"[4] General C. S. Hamilton later recounted that the importance of Corinth was summed up as such: "The Confederate armies had been driven from the Ohio River, almost out of the States of Tennessee and Kentucky a steadying back for a distance of 200 miles Federal occupation reaching the Gulf States where chivalrous foes had been sure Yankee would never set foot.

Made cautious by the staggering losses at Shiloh, Halleck embarked on a tedious campaign of offensive entrenchment, fortifying after each advance.

[16] The federal division under Stanley moved south down the road to Corinth to search for the enemy on April 29, 1862.

The 2nd Iowa continued until it came to a bridge opposed by Washington's Louisiana Battery and Colonel Kelly's men of 3rd Tennessee Cavalry Regiment.

Daniel Ruggles' division of Bragg's Corp, on the other hand, which bore the brunt of the fighting, suffered casualties of 8 dead, 89 wounded and two missing or captured.

[24] The 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment was ordered to draw the enemy out as to count their numbers and they withdrew to a swamp north of town.

On the 28th of May, four days after it had reached the front, it participated in the tail end of the battle of Farmington, contributing a number of killed and wounded.

[25] As the wings of Halleck's army group began to align themselves in front of Corinth, Major General William Tecumseh Sherman proposed a plan of attack against the Confederate brigade of Brigadier General James R. Chalmers, which had created a strong defensive position at the Russell house along the Confederate front lines.

[28] That same day a division under Brigadier General Thomas W. Sherman drove off a Confederate force covering a crossing along Bridge Creek.

[26] On May 21 Major General William "Bull" Nelson ordered Colonel Thomas D. Sedgwick to conduct a reconnaissance-in-force against the Confederate trenches along Bridge Creek near widow Surratt's farm[29] Sedgwick moved forward from the Union trenches occupied by Brigadier General Thomas J.

Sedgwick brought forward artillery and the 2nd Kentucky infantry while Wood lent cavalry support from his division.

The Confederates attempted a flank attack against the 1st Kentucky but the Union artillery (personally supervised by Captain Alvan C. Gillem of Buell's staff) and the 31st Indiana infantry in reserve stabilized the line.

[30] A week later Buell mounted an attack to gain the high ground surrounding the Surratt farm.

Denver and Smith quickly overtook the log house by storm and secured the hilltop position.

The Confederates rallied and drove in Sherman's skirmishers but the counterattack was repulsed by the main line of infantry with artillery support.

The following day the rest of Sherman's division and artillery moved forward to the new position which offered a good vantage point into Corinth itself.

Buell chose Major General Alexander M. McCook's reserve division to seize the hill to be used as a staging point for a further attack against Corinth.

McCook's division entrenched and brought heavy artillery to the new position and immediately began to shell the Confederates.

The engagement at the Surratt farm hill allowed Halleck to bring forward siege guns for the bombardment of Corinth.

[31] On May 28 Nelson ordered Sedgwick to seize a Confederate-held crossing of Bridge Creek, a small tributary of the Tuscumbia River.

[33] With the Federal army preparing to lay siege to the town, a Confederate council of war decided to retreat.

They used the Mobile and Ohio Railroad to carry the sick and wounded, the heavy artillery, and tons of supplies.

[34] Pope, whose aggressiveness exceeded his strategic capabilities, remarked in his memoirs that Halleck's cautious campaign failed to take full advantage of a glittering array of talented Union officers, including "Grant, [W.T.]

Rosecrans had the opportunity to crush rebel forces during the battle but failed to follow up his victory, allowing Van Dorn to escape from destruction.