Our fatigue guard duty was now heavy. Almost all of our time was employed. The weather was getting fine. Leaves were putting forth and the aroma of the flowers filled the air. The birds warbled their sweet songs and all Nature seemed to say, “How foolish for human butchers to slaughter one another.”
On the 26th we marched to a place called Hamburgh, seven miles away. We found no enemy and returned to camp on the 27th of April.
May 2d, 1862, we marched out near Perdy, a distance of about ten miles. We halted, went into camp, and sent a force of cavalry on to burn the railroad bridge. The cavalry returned at 4 o’clock in the evening of the 3d and reported that there was a heavy guard at the bridge, and they had not fired a shot at the enemy. General Wallace sent them back with orders to burn that bridge at all hazards, or he would dismount them and send the infantry on their mounts. That trip they burned the bridge, captured some prisoners, and ran the train into the bridge.
We could hear the distant boom of our gunboats and heavy artillery that were advancing on Corinth. We started back to camp. It had rained and we had a very muddy, hard march on the return.
On May 8th we took up our line of march to the front. We moved out in the direction of Corinth, Mississippi, and went into camp on Gravel Ridge.
Our division was held in reserve four miles in the rear of our main army. We had an army of 80,000 collected here. The Union force was trying to dig a canal to get the gunboats near enough for action. We had Corinth almost surrounded and the heavy guns kept up a constant bombardment.
We had battalion drill two hours each day. We were drilled by Spicely, who was major at that time. About this time we drew four months’ pay, which amounted to fifty-two dollars.
Our picket duty was extremely heavy, as the rebel cavalry made frequent visits to our lines. There was heavy skirmishing in the advance at all times. We were closing in too near to suit old Beauregard and Bragg.
On the 26th of May Bragg’s army to a man evacuated Corinth. It was no siege—merely a draw battle. That army went in the direction of Richmond. Most of them went by railroad. This was the end of the first battle of Corinth.