Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was a Louisiana-born general of the Confederate States Army. He had graduated second in his class from West Point in 1838 and was an admirer of Napoleon. He achieved fame early in the Civil War for commanding the Fort Sumter bombardment and as the victor of the first battle of Manassas. He later served in the Western Theater (including Shiloh and Corinth), Charleston, and the defense of Richmond, but his career was hampered by friction with Jefferson Davis and other generals.
This is one of approximately 1000 military telegrams in P.G.T. Beauregard’s papers at the Rosenbach.
Transcript:
Head Quarters Corinth Ap 20th
By Telegraph from Cherokee via Iuka 20th 1862
To Gen G.T. Beauregard
In the last 48 hours there has been an incessant rain the creeks are so swollen that we cannot move before morning or late tonight our train and ammunition wagons are three miles beyond Jacinto & we have with us but twenty rounds of ammunition. wherefore we have not gone forward as ordered yesterday we drove the enemies pickets into Tuscumbia in the engagement on Friday night we learn reliably that we killed one man and wounded two our spies ordered from [illeg.] A B & D through Gen. Helm have not come in we look for them tonight if they bring any information of importance it will communicated [immediately?] we are thoroughly prepared to execute your order & will move to do so as soon as the weather will admit no other information worth writing. The citizens are much too frightened to assist us in the way of procuring information we depend upon the exertions of ourselves alone.
Yours
J W Griffith
Capt
18th Regt.
Ky Cavalry
Citation: J. W. Griffith, telegram to G. T. Beauregard. Cherokee, Miss; 20 April 1862. AMs 1168/11