740

THE BATTLE OF CORINTH.

is not far from Hamburg , Eastport, and Pittsburg Landing on the TennesseeRiver, to which, points good freight steamers can ascend at the lowest stages ofwater. Corinth is mainly on low, flat ground, along the Mobile and Ohio railway,and flanked by low, rolling ridges, except the cleared patches, covered withoaks and undergrowth for miles in all directions. With few clearings, outsideof those made by the Confederate troops in obtaining fuel during their winter-ing in 1861-2, the country around Corinth , in all directions, was densely wooded.

While General Halleck was advancing on Corinth , the Confederates hadextended a line of light defensive works from the Memphis and Charleston road on the west, about two and a half miles from the town, all the way roundby the north and east to the same railway east. AVhen the Union forces tookpossession, General Halleck ordered a defensive line to be constructed abouta mile and a half from the town, extending from the Memphis and Charles-ton railway on the westaround southerly to coverthe Union front in thatdirection. After the de-parture of General Buell’scommand toward Chatta-nooga this work was con-tinued, although we had noforces to man it adequately,and it was too far away toafford protection to ourstores at Corinth . DuringAugust I used to, go overfrom my camp at ClearCreek to General Grant’sheadquarters at Corinth , and after the usual greetings would ask: “ How areyou getting along with the line?” He would say: “Well, pretty slowly,but they are doing good work.” I said to him: “ General, the line isn’tworth much to us, because it is too long. We cannot occupy it.” Heanswered, “ What would you do ? ” I said, “ I would have made the depotsoutside of the town north of the Memphis and Charleston road between thetown and the brick church, and would have inclosed them by field-works,running tracks in. Now, as the depot houses are at the cross-road, the bestthing we can do is to run a line of light works around in the neighborhoodof the college up on the knoll.” So, one day, after dining with General Grant,he proposed that we go up together and take Captain Frederick E. Primewith us, and he gave orders to commence a line of breastworks that wouldinclude the college grounds. This was before the battle of Iuka. After Iuka Iwas ordered to command the district, and General Grant moved his headquar-ters to Jackson , Tennessee. Pursuant to this order, on the 26th of Septem-ber I repaired to Corinth , where I found the only defensive works availableconsisted of the open batteries Robinett, Williams, Phillips, Tannrath, andLotlirop, established by Captain Prime on the College Hill line. I immediately

CORONA COLLEGE, CORINTH. FROM A WAR-TIME PHOTOGRAPH.

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