On the 22d Bolivar was threatened by a large force from south of Grand Junction, supposed to be twenty regiments of infantry with cavalry and artillery.  I reinforced Bolivar, and went to Jackson in person to superintend the movement of troops to whatever point the attack might be made upon.  The troops from Corinth were brought up in time to repel the threatened movement without a battle.  Our cavalry followed the enemy south of Davis’ mills in Mississippi.

On the 30th I found that Van Dorn was apparently endeavoring to strike the Mississippi River above Memphis.  At the same time other points within my command were so threatened that it was impossible to concentrate a force to drive him away.  There was at this juncture a large Union force at Helena, Arkansas, which, had it been within my command, I could have ordered across the river to attack and break up the Mississippi Central railroad far to the south.  This would not only have called Van Dorn back, but would have compelled the retention of a large rebel force far to the south to prevent a repetition of such raids on the enemy’s line of supplies.  Geographical lines between the commands during the rebellion were not always well chosen, or they were too rigidly adhered to.

Van Dorn did not attempt to get upon the line above Memphis, as had apparently been his intention.  He was simply covering a deeper design; one much more important to his cause.  By the 1st of October it was fully apparent that Corinth was to be attacked with great force and determination, and that Van Dorn, Lovell, Price, Villepigue and Rust had joined their strength for this purpose.  There was some skirmishing outside of Corinth with the advance of the enemy on the 3d.  The rebels massed in the north-west angle of the Memphis and Charleston and the Mobile and Ohio railroads, and were thus between the troops at Corinth and all possible reinforcements.  Any fresh troops for us must come by a circuitous route.

On the night of the 3d, accordingly, I ordered General McPherson, who was at Jackson, to join Rosecrans at Corinth with reinforcements picked up along the line of the railroad equal to a brigade.  Hurlbut had been ordered from Bolivar to march for the same destination; and as Van Dorn was coming upon Corinth from the north-west some of his men fell in with the advance of Hurlbut’s and some skirmishing ensued on the evening of the 3d.  On the 4th Van Dorn made a dashing attack, hoping, no doubt, to capture Rosecrans before his reinforcements could come up.  In that case the enemy himself could have occupied the defences of Corinth and held at bay all the Union troops that arrived.  In fact he could have taken the offensive against the reinforcements with three or four times their number and still left a sufficient garrison in the works about Corinth to hold them.  He came near success, some of his troops penetrating the National lines at least once, but the works that were built