First In, by God! A Hoosier Describes the Final Days of the Siege of Corinth

Expectations within the Union army were that the fight to secure Corinth, Mississippi in the days after Shiloh would be the biggest of the war. To be sure, General Henry W. Halleck had gathered a massive army to accomplish the task and by cautious advances had closed to within arm’s reach of the city by the end of May. Outnumbered more than two-to-one, the Confederate commander General Pierre G.T. Beauregard elected to abandon Corinth for a position further south, employing a ruse to convince the Union army that he was being reinforced to cover his retreat.

Corporal Maurice Williams of the 36th Indiana was with Halleck’s troops and among the troops on the front lines. On the morning of May 30th, he recorded in his diary what he saw. “The enemy was very busy all night and we could plainly hear them giving commands and moving about,” he wrote. “Shortly after daylight, we heard the car whistle and then the train moved off southward and soon afterwards a volume of thick dark smoke curled above the treetops followed in a few minutes by a deep, heavy explosion. At this moment, General Nelson rode up with the exclamation, “Evacuating by God!” The Hoosiers soon pushed out into the Confederate works and were among the first Federal troops to enter town.

          Williams’ diary of the last week of the siege of Corinth in May 1862 was originally published in the June 30, 1936, edition of the Richmond Palladium-Item.

 

Union soldiers moved into Corinth, Mississippi on Friday morning May 30, 1862 to find the town abandoned by the Confederates. Beauregard has slipped out the night before and torched what supplies and ordnance stores he couldn't take with him. Corporal Maurice Williams and his comrades in Co. G of the 36th Indiana were among the first to enter town and made a few captures of their own. "Our company captured the colors of a Louisiana regiment and the color bearer with them who was drunk," Williams laconically noted. 

Sunday, May 25, 1862: Preaching this afternoon by the chaplain of the regiment who gave a very good sermon. This evening, heavy cannonading on our right which caused us to have to fall in line of battle. All quiet however during the night.

 

Monday, May 26, 1862: We are on picket today at the breastworks. They are completed now and are very strong with embrasures every short distance for artillery of which we have plenty and among the best. We have four 36-pounders, just splendid pieces.


Tuesday, May 27, 1862: We are still at the breastworks. The Rebels attacked General Pope’s lines this morning about 10 a.m. Pope opened his artillery on them and drove them back. The 22nd Brigade of our division was sent out to attack the Rebels. Thet were led by Colonel Carey of our regiment. The fight lasted until 3 p.m., the enemy slowly retreating. When Colonel Carey asked for reinforcements stating he believed that he could enter the town, they were not granted and the fight ceased. The brigade, however, held its position at dark. Our company was stationed on one of the redoubts while the rest of the regiment went to the front to dig a rifle pit.


Wednesday, May 28, 1862: Early this morning our brigade marched out to relieve the 22nd Brigade and our regiment and the 9th Indiana then went to work and completed the rifle pit. We are close to the enemy’s works and can plainly hear their brass band play “Dixie.” The dense forest and undergrowth, however, prevents us from seeing anything. The pickets are continually skirmishing. General Pope is throwing shells into the town every 15 minutes. The Rebels do not answer very often. I saw a flag of truce come in from the Rebel lines this morning.


Thursday, May 29, 1862: Still in the same position as we remained in the rifle pits all night. General Pope is still shelling the town. I can hear the cars running very busy and I can also hear them cheering as if receiving reinforcements. This is my birthday.

This depiction of a Union camp during the siege of Corinth reflects General Halleck's determination to not be caught by surprise as Grant's troops were at Shiloh a month earlier. As his army advanced south, the men were put to work constantly building entrenchments and works and each camp was thoroughly fortified for defense. Note also the use of Sibley tents as was common in the early war period; by the end of the 1862 the shelter half made its appearance in the western theater as a handier replacement for the bulky Sibleys. Although the men at first resisted the idea of giving up their commodious Sibley tents, over time the wisdom of being able to carry one's own shelter proved to be one of the better innovations improving life in the field for the common soldier. 


Friday, May 30, 1862: The enemy was very busy all night and we could plainly hear them giving commands and moving about. Shortly after daylight, we heard the car whistle and then the train moved off southward and soon afterwards a volume of thick dark smoke curled above the treetops followed in a few minutes by a deep, heavy explosion. At this moment, General Nelson rode up with the exclamation, “Evacuating by God!”

In the meantime, our company had been ordered to go on picket and relieve Co. B. We were marched out by Major Thomas Bennett and on reaching post one of General Jacob Ammen’s aides came dashing up and ordered the major to deploy the pickets of our brigade as skirmishers and advance cautiously to the enemy’s outer works but no further. If we met with too much resistance, we were to fall back. Co. D would not go back so they deployed on our left and we started. We had hard work getting through the underbrush.

          In a few minutes, we came to an opening where the timber was all cut down with the tops towards us making it very difficult to get through. The works could be seen now, however, and they were empty. So, we proceeded and, in a few minutes, gained the road running parallel with the works and here we paused an instant to contemplate the scene before us.

Colonel William Grose
36th Indiana

          Before and around us was the work of months but not a soul could be found in the works. About a mile down the road to our right was the town of Corinth in flames. Away to the left Pope’s skirmishers could be seen running and endeavoring to be the first into town. We now wheeled our line and dashed towards the town, not stopping for anything until we reached the outskirts of town beyond the railroad where we halted, about-faced, and found that our company and Co. B had outrun the rest.

          We were well-nigh tired out for the day for the day was very hot and added to this the heat of the burning buildings and the explosion of shells, scattering firebrands in every direction. To add to our danger, a party of Rebel cavalry in the woods behind us began to fire at us. Just then our battery which had been following us reached the outer works and began to shell the woods behind us. They fired too low and we had to lie flat on the ground while they burst all around us. Luckily, no one was hurt.

          Soon the firing ceased and General Nelson rode up with his staff and as he looked around and saw only the soldiers of his division, he exclaimed “First in by God!” Troops were immediately sent out in pursuit of the Rebels; the rear guard having left that morning. We got about 100 prisoners in the town and our company captured the colors of a Louisiana regiment and the color bearer with them who was drunk.

A more sickening and filthier place cannot be imagined. There was but one family in the town although in some of the houses the tables were set as though for dinner and everything showed a hasty exit of the citizens. There were four graveyards in the place where they buried the dead. The smallest contained by actual count 300 graves. We returned to camp this morning.


Saturday, May 31, 1862: Still in camp with nothing worthy to note. General Pope is following up the Rebels and we can hear his cannon continually.

To read more entries from Corporal Williams’ diary, check out “Saving Grant’s Army: The 36th Indiana and the March to Shiloh.”

Source:

Diary of Corporal Maurice J. Williams, Co. G, 36th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Richmond Palladium-Item (Indiana), June 30, 1936, pg. 7


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