Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 7.djvu/523

42 made a reconnoissance down the Tennessee as far as the batteries at Chickasaw, and landed his division at Pittsburg. He was soon joined by Hurlbut's division, and frequent skirmishes began on the roads leading toward the Memphis & Charleston railroad. By April 3d Grant had five divisions at Pittsburg Landing, about 33,000 men, and Wallace's division at Crump's Landing, about 5,000 more. At this date skirmishing became more active and constant. Grant wrote to headquarters, "There will be no difficulty in going any place with the army now concentrated here, but a battle will necessarily ensue at any point on the railroads touched." On April 5th, reporting a considerable skirmish at the front, he wrote from Savannah, "I have scarcely the faintest idea of an attack (general one) being made upon us, but will be prepared should such a thing take place." Meanwhile, Johnston was carrying out his plan of campaign to concentrate at Corinth and strike Grant before he could be reinforced by Buell's army of 25,000 men. The delay of reorganization almost consumed the available time, and did result fatally.

The organization on April 6th-7th gave the following places to Mississippi troops:

First corps: The first division was commanded by Brig.-Gen. Charles Clark, but contained no Mississippi command except Capt. Thomas J. Stanford's battery. The second division, General Cheatham, contained Col. A. K. Blythe's Mississippi regiment in Bushrod Johnson's brigade, and Capt. Melancthon Smith's battery in Stephens' (Maney's) brigade. The First Mississippi cavalry, Col. A. J. Lindsay, was attached to this corps; also the Mississippi and Alabama battalion, Lieut.-Col. R. H. Brewer.

Second corps: The Mississippi troops were under the brigade command of Gen. J. R. Chalmers, of Gen. Jones M. Withers' division, including the Fifth regiment, Col. Albert E. Fant; Seventh, Lieut.-Col. Hamilton