e intrenched. The intervening forest concealed
from Sherman the fact that, though he was more than three miles from the
town, he was now less than a mile from the main defences of Corinth,
that he was between the creeks, and there was no obstruction but the
forest between him and the works. Next day General Thomas advanced the
rest of his command, wheeling it to the right so as to bring the whole
upon the bank of the creek, which flowed between him and Corinth. This
advance brought his left division, T.W. Sherman, within half a mile of
the main entrenchments, but separated from them by the swampy valley.
The same day Buell advanced McCook to connect with T.W. Sherman. Halleck
had been a month gaining with his 100,000 men a few miles, but he was
now closing in upon Corinth.

Beauregard, though contesting pertinaciously every advance, had already
began his evacuation. Detailed instructions, regulating the evacuation
and the subsequent march of the troops, were issued on the 26th and
27th, and three o'clock A.M. of the 29th was appointed for the time. On
the 28th an order was issued postponing the movement till the morning of
the 30th, to gain more time for removing stores. On the 29th the final
order was issued, which required, among other precautions to hide the
movement, "whenever the railroad-engine whistles during the night, near
the intrenchments, the troops in the vicinity will cheer repeatedly, as
though reinforcements had been received." The sick and wounded were sent
off by railway, as was the heavy artillery. All valuable stores were
carried off; though considerable quantities of stores of all
kinds--commissary, quartermaster, and ordnance--were neither removed nor
destroyed. Elliot, with his cavalry, struck the railroad at Booneville
before daylight of the 30th, destroyed there a locomotive, twenty-five
box-cars loaded with ordnance, ammunition, and quartermaster stores, one
or two platform-cars with field-pieces, a depot building filled with
ordnance stores, tore up the track and destroyed two culverts, and
returned to Farmington, having prevented the further use of that railway
for the purposes of evacuation.

General Pope, hearing the engines whistling and men cheering after
midnight, understood it as Beauregard intended--to show the arrival of
reinforcements. But skirmishers were sent forward to ascertain, if
practicable, the fact. Trains were heard leaving, and, at six o'clock,
explosions, followed by clo