Today in History:

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

Page 421 Chapter XXIX. CORINTH.

By the COURT:

Question. If there had been neglect of the wounded would you not have known it?

Answer. In my command, yes.

Question. Since the result at Corinth have you a clearly defined idea of the enemy's force during the fight?

Answer. I have ideas an opinions, but to knowledge.

Brigadier General JOHN S. BOWEN, being duly sworn, says:

By RECORDER:

Question. State all the circumstances in you knowledge bearing on the first specifications of the first charge.

Answer. I was present with the Army of the West and the troops of the District of the Mississippi, in command of a brigade of Lovells' division, when they formed a junction at or near Ripley, Miss., from which point the combined army marched on Corinth I knew nothing of the intended attack upon Corinth until our arrival at Davis' Bridge on the Hatchie River. I was officially notified of it there by Major-General Lovell, and went a short time afterward with this to Mr. Davis' house, where we met General Van Dorn. General Van Dorn was employed at this time making a sketch himself of the country lying between Davis' Bridge and Corinth. He was consulting with a citizen guide in regard to the roads. General Lovell ordered me, in General Van Dorn's presence, to repair the bridge at the crossing of the Tuscumbia River, and I was shown the map that General Van Dorn was working upon in order to explain to me the roads leading to the Tuscumbia. The map was a crude sketch on a sheet of letter paper, drawn to no particular scale, and such as I deemed utterly unsuitable for the ordinary movements of an army, and so expressed myself to General Lovell on leaving the office, asking if there was any other information than this map on this subject of our advance. The party sent to the Tuscumbia Bridge to repair it met a picket of the enemy at that point, 5 miles from our camp, where we had been lying for eight hours and on a road where we had no picket or scout. A slight skirmish, in which 3 of the enemy were reported wounded the rebuilding of the bridge. When I was officially notified that the enemy were driven back and the bridge commenced I repaired immediately to General Lovell's headquarters and from thence to General Van Dorn's, taking with me the written reports of Colonel Riley, who was commanding at Tuscumbia Bridge. In conversation with Generals Van Dorn and Lovell on the subject f those bridges General Lovell guaranteed that the bridge over the Hatchie would be rebuilt by the morning, and I expressed equal confidence that Colonel Rilley's works would be finished by the same time. General Van Dorn then inquired of one of his staff officers concerning another bridge over the Hatchie which was under charge of some engineer officer for construction. His staff officer said there was difficulty about procuring tools, and General Van Dorn expressed himself very hastily in regard to the worthlessness of engineer officers and stating that he should rely upon them for nothing more. He also expressed satisfaction that the brigades were finished and we could cross both rivers without their assistance. The march on Corinth was taken up early next morning, General Lovell's division having first turned over by order of General Van Dorn 12,000 of their rations to General Price's army, leaving an insufficient supply in General Lovell's division to subsist them for five days. I do not know the amount of subsistence which was on hand in General Price's army. I asked General Lovell to remonstrate against the march until rations could come up. The troops continued their march from Davis' Bridge, through Chewalla to Corinth. Lovell's division was constantly driving before them pickets and outposts of the enemy. The march, though not long, was nevertheless tedious to the troops, from the fact, that they were continually being deployed in line of battle. There was scarcely time allowed the in camp to prepare rations, and in Lovell's division the attack was made on the morning of the 3d, when the men had not more than one-half day's rations in their haversacks and their supply train too far in the rear to reach them in time to prepare more.

Question. State all that you know relative to the second specification of the first charge.

Answer. The outworks were carried at Corinth by assault in front of Lovell's division between 12 and 2 o'clock. The division was then formed in line awaiting orders. The dead of my brigade were collected and buried; the wounded were carried beyond


Page 421 Chapter XXIX. CORINTH.