Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant · Chapter
Halleck Assumes Command in the Field—The Advance Upon Corinth—Occupation of Corinth—The Army Separated explained
General Halleck assumes command at Pittsburg Landing, reorganizing the Union forces into three armies under Buell, Pope, and Grant.
What happens
General Halleck assumes command at Pittsburg Landing, reorganizing the Union forces into three armies under Buell, Pope, and Grant. The slow, cautious advance on Corinth begins, with strict orders to avoid battle and entrench at every step. Grant, marginalized in command, considers resigning. After weeks of siege, the Confederates evacuate Corinth without a fight, disappointing Union troops. Halleck fortifies the town extensively, then disperses the army: Buell is sent eastward on a slow railroad repair mission, while the Army of the Tennessee is left idle. Grant argues that a prompt, aggressive pursuit after Shiloh could have captured Corinth in two days and prevented later costly campaigns.
Themes in this chapter
Leadership and Humility
Grant's marginalization under Halleck and his willingness to be relieved rather than endure a compromised command illustrates the tension between personal ambition and duty. Grant later humbly critiques his own role as 'little more than an observer.'
The Horrors and Cost of War
Grant reflects on the unnecessary loss of life caused by Halleck's cautious strategy, arguing that prompt action after Shiloh could have prevented the bloody battles of Stone River, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga.
National Union and Constitutional Crisis
The campaign for Corinth and the subsequent dispersal of Union forces highlight the strategic challenges of preserving the Union by controlling key transportation hubs and dividing the Confederacy.
Characters to notice
- Henry W. Halleck
Assumes command in the field at Pittsburg Landing, reorganizes the army into wings, and directs the cautious siege of Corinth. He ignores Grant's authority and orders slow, entrenched advances.
- Ulysses S. Grant
Named second in command but marginalized; his orders are bypassed and he makes several applications to be relieved. He later criticizes Halleck's slow tactics and argues for a prompt attack after Shiloh.
- John Pope
Arrives with 30,000 men from Island Number Ten, commands the left wing. He pushes forward aggressively at Farmington but is ordered back to conform to the cautious general line.
- Don Carlos Buell
Commands the center (Army of the Ohio) and later leads the pursuit of the retreating Confederates. He is sent east to repair the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, a move Grant criticizes as slow and costly.
- George H. Thomas
Transferred from Buell's army to command the right wing of the Army of the Tennessee.
- John A. McClernand
Assigned command of the reserve, composed of his own and Lew Wallace's divisions.
- Lew Wallace
His division is part of the reserve under McClernand.
- Abraham Lincoln
Mentioned as the recipient of reports forwarded to Washington by Halleck.
Key passages
“We ought to have seized it immediately after the fall of Donelson and Nashville, when it could have been taken without a battle, but failing then it should have been taken, without delay, on the concentration of troops at Pittsburg landing after the battle of Shiloh.”
Grant believed Corinth should have been captured right after the victories at Fort Donelson and Nashville, or at the latest as soon as troops gathered at Pittsburg Landing following Shiloh.
Grant criticizes the missed opportunity to take Corinth quickly and without a fight.
“My position was so embarrassing in fact that I made several applications during the siege to be relieved.”
Grant found his role so awkward and undermined that he repeatedly asked to be removed from command.
Grant's frustration with being bypassed and ignored by Halleck.
“For myself I am satisfied that Corinth could have been captured in a two days' campaign commenced promptly on the arrival of reinforcements after the battle of Shiloh.”
Grant was convinced that a quick, two-day offensive right after reinforcements arrived at Shiloh would have taken Corinth.
Grant's strategic assessment of the lost opportunity.
“The possession of the Mississippi by us from Memphis to Baton Rouge was also a most important object. It would be equal to the amputation of a limb in its weakening effects upon the enemy.”
Controlling the Mississippi River from Memphis to Baton Rouge would cripple the Confederacy as severely as losing a limb.
Grant emphasizes the strategic importance of the Mississippi River.
