Report of Brig. Gen. Alexander McD. McCook, U. S. Army, commanding Second Division, of operations from April 8 to May 30.
Headquarters Second Division,
In Camp, July 2, 1862.COLONEL: In compliance with section II of Special Field Orders, No. 99, June 9, 1862, from Department of the Mississippi, I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of my division from the time of leaving Pittsburg Landing to the evacuation of Corinth:
My division consists of the Fourth Brigade, Brig. Gen. L. H. Rousseau; Sixth Brigade, Brigadier-General Johnson, and the Fifth Brigade, Col. F. S. Stumbaugh.
On the morning of April 8, the day succeeding the battle of Shiloh, I marched my division from Pittsburg Landing, where it had bivouacked the night of the battle, some 2 miles to the front, where I bivouacked until April 15, awaiting the arrival of my transportation. As my division suffered severely in this camp from sickness, occasioned by bad water and the stench arising from the unburied carcasses of horses, on the 15th I moved about 1 mile to the front, where, my transportation having arrived, I established camp between the divisions of General W. T. Sherman on my right and General Crittendon, on my left.
On the 24th, in obedience to orders from Major-General Halleck, I went forward with my division some 4 miles to support Brigadier-General Smith, of General Halleck's staff, and I returned to camp in the afternoon of the same day.
On the 29th I moved my division forward some 3 miles to within half a mile of Lick Creek, where I encamped between the divisions of General Davis on my right and General Wood on my left. Here my division built a causeway across Lick Creek and the adjacent bottom-land some half a mile in length and about one mile to the left of the main Corinth road.
On May 3 I changed my camp by moving my division forward and to the left some 3 miles to the main Hamburg and Corinth road.
On the 4th I made a reconnaissance with General Johnson's brigade to ascertain the position of the enemy. The brigade advanced along the main Hamburg and Corinth road, exchanged a few shots with the enemy's pickets, and after forcing them to fall back returned to camp, having accomplished the object of the reconnaissance.
On the 7th I moved forward some 3 miles and encamped about half a mile to the left of the main Hamburg Corinth road south of Seven Mile Creek, and between the divisions of General Wood on my right and General Nelson on my left. While here my division built a double causeway across Seven Mile Creek and the adjacent bottom-land some three-quarters of a mile in length.
Om the 8th 100 men of the Twenty-ninth Indiana, under Captain Davis, 100 of the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, under Captain Rose, were on fatigue duty, building the road across Seven Mile Creek, when they were attacked about 9 a.m. by a superior force of the enemy, and after a spirited resistance compelled im to retire, and continue the work till 4 p.m. The casualties on our side in this encounter were 1 killed, 3 wounded, and 1 taken prisoner, all of the Twenty-ninth Indiana. The enemy lost at least 4 killed and 1 taken prisoner. Concerning the number of his wounded I could gain no information.
On the 9th I moved my division some 4 miles distant toward Farmington, where I bivouacked for the night.
On the 10th, in compliance with Special Field Orders, No. 35, April 30, 1862, from Headquarters Department of the Mississippi, my division was designated by Major-General Buell as the reserve of the center of the army before Corinth, and I encamped my command in line of battle about 1 1/2 miles in the rear of the center of General Buell's army.
On the 14th I was ordered with my division to make a reconnaissance and ascertain the position of the enemy. I advanced with General Johnson's brigade, holding in reserve the brigade of General Rousseau. My reserve rested on Chambers Creek, while I advanced with General Johnson's command on the main Hamburg and Corinth road, when my skirmishes engaged the enemy's pickets and exchanged a few shots, forcing them to fall back. Having thus accomplished my object and ascertained the position of the enemy, I returned to camp.
On the 26th, in obedience to orders, I moved my division in front of our whole line, General Johnson's brigade being in front of the intrenchments thrown up by Grigadier-General Wood on the right of General Buell's army General Rousseau's brigade in front of the line of intrenchments made by General T. W. Sherman on left of General Thomas' army; Colonel Stumbaugh's brigade was held in reserve in the strip of woods in front of and to the right of Driver's house. In this position my command bivouacked during the night of the 26th.
Early on the morning of the 27th I ordered an advance of my whole line, when General Johnson, who was in command on my left, moved forward and soon engaged the enemy's pickets stationed on the hill south of Bidge Creek. After a brisk skirmish, lasting some thirty minutes, the enemy was forced to retreat. In this affair 2 men of the Thirty-second Indiana Volunteers were wounded.
While General Johnson was thus engaged on the left General Rousseau had thrown forward skirmishers in the woods on the right of my line, and here, although meeting a determined resistance, my skirmishers pressed the enemy so vigorously, that he was forced to fall back. The firing at this point was so continuous and severe that I ordere Colonel Stumbaugh's reserve brigade to the support of my right. While the Thirty-fourth Regiment Illinois Volunteers, of Colonel Stumbaugh's brigade, was relieving the First Ohio Regiment, which had up to this time held my center, my skirmishers, continuing to push forward on the right, drove the enemy across Bridge Creek over Serrrat's Hill and kept up the pursuit until 4 p. m., when the officer in charge of the skirmishers came to me and reported that the advance was in sight of the enemy's intrenchments and not more than 200 yards from them. I now ordered the skirmishers to halt, but to hold the position they now occupied. The loss of the Fourth Brigade [15th's brigade] in this skirmish was 13 wounded.
Believing that Serratt's Hill commanded the enemy's works at Corinth, during the night of the 28th I brought forward the Seventy-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, of Colonel Stumbaugh's brigade, which regiment, between 11 p.m. on the 27th and 5 a.m. on the 28th, threw up a continuous line of intrenchments on the top of Serratt's Hill over 400 yards in length. Behind these intrenchments I ordered Captain Terill to put his battery in position, and every preparation was made to give the enemy a warm reception should he show a disposition to attack us in the morning. My division bivouacked during the night on the ground from which they had driven the enemy on the previous day.
Early on the morning of the 28th, whle holding the position taken from the enemy, my left, under General Johnson, was attacked by a brigade of rebels. I at once ordered Captain Cotter to put a section of his artillery in position on the hill near by, from which position, his gunners being protected by skirmishers, he opened a heavy fire of grape and canister upon the enemy. This firing continued with terrible effect for more than an hour, when the enemy was forced to fall back and the firing ceased.
In this engagenment the Thirty-second Indiana had 5 and the Thirty-ninth Indiana 2 men wounded, all slightly. The rebel loss, as ascertained from various prisoners, was 41 killed and 73 wounded. The rebels retreated in great confusions, leaving many of their dead and wounded upon the ground.
While my left was thus engaged the enemy made a spirited attack upon my center, under Colonel Stumbaugh, with the evident intention of retaking the position from which our forces had dislodged them the previous day. Colonel Stumbaugh promptly re-enforced his line, and despite the persistence and repeated attempts of the enemy to drive him away he held his ground and eventually forced the rebels to retreat.
During this day my right was not disturbed by the enemy, although my skirmishers still held the position taken from him on the 26th.
I continued to hold this position until 5 o'clock on the morning of the 30th, when I ordered a simultaneous advance of my whole line. Soon after the advance commenced I proceeded to the front, and in a short time had the pleasure of entering with my division the deserted earth-works and encampments of the rebels.
Being put into command of Corinth by order of Major-General Buell, I garrisoned the town with my division during the remainder of the day and following night, and on the 31st returned to my camp in the reserve, my men having been absent from their tents for five days and nights.
I have the satisfaction of reporting that Captain Terrill's light battery (H, Fifth U. S. Artillery) was the nearest battery to the enemy's intrenchments placed in position before Corinth, and that my skirmishers were nearer to the enemy's works than any Union troops up to the date of the occupation of the town.
I desire to return my thanls to Brigadier-General Rousseau, commanding Fourth Brigade; Brigadier-General R. W. Johnson, commanding Sixth Brigade, and to Col. F. S. Sumbaugh, commanding Fifth Brigade, for the prompt and intelligent manner in which they obeyed my orders and seconded al my efforts to insure success.
All the officers and men throughout the almost continuous skirmish of two days which preceded the evacuation of Corinth remained constantly at their posts, promptly and cheerfully performing all duties assigned them, and proving themselves worthy the laurels they won at Shiloh.
I am, colonel, respectfully, your obedient servant,
A. McD. McCook,
Brigadier-General of Vols., Comdg. Second Division.
Col. J. B. Fry,
Assistant Adjutant-General, Chief of Staff.
June 10th; Organization of troops in the District of Ohio, commanded by Major-General Don Carlos Buell.
Second Division; Brig. Gen. McCook, commanding
Fourth Brigade; Brig. Gen. Rousseau, commanding
6th Indiana, Col. Philemon P. Baldwin
5th Kentucky, Col. Harvey M. Buckley
1st Ohio, Col. Benj. F. Smith
15th U. S. Inf., Capt. Peter T. Swaine
16th U. S. Inf., Major Adam J. Slemmer
19th U. S. Inf., Major Stephen D. Carpenter