On May 7, 1863, Major General Ulysses Grant began a northeastward march with three corps to cut Lieutenant General John Pemberton's railroad line of communications. By Monday, May 11, Grant planned to form an east-west line of three columns for a thrust north to the railroad. That day, Major General John McClernand's 13th Corps remained in camp at Cayuga and at Fivemile Creek so that Major General William Sherman's 15th Corps could pass through and take position at Auburn as the army's center, while McClernand became the left flank. Major General James McPherson's 17th Corps was to hold the army's right flank, but his soldiers did not break camp at the Weeks plantation until 10 a.m. on May 11. His two divisions then moved only a mile and one-half northeast on the dusty road before going into camp at noon on the J. Roach plantation. Grant, in Cayuga only eight miles west of Roach's, sent McPherson a message warning that he was falling behind the rest of the army and that time was all-important, and he ordered the 17th Corps to march on May 12 with all activity into Raymond.
