70 The Mississippi Valley in the Civil War
in person. The Confederates were straining everynerve to secure this important position, and makeit the base for an offensive campaign which shouldretrieve the disaster of Fort Donelson. GeneralBeauregard, who had won such laurels at Bull Run,was sent to Mississippi , and had already occupiedCorinth in force. Loud and bitter complaints werepoured upon Johnston for losing Fort Donelsonand Nashville , and the Confederate governmentwas urged to remove him from his command; butMr. Davis , after listening patiently to an angrydelegation from Tennessee who begged him to givethem a general, replied with great earnestness, “ IfSidney Johnston is not a general, the Confederacy has none to give you.” A special committee wasappointed to inquire into the causes of the latedisasters, and Floyd and Pillow were removed fromcommand ; but Johnston was retained in his highposition, with Beauregard as his chief lieutenant,and by the end of March they had assembled atCorinth an army of nearly 50,000 men. Polk wasbrought thither on his retreat from Columbus , andBraxton Bragg came up with 10,000 men fromPensacola . This able general was a native ofNorth Carolina . At the battle of Buena Vista, inBraxton the Mexican War , he had by a timelyBragg . movement saved from destruction the