Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1862-04-24
From the Charl. ston Courier
Oar Army COrrespondence.-The Great Battle.

CoRINTH Miss, Tuesday, April g. 1862
There is such confusion and exaggeration attending
everything connected with the late battle, that 1t Is I'M
possible to give you a connected history
The main points, currente c0ano, are that our forces
attacked the enemy early Sunday morning. Gen. Har-
dee leading his division in the he Federals num-
bered sixty thousand, while the total number of
own force engaged was less than forty thousand
Notwithstanding this immense advantage held by the
enemy, carried the day at every point Our troops
seemed to be irresistible and battery after battery fell
before their mpetucus charges until we had accumula-
ted 10 less than eighty guns all OF which, with the ex-
ception of two, we still retain. During the fight the
brigade Of Gen. Prenss was surrounded by the Con-
federates and captured.
Yesterday he made speech to his men here in Cor
NTH, in which he said that they in the hands of
high minded honorable people, and could not have
cumoed to drawer enemy For himself, he observed
that he perfectly satisfied with his share of the
and did MT care how soon it stopped
Our commanders displayed the most gallant daring,
heading successive charges in person, riding up and
down the lines encouraging the troops, and remaining
in the Thu iles of the fire. This will account for the
death of Albert Sidney Johnston the Generain Chief
and the wounds of Bushrod johnson, Hndman, Brock
inridge, GLADDEN. and others.
All these officers covered themselves with glory
GLADDEN. continued to rally his troops enthusiastically,
after his was shot away. Breckenridge had three
horses killed under him. the first being six Thousand
dollar animal recently presented. Poor Sidney John
ston struck less than three times, while in the
act Of leading charge upon the enemys camp, twice
in the body and in the leg The latter severed the
em0ra artery and after he fell from bis horse into
the arms OF Gov Harris, of Tennessee who was acting
as his Aid, and died upon the spot. His only words
were: My wound is mortal" His lie oozed away
as gently that of infant, and without struggle
the great General rested III his last sleep, undsturoed
by the sounds of shot and shell and the shouts of his
own victorious columns. His body has been sent to
New Orleans.
The hattie IN Monday Terminated ahont five O'Clock
the enemy being driven back to the river and under
OF their gunboats We slept in their camps and
captured large number Of stores and arms The next
morning tey renewed the assault with the reinforce
ments that had come1up during the night under Buell.,
and all day yesterday the battle Waged with erceness
which has parallel this continent For ten long
hours the two armies-the enemy now near y two to
one-encOuntered each other with variable success
Sometimes we gave back and sometimes they; but as
night approached the brigade under Breckenridge for
med IN line OF battle, supported by artillery, and made
final charge which swept every thing before them and
compelled tie Federals again to fall back to their gun
boats. This time the fight not renewed, and TAX
ing advantage of the ull, army quietly, but
with admirable ORDER fell back to their original position
Our cavalry still occupy the battle field. To-day
armstce of three days has been asked for by the Fed
erals for the purpose of burying their dead. The
quest granted by Beauregard and army
will tomorrow commence tie work OF interring the kill
ed and bringing away the wounded. I think we have
fully five thousand prisoners, who have been sent to
Memphis and New Orleans. 1t is impossible to arrive
at any satisfactory results regards casualties but the
number of wounded far exceeds the usual proportion
the killed We have probably lost not less than twenty
five hundred or three thousand the enemy twice
that number, the ground in places being strewn
with the victims
The wounded still continue to come il, and the
houses in Corintb rapidly filling up The hotel has
been turned into hospital and five hundred men are
already here covering the floors.
While I write am sitting on the floor of one of the
corridors, with the bodies of the living and the dead
ranged either side and opposite far the eye
reach. Groans fill the air. surgeons are busy at work
by candle-light a few women are minsterng to the
wants Of the suffering the atmosphere fetd with the
stencil of wounds and the rain is pouring down upon
thousands who yet lie out upon the bloody ground of
Shiloh.
1t is thought that the battle will not be renewed
In fact it is already understood that the enemy have
fallen back the Tennessee demorazed and broken
in ranks and spirits Van Dorm has arrived with rein
torcements and Price is on his way here.
The report is prevalent to night that Buell. has been
killed and that his papers in possession of Col Bat
tie. thousand rumors in circulation, too wild
end txtravagant in their character to be worthy oil
| record Should tomorrow sft out more truth, shall
write at length and leisure. It is now midnight, and
have been twenty hours without rest or food.
PERsoNNE.