Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Corinth Evacuated

(Special to the Chicago Journal.)

CAIRO, April 26.

Mr. Stevenson of Danville, Illinois, arrived last night from Pittsburg Landing. He left there at 9 o’clock A. M. Friday, on the steamer Thomas. On Thursday he accompanied Col. Smith of the 8th Missouri regiment on a reconnoisance towards Corinth, with a strong force. They advanced by the lower road. When 9 miles out we surprised a rebel camp of men, mostly absent, and took 27 prisoners, destroyed camp equipage, and advanced to Pea Ridge, with in 6 miles of Corinth and remained there from 11 A. M. to 3 P. M. We saw no armed men – heard constant rolling of cars and sounding of whistles towards Memphis. – They got the impression that the rebels were evacuating for Memphis. This feeling seemed to be gaining ground, that there would be no stand at Corinth. He visited our camps generally, and gave positions and advances of our forces not proper to telegraph.

At Savannah, he says we have 1556 sick and wounded: 800 from Illinois and the balance from Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana, all in great need of relishable food and care. Efforts were made to get 200 convalescent immediately sent down the river, but were not successful. When he left Gov. Harvey’s friends and several members of the Illinois sanitary commission came by the same steamer. Gov. Harvey’s body has not yet been found.

It is currently reported by deserters that Beauregard’s six and thirty day’s men are dissatisfied, and will not stand fire of the dauntless Northern boys.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 28, 1862, p. 1

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