, 1864-03-30
THE BATTLE OF IUKA,
Gen. Grants Official Report Of
the Engagement.
Important Facts not Hithar-
70 Published.

We arc enabled to lay before our readers,
this morning, Gen. Grants official report Of
the battle Of luka. not heretofore published,
1t has recently been transmitted to the pub.
lie printer, at Washington, in pursuance Of q
call Of Congress: :-s<s-- -. :, -. :
HRApQRs. D1sT. West TExNEssEz,
JACKSON, Tenn, Oct q, 1862.
Col. ]. C. Eelfon, A. A. O., Washington, D. O.:
CoLoRE--1 havo the honor to make the
following report Of the battle of Iuka, and
to submit herewith such reports OF subordI.
mates as haFe been received.
For some ten days ornora before the flnal
move Of The rebel army under Gen. Prics,
eastward from the Mobile q Ohio Railroad,
1t was evident that an attack upon Corinth
was contemplated, or some change, to be
made In the location Of that army. This
caused great vigilance to be necessary, on
ths part Of our cavalry, especially that to
labor Of watching, with occasional skirmlsh-
Ing, was most satisfactorily Informed, and
almost every move Of the enemy was known
as eoonas commenced.
About the 11th OF September, Price left
the 1aflload-thc infantry and artillery prob
from the roads north of Baldwin, towards
Bay springs- At the latter place, a halt of g.
few days. seemed to hare been made; likaly
for the purpose Of collecting stores and re-
connoitring our eastern flank On Aho 18th
Of! Sept, tie enemy's cavalry made
repnlsed BY the small gnrrison under Col
Murphy, Of the 6th Wisconsin infantry, still
left there to cover the removal Of stores not
yet brought into Corinth. The enemy up
pearing again In increased force on the same
day, and having cut the railroad and telegraph
between there and Bnrnsyille, Col. Murphy
thought II prudent to- retire to save his
This caused considerable amount of CON-
missary- stores to fall into the hands of the
enemy, which properly should havc been de-
stroyed. PIice's whole force then soon con-
gregatcd Gt 1uka-' -; Z.
Information brought in by scouts as TO the
intention Of the enemy, was conflicting. One
report was that Price wanted to cross Bear
Creek, and the Tennessee river. for the pur-
pose of crossing Tennessee and getting Into
Kentucky. Another, that Van Dorm was to
march by The way Of Ripley, and attack us
on the southwest, while Price should move
on US from the cast or northeast. "A third,
that Price would cndeavor to cross the Tan
nessee, and if pursuit was attempted, Van
Dorm was in readiness to attack Corinth.
Baving satisfied myself that Van Dorm
could not reach Corinth uudcr four days with
m army embracing I'll arms, determined to
leave Corinth " ith a force sufficient to resist
cavalry, aud to attack Price at .{Q]sa. .This
regarded IS eminently my duty, let either
OF the theories OF the encmy's plans be tue
csrrect solution. Accordingly ou' the 18th,
gave some general directions as to the plan
OF operation. - -'' :
Gen. Rosecrans was to moyo on the south
side Of the Railroad to opposite 'Iuka, md
a1tAck from that side, With all his available
force, after leaving sufficient force at Rienzi
and Jacinto to prevent the surprise on Co.
rinth from that direction.
Major Gen. Ord Was to move to Burnsyille
and from there to take roads north Of the
Railroad, and 'attack from that side. Gen.