The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-05-10
THn BATTLE OF OhlIOh'
m. p,IusroIRUS OFFICIAL REPORT
HnADe'Rs AAnY OF fs1 missi, ~"

u..,o'ls AxnY OF TIE MIssiseI1Ji,
r.,.,.,, ..t,n N. 81 u!timo, having aseer.
taiDsd conclusiveix: rom me mo ana rom "a
rs,iehle sources Of iIf,rmation, that d, 1!m
mid be 70 cut 81 my commupicationsl In We
Tennesses with the Eastern end SoutneIn
States, by opers<ipE from the Tennessee Iav'
er retwe,n srump's. l. tndiug and Eastport,
a. a base, I determined to foil by designs ~
oncentrnttnG oil my nvailabls Nrces ~ d."
around Uorinth.
of me states of Tennessee. Mississippi. ma
hama, and Louisiana, 70 furnish aduIuoSn r.
troops. some OF them. chiefly regiments no.a
Louisiana. soon rea1 hsd .nis v unlrs com
m.nd from Columbus and q hne CORPS "
,rrops from Mobile and Pensacola. onIe.
Mai Gen. Bragg. constituted tins nImy y. s
Mis,issippi. At The SINE time. Gen jour
ton beins Mt MurfIeesboro', on tie 'catcn "
| torm juuction Of his forces with IniEs |os
called on to send at least a brigade uy Iuu
road, go that we might fall on ard ctus1 I'm nm
| enemy shou!d he attempt an advance from
nnder HE gunboats. The call on .fehr III =,
| Johnston was promptly compiled WIN VI, 80.
| entire force was also FASTENED IN tnts CITY. !,
| ton, and by tbs Int OF april our uha1d =
| frrces were coucen rated along the Mobile AZ O
| Ohio Rn,iroud from Bethel 10 Co'intn' az :,
| 20 the Memphis and Charleston L1eiifo"o
| from Corinta TO IukA ~. NJ
| fsnoive mud strike 6 sudden bow Of tEe ehemy
! 10 position under General Grant. On 'ns We. o.
| h,TK OF the tennessee, ct PittsbotS hh" ~
| re direction O. Savannah, before ne WIS r.
| 80 go; nv the army ur6er General Buell.,
snsp known 10 b., ndvar rioG Tor mat pul Jose
| ~ rnu.a marches from .shv lie VIZ 70! uIn
| in Ahca: the same tine, d'ner II onns ~ ~,
| vas NJ = tsrd that such au operation COnIoImeo
| {, tho Expectations cf the President.
| ~ q rns Id AID vigorous attack "a tene.s.
Grant It WIS sx-ecte1 he wodia ne ICE .eii
N.cr at, Ii, Transports and toe river, o. cay
l tn
y;c;c,y end Tsigove 10 the rebT Ill tn" e'ois -
a;.a Jnt;:0ee that would fall IN 10 oar n, q
l =. en"h or event, before the ARRIVAL % " "a
,.al Bae rs arny on the scene. 1t was lever
| contemplated, however, to retaid tha posi- ION
| aus gained, aud "bandon Corintht the stra'a-
&c po.ut CT The campaign.
| want Of general tmcers, ne5cful fcI
| he proper o!ganiz,tion Of divisions and
| BRIG ades Q! 81. s.Imy brought thus sudden! y
| .5eether, an other difficulties in the way Of
| IN Gf.cttye Organization. delayed The move
| meu, anti. tha night OF the "a inst when t.
| VA. ke.rd from q reii- be quarter TT at the
| Junction OF tbs enemy's armies was Lear u
| land; ii was then. III r. lste h.. Ur, determined
| hst he attack Should 30 a:scHpt'd AZ occe,
| aCOmpste aud i'm perfect as We.e gu. yre pa
| ration for such grave and Enomsn.ous ad
| venture. Aec1IdinSly, tha: nigh, C.;
| o'clock A. b, the preliminary orders to Inc
| commanders oi corps wrrs issaed for the
movement.
Oa tse following morning she detailed or.
| GERS o: movement, q copy OF which is here.
| with marked a." were Issued, and the
movement, after sumo delay, com nencet, tbs
rrOops being IL admirable spirits. Il was ex.
pec.ed We should be BILE TO reach the enemy's
ines IL time 10 attack them early on the n
| ,nss. Tia men, however, for the mes. par,
we're unused to marching. the roads narrow
and tTRvsrsDR densely wooded country, be
came 81 most impossible after a severe rain
atCrm on the night OF the An, which drer ched
The troop. In eivoCac; hsncs cur forces did
net ,each :heS1ntersec,iop c; the roads ON
Pit;souIs aud Kan burg, In tie immediats Vi.
cintty CT the enemy, until late Saturday If
terEooD.
itwss then decided that the attack should
oe made OF tAc reXt morning, ct the ea-liest
hcuf practicable, in I cUorcaaco with the or.
ierS OF TloVsn.ent-th'.: is B.. i'll three lines of
bat:ls: the frst ana second extending from
CIVIL creek on tho loft 20 Lick creek on the
right, d:stcEcs OF tbout three mi,es, sup.
ported ey this ;hird and the reserve Tue fra:
iHa, under n jor.deEeral laarde., was ccnsss.
tp'ed OF his corps. augmented on his right by
figdGsC's bT sato, Of G8jor General Bragg q
corps, hepioyGd in iiue OF battle. with their
respective artillery. following Immediately
| b. ,he main road TO fistsburg. and tho cavalry
| Ia rear OF the wings. The second lias. com
posed OF The other 'rooIs al Bragg cory S,
,oiio ycd The fist ct a distance Of five hun
| fred yards, ia the same order as the first
TAe army corps a0der General Polk follow
ed .hs second line, at the distance Of about
| eight hundred yards, in lines OF brIgadss, de.
p!oyed with thsir bstteries In rear OF each bri
| gads, moving by tho Pittsbarg read, the left
wing supported by cavalry the reserve. ur.
der briEsu. er General Breckinridge. fol- oved
| loosely the third lice, in the same order, y
| csh. wing supported by cavalry.
These TWO corps constituted the reserve, and
| v.re 10 suip1Tl the front lines Of battle. by
being dep:oyed when rsqsired On tina righ I
| AID lett Of The Pit.ssurg road, or Otherwise
| ACT, cc0rc'ng to the exigepc.es of the battle
! At 4 Do on the lLss0ns, 6 reconuoi.
gagged with our advanced pickets, the com
nancer OF the forces gave orders 20 begin the
movement and attack as determined upon,
| except that IrabU-s brigade, of Brecsi ridge
Division, was da,al he'd and advanced to sap.
| port tae istt OF BraRss corps and line Of Cd :.
| tie, vren meDaoed by the enemy, and tn.
| otEer r~p brfgadee we're directed to advance
| oy The road TO Hamburg, to supper, Bragg
| Tlgh; aid ct he same time, Nuncy's reRt.
| merit, Of Folks CORPS, was advanced by the
same road to reinforce ths regimen OF caval.
| - aud battery OF four pieces, already thrown
forward TO watch and guard Grier's, Banners
| AID Boslaa's Eords, OF Lex UresK.
| Thirty mlautes after s O'Clock A. nj our
| ilaes tad columns ware ia motion all amin
| led evidently by a promising spirit The from.
line was engaged st once, but adv auced stead.
| lily, followed In due order wi h equal rsscln
ton and stC2dinets ty the Oiher mss, which
| we're cs0agct excessively into action With
| rare skill, Id1giaec. AID gallantry, by the
several corps comm ancers, as he enemy
| II, sds stand, with his masses rallied for tbs
struggle for bis sACarc pmeuts. Like an lpius
| Avalanche our troops moved forward, iespit "a
",
af;or O'clock +. NJ, when we were in posses
| SIGN OF all hts encampments between 1 WI 81 d
Lick Creeks hut orc. yearly all OF his field
ar Aiisry, about thirty (sol aass. colo,s and
| standards, over 5000 prisoners, including a
division ccmman. or {0sn. prentjssl and sew.
| eral brigade commanders, thousands Of sm Iii
| arms. an immense supply Of su5sis ssr ce, for.
age, and &c UniiicE5 Of WIT, anu large amount
Of means Of trarspor:ato n-all the substan-
] tia, frui,e Of compls.e v:ctory-such, -.
| deed, rs Freely have followed the most sue.
cessfu battles; for never was an army so we'll
provided IA that Of our enemy.
| The remnant OF his army had teen driven
| m utter disorder to the immediate vicinity of
PitSburS, under the shelter of the heavy
guns OF his iron clad gun boats, aud We Re.
manned unuisuu ed masters of hts well Sc.
| lected, admirably provided caatonmen,s, af.
| ter over Twelve hcurs OF oSatin6te conf Ct:
| with his forces, VINO haI been beaten frOra
| them end tho Contiguous covert. but only by q
| sustained onset Of a!l the men we could bring
| Into action.
Our ioss was Lsayy. as will appear from
tho ccoTnpaayiDg retain marked "B.' Our
Commander. IN. Chief, Gen. 4 =. Joauston
fell mott tally wounded and disd ON the o.. d
a.3 80 r. "a after having shown the highest
iptrspiairy that inspired all around him, an d
| gave resistless I'm pu .siGn 70 his columns ct
critica! moments
| The chief command then devolved upon
me, though at the time 1 was greatly pros.
| tra:ed and suffering from the PROLONGED
! sickness with Which had been afflicted since
| early in February. The respons. bility Was
| one watch In my physical con 9i,ion would
have gladly evolved, though cast upoa me
when our forces were successfully pushing
the ensmy back upon the Tenn esses river,
and though supported on the immediate fell
| by such corps commanders as Major Gener.
ais Polk, Bragg and Hardee, and Brisadier.
6e leral BrecAinridse commanding the re-
| serve.
| 1t was after O'Clock p. n a. before said
| when the enemy's last position was carried,
and his forces finally broke and sought refuge
behind u commanding soinen %, covering the
| Plttsbui landing, not more than half n lie
distant, and under the guns O: the gunboats.
| which nnRuaS cNlCmna