The Union officers spent quite an amount of time writing reports in which they attempted to convince their superiors they had not been surprised, as was plainly the case. The Union troops kept themselves busy repairing and refurbishing their camps. Great care was given to posting guards and patrolling. The Union troops were continually exaggerating the size of the Confederate units they encountered. Another factor impeding the Union movement was the weather and conditions caused by the rains.
Spring is a very wet season in that part of the south.
The roads became ribbons of mud into which men, animals, and vehicles sank. The soil is sandy red clay, when wet, becomes very slick as well. The terrain between Pittsburg Landing and Corinth is a series of small hills with streams usually in each small valley. With rains, the streams rise out of their banks and make the floors of the valleys boggy. When the streams are not in flood, the banks of the streams are deep and steep.