A Buckeye Remembers Scenes of Horror After the Battle of Corinth

    In the aftermath of the Battle of Corinth, Private James E. Graham of the 80th Ohio walked over the field and recorded the hecatomb that spread around him. “The bodies of men I did not enumerate. In fact, their ghostly looks were sufficient to drive away all thoughts of minor affairs. Their faces, bodies, and limbs were all swelled almost to bursting and the skin was very dark blue. Their eyes were all closed and mouths generally a little open. They were lying in almost all shapes imaginable. One man had a limb shot off at the thigh and it was thrown right back over his shoulder. One was lying on his back with both legs bent back under him.  One had one of his legs doubled under him and the other stuck out straight; in fact, they were laying every way that looked painful. But the most horrible sight presented to me was that of a young Rebel lying at a house on the battlefield,” remembered Graham. What followed for the readers of the Tuscarawas Advocate in 1862 is perhaps the most graphic and disturbing description I have ever read in my 20 years of Civil War research. In the same way the Brady’s photographs of the dead of Antietam shocked the country, Graham’s honest depiction of the horrors of war no doubt shocked the homefolks.

A story made the rounds after the Battle of Corinth that a Buckeye soldier at the battle fell into conversation with a captured Confederate. The Rebel soldier spied the Buckeye's OVM belt buckle and inquired, "Corporal, what the devil does O.V.M. stand for?" The Ohioan replied "Ohio Visiting Mississippi. We had a few made up for this campaign." In actuality, O.V.M. stood for Ohio Volunteer Militia and many soldiers that left the state in the early years of the Civil War wore OVM belt buckles as they went off to war.

    James Emmet Graham was born September 30, 1841 in Ohio and at the outbreak of the war was living in Tuscarawas County. He enlisted as a private in Co. K of the 80th Ohio Volunteer Infantry on December 1, 1861. He was commissioned second lieutenant October 4, 1862 and promoted to first lieutenant of Co. G on April 29, 1864. He was appointed regimental adjutant November 6, 1864 and then to captain of Co. I February 10, 1865. Graham was detailed as acting assistant commissary of subsistence for the Second Division of the 15th Army Corps shortly thereafter and served for the rest of the war in that capacity. Captain Graham was mustered out with the company August 13, 1865. He died March 19, 1891 and is buried at Claibourne Cemetery in Richwood, Ohio.

    Graham’s letter was published in the October 17, 1862 issue of the Tuscarawas Advocate.

Corinth, Mississippi

October 6, 1862

    Our regiment has suffered much more severely in this fight than it did at the Battle of Iuka. I understand that it has been reported that the 80th acted cowardly at Iuka, which is an accursed slander. No regiment behaved more bravely. Some regiments that did not deserve it got praise, while others who deserved it were slighted by the correspondents of the daily papers. In the late fight, Major Richard Lanning and Lieutenant John J. Robinson were killed; Lieutenant George F. Robinson and Lieutenant Oliver C. Powleson were wounded. There were two or three privates shot dead, and others died of their wounds in a short time. It is impossible yet to tell the number of our wounded but think it must be 40 or 50. John Furney was shot in the right arm, the ball passing through below the elbow and breaking one of the bones of the forearm. His wound is doing well; Isaac Alter and my brother Charley are doing well and are in good spirits.

    If the papers do us justice, they will not only contradict what they have said in regard to the conduct of the 80th Ohio at Iuka, but will give it especial praise for gallant bearing at Corinth. This was a hard fight. Several times we feared we must lose the town. The fight began on our left, but the enemy being repulsed, changed their point of attack to our right, endeavoring to turn our right flank. The fighting was desperate. They advanced in solid column and marched straight up to our batteries which mowed them down like grass, but as soon as their ranks were opened, they immediately closed up to be cut open again. On they come apparently with less excitement than if going to a feast. In fact, they were guest and victim at the “feast of death.” Such bravery as they exhibited (which was really desperation) I have not read of as being shown by an attacking army before. They marched up to one battery which our regiment was supporting and drove away the artillerymen. A Rebel lieutenant jumped on one of the cannon and flourishing his sword, swore that the cannon was his. He was immediately shot dead by one of our officers. The Rebels were driven back but came up again in large numbers and our light artillery was forced to retreat.

Captain Thomas C. Morris
Co. K, 80th Ohio

    The Rebels continued to drive us back until one part of their line was entirely in Corinth. Then the fight raged more fiercely than before. There was a continual roar of musketry all along the northern part of town, and the batteries were all playing upon the Rebels, causing great havoc in their ranks. But what was greater and more sublime than all the rest was the sound of the siege guns which we had planted here. I never imagined before that such sounds could be caused by man. They far exceed the heaviest thunder I have ever heard. When I heard them, I would inadvertently look at the sky as though I expected to see it rent asunder. It is beyond the power of man to describe, or the mind of man to conceive of such sounds as are caused by these enormous guns. To one that loves the music of the spheres, nothing could be more sublime than that sound, as it rolls for miles with terrific grandeur. The fight continued for some time in town, but our forces were too strong for them, and by the judicious use of our siege guns, we were enabled to drive them before us, and they were not able to drive us back as far as town at any time after that, although they worked very hard and with great skill and bravery.

    At last, we got them moving, kept them at it and they were, at last accounts, 15 miles from here trying to get away. Rumor says they are surrounded and will all be taken prisoners. Hurlbut is said to be on one side of him, Grant on another, and Rosecrans on the third, and it is also reported that he (Price) has burned his own trains and that he cannot move much farther without provisions. If this report is true, our generals will not permit him to get anything to eat until he surrenders. I hope he may be caught, but have my fears.

    In the late battle, Price lost a great many more men than we did and was compelled to leave many of his dead and wounded on the field. Our men have had squads of Negroes out every day since the fight and are not yet done burying the dead. It is a horrible picture that is presented to the eye while walking over the battlefield; dead men and horses lying around in every direction and sending forth a stench so sickening that an unaccustomed person can scarcely bear up under it. I counted eight dead horses in one place and there were others scattered all around.

80th Ohio Flank Marker
Ohio History Connection

    The bodies of men I did not enumerate. In fact, their ghostly looks were sufficient to drive away all thoughts of minor affairs. Their faces, bodies, and limbs were all swelled almost to bursting and the skin was very dark blue. (The Rebels are much darker than our men, said to be caused by them drinking whiskey with powder in it.) Their eyes were all closed and mouths generally a little open. They were lying in almost all shapes imaginable. One man had a limb shot off at the thigh and it was thrown right back over his shoulder. One was lying on his back with both legs bent back under him.  One had one of his legs doubled under him and the other stuck out straight; in fact, they were laying every way that looked painful.

     But the most horrible sight presented to me was that of a young Rebel lying at a house on the battlefield. He was not yet dead, but could not speak and appeared not to hear anything that was said to him. He belonged to the 43rd Mississippi and had no one to do anything for him. He lay on his back with one knee bent, his foot resting on the floor, the other leg was lying out straight, his right arm was lying across his breast, his mouth was partly open and his teeth and lips as black as coal. He was shot twice. One ball appeared to have entered the left eye and gone out the back of the head; the other ball struck him on the right side of the head above the ear and just merely cut a gash into the bone and passed on. The wound on his head and left eye were full of maggots and under his head where the first ball had passed out was about a double handful of worms. If you love to think of the horrible, there is something to reflect on. The man was rotting and being eaten by worms and yet he was still alive. It is sickening to think what would be the feeling of that young man’s parents or brothers and sisters if they knew the condition in which he was lying and dying; perhaps thinking of home and its many surrounding comforts. I have often read and heard of sights that were shocking to the human eye but I never imagined anything half as horrible or disgusting as that which I beheld at that house.

Federal soldiers burying the Confederate dead after the Battle of Corinth. 

    No person could look upon that young man without sad reflections. He must pity the victim before him and the natural train of thought will carry him to that victim’s home. He may be the son of a wealthy and influential family, the favorite of his parents, perhaps pressed into service against his desire or that of his parents. In that case or in any case, how much the heart of that young man’s father or mother yearn after him, and what anxiety must they feel when they hear of the Battle of Corinth and that his regiment was in the battle. How anxiously will they look for a letter from him, but in vain that hand which they would love again to grasp, is now unable to wield a pen- his heart is cold. Those much-loved eyes are closed in death and his spirit has flown to the other world. No letter ever comes; a void is caused in their hearts which nothing can fulfill. How do they speak of him; as dead? Ah, no. Hope prevents that. They speak of him as one lost; yet hope says he may yet appear to make their fond hearts glad, but they shall go down to their grave without beholding their son again in this world.

    There was an attack on one battery of which I have not spoken. The battery was near town, and in an important position. It was so situated that if the enemy got possession of it, they could shell the town effectually. To get to it, the Rebels were compelled to march over a piece of ground covered with fallen trees, which were lying so thick as to make it exceedingly difficult for a single person to pass through even without a gun. Over that ground, they marched in four ranks under a galling fire, which sent many to their long homes. As fast as their ranks were broken, they closed up and moved steadily along. At last they arrived at the entrenchments. They then crossed them. As they attempted to scale the walls, a severe conflict was commenced. Our gallant boys shot them down with their revolvers as they came up and they rolled back into the trenches as fast as they fell. Others came on yelling to meet the same fate. One man climbed up directly in front of a cannon and was shot down. At last our boys were overpowered by numbers and compelled to give up the fort. The Rebels immediately planted their flag and commenced cheering.

    The tide seemed turned against us, for with that battery they could destroy the town; every heart beat high. Sutlers left their stores in despair and suffered their goods to be taken “without money and without price.” Some feared we had lost the day, but (thanks to the gallantry of our men) the Rebels had not time to turn the guns before our men retook the battery and drove them back with great slaughter. From that time on, we were victorious and Corinth now is in our hands, and tonight’s reports say that Van Dorn is killed and Price’s army all cut to pieces. I hope it may be true, but Dame Rumor tells false tales frequently.

    If you were here you could see sights which you have never seen and may well wish never to see. Nearly the whole town is converted into a hospital for wounded and dying. A few steps from here is a splendid dwelling which is used a hospital. It had a beautiful yard now filled with wounded. We hear nothing but the groans of the soldiers who are suffering the agonies of death. I can write no more. Time forbids. I have written in haste yet endeavored to give you a true account of the battle.

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Arming the Buckeyes: Longarms of the Ohio Infantry Regiments

Image
     A common question that comes up in conversation about Civil War Buckeye regiments is "What were they armed with?" We are fortunate in that the state of Ohio kept good records of how the regiments were armed when they went into service, this being especially true for those regiments which went into service in 1861 and 1862. The state adjutant general's reports for 1861 and 1862 have been heavily drawn upon to construct this article, as well as consultation with Phil Spaugy who has done extensive research on how Ohio's troops were armed during the war.      Buckeyes carried a fairly wide variety of weapons into the field, and the below article breaks this down into weapons of both domestic manufacture and imported arms. The early days of the war found the state of Ohio practically bereft of longarms; as an example, when the 1st and 2nd Ohio Volunteer Militia left the state in late April 1861, they left unarmed, being armed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania on their way to
Read more

Dressing the Rebels: How to Dye Butternut Jeans Cloth

Image
     In the early days of the Civil War,  the Southern states found themselves with an abundance of cotton but a shortage of cloth with which to make army uniforms. The trade in cloth prior to the war had largely been to send raw cotton or wool north to New England (or Great Britain) where it was converted into usable cloth; but now that trade was broken and the Southern states were thrown upon their own resources in their efforts to properly clothe the Confederate army.  This collection of Confederate enlisted men's frock coats and shell jackets gives some indication of the variety of shades of butternut worn during the war. All of them are shades of yellow brown, some heavier on the yellow and some heavier on the brown. The blue used around the collar or as rank insignia indicates that the soldier was in the infantry. Surviving Confederate uniforms are considered rather rare and command quite a healthy price in the collecting market. For an in-depth study of how Confederate jacke
Read more

Bullets for the Union: Manufacturing Small Arms Ammunition During the Civil War

Image
       Civil War bullets are perhaps the most common item collected from the era; the two armies expended bullets by the millions during the four years’ conflict and spent or deformed bullets of all shapes and sizes have made fascinating and affordable collectibles since the guns went silent in 1865.       I recently acquired a display piece featuring 35 different types of small arms ammunition used during the Civil War, including everything from a small .28 caliber ball up to a .69 caliber three-ring Minie and it triggered some questions: how did the Federal army obtain its small arms ammunition during the war? Where did the lead come from to make the bullets, and where and how was the ammunition manufactured? This post seeks to answer those questions. A typical .58 caliber 3-ring Minie bullet   “Whenever the blasts of war blow in the ears of men who trade in the implements of destruction, they are apt to experience more joy than the true warrior, for then comes the harvest of gain.
Read more

The Vaunted Enfield Rifle Musket

Image
     The English-made Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield Rifle Musket was widely regarded as the best infantry arm in the world at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. Favorable international press describing its efficiency in the Crimean War and in suppressing the Indian rebellion led to the widespread desire of American infantrymen (both Federal and Confederate) to be armed with these accurate and well-made arms. The lock plate of this well-worn P1853 Enfield rifle musket produced in 1862 shows the typical markings of a British-made weapon that made it through the Federal blockade.  ( Army of Tennessee Relics ) Enfield-pattern weapons were imported into the states by the tens and hundreds of thousands during the war years; one estimate stated that the Federal government purchased 500,000 while the Confederates purchased another 400,000. The Confederate government dispatched Captain Caleb Huse to Europe in April 1861 to purchase weapons and Huse focused on securing all the Enfi
Read more

Straw Already Threshed: Sherman on Shiloh

Image
  W illiam Tecumseh Sherman was enjoying retired life in New York City when just before Christmas in 1889 he was presented with an article written by John Cockerill, a former drummer boy in the 24 th Ohio who was visiting his father Colonel Joseph Cockerill of the 70 th Ohio of Sherman’s division when the Battle of Shiloh began. Cockerill’s article, originally published in the New York Journalist and later featured in the January 1893 issue of Blue & Gray Magazine, Sherman later pronounced as “the best war story ever written” and the truest account of Shiloh.           On New Year’s Day 1890, General Sherman composed the following letter to his friend Marshall P. Wilder thanking him for sending along Cockerill’s article and giving his own explanation of Shiloh. “This to me is straw already threshed for we have fought this battle on paper several times, a much more agreeable task than to fight with bullets,” he concluded. “When in England some years ago I was gratified to liste
Read more

Charging Battery Robinett: An Alabama Soldier Recalls the Vicious Fighting at Corinth

Image
W riting 30 years after the Battle of Corinth, James A. McKinstry of the 42 nd Alabama recalled his experiences storming Battery Robinett with Colonel William P. Rogers of the 2 nd Texas and expressed guilt that it was perhaps his action that brought about the colonel’s demise. “On seeing a line of Federals approaching, and before giving the situation a thought, I immediately raised my gun and fired full into the breast of a Federal sergeant, who was in front of the column, and only a short distance from us.  'Twas then that Captain George Foster shouted, "Cease firing, men! cease firing!" and waved his handkerchief, then I realized the true situation. 'Twas too late! That fatal volley had been turned on our little band from the muzzles of 1,500 muskets. I was still standing just as I was when I fired my last shot, and within a few feet of Colonel Rogers, when a Minie ball went crashing through my left hip and turned me half round; another went tearing through my
Read more

A Fight for Corn: Eight Medals of Honor Awarded at Nolensville

Image
T oday, the little town of Nolensville, Tennessee is a bedroom community of the booming metropolis of Nashville. But during the Civil War, it was little more than a country crossroads all but forgotten by war. But in one afternoon in February 1863, an intrepid band of Federal soldiers fought off ten times their number of Confederate cavalry in a little remembered engagement that later resulted in eight of the men being awarded Medals of Honor.    Borrowing The History Guy Lance Geiger's favorite phrase, the little "affair" at Nolensville is history that deserves to be remembered...  By February 1863, Nolensville lay on the fringes of both the Army of the Cumberland and the Confederate Army of Tennessee. In the quiet months following Stones River, both armies scoured the area with foraging parties to secure the rich produce of middle Tennessee. Occasionally those foraging parties would blunder into one another and a sharp skirmish would ensue, and that is precisely what ha
Read more

In front of Atlanta with the 68th Ohio

Image
  The arrow corps badge of the 17th Army Corps was worn by many members of the 68th Ohio in the latter days of the war.       Private Edward A. Bigelow of Co. F of the 68th Ohio Volunteer Infantry wrote this brief account of the Battle of Atlanta just two days afterwards to his father back home in Henry County, Ohio. The regiment formed a part of Colonel Robert K. Scott's three regiment all-Ohio brigade consisting of the 20th, 68th, and 78th regiments, being designated the Second Brigade of the Third Division of Frank Blair's 17th Army Corps. Bigelow's letter originally appeared in the Napoleon Press newspaper and was copied in the Toledo Daily Commercial which was providential as no known copies exist today of the wartime Napoleon Press.  
Read more

The Legend of Leatherbreeches: Hubert Dilger in the Atlanta Campaign

Image
D uring the Atlanta campaign, Captain Hubert Dilger and the six guns of his Battery I, 1st Ohio Light Artillery were nominally attached to the artillery battalion assigned to General Richard W. Johnson's First Division of the 14th Army Corps. I say nominally because Captain Dilger's reputation as an artillerist gave him essentially "carte blanche" to roam the battlefield at will and pitch in with his guns where he thought they would do the most good, a unique honor for any battery in Sherman's army.      Dilger's reputation for daring followed him from the Eastern theater where his heroism during the Battle of Chancellorsville [ see " A Few Rounds of Canister: Bowling with Dilger at Chancellorsville ."] was so marked as to eventually make him a Medal of Honor recipient. Likewise at Gettysburg, Dilger fought his guns with marked professionalism and gained a high reputation amongst his peers as a man who knew how to fight a battery. The following sprin
Read more

Federal Arms in the Stones River Campaign

Image
  T he following list, constructed after many years of research, lists unit by unit which type of weapons were carried by the Army of the Cumberland during the Stones River campaign. A number of sources were consulted including state ordnance reports, Federal quarterly ordnance reports (thank you Research Arsenal ), Ken Baumann’s Arming the Suckers, regimental histories and memoirs, captured ordnance reports, and consultation with knowledgeable experts in the field of firearms. Some of this information has been shared on the blog before in “ Rosy’s Heavy Metal: Artillery of the Army of the Cumberland ” or “ Shoulder Arms: How Sheridan’s and Davis’s Divisions Were Armed at Stones River ” but this is the first time the army as a whole has been presented. The overall conclusion I drew from looking at this data is that the Army of the Cumberland in December 1862 was an organization in the midst of transformation as far as arms. Many of the regiments still retained their original issue
Read more