Battle of Corinth

Correspondence Gate City.

Corinth, Oct. 5, ’62.

ED. GATE: – I embrace this, the first opportunity since the close of the great battle, to give you a hurried account of the two days engagement, of the 3d and 4th.

It will be understood, of course, that [I d]o not pretend to give a full or general account, as that would be impossible, but simply to state such facts as come under my own observation.

On the morning of the 3d, at daylight, our division was leaving camp and marched to the west of Corinth.  We had been on our way but half an hour when we heard the roar of cannon, apparently four or five miles nearly due west of us, which continued at intervals until we reached our line of breast-works some [missing text] three miles m[missing text] the our [missing text]y advance [missing text] gade, to [missing text] came up [missing text] notwith [missing text] ing [missing text] m [missing text] reme [missing text] here of [missing text] ich  [missing text] [illegible] [missing text]but  [missing text] storming  [missing text] less than fifteen  [missing text] came to sight.  T [missing text] the breastworks flanked  [missing text]caused us to fall badk, w  [missing text] good order, for nearly a  [missing text] we formed in line of battle – our regiment, as usual supporting a battery – the gallant 2d to our right.  We had not more than fairly dressed up in line of battle, when on they came again.  Then came the tug of war.  We were ordered to fall flat upon our faces, which we did, whilst they rained down upon us such a storm of shot and shell, grape and canister, as nothing it seemed, for a time could resist.  Some idea of the force of the shooting may be formed from the fact that a majority of my company, and I think, of both the 2d and 7th Iowa, were struck by either pieces of shell, or shot or limbs of trees.  The number killed at this place in the ten regiments, I do not know.  Of my company Corporal John Scott was killed; privates Robt. Criswell, Peter Miles wounded; and Corp. J. O. Percy, Serg’t W. W. Sapp and private P. Cadie were missing – supposed to be drowned or taken prisoners.  Gen. P. W. [sic] Hackleman, the commander of our Brigade, was killed – shot through the neck.  Gen. Oglesby, Col. Baker of the 2d, and Lieut. Col. Mills, of the same, Major McMullin and lieutenants John and Irwin of our regiment were wounded, and Lieut. Camp  [missing text] isomer.

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[There is a large hole in the top of this article, and the bottom was torn from the upper left to the lower right, and the rest of the column is missing, the article picks up at the top of the next column.]

J. M. McCormick, were wounded.  Lieut. Bess and McCormick, both had narrow escapes – one had his canteen shot through, and the other his haversack cut off by a bullet.  The loss of their side is not known yet, only thus far, that our loss counts by hundreds, while that of the enemy will have to count by thousands.  This is not a victory made by official or any other kind of reports, but by hard fighting in which the valor of the Iowa troops was as conspicuous as it has become proverbial, as we are still lying out without tents, camp equipage or any else except hard bread, coffee and ammunition, waiting for another attack from a force said to be advancing from the east.  My accommodations for writing are rather limited, and I must close.  We had 345 officers and privates in the [ac]tion, 120 of whom are killed wounded [or] missing.

C. F. CONN.

– Published in The Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, Saturday, October 17, 1862, p. 2.

Colonel James M. Tuttle to his father, James Tuttle, February 18, 1862

FORT DONELSON, Feb. 18, 1862.

Dear Father: Long before you get this, the telegraph will inform you of the particulars of the capture of this very important post, and also the part the Second Iowa took in it. I do not know how the reports will reach you at home, but here we are covered with glory. I have been very busy since the battle, attending to the burying of the dead, and taking care of the wounded. I could find no time to write sooner.

I thought of nothing, while climbing the hill on “double quick” to storm the fort, but to keep my men in order and prevent confusion. When I saw my gallant boys scaling the earthworks and putting the Rebels to the bayonet, and shooting them down with still greater fatality than they had us just before, I felt like clasping each one of our brave boys in my arms. Our loss was very great, but theirs much greater. After the battle was over it was, and still is, terrible to think of. Joel and I were side by side most of the time. He fought bravely, even a little rashly sometimes. He was not touched. I was grazed by a ball which passed through my coat-sleeve and glove, hitting the hilt of my sword and knocking it over my head. The sudden wrenching of it out of my hand, paralyzed my arm during the rest of the engagement. I was afterward standing on a log, beckoning to another regiment behind us to come on, when a cannon ball struck the log, forcing it from under me. I fell backward on a limb, injuring my back very much; I cannot straighten it yet. Tell the Des Moines folks that their company did nobly. Capt. Mills and I were close together most of the time. He fought bravely. Lieuts. Ensign and Godfrey also did bravely. Sergt. Doty was among the bravest of the brave, and died like a hero. George Morse, of Farmington, also died bravely. He was one of the best sergeants of the regiment. We lost some noble young men, one out of every three, either killed or wounded. I was over the battle field to-day, and don't see how any of us escaped alive.  * * * * *

J. M. TUTTLE.

SOURCES: Samuel H. M. Byers, Iowa In War Times, p. 107

COLONEL NOAH WEBSTER MILLS

FOURTH COLONEL, SECOND REGIMENT.

The memories of the noble dead, who have fallen in battle, we shall ever cherish; and the names of those who distinguished themselves most, we shall, regardless of their rank, hold in the highest honor. Though Noah W. Mills, at the time of his death, held only the rank of a colonel, yet, I believe, we have rarely sustained a greater loss in the death of a general officer.

The subject of this memoir was a native of Indiana, and was born in Montgomery county of that State, on the 21st day of June, 1834. In his early history there is little of special interest. His education, which was liberal, he received at Wabash College, Indiana. He had to defray his own educational expenses, and, for that purpose, passed much of his time in a printing-house. In college he was noted simply for his honesty, morality and industry. Naturally modest, he did not seek that distinction in his class to which his talents entitled him. For several months after leaving college, he was employed with an engineering corps, but subsequently became an employee of the Adams Express Company, in whose service he remained one year. While in the service of this company, he began the study of law, the profession for which he had always manifested a preference; and, as an example of his industry, it may be stated that his leisure moments, while passing to and fro over the road, were devoted to the study of his chosen profession. He was admitted to the bar in 1856, and in the fall of the same year removed to Des Moines, where, renouncing for the time his legal pursuits, he engaged in the book and printing business, with his brother, F. M. Mills, Esq., under the firm name of Mills & Co.; and the zeal and skill which he carried with him into the business were, I am informed, important elements in the success of this enterprising house.

Colonel Mills was one of the first in Polk county to enter the War of the Rebellion. His keen sense of honor and love of justice, his horror of anarchy and hatred of the institutions which were threatening to produce it, were the chief inducements for his entering the army; for he was naturally of a retiring disposition, and hated contention. He entered the service as a lieutenant in Captain, now General Crocker's company, which, being too late in its organization for the three- months service, was assigned to the 2d Iowa Infantry. At its rendezvous in Keokuk, Captain Crocker was elected major of the regiment, and Lieutenant Mills was promoted to the captaincy of his company. He held this rank till the 22d of June, 1862, when he was made major. Two days later he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel; and on the 8th of October following, the day after the death of Colonel Baker, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the 2d Iowa Infantry. He entered upon his military career with the lowest rank of a commissioned officer, and, in seventeen months time, attained, by gallant and meritorious conduct, the highest rank within the gift of the State Executive. But he was entitled to even greater distinction ; for, after his death, General Rosecrans said: "He was a gallant officer, and richly merited promotion to the rank of a brigadier."

To give his military history in detail is needless; for it is to be found in the history of his gallant regiment. He served with his regiment in all its campaigns, and fought with it in all its battles; and the force of every blow which it dealt the rebellion was augmented by his gallantry and prowess. That his merit as an officer was not of the common sort may be seen from the two following incidents; the first occurring on the hights of Fort Donelson, and the second on the battlefield of Shiloh:

At Fort Donelson, after the hights had been gained, and the works of the enemy captured, the left wing of the 2d (the right wing had not yet come up) had started, in their enthusiasm, in pursuit of the enemy, to the ravine below, when they were halted by Colonel Tuttle and ordered to re-form, so as to meet the assault of a Tennessee regiment moving against them on the right. The order was no sooner given than the company of Captain Mills, quitting the pursuit, instantly rallied in a circle around him; reminding one, as General Tuttle expressed it, "of a brood of chickens huddling around their mother, on the approach of danger." No more striking instance of the confidence reposed in him by his men could be given.

He was equally fortunate in securing the confidence of his superior officers. At about four o'clock on the afternoon of the first day's fight at Shiloh, that portion of the line formed by General Tuttle's Brigade was being held successfully: every thing in the immediate vicinity looked as though the advance of the enemy had been checked, though the heavy firing at the left and right rear indicated otherwise. Just at this juncture, Captain Mills, who held the right of his regiment, and the right of the brigade, sent a sergeant to General Tuttle with word that the enemy were passing his flank on the right, and that the command was in imminent danger. " Did Captain Mills send you to me?" inquired General Tuttle. "Yes." " Well then, there must be something wrong, and I will report it to General Wallace."

The facts are now well known. On a reconnoisance being made, the statements of Captain Mills were found to be correct; but only in time to save two regiments of the brigade from capture. After the danger was passed, General Tuttle remarked: "Had any one but Captain Mills reported that fact to me I should have taken no notice of it;" and thus he saved the 2d and 7th Iowa regiments from capture at Shiloh. "He was the coolest man in battle I ever saw; (I again use the language of General Tuttle) and his watchfulness and valor were worth a regiment."

Colonel Mills' last engagement was that of Corinth, October 3d and 4th, 1862. On the afternoon of the first day's fight, the gallant Colonel Baker was mortally wounded; and the command of the regiment devolved on Lieutenant-Colonel Mills. He himself was struck in the foot by a spent ball, and his horse killed under him, in the same charge in which Colonel Baker fell; but fortunately he was not disabled.

The morning of the 4th of October dawned with but little hope for the Union army at Corinth. Our lines on every hand had been forced back, and on the north, west and south sides of the city, the enemy had possessed themselves of the outer defences; and the contest, which would decide the final issue, could be of but short duration. Soon after day-light, the enemy resumed their advance, and a few moments later the battle was raging in every quarter. On the north side, Battery Robinette was repeatedly charged; but the enemy were each time repulsed with dreadful slaughter. Despairing of success at that point, they massed their forces on the south side, and, with an appalling yell and at double-quick, came dashing into the town, many of them even reaching the Tishamingo House. At this critical moment, when victory was almost perching on the banner of the enemy, three Iowa regiments sprang to the rescue, and, with an answering yell of defiance, charged the rebel legions and drove them back in utter confusion. To the 2d, 7th, and 17th Iowa regiments belong the credit of meeting and repelling the final assault of the enemy at Corinth. The last desperate charge of the enemy on Battery Robinette had been made just before.

In this final charge, Lieutenant-Colonel Mills was conspicuous. Springing to the front of his regiment, he snatched its tattered battle-flag from the color-guard, and, in the very face of the foe, cheered on his men to the onset. It was in this charge, and after the enemy had been routed, that he was wounded. He was shot in the foot with a musket-ball, which entered at the big-toe joint and lodged in the heel. A week after he was wounded he was attacked with lock-jaw, from which he could receive no relief; and he died at sun-down, on Sunday evening, the 12th of October, 1862. He retained his consciousness to the last. He knew he must die, and wrote: (he could not speak) "I am not alarmed, if the danger is great. If this is to be fatal, it is my time, and God is wise and just: I am not afraid to die." And he added: "In the army I have tried conscientiously and prayerfully to do my duty; and, if I am to die in my youth, I prefer to die as a soldier of my country. To do so as a member of the 2d Iowa is glory enough for me."

To leave his beloved wife and his two dear little children, was his greatest cross; and many kind and touching messages he left them. The grief of that noble woman but few can understand; for, in the engagement at Corinth, she sacrificed her all. Her father, General Hackelman, of Indiana, was killed in the first day's battle. Colonel Mills' farewell to his parents was: "Your teachings have done me good through all my life, and I honor and thank you for them." But he had a Christian burial in a Christian land, which in a degree assuaged the grief of his friends; and John A. Kasson, his warm friend, and one of Iowa's most eloquent and distinguished sons, pronounced his eulogy.

Immediately after learning of the death of Colonel Baker, Governor Kirkwood promoted Lieutenant-Colonel Mills to the colonelcy of the 2d Iowa Infantry; and, though he did not live to receive his commission, he died a full colonel of that noble regiment.

The names of Colonels Baker and Mills are immortal—at least in the annals of Iowa. In life their regiment learned their worth, and in death it mourned their loss:

"Resolved, That in view of the gallant conduct of these brave men, we, the officers and men of the 2d Iowa Infantry, join in paying fitting honor to their memory.

Resolved, That, at Donelson, Shiloh and Corinth, they displayed that coolness and bravery, which will secure for them a place upon the brightest page of our history; while posterity will gratefully remember and emulate them, as among the most worthy martyrs in the cause of their country."

Colonel Mills was tall and erect in person, and, in health, had the appearance of being rather portly. He had light-gray eyes, a fair, florid complexion, and light-brown hair. His voice was clear and kind: his manners frank and unassuming. He had good literary taste; was a good writer and a fine scholar. In civil life he was quiet, urbane and industrious; and, though young, was a prominent, useful and influential citizen. Though few predicted for him great success as a military man, yet, his friends and those who knew him best, were not surprised at his brilliant military career. He was taught from childhood to hate Slavery. From the first he saw it was the cause of the war, and he believed there could be no peace till it was utterly destroyed. Soon after entering the field he wrote to his friends: "I never fail to pray that this rebellion may be the beginning of the end of Slavery." With him the maintenance of Liberty and Justice were paramount. To this end he gave his life a willing sacrifice; and his friends can rejoice that it was not given in vain.

SOURCE: Stuart, A. A., Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 65-70

From The Second Iowa

The following letter was addressed to C. C. Cole, Esq., by Lieut. Godfrey:

Pittsburg Landing, Tenn.,
April 9, 1862.

C. C. Cole, Esq., –

Dear Sir:

Another important era in the history of this rebellion has just passed. The ball was opened last Sabbath morning by Beauregard at the head of one hundred and twenty thousand of his followers. The attack was commenced on our right soon after daylight, and about three miles from our (the 2d Iowa) camp. About eight o’clock our Brigade, Col. Tuttle commanding, was called out and marched about two miles, where we came in range of the enemy’s guns. We took a position under cover of the brow of a hill in the edge of the timber. Our position was soon discovered by the rebels, who were just across a field from us, and the shells and canister soon came rattling through our ranks, which compelled us to take a horizontal position on the ground, where we lay about two hours, not more than two feet out of range of their guns. The right wing of our regiment was then ordered to take a position about one hundred rods to the right, to the support of a part of Col. Sweeney’s regiment. Our new position exposed us both to the fire of their artillery and musketry, but our men stood up to it like veterans. I cannot here refrain from mentioning the coolness of Capt. Mills. We were compelled to lie close to the ground and whilst in this position a grape shot came whizzing passed and just clipped the Captain on the chin, who very coolly remarked that “that was rather close.” Soon after this we discovered that the enemy were marching to our right, apparently for the purpose of flanking us, (the companies we were sent to support had all left,) and as the Captain was surveying them with a glass a ball passed through his coat sleeve, but he paid little attention to it – thought it a good joak [sic] on the coat! Word was sent by order of Capt. Mills to Col. Baker commanding our regiment, they were flanking us. Our men opened fire on them but did not succeed in staying their movements, for we had no support. – We held the position a few moments longer, when we returned to our old position in the regiment. All this time our forces on the left of Tuttle’s Brigade were gradually falling back; the Brigade on our right were entirely gone, and the enemy advanced a considerable distance, which left us in advance of any of our forces near us. Orders soon came for us to fall back slowly, which was accomplished in good order, until we found that they had us completely trapped, they being in our rear and on either side of us. – Our Brigade was composted of the 2d, 7th, 12th and 14th Iowa regiments, ours in the advance, which with the 7th, succeeded in forcing our way through the rebels crossfire; but the 12th and 14th were mostly taken prisoners. When we got in we found our men had been forced in at every point, and that the enemy were rapidly closing in upon us. The Colonel succeeded in rallying a portion of his brigade, which together with other Brigades, formed another line, and prepared to make a stand at all hazards. About this time the advance guard of Buell came to our assistance, and the shouts which rang through our lines echoed through the rebel forces as they made their last desperate charge. It was now life or death for either side, and every one seemed to think that the final success or failure of rebellion depended upon the result of this charge. The contest lasted but a short time, when the rebel lines began to waver, and soon they were compelled to fall back. It was now about dark, and the firing for the first time during the day, ceased. There was no time after we were called into line in the morning until after dark, that you could not hear the roar of musketry and artillery on some portion of the field, and some of the time it even surpassed the most terrific thunder I ever heard. We held our position in line during the night, and early Monday morning with a reinforcement of thirty-five thousand fresh troops, we commenced the attack, and drove them inch by inch until three o’clock, when they were completely routed. We had quite an interesting time that day. Our company was deployed as skirmishers once, which seemed more like sport than fighting, for the boys. – The regiment made one charge on a band of Secesh, but they all fled before we could pick them up. We returned to camp that night pretty well drilled. The next morning we started out again, Col. Tuttle acting Major General, and commanding a Division; Col. Baker acting Brigadier General, and Capt. Houston commanding our regiment; was out all day, but saw nothing of the rebels. It was reported as we came in last night, that Mitchell’s Division had got in the rear of them and cut off their retreat, and was in possession of Corinth, and that we had captured seven thousand prisoners, and got back the 14th, 12th and 8th Iowa regiments. We have not been out to-day, and do not know whether the report is true or not; but one thing we do know, that they are pretty effectually whipped, and are not within fifteen miles of us, and that Gens. Johnson [sic] and Bragg are dead. Their men say they had one hundred and thirty-five thousand men. I don’t know how many men we had, but suppose the first day about fifty thousand. – Buell came just at the right time. He is one of the best Generals in the service and deserves the honors of this engagement.

Company D had ten wounded, none mortally. Capt. Mills, Looby, Riddle, Barnett, Fergerson, Bazle, L. B. and Wm. Houston, Price, Burbridge, and Sharp. We have three missing, A B. Bush, J. Crystal and Leighton. Our men did good fighting. Col. Tuttle is all right, and one of the bravest Generals in the field. Col Baker, acting Brigadier General is among the best and bravest Colonels we have. Adj. Joel Tuttle had his horse shot from under him but he escaped unhurt, Sergt. Major Marsh is alright. Our Regiment lost seven killed, seventy-four wounded and five missing. I have no idea of the total killed on both sides, but the woods for five miles around are full of dead bodies. Many of the wounded are still on the field. The river bank is covered with wounded, both Union and secesh, and boat load after boat load have gone down the river. You can imagine something of the result, where two hundred thousand men were fighting continually for two days. Col. Crocker was just here, he is all right, is acting Brig. Gen. now. John Watson is mortally wounded. Capt. Smith and both his Lieutenants are uninjured. I don’t thing any of the Des Moines boys were killed. We are all feeling first rate and begin to think secession nearly played out.

Your obedient servant,
G. G. Godfrey

– Published in the Daily State Register, Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday, April 22, 1862