The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1862-06-19
Our Armp Correspondence
tCorrespondenceo Of the News.
Letter from Lieut.. F. M. Posegate,
4Sth Ohio.
ON PICKET, NEAR CoRtNTu. Miss.
Mov ~ 1870

May 81, 1857.
DEAR BoARDMAN-Tn my last let
ter | was of the opinion that when i
reached you the Union forces would be
in possession of Corinth. The tole.
graph, last night, doubtless waited you
the intelligence that such was the case
The long and terrible suspense to which
this army has be.n subj c'ed, was very
suddenly tsrminated yesterday morning,
by the discovery that the enemy had
fled from his stronghold. All breathe
freor now, though many profess to he
sadly disappointed that the enemy did
not rem ain and give battle. So far as
your correspondent is individually con
ccrned, he is perfectly content to "take
things as they are" and heartily thanks
God lhrt He his vouchsaf d us "blood.
less victory" 1t would, perhaps, have
given greater satisfaction to some of the
sensation newspapers Of the country
as well as to many Of the stay at home
military critics, if instead of the simple
message, "Corinth evacuated" the tele
graph had conveyed them the intelli-
gence of a terrible and bloody battle
if in place of stating that the Union
forces marched quietly in and took pos
session of the rebel works. it had told
them Of a magnificent bombardment-
of gallant end brilliant bayonet charges,
and Of the precedentcd slaughter of
men on both sides.
Now dear Boardman, let the sensa. .
tion editors and hair Drained critics
come into the army and pass thro' one
such battle as Shiloh, and dare say
they, with me, will be perfectly content
to "take things as they are" 1t is one
thing to stay at home and read of battles
another to BE a participant
I have no doubt many persons in the
North will be somewhat dissatisfied at
the seeming result of this evacuation.
and be inclined to blam, Gen. Halleck
for not destroying the whole rebel ar.
my at this point. Such persons know
little of the trials and tribulations sur
rounding General in a country like
this, and still less of the actual labor
incident to properly moving an army
of the magnitude of the one under
HalIeck. The Southern people can,
with more propriety, censure Bcaure-
gard for not capturing the Union army,
than can the Northern people blame
HalIeck for not capturing the rebel ar.
my. Beauregard's army, from all ac
counts, was equal, in point of numbers
to that Of Haleck; his facilities for
gaining information of the movements
of our army we're Of course far superior
to those of ours for learning the doings
Of his. In short, he was in a country
OF friends, and yet, in the. face Of all
these advantages, IIalleck has compelled
this Napoleon of the South TO fee from
his boasted strong. hold without striking
a blow. 1t is not the work of a day for
one army to capture or destroy another
of equal numbers, even in the country
of friends. How much more difficult
and arduous must be the task in the
country Of an enemy.
| am now fully convinced that it was
never the design Of iIalleck to fight at
this place, unless attacked by the enc
my, until he had completely blocked up
every avenue Of escape for the rebel
army. That accomplished, it requires
no very sage eye to see that Beauregard
would then have had to come out and
attack us behind our Notifications. or
very quietly hand his army over 10
Halleck, Unfortunately for rs the
'ebel Generals learned of the ir1p set
or them just in time to make their es.
,ape. But enough of this. and now to
ipme of the incidents of the two days
previous to the evacuation.
Wednesday morning, 2sth inst, our
D,vi'ion was ordered TO get ready to
march Immediately. None of us. of
'ourse, knew what was up. but suppos
ID that general engagement would be
he natural result Of our move. Our
'egiment had marched, not exceeding
hree hundred yards from the color.
ne, when all were startled by the roar
IF artillery and the somewhat distant
'attle of musketry. Our Brigade was
immediately formed in line of hattie
he 10th and 79d Regiments in advance,
.he 4Sth aRd SD in rear. In this order
We marched steadily on through the
lense undergrowth, the sounds of can
non aud musketry every moment be.
coming more distinct, A half mile
march, through the woods, brought Us
10 the edge of "a large field, on the oppO.
site side of which, on high ridge, our
skirmishers, together with the 4th Indi-
ana Battery, were engaged with the out