Letter

C. T. Hotchkiss to Henry W. Halleck, June 22, 1862

June 22, 1862.

June 22, 1862. Major-General HALLEOK, Oorinth, Miss. :

Your dispatch received. Davis’ division has been ordered to proceed to Jacinto with instructions to look for and cover the best route to strike the Fulton and Iuka road.

A battalion of cavalry left Jacinto for Fulton at 5 o’clock yesterday morning. If the enemy are moving in force we shall hear from them to-day. Colonel Sheridan has been ordered to prepare three days’ rations and be ready to move as soon as the scouts come in. Asboth is ordered to have three days’ rations cooked and ready. He is some miles from Jacinto. It doesnot seem to me probable that the rebel main force will move on Iuka. Does he not wish to scatter us still

more ? W. S. ROSECRANS, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

: CORINTH, June 22, 1862. Maj. Gen. GEoRGE H. THomas:

GENERAL: General Nelson telegraphs that the enemy is moving to attack him at Iuka. You will immediately march with your division to his relief and also the protection of the railroad beyond.

HAP, XXIX,} CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.—-UNION. 25

General Rosecrans will push a division forward on the Jacinto road to threaten the enemy’s flank. H. W. HALLECK, Major-General.

Hpqrs. RESERVE Corps, ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE, Jackson, June 22, 1862. Maj. Gen. LEw. WALLACE, Commanding Third Division, Memphis, Tenn. :

GENERAL: Your dispatch of the 18th instant is received. The absence of further instructions from general headquarters has made it unnecessary to communicate with you for a few days past. MajorGeneral Halleck has been advised of your entrance into Memphis and the reasons for it. You will remain there or at any point on the line occupied by your division at your discretion until otherwise directed. It is desired and expected that you will continue your efforts to prevent railroads within your reach from being injured.

A detachment General Sherman’s division (General Smith’s brigade) has been to Holly Springs and even beyond. No enemy is reported to be there. Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant, commanding district of West Tennessee, is on his way to Memphis, where he proposes establishing his headquarters when Memphis shall have been secured. Would not Bolivar or Grand Junction be a desirable and suitable place for your headquarters ?

By command of Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand:

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

Editor's Notes
From: Operations in West Tennessee and Mississippi, Pt. 1. Summary: General Rosecrans orders troop movements and preparations to counter a potential Confederate attack near Iuka, emphasizing coordination to protect key routes and support General Nelson.
Sources
The War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 17, Part 1 View original source ↗