The army of Van Dorn and Price had been brought from the trans-Mississippi Department to the east of the river, and was collected at and about Holly Springs, where, reenforced by Armstrong’s and Forrests cavalry, it amounted to about forty thousand brave and hardy soldiers.  These were General Grant’s immediate antagonists, and so many and large detachments had been drawn from him, that for a time he was put on the defensive.  In person he had his headquarters at Corinth, with the three divisions of Hamilton, Davies, and McKean, under the immediate orders of General Rosecrans.  General Ord had succeeded to the division of McClernand (who had also gone to Washington), and held Bolivar and Grand Junction.  I had in Memphis my own and Hurlbut’s divisions, and other smaller detachments were strung along the Memphis & Charleston road.  But the enemy’s detachments could strike this road at so many points, that no use could be made of it, and General Grant had to employ the railroads, from Columbus, Kentucky, to Corinth and Grand Junction, by way of Jackson, Tennessee, a point common to both roads, and held in some force.

In the early part of September the enemy in our front manifested great activity, feeling with cavalry at all points, and on the 13th General Van Dorn threatened Corinth, while General Price seized the town of Iuka, which was promptly abandoned by a small garrison under Colonel Murphy.  Price’s force was about eight thousand men, and the general impression was that he was en route for Eastport, with the purpose to cross the Tennessee River in the direction of Nashville, in aid of General Bragg, then in full career for Kentucky.  General Grant determined to attack him in force, prepared to regain Corinth before Van Dorn could reach it.  He had drawn Ord to Corinth, and moved him, by Burnsville, on Iuka, by the main road, twenty-six miles.  General Grant accompanied this column as far as Burnsville.  At the same time he had dispatched Rosecrans by roads to the south, via Jacinto, with orders to approach Iuka by the two main roads, coming into Iuka from the south, viz., they Jacinto and Fulton roads.

On the 18th General Ord encountered the enemy about four miles out of Iuka.  His orders contemplated that he should not make a serious attack, until Rosecrans had gained his position on the south; but, as usual, Rosecrans had encountered difficulties in the confusion of roads, his head of column did not reach the vicinity of Iuka till 4 p.m. of the 19th, and then his troops were long drawn out on the single Jacinto road, leaving the Fulton road clear for Price’s use.  Price perceived his advantage, and attacked with vehemence the head of Rosecrans’s column, Hamilton’s division, beating it back, capturing a battery, and killing and disabling seven hundred and thirty-six men, so that when night closed in Rosecrans was driven to the defensive, and Price, perceiving his danger, deliberately withdrew by the Fulton road, and the next