After a silence of about three weeks, I.N.H., the Banner correspondent with the 43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, had another letter in the paper on June 17, 1862.
In the letter, dated May 27, he doesn’t think much of the “special” correspondents from the daily newspapers, he seems surprised another battle hasn’t occurred and he pushes a political agenda similar to the Banner’s.
“I am unable to see or hear any of the “wonderful occurrences” the “specials” of dailies make the readers of their papers believe are going on here; but I think I may possibly entertain some of your readers by giving them an account of what we see and hear — and what some of us think of things done at home.
“Notwithstanding my letter of three weeks ago stated that a battle was likely to occur at any hour, nothing approaching nearer to one than strong reconnaissance’s and skirmishes at the outer lines has occurred yet, though I can see, while the special reporters are seeing so much, that preparations for one progress toward completion every hour. The Union and Rebel armies are in very close proximity to each other. The 43rd Regiment, in General Pope’s command, having moved toward the enemy every eight or 10 days, is now occupied at Farmington, the scene of skirmishes on the 3rd and 9th of May.”
At the time this letter was being written, Gen. Henry Hallek was advancing with excrutating slowness against Corinth. The train sounds I.N.H. reported hearing was probably the stage dressing Confedeates were using to disguise their withdrawal from Corinth.