The cavalry consisted of the Fifth Ohio, Fourth and Eleventh Illinois, Companies A and B, Second Illinois, under Captain Houghtaling, two companies of regular cavalry under Lieutenant Powell, Stewart's battalion, and Thielman's battalion. The Third Battalion of the Fifth Ohio and the Third Battalion of the Eleventh Illinois remained with Lewis Wallace. The rest of the cavalry was assigned to different divisions, but the assignment was changed on April 5th.
The Fifth Ohio Cavalry, attached to Sherman's division till April 5th, frequently made reconnoitring expeditions some miles to the front, and frequently encountered parties of hostile cavalry. Thursday, April 3d, General Sherman sent Buckland's brigade out on a reconnoissance on the Corinth road, but with strict injunctions, in accordance with General Halleck's repeated order, not to be drawn into a fight with any considerable force of the enemy, that would risk bringing on a general engagement. Buckland marched to the fork of the road about five miles out, which must have been at Mickey's. General Hardee states that Mickey's is about eight miles from the landing. Posting the brigade between the roads, he sent two companies out on each road. Both encountered hostile cavalry, understood to be pickets, within half a mile, began skirmishing with them, and saw a larger body of cavalry beyond. The companies were recalled, and the brigade reached camp a little before dark and reported. Next day, Friday, the 4th, a cavalry dash on Buckland's picket-line swooped off a lieutenant and seven men. General Buckland, who was near, sent information to Sherman, who sent out 150 cavalry. Major Crockett, who was drilling his regiment near by, sent a company to scout beyond the picket-line. Major Crockett was sent by General Buckland with another company, to bring the first one back. Before long firing was heard, Buckland started with a battalion to the rescue, found the second company had been attacked and Major Crockett captured, pushed on a distance estimated at two miles, attacked unseen a body of cavalry just about to charge upon the first company, was reinforced by the cavalry sent out by Sherman, pursued the hostile cavalry a distance estimated another mile, came in view of artillery and infantry, was fired on by the artillery, returned bringing in ten prisoners, and found General Sherman at the picket-posts with a brigade in line. The same evening, in obedience to an order from General Sherman, Buckland sent him a written report. This advance was the attack upon Cleburne's brigade reported by General Hardee.
Saturday the cavalry were moving camps, in obedience to the order of reassignment. Batteries were moving about under the same order. Buckland and Hildebrand anxiously visited their picket-lines and observed the parties of hostile cavalry hovering in the woods beyond. Some of the men on picket claimed they had seen infantry. Captain Mason of the Seventy-seventh Ohio, on picket, observed at daylight, Saturday morning, numbers of rabbits and squirrels scudding from the woods to and across his picket-line. General Sherman was advised, but he had no cavalry to send out; the Fifth had gone, and the Fourth not yet reported. He enjoined Buckland and Hildebrand to be vigilant, strengthen their pickets, and be prepared for attack. Additional companies were sent out to increase the pickets, Buckland established a connecting line of sentries from the picket reserve to camp, to communicate the first alarm on the picket-line, and instructed his officers to be prepared for a night attack.
Saturday afternoon, General Prentiss, in consequence of information received from his advance guard, sent Colonel Moore, of the Twenty-first Missouri, with three companies from his regiment, to reconnoitre the front. The line of his march being oblique to the line of the camp, led him out beyond the front of Sherman's line. He marched in that direction three miles, saw nothing, and returned to camp. The oblique direction of his march prevented his running into Hardee's lines. Prentiss, assured there was some activity—a cavalry reconnoissance in his front—pushed his pickets out a mile and a half and reinforced them. McClernand, the same day, went out with Colonel McPherson and a battalion of cavalry on a reconnoissance toward Hamburg and a short distance out on the road to Corinth, and saw a few hostile scouts back of Hamburg.
General Lewis Wallace's reconnoitring parties developed the presence of a considerable force at Purdy and Bethel, on the railroad. Getting information, Friday night, of signs of preparation for movement by this force, an order was sent to the brigade at Adamsville to form line at daybreak. The other brigades reached Adamsville at an early hour, and all remained prepared to repel attack till noon. The activity observed at Purdy and Bethel was, in fact, Cheatham's preparation for his march, Saturday, to his position in General Polk's line. General Grant being advised, Friday, by L. Wallace, of the assembling of the force in his front, directed W.H.L. Wallace to hold his division in readiness to move to the support of L. Wallace immediately in case he should be threatened; and advised Sherman to instruct his pickets to be on the alert, and to be ready to move in support with his whole division, and with Hurlbut's if necessary, if an attack on L. Wallace should be attempted. W.H.L. Wallace and Sherman commanded, by their respective positions, the bridges across Owl Creek, over which passed the two roads from the camps at Pittsburg Landing to L. Wallace.
Saturday, Sherman wrote to Grant: "All is quiet along my lines now. We are in the act of exchanging cavalry, according to your orders. The enemy has cavalry in our front, and I think there are two regiments of infantry and one battery of artillery about six miles out. I will send you in ten prisoners of war, and a report of last night's affair, in a few minutes.
"Your note is just received. I have no doubt that nothing will occur to-day, more than some picket-firing. The enemy is saucy, but got the worst of it yesterday, and will not press our pickets far. I will not be drawn out far, unless with certainty of advantage; and I do not apprehend anything like an attack upon our position." A little later in the day, General Sherman wrote to Grant: "I infer that the enemy is in some considerable force at Pea Ridge [another name for Monterey]; that yesterday they crossed a bridge with two regiments of infantry, one regiment of cavalry, and one battery of field-artillery, to the ridge on which the Corinth road lays. They halted the infantry and artillery at a point about five miles in my front, and sent a detachment to the house of General Meeks, on the north of Owl Creek, and the cavalry down toward our camp. This cavalry captured a part of our advance pickets, and afterward engaged two companies of Colonel Buckland's regiment, as described by him in his report herewith enclosed. Our cavalry drove them back upon their artillery and infantry, killing many and bringing ten prisoners (all of the First Alabama Cavalry), whom I send you." General Grant on the same day despatched to General Halleck: "Just as my letter of yesterday to Captain McLean, Assistant Adjutant-General, was finished, notes from Generals McClernand's and Sherman's assistant adjutant-generals were received, stating that our outposts had been attacked by the enemy, apparently in considerable force. I immediately went up, but found all quiet. The enemy took two officers and four or five of our men prisoners, and wounded four. We took eight prisoners and killed several. Number of the enemy's wounded not known. They had with them three pieces of artillery, and cavalry and infantry. How much cannot, of course, be estimated. I have scarcely the faintest idea of an attack (general one) being made upon us, but will be prepared should such a thing take place. General Nelson's division has arrived. The other two, of Buell's column, will arrive to-morrow or next day. It is my present intention to send them to Hamburg, some four miles above Pittsburg, when they all get here. From that point to Corinth the road is good, and a junction can be formed with the troops from Pittsburg at almost any point. Colonel McPherson has gone with an escort to-day to examine the defensibility of the ground about Hamburg, and to lay out the position of the camp, if advisable to occupy that place." Earlier on the same day General Grant also telegraphed to General Halleck: "The main force of the enemy is at Corinth, with troops at different points east. Small garrisons are also at Bethel, Jackson, and Humboldt. The number at these places seems constantly to change. The number of the enemy at Corinth, and within supporting distance of it, cannot be far from eighty thousand men." General Halleck was preparing to leave St. Louis and come to the front to take immediate command of the combined army for the march on to Corinth. He advised Buell he would leave in the beginning of the coming week.
CHAPTER VI.
SHILOH—SUNDAY.