The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 39, July 1935 - April, 1936 Page: 6

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

and went to Corinth,' and from then until the first of April I was
on engineering duty supervising the building of the defenses of
Mobile Bay and also a small fort at the site of the old Fort
Stoddard at the junction of the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers.
About the first of April I reported to General Bragg at Corinth.
He assigned me to duty of meeting and directing to their positions
the different regiments that were assembling until the third when
I was ordered to act as Chief of Ordnance pro tem.
The fourth day of April General Albert Sidney Johnston and
General Beauregard having arrived, and all of the available forces
being concentrated at Corinth, a council of war was called by
General Albert Sidney Johnston. It was assembled at the Tishi-
mingo Hotel. As chief clerk of the department I had the report
of everything contained in the department that had not been issued
to the troops. Immediately upon the assembling of the court I
was summonsed before the council of war. I appeared and was
admitted into the council room. I immediately went to General
Rawlins and handed him the report of the ordnance and was in
the act of leaving the room when General Bragg told me to be
seated. I seated myself and looked at the council. General
Johnston sat at the head of the table. To his right sat General
Rawlins, his adjutant general. Next on the right was seated
General P. T. G. Beauregard and his adjutant general, . .
(whose name Captain Blount could not recall). Opposite General
Beauregard was General Leonidas Polk and his adjutant general,
General Richmond. Next sat General Bragg and his adjutant
general, General Villepigue. From time immemorial it has been
a custom at councils of war that the junior officer, who in this case
was General Braxton Bragg, should submit his plan of battle.
General Bragg having concentrated the army, organized it, and
formed the line of battle, and having made reconnoissance of the
positions of the enemy, submitted his plan. General Albert Sidney
Johnston, the presiding officer, then asked General Leonidas Polk
if he had any objections to make or changes to suggest. General
Polk said that he had no changes to make and no objections. He
concurred with General Bragg. The same questions were sub-
'Brig. Gen. Gladden was relieved from duty with the Army of Pensa-
cola and ordered to report to Brig. Gen. J. M. Withers, commanding the
Army of Mobile, for duty, Jan. 27, 1862, and General Bragg was ordered
to move to aid Johnston, Feb. 18, 1862. Offiial Records, I, 6, pp. 816,
827, 894.