April 3, 1862

April 3, 1862: A.S. Johnston and Beauregard get the Army of the Mississippi moving late in the day, but the snarl of traffic in Corinth and lack of coordination amongst the corps commanders result in little progress. The generals move the march time back 24 hours. Meanwhile, Johnston drafts new marching orders, and orders for battle deployment when the army reaches the battlefield: an unusual formation, with the three main corps in column, rather than spread over a wider front. He issues orders to his army:
Soldiers of The Army of the Mississippi: I have put you in motion to offer battle to the invaders of your country, with the resolution and discipline and valor becoming men, fighting, as you are, for all worth living or dying for. You can but march to a decisive victory over agrarian mercenaries sent to subjugate and despoil you of your liberties, property and honor.
Remember the precious stake involved, remember the dependence of your mothers, your wives, your sisters, and your children, on the result Remember the fair, broad, abounding lands, the happy homes, that will be desolated by your defeat. The eyes and hopes of eight million people rest upon you. You are expected to show yourselves worthy of your valor and courage, worthy of the women of the South, whose noble devotion in this war has never been exceeded in any time. With such incentives to brave deeds, and with the trust that God is with us, your general will lead you confidently to the combat, assured of success.
—On this date, Pres. Lincoln issues orders that, contrary to Gen. McClellan’s wishes, his I Corps, under command of Gen. Irwin McDowell, is to be detached from the Army of the Potomac to remain in protection of Washington, and not to go to the Peninsula.

—Julian C. Ruffin, of the Confederate Army, writes home to his wife Lottie, and shares an interesting dilemma with southern Quaker draftees in the army–who believe neither in war nor slavery:
There are some Methodists here from Dinwiddie, who have prayer meetings at night_ sometimes they only sing. I have been around to their rooms on several such occassions. There are also some quakers brought from Southampton. You know that it is contrary to their religion to fight. They are determined not to do any thing to help on the war. They say they wont stand up in line for drill, nor will they answer to their names. They will not even cut the food provided by government for our subsistence. I understand that the Commandant says that they shall be held up in the ranks by a man on each side if they will not stand up. It would be much better to let them go home. Religious persecution never did any good.