Little came east of the Mississippi River with Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn's army and served under Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard at Corinth. There, he caught malaria and was in poor health for the few remaining months of his life. Even so, he was regarded as "a thorough soldier and an excellent disciplinarian." At Corinth he was given command of the 1st Division in Price's Army of the West. His peers praised his division as well drilled and disciplined.