Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant · Chapter
XXVIII explained
Grant describes the strategic situation in September 1862, with Confederate forces under Van Dorn and Price threatening Corinth and Iuka.
What happens
Grant describes the strategic situation in September 1862, with Confederate forces under Van Dorn and Price threatening Corinth and Iuka. He details his plan to trap Price at Iuka by coordinating an attack from General Ord's forces from the northwest and General Rosecrans's forces from the south. The battle of Iuka occurs on September 19, but due to wind conditions and Rosecrans's failure to block the Fulton road, Price escapes during the night. Grant expresses disappointment but refrains from criticizing Rosecrans.
Themes in this chapter
Leadership and Humility
Grant takes responsibility for the plan and refrains from publicly criticizing Rosecrans despite the failed pursuit.
The Horrors and Cost of War
The battle results in casualties, including a Confederate general killed, and Grant reflects on the strategic stakes.
National Union and Constitutional Crisis
Grant discusses the broader strategic importance of holding West Tennessee to prevent the Ohio River from becoming the dividing line.
Characters to notice
- Ulysses S. Grant
Author and commander; devises the plan to trap Price at Iuka and oversees the operation from Burnsville.
- William T. Sherman
Commands the right wing at Memphis; part of Grant's defensive arrangement.
- John A. McClernand
Not directly mentioned in this chapter; omitted.
- Edward Ord
Commands the center; leads the attack from Burnsville against Price's forces.
- William S. Rosecrans
Commands the left wing at Corinth; leads the southern approach to Iuka but fails to block the Fulton road, allowing Price to escape.
- Sterling Price
Confederate general who enters Iuka and later retreats via the Fulton road.
- Earl Van Dorn
Confederate general advancing from the south; potential threat to Corinth.
- Abraham Lincoln
President; Grant notes Lincoln's unwavering faith in the Union cause despite discouraging circumstances.
Key passages
“I was very much disappointed at receiving a dispatch from Rosecrans after midnight from Jacinto, twenty-two miles from Iuka, saying that some of his command had been delayed, and that the rear of his column was not yet up as far as Jacinto.”
Grant was frustrated to learn late at night that Rosecrans's troops were still strung out far behind schedule.
Shows the communication and coordination challenges in the campaign.
“The wind blew in the wrong direction to transmit sound either towards the point where Ord was, or to Burnsville where I had remained.”
The wind carried the sounds of battle away from Ord and Grant, preventing them from hearing the engagement.
A key tactical factor that contributed to the failure to trap Price.
“I was disappointed at the result of the battle of Iuka—but I had so high an opinion of General Rosecrans that I found no fault at the time.”
Grant was unhappy with the outcome but chose not to criticize Rosecrans due to his respect for him.
Illustrates Grant's leadership style and reluctance to blame subordinates publicly.
