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IV. The Siege of Corinth
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CHAPTER FOUR THE SIEGE OF CORINTH he Confederates enjoyed no rest after evacuating Fort Donelson. The Yankees drove them south from Columbus, Bowling Green, Nashville, all of Kentucky and the western half of Tennessee. On the left flank Gram's army, now under Smith, pushed forward relentlessly; in the center Pope was on the point of eliminating the last shreds of resistance on the upper Mississippi River; on the right Curtis was preparing for a vktorious battle with Price. If the Army of the West could continue to advance at that rate, it would be in New Orleans before winter . Since his days at West Point, Halleck had visualized war as a chess game; now he was a player rather than a kibitzer. The enemy's main line of defense was the Mississippi, but the Confederate queen, Beauregard's and Johnston's army, was a free agent. It was operating in the northeastern corner of Mississippi—take it, and the king, Vicksburg, would be checkmated. Watching the board, Halleck decided that the battle to culminate the war in the West must soon take place. Johnston's new defensive line had its wings on the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers, with the center at Corinth, in the northeastern corner of Mississippi. The Mobile and Ohio and the Memphis and Charleston railroads crossed there and made Corinth important Halleck determined to move his queen to the square, eliminate the enemy's, again break Johnston's line in the center, and T 42 Henry Wager Halleck all without incurring the risks of the Donelson campaign. By waiting for all his forces to concentrate around Smith's army on the Tennessee River, Halleck could build up an overwhelming force and assure himself of victory. Once committed to the policy, Halleck saw advantages in allowing the Confederates to bring all their men into Corinth, for even when both sides built up to their maximum the Union would have superiority in numbers and could demolish all enemy resistance with one blow. The immediate objective was to clear the Confederates from the river north of Memphis. They still held a strong position up river from the city on the nondescript island called "No. 10." Pope tried various methods of getting at the island, including digging an extensive channel, without success. An impetuous junior naval officer saved him by taking a gunboat and running the batteries of Island No. 10. The next night another sailor repeated the move. When daylight came on April 7, Pope crossed the river. With nowhere to turn except into the river, the entire Confederate garrison surrendered . The fruits of victory were copious—over 6,000 prisoners, three generals, ammunition, supplies, and 100 pieces of artillery. Halleck beamed. Not a single Union casualty. It was a victory won by manoeuvre; a success which Napoleon himself could not have better effected. The campaign, Halleck said, "exceeds in boldness and brilliancy all other operations of the war." He predicted that Pope's movements "will be memorable in military history and will be admired by future generations."* While Pope wascompleting his campaign to open the Mississippi, another of Halleck's generals made southward progress. On March 7, Halleck had directed Curtis to advance into northwestern Arkansas. Curtis soon saw and seized a golden opportunity to defeat Price's men in a three-day encounter at Pea Ridge, Arkansas.2 His victory completed a cycle: Halleck sent three subordinates south with general instructions, and from left to right Grant, Pope, and Curtis reported major successes. 1 0.R.,Set. I,VIII, 634,645,675. 2 Ibid., 596,610. [100.26.35.111] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 12:26 GMT) The Siege of Corinth 43 There could be little doubt in Halleck's mind that the general in the field was the best judge of what specific action to take, but he also realized that he alone must decide in what field the queens and rooks should act. He came to a quick Jominian decision; all forces west of the river would concentrate with Curtis, who could handle affairs there, while in the main theater all available men would join Smith's army. When all was ready, Halleck could take over and lead that army to its ultimate victory over the Confederates. As Halleck waited for his army to accumulate at Pittsburg Landing , twenty-five miles from Corinth, he alternately prodded and cautioned his subordinates. He told Grant, directing troop movements from Fort Henry, that in no case should...