Today in History:

401 Series I Volume XVII-I Serial 24 - Corinth Part I

Page 401 Chapter XXXIX. CORINTH.

Twenty-first Arkansas Regiments, Jone's battalion of Arkansas Volunteers, Rapley's battalion of sharpshooters, and the Appeal Battery, under command of Lieutenant Hogg. These regiments were small, making an aggregate of 1,367 effective men.

On the 3rd instant, in obedience to orders from Brigadier-General Maury, commanding division, my brigade, after crossing the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, was half in reserve to support the brigades of Generals Moore and Phifer, that were ordered to advance and attack the enemy. I remained within supporting distance of these two brigades with my whole brigade until 3.30 o'clock, when I was ordered to send two regiments to support General Moore on the right. I sent at once the Nineteenth Arkansas Regiment, under Colonel Dockery, and the Twentieth Arkansas, under Colonel H. P. Johnson, who became, after arriving on the field of battle, quickly engaged with the enemy, driving the enemy before them with great loss, our loss being small, not over 5 killed and 10 wounded in each regiment. After these regiments had been sent off I received an order from the division commander to move with the remainder of my brigade to the support of General Phifer. This order was obeyed promptly. After arriving on the field I found General Phifer's brigade, although much exhausted with heat and dust, had driven the enemy within less than 800 yards of their breastworks around the city of corinth. I immediately formed my line of battle, threw my skirmishers to the front, and engaged the enemy's skirmishers, which enable General Phifer to withdraw his brigade. After his brigade was withdrawn I advanced with my skirmishers, fighting the enemy as far as I deemed it prudent with the small force I had. I therefore contented myself holding the position I had and watching the movements of the enemy, my skirmishers in the mean time keeping up a brisk musketry fire with the enemy's sharpshooters. I am confident they did terrible execution with the enemy's skirmishers. I then captured two fine ambulances and 9 prisoners. The enemy during this time kept up a constant fire of grape and canister, which, although furious did but little harm, as my loss only 2 privates killed and 5 wounded. I was here struck myself on the foot with a spent Minie baal, which gave me a good of pain at the time, but did not disable me.

About sundown, after the enemy had drawn all their infantry and artillery inside of the imper works, I received an order to report with my brigade to General Hebert, on the extreme left, to guard the crossing of a road leading from the Purdy road across the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. I reported, as directed, to General Herbert, who gave me the necessary instructions and also ordered me (by the consent of General Armstrong) to retain a section of King's artillery and Colonel McCulloch's regiment of cavalry.

After making such disposition of the forces under my command-placing out pickets to watch the movements of the enemy, so as to be able to protect our left from a flank movement of the enemy-I remained there until 7 a. m. on the 4th, when I was ordered by General Hebert to move up and report to General Green, to whom he had (being sick) turned over the command of the division. I moved up as ordered and reported to General Green, who ordered me to remain in supporting distance of his brigade, at the same time informing me that I would be subject to orders from my own division commander, Brigade-General Maury. A short time had elapsed before I received an order from General Maury to move as near Phifer as I could, taking advantage of the ground to protect my men from a terrific fire of artillery which I was

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Page 401 Chapter XXXIX. CORINTH.