Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-02-27
Bolivar. They numbered forty thousand.
Roseorans, to whom the defe..se of Cor
iuth was assigned, had twenty thousand
man ypithi,, his ooyon,.nI

bolivar. Ihey numbered forty Thousand.
Roseorans, to whom the defease of Cor
iath was assigned, had twenty thousand
men within his command.
/ At two o'clock on che morn
ing of October Ist Eamilton's
Idivision of Rosecrans' command, lying
in camp at Jacinto, was aroused and in
structions were issued to prepare to
move without delay. We were on the
road before daylight and headed for
Corinth. Nearing that place about the
close of the day we encountered other
marching columns, all converging toward
the same destination. 1t was evident
that the troops about CorInth were
being concentrated for defensive pur-
poses, and even the private soldiers un-
derstood that these preparations meant
q struggle against desperate odds and
they speculated among themselves over
the probable result. Through. the excit-
ing events of the few weeks previous We
had become tolerably we'll informed in
reference to the movements of The en-
emy and the strength of the confederate
combination now drawing in its lines
about us.
During October 2nd we remained
quietly in camp in the outskirts of
Corinth, which at that time was small
place, poorly built and uninviting in ap-
pearance.,
At 2 O'Clock on the morning of October
3D. each sleeping soldier of our command
was quietly aroused and we were order
ed to prepare TO move in light marching
condition, with three days rations in
haversacks, canteens filed and all bag
gage dispensed with. Such were the
low spoken instructions. They we're
expeditiously obeyed and ere long the
silent column filed out upon the
road IN the weird grey of approach
ing dawn and moved with measured
tread into the town of
Corinth. Our assigned posi-
ton In the north part of the little town
was reached before full dawn disclosed
our movements, ands there our first bat
tie line was formed. Silence yet brood
ed over the scene, but while we stood
and waited heavy artillery fire broke
from the federal forts on our left and
the expected battle had begun. Soon,
to the crash of artillery discharges and
the shrieks of shells, was added the first
low throb OF musketry III the distance.
The sound came gradually nearer and
swelled and grew into a continuous roar
of vollies commlngled and unending.
The confederate right wing was press.
ing in toward the town, while it's left
was far to the northward engaging the
federal forces sent out to dispute its
progress.
After two hours of quiet wait
ing, with nothing to do, orders
came for portion of our division to
move out to the front and right, and in
response to these orders we accom-
plished good mile of distance at a
double quick, though the way was i'm
peded by profnslon of logs and abattis,
By this time the conflict had become
general, though it was cautiously pushed
by the attacking forces. 1t ragged along
the entire front of the line, the federals
maintaining their ground and the con-
federates making no rash experiments.
1t seemed at the time that Rosecrans'
line of defense was too much extended
for the number of troops at hand for de-
fensIve work. When we again came into
battle array it was far out upon the
right flank in position some
what isolated and neglected.
There was no enemy III our
immediate front, though little to our
left the confederates were hotly at work.
We found at orr new position some of
the rebel works erected for their defense
of Corinth, and behind them it was
comfortable to lie and watch the prog
ress of events at the left, where the bat
tie was becoming more and more in
tense.
Van Dorm had brought his command
. upon Corinth from the northwest, oc.
| cupying the two railroads which con.
; stituted Rosecrans' connection with the
} balance of Grants army. Van Dorm.
i fall force was on the ground and he
seemed intent upon wrapping his long
/ grey lines around his opponents, en-.
closing us in their constructor folds ane
. with his forty thousand men crushing
into death and destruction the twenty
. thousand who stood defiantly aerosl
, his chosen route.
r The passive inaction OF our fragmen
t of the federal army was broken upol
: by the sudden development of hither
Q to concealed movement in on
8 immediate front. From th
t cover of the timber rushed
: swarm of grey coats with the eviden
!, purpose of cutting Us of from the fed
d eral line and gathering us in. The bul
E lets came rattling among as like rail
drops from summers cloud and th
V leaves on the ground danced beneat
: their leaden patter. The race was the
i. to the swift. We did not retreat, thoug
n we moved with celerity to the left an
n on the center. A confederate ba
!, terry opened with canister, but with tc
al much elevation for effective resultl
v. their discharges letting down UPON I