Campaign Against Grant in North Mississippi.
present in the field without a common superior; for had Price been justified in placing his forces under Van Dorn's command at this time, there is scarcely a doubt that the enemy would have been driven in a few days entirely beyond the Tennessee river. Then would have followed the reinforcement of Bragg's army by the corps of Van Dorn and Price, and without extraordinary misconduct or misfortunes, the Confederate Army of Tennessee might have crossed the Ohio. But such speculations are vain and sad enough now; my present business is to tell the* sorrowful story as it was, not to dream about what it might have been.
Within a few days after Price declined Van Dorn's invitation, he learned from spies in Corinth that Grant had commenced his evacua- tion of that line, was then actually throwing his supplies across the Tennessee, and would soon be on his way to reinforce Buell. There- fore to intercept him, or that failing, to join Bragg, Price marched from Tupelo to luka. Tupelo is on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, fifty miles south of Corinth. luka is on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, seventeen miles east of Corinth. Our army consisted of Maury's First Division, and Little's Second Division of Infantry, and Armstrong's Cavalry brigade. We numbered in all near 16,000 effectives, viz: about 14,000 infantry and near 2,000 cavalry.
On the igth of September we entered luka. Armstrong's cavalry advanced, found the place occupied by a force of the enemy, who retreated toward Corinth, abandoning to us a considerable amount of stores. On the 2ist of September I placed the First division on the march, intending to move close up to Burnsville, the station on the Memphis and Charleston railroad between luka and Corinth, where we now ascertained the enemy was in strong force. At about 3 P. M. the enemy advanced upon me from Burnsville with so much boldness that I believed it to be an attack in force; but deploying three battalions of sharpshooters, forced him back by them alone, and proved him to be merely a reconnoissance in force. It was handsomely conducted, and was pushed with a boldness not usual in my experience with the Federal troops, so that I formed line of bat- tle and awaited with confident expectation the attack of Grant's
, whole army.
From this time we began to receive such information about Grant's position as indicated that he had moved none of his forces over the Tennessee, but that he still held the line of Corinth; and this convic- tion was much strengthened in the mind of General Price, when, on the 2 4 th of September, he received by flag of truce a summons from
