The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNEBDAY EVENING-, APRIL 23, 1862

of instruction in fortification and sapping and min-
ing at Chatham, have been selected from the depot
and other companies at head-quarters, Brompton-
barracks, to join the 10th Company at Aldershott,
just returned from China. During the time the
10th Company is stationed at Aldershott the men
are employed in the general engineering duties
connected with the camp.

Major-Gen. A. B. Stransham, Deputy-Adjutant-
General Royal Marines, has arrived in Portsmouth
for the purpose of making his first annual inspec-
tion of the Marine force in that garrison, consisting
of the Light Infantry Division at Forton, and the
Artillery at Fort Cumberland.

1118 BATTLE AT CORINTH:

(Flom the New York Times.)

PITTSBURG, via FORT HENRY,
APRIL 9, 3.30 A.M.
One of the greatest and bloodiest battles of mo-
dern days has just closed, resulting in the complete
rout of the enemy, who attacked us at daybreak,
Sunday morning. The battle lasted, without inter-
mission, during the Entire day, and was again re-
newed on Monday morning,and continued undecided
until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when the enemy
commenced their retreat, and are still flying towards
Corinth, pursued by a large force of our cavalry.
The slaughter on both sides is immense. We have
lost in killed and wounded and missing from 18,000
to 20,000; that of the enemy is estimated at 35,000
to 40,000. It is impossible, in the present confused
state of affairs, to ascertain any of the details. I
therefore give you the best account possible from
observation, having passed through the storm of ac-
tion during the two days that it raged. The fight
was brought on by a body of 300 of the 25th Mis-
souri Regiment, of Gen. Prentiss's division, attack-
ing the advance guard of the rebels, which were
supposed to be the pickets of the enemy in front of
our camps. The rebels immediately advanced on
Gen. Prentiss's division, on the left wing, pouring
volley after volley of musketry, and riddling our
camps with grape, canister, and shell. Our forces
soon formed into line and returned their fire vigo-
rously, and by the time we were prepared to receive
them had turned their heaviest fire on the left centre
of Sherman's division, and drove our men back from
their camps, and bringing up a fresh force opened
fire on our left wing, under Gen. M'Clernand. This
fire was returned with terrible effect and deter-
mined spirit by both infantry and artillery along
the whole line, for a distance of over four miles.
Gen. Hurlburt's division was thrown forward to
support the centre, when a desperate conflict ensued.
The rebels were driven back with terrible slaughter,
but soon rallied, and drove back our men in
turn. From about 9 o'clock, the time your cor-
respondent arrived on the field, until night closed
on the bloody scene, there was no determina-
tion of the result of the struggle. The rebels
exhibited remarkably good generalship; at times
engaging the left with apparently their whole
strength, they would suddenly open a terrible and
destructive fire on the right or centre. Even our
heaviest and most destructive fire upon the enemy
did not appear to discourage their solid columns

The fire of Major Taylor's Chicago Artillery raked
them down in scores, but the smoke would no
sooner be dispersed than the breach would again be
filled. The most desperate fighting took place late
in the afternoon. The rebels knew that if they
did not succeed in whipping us then their chances
for success would be extremely doubtful, as a por-
tion of General Buell's forces had by this time ar-
rived on the opposite side of the river, and another
portion was coming up the river from Savannah.
They became aware that we were being reinforced,
as they could see General Buell's troops from the
river bank, a short distance above us on the left, to
which point they had forced their way. At 5 o'clock
the rebels had forced our left wing back so as to oc-
cupy fully two-thirds of our camp, and were fight-
ing their way forward with a desperate degree of
confidence in their effcrts to drive us into the river,
and at the same time heavily engaged our right.
Up to this time we had received no reinforcements,
Gen. L. Wallace failing to come to our support until
the day was over, having taken the wrong road
from Crump's Landing, and being without other
transports than those used for Quartermaster's and
Commissary stores, which were too heavily laden to
ferry any considerable number of Gen. Buell's forces
across the river, those that were here having been
sent to bring up the troops from Savannah. We
were, therefore, contesting against fearful odds, our
forces not exceeding 38,000 men, while that of the
enemy was upwards of 60,000. Our condition at

this moment was extremely critical. Large numbers
of men, panic struck, others worn out by hard fight-
_ _

ing, with the average percentage of skulkers, had
struggled towards the river, and could not be rallied.

Gen. Grant and staff, who had been recklessly rid.

ing along the lines during the entire day, amid the
unceasing storm of bullets, grape, and shell, now
rode from right to left, inciting the men to stand

firm until the reinforcements could cross the river.

Col. Webster, Chief of Staff, immediately got into

position the heaviest pieces of artillery, pointing on
the enemy's right, while a large number of the bat-

,eries were planted along the entire line, from the

river bank north-west to our extreme right, some
two and a half miles distant. About an hour before

dusk a general cannonading was opened upon the
enemy, from along our whole line, with a perpetual
crack of musketry. Such a roar of artillery was
never heard before on this continent. For a short
time the rebels replied with vigour and affect, but

their return shots grew lees frequent and destructive,
while ours grew more rapid and more terrible. The

gunboats Lexington and Tyler, which lay a short
distance off, kept raining shells on the rebel hordes.
This last effort was too much for the enemy, and

ere dusk had set in the firing had nearly ceased,
when, night coining on, all the combatants rested

from their awful work of blood and carnage. Our

men rested on their arms in the position they had at
the close of the night, until the forces under Major-
General Wallace arrived and took position on the
right, and General Buell's forces from the opposite
side and Savannah now being conveyed to the battle
ground. The entire right of General Nelson's divi-
sion was ordered to form on the right, and the forces

under General Crittenden were ordered to his sup-
port early in the morning.
THE
Buell
ueSlEl
havingCoN D DAY'S
arrived the following BATTLE.
General
even-
ing, in the morning the ball was opened at daylight
simultaneously by General Nelson's division on the
left, and Major-General Wallace's division on the
right. General Nelson's force opened up a most
galling fire on the rebels, and advanced rapidly as
they fell back. The firo soon became general along
the whole line, and began to tell with terrible effect

. _
on the enemy. Generals M'Clernand, Sherman,
and Hurlburt's men, though terribly jaded from the
previous day's fighting,
still maintained their hon-
ours won at Donelson ; but the resistance of the re-

bels at all points of the attack
was terrible, and
worthy a better cause. But they
were not enough
for our undaunted bravery, and the dreadful desola-
tion produced by our artillery,
which was sweeping
them away like chaff before the Wind. But know-
ing that a defeat here would be
the death blow to
their hopes, and that their all depended upon this
great struggle, their Generals still
urged them on
in the face of destruction, hoping
by flanking us on
the right to turn the tide of battle. Their success

was again for a time cheering, as they began to gain
ground on us, appearing to have been reinforced;
but our left, under General Nelson,
was driving
them, and with wonderful rapidity, and by 11
o'clock General Buell's forces had succeeded in
flanking them and capturing their batteries of ar-
tillery. They, however, again rallied on the left,
and recrossed, and the right forced themselves for-
ward in another desperate effort. But reinforce-
ments from General Wood and General Thomas