Beauregard seemed omnipresent along his lines throughout that memorable day, striving by expostulation, entreaties, command, exposure of his own person, to stem the tide of defeat; but it was in vain. The steady flank advances of the Federal wings—the solidity of their centre, rendered it necessary to “retreat,” if he would not be cut off entirely. His baffled and somewhat dispirited brigades fell back slowly upon the Corinth road, which, in all the fortunes of the two days’ fight, had been carefully guarded from any approach of the Unionists. The retreat was neither a panic nor a rout. Some regiments threw away their arms, blankets, etc., from exhaustion; great numbers of killed and wounded crowded the army wagons, and much camp equipage was necessarily left behind.
The pursuit was kept up with but little energy. The nature of the woods rendered cavalry movements extremely difficult, and though three thousand splendidly mounted fellows had waited two days for an order to ride into the fray, it came too late for much service. The infantry pushed onward only a mile or two, for being unacquainted with the topography of the country, General Buell considered it dangerous to pursue his advantages any farther.
In giving a record of this contest, one thing is assured—the Union victory was won by the heroic fortitude of men, many of whom never before had been under fire; and the field is written all over with the records of soldiers whose unfaltering heroism gave the name of Pittsburg Landing to the hardest fought and noblest won battle of the American continent.
GENERAL SHERMAN’S RECONNOISSANCE TOWARD CORINTH.
April 8, 1862.
The fatigue and suffering experienced by the victorious army at Pittsburg were too severe for an immediate pursuit of Beauregard’s forces on their retreat from the battle field on the 7th of April. On the morning of the 8th, however, General W. T. Sherman was ordered by General Grant to follow up the enemy, with a small force. With two brigades of infantry, and Colonel Dickey’s Illinois cavalry, he advanced on the Corinth road, to the forks, several miles beyond the battle field. The abandoned camps of the enemy lined the road, in all of which were found more or less of their wounded with hospital flags thrown out for their protection. At that point, reconnoitering parties were sent out on both roads, which reported the enemy’s cavalry in force in either direction. A Federal brigade under General Wood, which had been stationed in that vicinity, was ordered to advance on the left hand road, while General Sherman led the third brigade of his division up the right. About half a mile from the forks was a clear field, through which the highway passed, and immediately beyond it a space of two hundred yards of fallen timber; beyond that an extensive camp of the enemy’s cavalry could be seen. After a reconnoissance, the two advanced companies of the Ohio Seventy-seventh, Colonel Hildebrand, were ordered to deploy as skirmishers, and the regiment itself to move forward into line, with intervals of one hundred yards. In this order they advanced cautiously until the skirmishers were engaged.
Taking it for granted that this disposition would clear the camp, Gen. Sherman held Colonel Dickey’s Fourth Illinois cavalry ready to charge. The enemy’s cavalry came down boldly, breaking through the line of skirmishers, when the regiment of infantry wavered, threw away its guns and fled. The ground was admirably adapted to a defence of infantry against cavalry, it being miry and covered with fallen timber. As the regiment of infantry broke, Colonel Dickey’s cavalry began to charge with their carbines, and fell into disorder. General Sherman instantly sent orders to the rear for the brigade to form in line of battle, which was promptly executed. The broken infantry and cavalry rallied on this line, and as the enemy’s cavalry came up to it, the Union cavalry in turn charged and drove them from the field. General Sherman then advanced the entire brigade upon the same ground, and sent Colonel Dickey’s cavalry a mile further on the road. On the ground which had been occupied by the Seventy-seventh Ohio, were fifteen dead and about twenty-five wounded. Two hundred and eighty Confederate wounded and fifty of the Federals were found in the camp from which the enemy were driven.
General Halleck attributed the victory at Pittsburg greatly to the bravery and skill of General Sherman, and recommended that he should be promoted to a Major-Generalship, which rank was conferred upon him by the President.
OCCUPATION OF HUNTSVILLE, ALA.
April 10, 1862.