The American Civil War - This Mighty Scourge of War

118 The American Civil War

Known as the Hero of Fort Sumter. Pierre Gustav
Beauregard was second in command to Albert Sidney
Johnston, who commanded the Army of Mississippi.
After Johnston was killed at the Battle of Shiloh,
6 -7 April 1862. Beauregard assumed command of
the army but he was relieved by Jefferson Davis shortly
after. (Ann Ronan Picture Library )

effort to stop the Federal advance, and on

7-8 March they counterattacked at the Battle

of Pea Ridge. The Union victory allowed

Halleck to concentrate his energies east of

the Mississippi.

Having assumed command of the entire

west. Halleck ordered his armies south to

occupy Corinth, Mississippi, an important

railroad junction on the Memphis and

Charleston, or the 'Vertebrae of the

Confederacy,' as the Confederate

Secretary of War, Leroy P. Walker,

characterized it. The Mobile and Ohio line

bisected the Memphis and Charleston at

Corinth, and Halleck came to believe that

after Richmond, occupation of this tiny

railway junction might bring the rebellion

to a close.

Halleck ordered Grant to Savannah,

Tennessee, to wait for Buell to reinforce him

before heading south. Confident that the

Confederates would not attack, Grant

assembled his army at Pittsburg Landing, a

well-known landing for river transports. It

was about 25 miles (40km) north of Corinth,

and above the river bluffs the land was

relatively flat, which made the landing a

suitable choice to land a large number of

troops. Still, it was on the west side of the

Tennessee River and Halleck had ordered

Grant to await reinforcements from Buell's

army before heading south toward

Corinth. Buell had departed Nashville

with 36,000 men and was expected to

meet up with Grant before he crossed his

army over the river.