| Head Quarters 1st Brigade 2d Division Army
of the West |
| Camp Terry near Corinth Miss |
| April 27th 1862 |
| |
| Brig Genl Jos L Hogg |
| |
| Sir, |
| In compliance with your
request to me, to state the circumstances attending the delay in
transportation of this Brigade from Memphis to this point
{Memphis & Charleston RR}, and your
consequent order to the Conductor of the trains, on which it came, to
proceed without delay to Corinth, I have the honor to say, that on the
morning of the 24th this inst. at 11 o'clock A. M. the Brigade left
Memphis, on four trains, in this direction and proceeded some 15 miles
with tolerable speed. After which, from causes to me unknown, the last
three trains began delaying in their progress & made scarcely any
forward movement the remainder of the day, and finally stopped for the
night, the first train, having in the mean time, proceeded to its
destination, where by information it arrived on the evening of the 24th
at 10 o'clock. At daylight the next morning the (25th) said lat three
trains again started on their way & arrived at the 83d mile station, at
about 6 o'clock when it stopped to let a forward train pass toward
Memphis, till about 12 o'clock after which said three trains continuing
their delay without any known cause (you and your staff, being in the
last train) you requested me to go forward and ascertain the cause of
the delay. This was about 2 o'clock. On making the inquiry of the
Conductor & Engineer of the last train, their answer was that the
mail-train would leave Corinth at 2 o'clock, and they wished to give it
full time to pass that it would have ample time to do so, by 3 1/2
o'clock, when they would proceed, when this hour arrived. You again
requested me to go forward as before, when the Engineer of the last
train stated, in reply, that there was no further cause of delay for the
train's delay and, that, if the trains before would proceed, he was
ready to do so without delay, that the forward trains were all that were
delaying him. On the return of this answer, you issued the order
referred to, for the forward trains to proceed. |
| But the trains continued their
delay, when I again went forward and asked the Conductor and Engineer of
the 2d train, the cause, they replied as soon as the could "back and
water," they would go forward, if the foremost train would proceed, but
supposed, they would have to push that forward as it could not get up
the grade, this was after remaining near the water tank some two hours,
having passed it, to and fro, some six times in the meantime The two
back trains then backed and watered and the foremost proceeded on its
way. At near 6 o'clock the two trains back, followed the third train and
arrived at this camp some two hours afterward It was in the night when
we arrived. |
| I have the honor to be Sir |
| Very Respectfully Your Obt Servt |
| James H. Rogers |
|