered Sherman to move down the Mis- 

 sissippi from Memphis to attack Vicksburg, 

 Grant's column to co-operate with him by land. 

 On Dec. 20 the enemy captured Holly Springs, 

 which had been made a secondary base of sup- 

 plies, and seized a large amount of stores. Col. 

 Murphy, who surrendered the post without 

 having taken any proper measures of defense, 

 was dismissed the service. The difficulties of 

 protecting the long line of communication ne- 

 cessary for furnishing supplies, as well as other 

 considerations, induced Grant to abandon the 

 land expedition and take command in person 

 of the movement down the Mississippi. Sher- 

 man had reached Milliken's Bend, on the west 

 side of the river, twenty miles above Vicks- 

 burg, on the 24th, with about 32,000 men. He 

 crossed the river, ascended the Yazoo to a point 

 opposite Haines's Bluff, landed his forces, and 

 made an assault upon the enemy's strongly for- 

 tified position at that place on the 29th, but 

 was repelled with a loss of 175 killed, of 930 

 wounded, and 743 missing. The enemy re- 

 ported 63 killed, 134 wounded, and 10 missing. 



Grant's headquarters were established at 

 Memphis on Jan. 10, and preparations were 

 made for a concentrated movement against 

 Vicksburg. On the 29th he arrived at Young's 

 Point, opposite the mouth of the Yazoo, above 

 Vicksburg, and took command in person of the 

 operations against that city, his force number- 

 ing 50,000 men. Porter's co-operating fleet was 

 composed of gunboats of all classes, carrying 

 280 guns .and 800 men. Three plans suggested 

 themselves for reaching the high ground behind 

 Vicksburg, the only position from which it 

 could be besieged: First, to march the army 

 down the west bank of the river, cross over 

 below Vicksburg, and co-operate with Banks, 

 who was in command of an expedition ascend- 



