Innes' Michigan Regiment of Engineers and Mechanics, and under the supervision of Captain Michler, Topographical Engineers. At this time the Army of the Mississippi was a short distance out from Hamburg, on the south side of Lick Creek, which ran between it and the two armies composing the right and center. The average distance of the whole force from Corinth was about 15 miles.

From the positions occupied by the right and center armies two principal roads coming from Pittsburg Landing lead in the direction of Corinth. The one on the right crosses Lick Creek 6 miles from its mouth, passes through Monterey a mile south of the creek, and thence in a tolerably direct course to Corinth. The one on the left crosses the creek a mile lower down, at Atkins' or Burk's tan-yard, and unites with the first at Chambers Creek, 7 miles from Corinth. Other roads leaving Monterey bear more to the west and eventually fall into the Purdy road, which passes 2 miles west of Monterey and enters Corinth west of the road above described.

Two principal roads lead from Hamburg to Corinth. The one farthest west touches Lick Creek at Greer's, about a mile below Atkins' then bears off south, and unites with the Atkins road a mile and a half from the creek. The other, the Old Hamburg and Corinth road, as it is called, runs 2 miles and more east of the one just described, passed through Farmington, 3 miles from Corinth, and unites with the direct road from Monterey at Philips' Creek, which runs a little east of south, and on the west side of which the enemy's works were constructed, about 1 mile east of Corinth. All the roads are narrow, unimproved, dirt roads. Several small creeks, bordered by miry bottom-land, flow from the west and cross the direct road from Monterey. The only ones that need by mentioned now are Chambers Creek, 6 miles, and Sevenmile Creek, as it is called on the military maps, 3 miles from the enemy's works. The country is thickly wooded and has a dense undergrowth. In the vicinity of the towns, which consist only of a few houses, the clearings are sometimes extensive. The ground can scarcely be said to be more than rolling; it is only along the larger creeks that it becomes a little hilly.

The roads across Lick Creek were completed on the 2nd of May, and on that day the cavalry and Nelson's division crossed at Greer's and advanced to Mount Olivet Church, 12 miles from Corinth. On the following day the three other divisions crossed, McCook's at Atkins' and Crittenden's and Wood's at Greer's. Small bodies of the enemy's cavalry retired before us. His advance guard was at Chambers Creek, but apparently not in any great force. Work was at once commenced on the roads in front, but heavy rains on the 4th and 5th prevented the advance of the troops and destroyed much of the work that had been done both in front and in rear.

Heavy work was renewed on the main road on two parallel roads on the east side, and on the 7th my divisions advanced on these roads to Chambers Creek, Wood's on the right, Nelson's on the left, McCook's in the center, and Crittenden's also in the center in reserve. The cavalry as a body remained 5 miles in rear, to be nearer forage, which the condition of the roads rendered it impossible to bring forward in sufficient quantities. As it was, much of it had to be brought forward from the river on the cavalry horses. For the same reason the reserve artillery remained several days longer in rear of Lick Creek. Some skirmishing occurred on the 6th between the enemy and Garfield's