opyrigM°_i2il|-- COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. THE BATTLE OF SHILOH THE BATTLE OF SHILOH BY JOSEPH W. RICH PUBLISHED AT IOWA CITY IOWA IN 1911 BY THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF IOWA 1 COPYRIGHT 1911 BY THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OP IOWA \\ ,9^ >v ©CI. A 2 80 07 7 EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION In the Battle of Shiloh there is much to interest the student of Iowa history. This State had more men in the conflict, in proportion to its population, than any other. Eleven Iowa regiments of infan- try were engaged, namely : the Second, the Third, the Sixth, the Seventh, the Eighth, the Eleventh, the Twelfth, the Thirteenth, the Fourteenth, the Fifteenth, and the Sixteenth. Besides these regi- ments there were in the Twenty-fifth Missouri, which was the regiment that furnished the recon- noitering party sent out on Sunday morning, April 6th, three Iowa companies, namely: Company F, Company I, and Company K. The Sixth Iowa Regiment claims the distinction of being the first regiment to disembark at Pitts- burg Landing, and the Eighth claims the distinction of being the last regiment to retire from the line in the Hornets' Nest. Five Iowa regiments were in the Hornets' Nest; and three of the number, the Eighth, the Twelfth, and the Fourteenth, were cap- tured. All of the other Iowa regiments were in the thick of the conflict on Sunday. EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION Before the close of the war there were promotions of both officers and men from among those engaged in the Battle of Shiloh ; while several participants attained civil distinction during and after the war. Major Wm. M. Stone of the Third Regiment and Lieutenant Buren R. Sherman of the Thirteenth Regiment served the State as Governor. Sherman served as Auditor of State three terms before be- coming Governor. Major W. W. Belknap of the Fifteenth Regiment became Secretary of War ; and Lieutenant David B. Henderson of the Twelfth Regiment, after long service in the lower house of Congress, became Speaker. Many others from Iowa who engaged in the battle served the State in the General Assembly, in Congress, and in other official stations of responsibility. Mr. Joseph W. Rich, the author of this mono- graph, was himself a participant in the battle as a member of Company E of the Twelfth Iowa Regi- ment. He had enlisted on October 1, 1861, for the term of three years; but about the middle of his term of service he was discharged from the hospital on surgeon's certificate of disability. Having been on the field during both days of the battle and hav- ing subsequently (in 1908) gone over the ground with Major D. W. Reed, Secretary of the Shiloh EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION National Military Park Commission, Mr. Rich lias been able to bring to these pages the first-hand in- formation of an eye witness as well as the evidences of documentary sources. This account of the Battle of Shiloh first ap- peared in the October, 1909, number of The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, and has received most favorable comment from such men as General Frederick D. Grant, General Grenville M. Dodge, General Charles Morton, and General John H. Stibbs. Indeed, it is not often that a writer of his- tory succeeds in being so accurate in his presenta- tion of facts and so fair and non-partisan in his judgments as to satisfy those who, as participants in or as special students of the events described, have or believe they have first-hand information. Mr. Rich is, therefore, to be congratulated upon the uni- formly favorable criticism which followed the first appearance of his monograph. Benj. F. Shambaugh Office of the Superintendent and Editor The State Historical Society of Iowa Iowa City 1911 AUTHOR'S PREFACE No apology is offered for the appearance of an- other paper on the Battle of Shiloh, for the reason that the last word to be said on the subject has not been said, and indeed will not have been said until the last serious misrepresentation, made through ignorance, prejudice, malice, or for any other rea- son, has been corrected. It is not in the thought of the writer that he will be able to contribute addi- tional facts to the literature of the subject; but it is hoped that the facts may be so grouped and illus- trated as to leave a clearer picture of the battle in the mind of the reader. As far as the writer knows the movements of the battle on Sunday, April 6, 1862, have not heretofore been illustrated except by means of one general map, showing progressive movements of the battle lines throughout the day. Such a map can be little better than a puzzle-picture to the general reader. The original map from which the tracings were made to illustrate the Battle of Shiloh was prepared under direction of the Shiloh National Military Park Commission, to accompany its account of the battle, entitled The Battle of Shiloh and the Organ- 10 AUTHOR'S PREFACE izations Engaged, compiled from official records by Major D. W. Reed, Historian and Secretary of the Commission. To insure accuracy in the original map, the field was carefully platted by the Commis- sion's engineer, Mr. Atwell Thompson, and the camps and battle lines were located by Major D. W. Reed, after an exhaustive study of official docu- ments, aided by the recollections of scores of officers and men engaged in the battle on the respective sides. The reader must remember, however, that the lines were never for a moment stationary, so that it would be a physical impossibility to repre- sent them correctly at short intervals of time. The analysis here given of the general map published by the Commission, it is believed, will aid materially in understanding the battle. Though not offering an apology for this paper, the writer is disposed to justify its appearance somewhat by referring briefly, by way of introduc- tion, to a few illustrative errors and misrepresen- tations sought to be corrected, pointing out some of the so-called histories and memoirs where they are to be found. Of course it is not to be presumed that these errors and misrepresentations were in- tentional : they are due mainly to two causes — to the " smart" newspaper correspondent, whose main object was sensation ; and to the unreliable historian whose main weakness was indolence in searching AUTHOR'S PREFACE 11 for facts. Prejudice may in a few cases have con- tributed to the pollution of the historic stream. Special acknowledgments are due from the writer to Major D. W. Reed, Secretary and His- torian of the Shiloh National Military Park Com- mission, for valuable suggestions in the preparation of this paper. The writer is also under obligations to Lieutenant Wm. J. Hahn of Omaha, Nebraska, a member of the Twenty-fifth Missouri, who was of the Major Powell reconnoitering party, sent out by Colonel Peabody on Sunday morning, April 6th ; and also to T. W. Holman of Rutledge, Missouri, who was a member of the Twenty-first Missouri In- fantry and was with the regiment when it went out to reenforce the reconnoitering party and the pickets. Joseph W. Rich The State Historical Society* of Iowa Iowa City THE BATTLE OF SHILOH One of the worst as it was one of the first of the sensational stories of the Battle of Shiloh put in historic form was the account by Horace Greeley in his American Conflict. The camp at Pittsburg Landing before the battle is likened to a Methodist campmeeting, and the Union army on Sunday morning is represented as a "bewildered, half- dressed, .... helpless, coatless, musketless mob", upon which the enemy sprang "with the bayonet". This account has Prentiss's division "routed before it had time to form a line of battle ;" and Sherman's division is "out of the fight by 8 o'clock". 1 J. S. C. Abbott in his story of the Battle of Shiloh as given in his two-volume History of the Civil War, gathered his material from the same sensational sources and he used it in the same sensational way as did Mr. Greeley. A more pretentious work, which appeared much later, was Scribners' History of the United States in five volumes. This work appeared after original sources of information had become easily accessible ; and yet in its account of the Battle of Shiloh it is the sinner of sinners for untruthfulness. It is no 14 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH exaggeration to say of the Scribners' account of the battle what General Beauregard is credited with having said of General Halleck's report to the Sec- retary of War at Washington as to the condition of the Confederate army after the evacuation of Corinth — "it contains more lies than lines". Another of the sensational type, though of pre- tentious title, is Headley 's History of the Rebellion. Headley represents the Union officers as still in bed, when the "inundation" came, and says that "the troops seizing their muskets as they could, fled like a herd of sheep". Unfortunately for the rep- utation of Mr. Headley as a historian, the facts are all against him — he allowed himself to be misled by the fiction-writers. John Codman Ropes, who enjoys something of a reputation as a critical writer, in his recent Story of the Civil War, published by the Massachusetts His- torical Society, shows plainly that he followed very closely the account as given by General Buell, in his Shiloh Reviewed; and he shows, also, a prejudiced judgment against Grant and in favor of Buell — whom he evidently admired. Mr. Ropes makes it appear that none of the divisions near the Landing- were in line until after Sherman and Prentiss had fallen back from their first lines, about ten a. m. He leaves it to be inferred also that Buell had an en- tire division on the west side of the river and in the THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 15 fight on Sunday night ; and he figures that not more than five thousand of Grant's five divisions, which were engaged in the battle on Sunday, were in line at the close of the day. John Fiske is another writer on Civil War sub- jects, and in his Mississippi Valley in the Civil War he describes the Battle of Shiloh, but not without some rather serious errors. For instance he attri- butes the "wait-for-Buell" policy to Grant — it was due to his superior, General Halleck. He says that General McClernand was the ranking officer at Pittsburg Landing in General Grant's absence, which is not correct — General Sherman was the ranking officer. He makes no mention of the re- connoitering party that went out from Prentiss's division before daylight on Sunday morning, but says that "when the Confederates attacked in full force on Sunday morning, the Federals were in camp and not in line of battle. " On the same page, however, he gives himself a flat contradiction by telling how Prentiss had formed line and advanced a quarter of a mile, where he received "the mighty rush of the Confederates" — and the time he fixes at about half past five o'clock, which is an error of fully two hours. On one page he gives the strength of the Confed- erate arm}^ as 36,000, exclusive of cavalry, and on another page his "reckoning" is 30,000 on the same 16 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH basis. He criticises General Johnston for giving so much attention to the divisions of Prentiss and Sherman, at the opening of the battle, when he should have massed heavily against Stuart, the ex- treme left of the Union line, forgetting, if he ever knew, that Prentiss and Sherman must be forced back before Stuart could be attacked. The plan suggested by Fiske would have exposed the Con- federate flank to the two divisions of Prentiss and Sherman, which would have been a blunder. The corps organization of the Confederate army ap- pears, by inference, to have been well maintained ; whereas they began to commingle at the beginning of the battle, and the corps were practically broken up by ten o'clock. Mr. Fiske is again in error in leaving the infer- ence that an entire brigade of Nelson's division was in at the close of the fight on Sunday night. And still another error is the statement that three Con- federate brigades participated in the last attack near the Landing. He gives the number of guns in Grant's last line far below the facts, and then specu- lates upon what might have been if General Beaure- gard could have "put 6,000 to 8,000 fresh reserves into the fight against his weary antagonist", appar- ently never thinking of the converse of the specu- lation. Mr. Fiske appears to be particularly unfor- tunate in the handling of statistics. He makes it THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 17 appear that Lew. Wallace brought 7,000 men to Grant's right, and Nelson about the same number to his left, on Sunday night — an error of 4,000 or more. If Mr. Fiske had trusted less to Shiloh Re- viewed and more to official records, he would have made fewer mistakes. Henry Villard, who was a newspaper correspond- ent with Buell's army, has written what he calls " Memoirs", and "in order to impart greater accu- racy and perhaps some novelty", to his "sketch" of the Battle of Shiloh, he goes to Confederate re- ports for his information. His "sketch" abounds in errors, even to the misquoting of one of General Grant's dispatches, thus changing a negative to an affirmative statement. As recently as 1895 a Brevet Brigadier General, U. S. V., Henry M. Cist, in his Army of the Cum- berland, quotes approvingly from Comte de Paris 's History of the Civil War as follows : "At the sight of the enemy's batteries advancing in good order, the soldiers that have been grouped together in haste, to give an air of support to Webster's bat- teries, became frightened, and scattered. It is about to be carried, when a new body of troops de- ploying in the rear of the guns .... received the Confederates with a fire that drives them back in disorder". 2 Mr. Cist quotes also from Whitelaw Reid's Ohio in the War as follows: "He [Buell] 18 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH came into the action when, without him, all was lost. He redeemed the fortunes of the field, and justly won the title of the 'Hero of Pittsburg Landing' ". 3 Of the second quotation it needs only to be said that its author was the newspaper correspondent who wrote the first sensational and untruthful account of the Battle of Shiloh. The other quotation may well pass for an Arabian Nights tale. General Lew. Wallace, commanding the second division of Grant's army, having his camp at Crump's Landing six miles down the river from Pittsburg Landing, has left for us his Autobiogra- phy, which in many respects is an interesting work. But if it is to be judged by its account of the Battle of Shiloh, in which Wallace participated on the second day, the author's reputation as a writer of fiction will not suffer. General Wallace accepts the first stories as to the " complete surprise" of the camp and offers argument to prove the contention. Then he proceeds to upset his own argument by showing that Prentiss and Sherman had their divi- sions in line of battle before six o'clock, or before the Confederate lines began to move to the attack. He brings the advance of Buell's army on the field some three hours before it was actually there ; has General W. H. L. Wallace mortally wounded about the same length of time before the incident oc- curred ; has General Johnston killed in front of the THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 19 Hornets ' Nest. He credits the men in the Hornets ' Nest with holding the position "for two or three hours", whereas it was "held" from about 9:30 a. m. to about 5 :30 p. m. "against the choicest chivalry of the South, led by General Johnston himself", to quote General Wallace. In fact, General Johnston led no assault upon the Hornets' Nest, or upon any other position in the Union line. These are a few of many fictions in Wallace's Autobiography, where, of all places, the truth should be found. Had it been true that the position at the Hornets ' Nest was held "for two or three hours" only, Grant's center would have been broken while Nel- son's division was still ten miles away, and about the hour when Wallace's division started on its fifteen mile march. In that event, the story of the Battle of Shiloh would have been a different story. Grant's army would, probably, have been defeated, and Buell's army then strung out over thirty miles of country road, might easily have suffered the same fate. Fortunately, General Wallace was writing fiction. At the risk of tediousness one more writer on the Battle of Shiloh will be mentioned. General Buell, who participated in the battle of the second day, in a carefully prepared paper, entitled Shiloh Be- vieived, 4, takes the position of an advocate before a court and jury, stating what he expects to prove, 20 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH then marshalling his facts — or fictions, as the case may be — to make good his contention. He opens his case with the following proposition: "At the moment near the close of the day when the remnant of the retrograding army was driven to refuge in the midst of its magazines, with the triumphant enemy at half -gunshot distance, the advance divi- sion of a reenforcing army arrived .... and took position under fire at the point of attack; the at- tacking force was checked, and the battle ceased for the day." The reader, not familiar with the facts, must necessarily draw two inferences from this statement: (1) that an entire division of Buell's army was "at the point of attack" ; (2) that the presence of such a body of fresh troops decided the fate of the day. Both inferences are erroneous, as the facts will show. On one point of some importance, General Buell flatly contradicts himself. In speaking of the at- tack near the Landing, Sunday night, he says, in Shiloh Reviewed, that the "fire of the gunboats was harmless". In his official report written just after the battle, he says that the "gunboats contributed very much to the result" — the repulse of the en- emy. Perhaps a perfectly fair and unprejudiced ac- count of the Battle of Shiloh ought not to have been expected from the pen of General Buell. He had, THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 21 or fancied that tie had, grievances against both Gen- eral Grant and General Halleck — and he was human. THE BATTLE OF SHILOH NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT The Battle of Shiloh was not an isolated incident : it was one of a series of incidents, more or less close- ly related, in which the Army of the Tennessee fig- ured prominently and effectively, but with divided responsibilities. It is, therefore, proper to take into account conditions precedent to the battle be- fore passing judgment upon the men and the com- manders who happened to be present at the moment, and upon whom fell the immediate responsibilities, and who suffered for the shortcomings of others. The Army of the Tennessee was at Pittsburg Land- ing under the orders of an officer superior in rank to the officer in immediate command; and it was there for a definite purpose. If it did not accom- plish the definite purpose, it may be answered, in extenuation at least, that it was not permitted to try — its hands were tied and it was ordered to "wait". It waited until compelled to fight for its own safety. It saved itself from defeat and, very probably, saved from destruction another army of equal strength. It is of no consequence who first suggested the line of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers as the 22 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH weak point in the Confederate line between Colum- bus on the West and Bowling Green on the East. It would have been a reflection on military genius, if the suggestion had not come to several persons at about the same time — so patent was the evidence. It is of some importance, however, to remember who made the first move to save the "weak point". Just seven months before the Battle of Shiloh (Sep- tember 6, 1861), the first direct step was taken leading to that event. On September 4, 1861, General Grant took com- mand of the Cairo district with headquarters at Cairo, General Fremont being then department commander with headquarters at St. Louis. On the day after taking command of the district, General Grant learned of an expedition from Columbus to occupy Paducah at the mouth of the Tennessee. A force was at once prepared to anticipate the Con- federate movement; a dispatch was then sent to headquarters that the force would move at a certain hour unless orders were received to the contrary. No order came back, and Paducah was occupied without firing a shot on the next morning much to the surprise of the inhabitants who were hourly ex- pecting the Confederates then on the march. Gen- eral Grant returned to Cairo on the same day, find- ing there the order permitting him to do what was THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 23 already done. The same movement that saved the Tennessee saved also the Cumberland. Except for this prompt action on the part of Gen- eral Grant the mouths of these two rivers would surely have been strongly fortified ; but, instead, the Confederate line was forced back a hundred miles, in its center, to Fort Henry on the Tennessee and Port Donelson on the Cumberland (Map I). Columbus, a few miles below Cairo, strongly for- tified and garrisoned by the Confederates, was so situated that it might, unless threatened from Cairo and Paducah, throw troops either west into Mis- souri or east by rail to Bowling Green or to points within easy marching distance of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson as there might be need. As a result of these conditions, there was activity in Grant's district, during the fall and winter months of 1861. The battle of Belmont (Nov. 7, 1861) was one of the "diversions" to keep the garrison at Columbus at home. In the following January, General Halleck having become department commander, expeditions were sent out from Cairo and Paducah to the rear of Columbus and up the west bank of the Tennessee — General C. F. Smith commanding the latter ex- pedition. General Smith, having scouted as far toward Fort Henry as he thought advisable, went on board the gunboat Lexington "to have a look" at the Fort. The gunboat went within "about 2% 24 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH miles drawing a single shot from the enemy in response to fonr several shots fired at them." In his report (Jan. 22, 1862) to General Grant, Gen- eral Smith said: "I think two iron-clad gunboats would make short work of Fort Henry." 5 On the same day that General Smith reported on Fort Henry, General Grant was given " permission to visit headquarters" in response to a request made some time before — but he soon learned that advice and suggestions in regard to affairs in his district were not wanted, and he went back to his command. He ventured, however (Jan. 28th) to send the fol- lowing to his superior: "With permission, I will take Fort Henry .... and establish and hold a large camp there. ' ' 6 Permission was granted on the 30th, and Grant was "off up the Tennessee" (February 2nd). Except for this appeal for "permission" to take Fort Henry, backed by the advice of Flag-Officer Foote, commanding the gunboat flotilla, the expedi- tion would have been delayed at least two weeks, giving that much more time for the Confederates to strengthen themselves. On the day after the sur- render of Fort Henry (February 6) Halleck tele- graphed to Buell that he "had no idea of commenc- ing the movement before the 15th or the 20th in- stant". 7 And he was evidently very uneasy about the success of the movement, as appears from a dis- THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 25 patch sent to the General-in-Chief (McClellan) at Washington at the very moment when Foote 's guns were pounding at the little mud fort. The dispatch was as follows : "If you can give me ... . 10,000 more men, I will take Fort Henry, cut the enemy's line, and paralyze Columbus. Give me 25,000 and I will threaten Nashville .... so as to force the enemy to abandon Bowling Green without a bat- tle." 8 Before that dispatch was received in Wash- ington the thing was accomplished by a gunboat bombardment of an hour and fifteen minutes at Fort Henry. Notwithstanding the fact that the expedition against Fort Henry was undertaken before Halleck was ready for it and the fact that he had misgivings as to its success, he yet seems to have been jealous lest Buell might share in the honors in case of suc- cess. When Buell learned of the movement, which was undertaken without consultation with him, he telegraphed Halleck to know if "co-operation" on his part was "essential to ... . success," to which Halleck replied : "Co-operation at present not es- sential." 9 Buell was piqued at Halleck 's reply, and telegraphed to the General-in-Chief : "I pro- test against such prompt proceedings, as though I had nothing to do but command 'Commence firing' when he starts off. ' ' 10 This episode is mentioned only for the purpose of 26 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH showing that there were personal complications be- tween these three commanders that, possibly, had some bearing on the Battle of Shiloh. The affairs of the succeeding three weeks, after Fort Henry, did but complicate the complications, and upon Gen- eral Grant fell the unfavorable results. No person was more surprised than was General Halleck at the success of the expedition to Fort Henry, but he continued to appeal to the General- in-Chief for "more troops" while Grant was pre- paring to advance upon Fort Donelson and after the investment of that place : (February 8th) with- out more troops, "I cannot advance on Nashville"; (February 10th) "Do send me more troops. It is the crisis of the war in the West" ; (February 14th) ' ' Can 't you spare some troops from the Potomac ? ' ni Two days after the last appeal, Fort Donelson surrendered, and Clarksville and Nashville waited only to be "occupied". They were occupied, re- spectively, on the 21st and 25th, without opposition. Nashville was occupied by Nelson's division of Buell's army which was sent to reenforce Grant at Donelson ; but, arriving too late, it was sent directly forward to Nashville by order of Grant, the latter following in person for the purpose of conferring with Buell — and this last move came near being the undoing of General Grant who mortally offend- ed his superior by pushing the campaign too rapid- THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 27 ly, arousing at the same time the jealousy of Buell by occupying Nashville just ahead of his [Buell's] army approaching from the North. General Grant was in " ahead of the hounds", at Nashville — that was his only offense. FKOM FORT DONELSON TO SHILOH On the day that Nashville was occupied by the Union troops (February 25) the Confederates be- gan the evacuation of Columbus, the last defense on the original line, and began at once to establish a new line along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad from Columbus southward to Corinth and from Memphis eastward through Corinth to Chattanooga on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, with General Beauregard in command, Corinth being the stra- tegical point at the crossing of the two roads (Map I). After the evacuation of Nashville the Confeder- ates under General Johnston moved southward as rapidly as possible, striking the Memphis and Charleston road at Decatur, thence moving west to Corinth, the advance reaching that place March 18th. General Johnston reached Corinth on the 24th, assuming command of the combined Confed- erate forces on the 29th. The commanders of the two Union armies, Hal- leck and Buell, after Nashville, did not fully agree 28 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH as to the best plan of following up the advantages already gained. Buell thought, with the General- in-Chief (McClellan), that Chattanooga was of "next importance" after Nashville 12 and he pre- pared to follow Johnston south. Halleck thought that the line of the Tennessee River offered the opportunity to strike the enemy's center at or near Corinth 13 and he urged Buell to join him in that movement, but without avail. A few days later, however, General Halleck secured what he had long- desired, the consolidation of the two Departments with himself in command. Halleck urged his claims on two grounds: (1) that all of the armies of the West should be under one command, and (2) that the command should fall to him in recognition of the successful campaign against Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in his Department. 14 The consolida- tion took place on March 11th, after which date General Buell was subject to orders from St. Louis, as General Grant had been from the first. General Buell's advance southward from Nashville had reached Columbia on Duck River before the con- solidation (March 10), but his headquarters were still at Nashville. On the first of March it appears that General Halleck notified General Grant that his column would move "up the Tennessee", and that the main object would be "to destroy the railroad bridge over THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 29 Bear Creek, near Eastport .... and also the con- nections at Corinth, Jackson, and Humboldt." He was instructed to "Avoid any general engagement with strong forces better retreat than to risk a general battle." 13 Two days later, General Hal- leck sent to the General-in-Chief the complaint against General Grant, which resulted in the latter 's practical suspension from active command, Halleck suggesting at the same time that General C. F. Smith command the expedition up the Tennessee. In response to Halleck 's complaint, he was author- ized to put General Grant under arrest, "if the good of the service requires it", to which Halleck replied : "I do not deem it advisable to arrest him at pres- ent ' V 6 On the fourth of March, Halleck dispatched to Grant: "You will place Maj. Gen. C. F. Smith in command of expedition and remain yourself at Fort Henry. ' ' To this, Grant replied, on the next day: "Troops will be sent, under command of Major-General Smith, as directed. I had prepared a different plan, intending General Smith to com- mand the forces which will go to Paris and Hum- boldt, while I would command the expedition upon Eastport, Corinth, and Jackson in person." He then assures General Halleck that instructions will be carried out "to the very best" of his ability. 17 Under this order of his superior, General Grant remained at Fort Henry, acting in the capacity of 30 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH a forwarding-officer, until the 17th of the month — the most important two weeks between the date of the order to proceed up the Tennessee and the 6th of April following, when the camp was attacked at Pittsburg Landing. The expedition was planned without consultation with General Grant, com- mander of the district, and it was directed, except in minor details, from headquarters in St. Louis both before and after March 17th — the date of General Grant's restoration to active command of the army in the field. The expedition left Fort Henry on March 9th imder command of General Smith, with full author- ity from the Department commander to select the place of landing. 18 General Smith established head- quarters at Savannah, on the east bank of the river, but sent one division (General Lew. Wallace) five miles farther up to Crump's Landing on the west bank of the river, where his division went into camp on the 12th. On the 13th Wallace sent an expedition west about fifteen miles to the Mobile and Ohio Railway near Bethel station, where about a half- mile of trestle work was destroyed. 19 The damage to the road was slight, however, as repairs were soon made (Map I). On the 14th General Smith reported that he had "not been able to get anything like the desired infor- mation as to the strength of the enemy, but it seems THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 31 to be quoted at 50,000 to 60,000 from Jackson through Corinth and farther east. ' ' It was this in- formation that induced General Smith "not to attempt to cut the communication at that place, [Corinth] as that would inevitably lead to a colli- sion in numbers" that he was "ordered to avoid". 2 " Immediately after this report was made, General Sherman was ordered with his division to a point some distance above Pittsburg Landing, with in- structions to cut the Memphis and Charleston road, if j)Ossible, at some point east of Corinth. The attempt failed on account of high water and Sher- man dropped back to Pittsburg Landing, where he met Hurlbut's division sent up by General Smith as support in case of need. The two divisions left the boats at Pittsburg Landing and went into camp. General Sherman sent out a strong reconnoitering force toward Corinth, and on the 17th he reported to General Smith: "I am satisfied we cannot reach the Memphis and Charleston Road without a considerable engagement, which is prohibited by General Halleck's instructions, so that I will be governed by your orders of yesterday to occupy Pittsburg strongly." 21 General Lew. Wallace, whose division was at Crump's Landing at this time, says in his Autobio- graphy that if General Smith had received the or- der from Halleck that he expected, to move directly 32 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH on Corinth, "there had been no battle of Shiloh." And again he says that by the time General Grant was restored to command, the opportunity of ad- vancing on Corinth was "going, if not already gone ' '." General Grant was restored to active command on March 17th, and going at once to General Smith's headquarters at Savannah he reported on the 18th the distribution of troops as he found it — three divisions on the west side of the Tennessee, Sher- man and Hurlbut at Pittsburg Landing, and Lew. Wallace at Crump 's Landing ; at Savannah, on the east side of the river was McClernand's division; and on transports on the river, waiting for orders, were several regiments which were ordered to Pitts- burg Landing. It is important to remember this distribution of the army as General Grant found it, under the sanction if not the direct order of the De- partment commander. That General Halleck still believed it possible to cut the Memphis and Charles- ton Railroad, according to his original plan, is shown by a dispatch to General Grant (March 18th) based on a rumor to the effect that the enemy had moved from Corinth to attack the line of the Ten- nessee below Savannah, that is, to attack Grant's communications. "If so," says General Halleck, "General Smith should immediately destroy rail- road connections at Corinth." 23 To this General THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 33 Grant replied on the 19th: "Immediate prepara- tions will be made to execute your .... order. I will go in person". 24 Again, on the next day in a lengthy dispatch to Halleck 's Adjutant General, Grant repeated his intention to go "in person" with the expedition ' ' should no orders received hereafter prevent it" — adding that he would "take no risk .... under the instructions ' ' which he already had ; that if a battle seemed to be inevitable, he could "make a movement upon some other point of the railroad .... and thus save the demoralizing effect of a retreat". 25 General Halleck evidently thought there was special significance in Grant's intention to "go in person" with the expedition toward Corinth — he knew something would be doing — so, on the 20th Halleck dispatched : "keep your forces together un- til you connect with General Buell .... Don't let the enemy draw you into an engagement now." 26 Before this last dispatch was received, orders were issued by General Grant to all division com- manders to hold themselves ready to march at a moment's notice, with three days' rations in haver- sacks and seven days' rations in wagons. On re- ceiving the "wait" order, Grant dispatched again (March 21): "Corinth cannot be taken without meeting a large force, say 30,000. A general en- gagement would be inevitable ; therefore I will wait 34 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH a few days for further instructions. ' ' 2T Evidently General Grant was restive and anxious, believing that precious time was going to waste, as appears from what he wrote to General Smith: "the sooner we attack the easier will be the task". 28 As far as the records show, no orders later than March 20th were received by General Grant ; and so the army within striking distance of the enemy was in a state of suspended animation for nearly three weeks. The army was expected to cut the Memphis and Charleston road, but it was not permitted to fight for the purpose ; it must do it without disturb- ing the enemy. It is important to remember in this connection that the territory west of the Tennessee River, from near its mouth southward to Pittsburg Landing and west to the Mississippi, was the enemy's coun- try both in sentiment and by strong military occu- pation, and so the expedition under General Smith up the Tennessee was moving fully two hundred miles from its base of supplies, wholly dependent upon the river. This territory was well supplied with railroads under control of the enemy, by means of which, if so disposed, he might throw a strong force on short notice against General Smith's com- munications. General Grant evidently had this danger in mind when replying to General Halleck's order sending the expedition up the river, as already THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 35 quoted. But in this as in other things, General Grant's advice was not sought and his suggestions were not heeded. The conditions at Pittsburg Landing were not of his making — they were ac- cepted as they were found, even after three re- quests to be relieved of command in the Depart- ment, because of the strained relations between his superior and himself. 29 GENERAL BUELL'S MOVEMENTS In pursuance of his plan after Nashville, to fol- low the enemy south, on March 10th, General Buell reported his advance at Columbia, Tennessee, at the crossing of Duck River. 30 The consolidation of the two Departments occurred on the 11th, and on the 13th, General Halleck, as if in some degree appre- ciating General Buell 's embarrassment, wrote him as follows : ' ' The new arrangement of departments will not interfere with your command. You will continue in command of the same army and dis- trict of country as heretofore, so far as I am con- cerned." 31 Definite orders to General Buell soon followed the consolidation; March 16th: "Move your forces by land to the Tennessee .... Grant's army is concentrating at Savannah." Again on March 20th : ' ' important that you communicate with General Smith as soon as possible." And again on 36 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH March 29th : ' ' You will concentrate all your avail- able troops at Savannah, or Pittsburg, 12 miles above." 32 As already stated, General Buell had one division at Columbia — about forty miles on the road to Savannah — when the order came to join Grant. The remainder of the army moved promptly, but was detained at the crossing of Duck River in build- ing a bridge until the 30th, though one division (Nelson's) waded the river on the 29th. Naturally General Grant, in front of a rapidly concentrating army under General Johnston and General Beauregard, was anxious to know of Gen- eral Buell 's movements, and so, two days after as- suming active command, two couriers were started from Savannah for Buell 's camp which was reached on the 23d with this dispatch from Grant: "I am massing troops at Pittsburg, Tennessee. There is every reason to suppose that the rebels have a large force at Corinth, Miss., and many at other points on the road toward Decatur." 33 Thus General Buell had positive knowledge both from General Halleck and General Grant that the latter was " massing troops" at Pittsburg Landing — and this informa- tion was in possession of General Buell a full week before his army was able to cross Duck River (about 90 miles away) and two weeks before the battle. This point is dwelt upon for the reason that cer- THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 37 tain writers have erroneously claimed that General Buell had not been informed of General Grant's position on the west bank of the Tennessee and hence did not press his march. After wading Duck River as stated, General Nel- son 's division went into camp for the night, and took up the march next morning (the 30th) reach- ing Savannah about noon, April 5th, having marched an average of twelve miles a day. 34 Gen- eral Buell arrived in Savannah "about sundown", on the same day, but he did not make his presence known, nor was his presence known to General Grant, when the latter, with his staff, took boat next morning for the battle field after an ' ' early break- fast ' ' left unfinished. It need not be matter of surprise that General Buell should be reluctant to join his army of about equal strength and independent in command with the army on the Tennessee. It was Buell 's wish to strike the Tennessee higher up and conduct a cam- paign of his own. With this in mind he suggested to General Halleck that he [Buell] be permitted to halt and go into camp about thirty miles east of Savannah, at Waynesboro. To this suggestion Gen- eral Halleck replied on the 5th: "You are right about concentrating at Waynesborough. Future movements must depend upon those of the enemy. ' ' 35 General Buell issued orders to "concentrate", but 38 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH fortunately his advance had passed the point desig- nated before the orders were delivered, and the march continued. Had it been otherwise the reen- forcing army would have been forty miles away, instead of its advance division being within ten miles, when the battle began. It may be asked: Why did not General Buell make his presence in Savannah known to General Grant promptly on arrival? Perhaps a perfectly just answer cannot be given in view of the fact that the former was not required to "report" to the latter as a subordinate to a superior — the one was to join the other and wait for orders from a higher source than either. There was but one contingency under which any part of General Buell 's army could come under General Grant's orders — an attack upon the latter. General Halleck's instructions to General Grant were (April 5th) : ' ' You will act in concert, but he [Buell] will exercise his separate command, unless the enemy should attack you. In that case you are authorized to take the general command." 36 The contingency arose on the morn- ing of the 6th. BEFORE THE BATTLE From the date of General Halleck's "wait" or- der to the date of the battle — that is from March 20th to April 6th — there were fifteen full days, dur- THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 39 ing which time this positive order was in force: "My instructions not to advance must be obeyed." Nothing, therefore, remained but to watch the en- emy and dodge him in case he offered battle in any considerable force. There was scarcely a day in that waiting time in which there was not recon- noitering, resulting in several light encounters. Colonel Buckland, commanding the fourth brigade of General Sherman's division, has given a good ac- count of the condition of things at the front during the three or four days before the battle in a paper read before the Society of the Army of the Tennes- see in 1881 and published in the Proceedings of the Society. 37 On Thursday, April 3d, three days before the battle and the day on which the Confederates marched from Corinth and surrounding camps, Colonel Buckland under orders of the division com- mander reconnoitered four or five miles toward Corinth, finding the enemy in such force as to deter him from attack, in view of the order to "fall back" rather than risk bringing on a general engagement. The brigade marched back without an encounter. On the next day the picket line was attacked in front of Buckland 's brigade, and a picket post was cap- tured, consisting of a Lieutenant and seven men. Colonel Buckland went out with a regiment to inves- tigate and had two of his companies surrounded by 40 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH Confederate cavalry, which was in turn surprised and routed by the reenf orcements sent to the relief of the two companies. Just as the enemy appeared to be forming for a counter attack on Buckland, the Fifth Ohio cavalry of Sherman's division came up, attacked and routed the enemy, capturing several prisoners. This affair developed the presence of the enemy in considerable force — infantry, caval- ry, and artillery. When Colonel Buckland reached the picket line, on his return to camp, he found General Sherman with several regiments awaiting him and wanting to know, with a show of displeas- ure, what he had been doing out in front. After hearing Colonel Buckland 's account of the matter, he was ordered back to camp with his men, General Sherman accompanying the order with the remark that he might have brought on a general engage- ment, which is to be understood as a mild reprimand. So particular was General Sherman to avoid cen- sure that he required Colonel Buckland to make a written report of the incident which report was sent to General Grant. Colonel Buckland further says that he was along the picket line several times on Saturday, the day before the battle, and saw the enemy at several points, and that the pickets reported activity near the lines. Other officers made similar observations. "It was the belief of all", says Colonel Buckland, THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 41 "that the enemy intended to attack us, either dur- ing the night or early in the morning ' \ 38 This feel- ing was so strong that regimental officers were in- structed to have their commands in readiness for attack — the picket line was strengthened and a line of sentries was established from the picket line back to camp. Similar evidence as to the activity of the enemy on Saturday the 5th is furnished by Captain I. P. Rumsey, a staff officer of General W. H. L. Wallace, who was riding outside the lines on that day. On returning to camp Captain Rumsey reported to Col- onel Dickey, 4th Illinois cavalry, that he had seen a considerable body of Confederate cavalry. The two officers going to General Sherman's headquar- ters, reported the facts, to which General Sherman replied : "I know they are out there, but our hands are tied ; we can 't do a thing. ' ' Colonel Dickey then asked permission to take his regiment out to investi- gate, receiving for reply: "Dickey, if you were to go out there with your regiment you would bring on a battle in less than an hour, and we have positive orders not to be drawn into a battle until Buell comes." 39 Colonel McPherson, Halleck's chief engineer, who was camping with the second division (W. H. L. Wallace) fully corroborates the above state- 42 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH ments, by saying: "It was well known the enemy was approaching our lines". 40 Apprehension of an early attack upon the camp prevailed among the subordinate officers of General Prentiss's division, as well as among those of Gen- eral Sherman's division, and similar orders were given to companies and regiments to be prepared for a night or an early morning attack. And it seems now to be well settled that the reconnoitering party sent out from Prentiss's division before daylight on Sunday morning was sent out by Colonel Peabody of the 25th Missouri, commanding the first brigade of the division, and without the knowledge of Gen- eral Prentiss. In the history of the 25th Missouri, edited and compiled by Dr. W. A. Neal, Assistant Surgeon of the regiment, and published in 1889, appears a de- tailed account of the action of Colonel Peabody on the eve of the battle, as related by Lieutenant James M. Newhard, at the time Orderly Sergeant of Com- pany E, 25th Missouri, one of the companies in the reconnoitering party. It is related that Colonel Peabody urged upon General Prentiss on Saturday the 5th that an attack was very probable and that preparation ought to be made accordingly. As nothing was done except to strengthen pickets and guards Colonel Peabody, under the influence of a premonition that an attack would be made early in THE BATTLE OF SHILOII 43 the morning- and that he would not survive the battle, decided to take upon himself the responsibility of sending out a party to reeonnoiter. So Ma j or Pow- ell, an officer of the Regular Army and Field Officer of the Day was ordered to take three companies of the 25th Missouri, start at about 3 o'clock in the morning, and march until he found the enemy. The companies constituting the party were B, H, and E, of the 25th Missouri. How and where the enemy was found will be related farther on. Some persons will have doubts, probably, in re- gard to the story of Colonel Peabody 's premonitions of attack, and death in battle, but there can be no doubt about the attack, or about the death of Colonel Peabody, within a few minutes after the main bat- tle began. Major Powell was also killed early in the battle, and so the two principal actors in the first scene of the drama passed quickly off the stage, but not until after the chief of the two was severely reprimanded, at the head of his brigade in line and waiting for orders. The following letter, to a nephew of Colonel Peabody, here given by permis- sion, tells the story. 333 Highland Av. Me. F. E. Peabody, Somerville, Mass. Feby. 27th 1902 Box 7 Boston. Dear Sir: Referring to our conversation concerning the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, April 6 & 7, 1862, I have to 44 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH state that: Everett Peabody, Colonel of the 25th Mo. Vol. Inft., was in command of the first Brigade 6th Division and I was senior Captain of the regiment. At early morn before breakfast the line of Battle was formed, with the right of Brigade resting on the right of our regimental color line. My company was on the right of Bri- gade. A few minutes after the line was formed, General Pren- tiss rode up near Colonel Peabody, who was mounted and in front of my company, about the center of the first platoon and said to him, ' ' Colonel Peabody, I hold you responsible for bringing on this fight. ' ' Saluting, Colonel Peabody said : "If I brought on the fight I am able to lead the van." G-eneral Prentiss ordered him to take his best regiment .... the next words I heard were : ' ' 25th Missouri, forward. ' ' Signed Yours respectfully, F. C. Nichols, Captain U. S. Army, Retired; formerly Major & Capt. 25th Mo. Vol. Inf. War of '61 & 5. This letter by Capt. Nichols makes clear and pos- itive two important points: (1) that General Pren- tiss, like General Sherman, was impressed with the idea that, under General Halleck's orders the en- emy was to be avoided rather than sought out, and he reprimanded his brigade commander for doing, irregularly, the very thing that saved the army from the "surprise" about which so many un- truths have been told; (2) the letter makes it clear that Prentiss's division was neither in bed nor at breakfast, when the attack came — it was in line THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 45 "before breakfast", and the enemy was received with a hot fire, as will appear. Prentiss's reprimand of Colonel Peabody was, doubtless, prompted by the same sense of responsi- bility as was that administered by General Sher- man to Colonel Buckland, already mentioned. It had been "ground into" each division commander, so to speak, that, "in no case" were they "to be drawn into an engagement." There was another incident in the activities im- mediately preceding the battle, more important than anything yet mentioned, which, however, was not revealed, until forty years later — an incident which, had it been known when and by whom it should have been known, the Battle of Shiloh would have had a different story to tell. We now know, though the knowledge is comparatively recent but entirely reliable, that General Lew. Wallace, com- manding the second division of the army at Crump's Landing, had positive information of the movement of the Confederate army to attack Grant on the very day that the movement began — information brought directly to him by one trusted scout and confirmed by a second. During two full days and three nights ("for three days and nights," to quote his language) he "simmers" this all-important in- formation in his mind, trying to determine how he 46 THE BATTLE OP SHILOH could best reenforce the comrades beyond Snake Creek in case of need. General Wallace tells in Ms Autobiography how and when the information came to him of the move- ment of the Confederate army from Corinth as follows : "About as the sun set, Thursday, the 4th [3d], Bell the scout came into my tent, evidently the worse for a hard ride, and said, abruptly, 'I bring you news, sir. . . . The whole rebel army is on the way up from Corinth. . . . They set out this morning early. By this time the}^ are all on the road .... batteries and all. ' This important information was confirm- ed by another scout (Carpenter) : 'Johnston's cut loose and is making for Pittsburg. ' " 41 General Wallace says that he sent this informa- tion by his orderly, on the same evening to Pitts- burg Landing, with instructions in case Grant was not found to leave the dispatch with the postmas- ter, to be delivered next morning. General Wal- lace's excuse for not sending a proper officer with positive orders to find Grant, seems almost too puerile to be credited — he did not want to appear ' ' officious ' '. The dispatch never reached its proper destination, and the secret was in the keeping of General Wallace until he disclosed it in his Autobio- graphy. For his own reputation, it might better have died with him. A dispatch boat was at all THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 47 times at Wallace's headquarters, subject to his or- ders, and there should have been no difficulty in the way of finding General Grant within two hours, whether at the Landing above or at Savannah below. It is worth remembering in this connection that the orderly sent with this dispatch went by the river road and over Snake Creek bridge which had been repaired on that very day under direction of Colonel McPherson, Halleck's chief engineer. General Wallace pleaded ignorance of this road, two days later, in excusing himself for marching his division over the wrong road. THE UNION ARMY AND THE FIELD To understand and properly appreciate the diffi- culties under which the Battle of Shiloh was fought on the Union side, the composition of the Army and the topography of the field must both be considered. The Army of the Tennessee as it was camped in the woods above Pittsburg Landing on Sunday morn- ing, April 6, 1862, was never in a camp of organiza- tion and instruction, as an Army — it grew by accre- tion, beginning at Fort Donelson in the middle of February preceding. Some of the regiments that stormed the enemy's works at Donelson dropped into line for the first time under fire, and only a few hours before the assault was made. In like manner new and untrained regiments and batteries came, 48 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH one by one, to swell the ranks at Shiloh, even after the roar of battle sounded through the woods, tak- ing their assigned places under fire. The division (Prentiss's 6th) from which the reeonnoitering party went out before daylight on Sunday morning to "surprise" the enemy was the newest of the new, having but two organized brigades — though there was enough "raw material" assigned to the divi- sion for a third brigade, not all on the ground, how- ever, when the battle began. Attention is called to these facts for the reason that they should be taken into account in passing judgment upon the Battle of Shiloh. Besides the lack of organization and drill of the army the character of the field upon which the bat- tle was fought should be considered. It has been said with much truth that a clear understanding of the Battle of Shiloh cannot be had without studying the movements on the ground. A written descrip- tion can convey only a very general idea of the plateau upon which the battle was fought ; hence a map showing the principal streams, roads, open fields, etc., is added to aid the study of the positions and movements (Map II). The plateau, rising eighty to one hundred feet above the Tennessee on the east, was surrounded by almost impassable barriers on all sides — except an opening to the southwest, two and a half to three THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 49 miles in width. The plateau sheds its waters west, north, and east — west and northwest into Owl Creek; north into Snake Creek; and east into the Tennessee. The creeks were effectually guarded by swampy margins and heavy timber, or by a com- bination of the three — timber, under-brush, and swamp. They admitted of no crossing except by bridges, of which there was one on each of the streams leading to and from the battle field. The Tennessee could be crossed only by boat, as the army had never been supplied with pontoons. This plateau, bordered as described, was cut into numerous gullies and ravines by small spring- branches, running to all points of the compass in finding their tortuous ways to the larger streams. Most of these spring-branches ran through marshy ground — impassable in the early spring except where bridged. Some of the ravines were deep, miry, and so densely choked with briers and bram- bles as to defy invasion by anything much larger than a rabbit. The hillsides and the ridges were covered with timber and underbrush, except where small farms were under cultivation. There was not an elevation anywhere on the three miles square from which a general view could be had. Wide flanking movements were impossible to either army, and cavalry was practically useless. The Landing itself was a mud bank at the foot of a steep bluff, a 50 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH single road winding around the bluff and up the hillside to higher ground. At a distance of about a half-mile from the Landing the road forked and a little further on struck the Hamburg and Savannah road, running nearly parallel with the river. Still further on the Corinth road crossed the Hamburg and Purely road and struck the Bark road, one branch three miles out and the other branch four miles out. Besides these main roads shown on the map, there were numerous farm roads winding around on the ridges, and the needs of the army made many new roads — all were deep in mud made of the most tenacious clay, so that the unloading of boats and the hauling to camp was a slow and labor- ious process for both man and mule. Had John Codman Ropes understood the topog- raph}^ and other conditions of the field of Shiloh, he would hardly have ventured to criticise General Johnston for making a front attack upon the com- mands of Hurlbut, Prentiss, and Wallace, and for failing to force his way along the Hamburg and Savannah road on the Union left at an earlier hour. General Johnston had no choice but to make a front attack and he did his best to force his way along the Hamburg and Savannah road, toward the Landing at the earliest possible hour. Why and how he failed to accomplish his main object, before the close of the day, will appear later. The ground between the THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 51 Hamburg and Savannah road and the river was much broken — so much so that there were but two or three cultivated fields on that part of the plateau. THE CONFEDERATE ARMY AND ITS ORJECTIVE As already stated, after the surrender of Fort Donelson and the evacuation of Nashville General Johnston's army fell back as rapidly as possible southward to the line of the Memphis and Charles- ton Railroad with a view to joining General Beaure- gard, who commanded the territory west of the Tennessee River with headquarters at Corinth. By the last week in March there had been concentrated at Corinth and in the vicinity an army of 40,000 effective men, and General Johnston took command on the 29th of March with General Beauregard sec- ond in command. The object to be accomplished by this army was to attack and defeat Grant's army be- fore the arrival of Buell, then on the march from Nashville with 37,000 men, following up this antici- pated success with the defeat of Buell, thus opening the way back to Nashville so recently evacuated. The movement from Corinth and surrounding camps to attack Grant began in the early morning of April 3d, with a view to making the attack early on the 5th. Bad weather and bad roads delayed the attack twenty-four hours — to Sunday morning, April 6th. 52 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH How the expected "surprise" of Grant's army was anticipated will now be told. THE BATTLE It is not the purpose to describe in detail the move- ments of the battle throughout the two days, but only to touch upon salient features. One of the salient features, and not the least important, is that of the action of the reconnoitering party heretofore referred to as having been sent out before daylight on Sunday morning from Prentiss 's division. Gen- eral Prentiss in his official report makes no men- tion of the Powell party, but he says that "at 3 o'clock .... Col. David Moore, Twenty-first Mis- souri, with five companies of his infantry regiment, proceeded to the front, and at break of day the ad- vance pickets were driven in". 42 Colonel Moore, in his official report, says that he was ordered out by Colonel Peabody, commanding the First Brigade, "at about 6 o'clock", to support the picket guard which "had been attacked and driven in". It appears to be certain, therefore, that both the reconnoitering party under Major Powell and the support under Colonel Moore were ordered out by Colonel Peabody without consulting the division commander ; hence the reprimand above quoted — heard and remembered by many others THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 53 besides Captain Nichols. Colonel Moore 's command was a reenforcing not a reconnoitering party. The line of march of the Powell party may be traced on the map (No. II) along the road passing the camp of the 25th Missouri, past the southeast corner of Rhea Field and the north side of Seay Field, passing the picket line at the forks of the road and striking the corner of Fraley Field a few rods farther on. From this point the videttes of the Con- federate picket, under Major Hardcastle of Har- dee's corps were encountered. The videttes fired upon the advancing party and retired to the picket line at the southwest corner of Fraley Field. The fight between the picket post and Powell's party began at once, though it was still quite dark — ' i too dark to see, in the timber and underbrush", so the firing at first was at random. As there never was an official report made of the part taken by the Powell reconnoitering party, as both the officer ordering it out and the officer commanding it were killed early in the main battle, we must rely upon the report of the officer commanding the Confeder- ate picket at Fraley Field for the incidents of that encounter. Major Hardcastle says the firing began ' i about dawn " (at 4 :55 in fact) , and he says : ' ' We fought the enemy an hour or more without giving an inch". "At about 6:30" he saw the brigade formed behind him and "fell back". The casual- 54 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH ties in Major Hardcastle's command were four killed and nineteen wounded. 43 The casualties in the Powell party were never certainly known. This stubborn picket fight seems to have been something of a " surprise" to at least one of the Confederate generals. General Bragg, command- ing the second line of attack, says in his official re- port that ' ' the enemy did not give us time to discuss the question of attack, for soon after dawn he com- menced a rapid musketry fire on our pickets." 44 Major Hardcastle, commanding this picket line, says : ' ' The enemy opened a heavy fire on us at a distance of about two hundred yards". 45 That the Confederate line was not ready to move forward at once when the firing began appears from Major Hardcastle 's official report. He says : "At about 6 :30 a. m. I saw the brigade formed in my rear and fell back. " 45 So there was a full hour and a half elapsed between the beginning of the firing and the movement forward. The battle front, two and a half to three miles in extent with a curtain of skirmish- ers, advanced to the attack. Major Powell's party and the Union pickets that joined him fell slowly back, carrying their dead and wounded until they met Colonel Moore with five companies of his regi- ment (21st Missouri). Colonel Moore taking com- mand, sent back for the other five companies of his regiment, under Lieutenant Colonel Woodyard. THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 55 The force now consisted of the 21st Missouri, three companies of the 25th Missouri, four companies of the 16th Wisconsin, and two companies of the 12th Michigan — all infantry. This force formed in Seay Field and advanced to a point near the north- west corner of the field, where the Confederate skirmishers were encountered, the 8th and 9th Ar- kansas (Map III). There was a sharp fight at this point lasting about thirty minutes, in which Colonel Moore was severely wounded. Lieutenant Mann of the same regiment was wounded, and Cap- tain Saxe (16th Wisconsin) was killed — the first Union officer killed in the Battle of Shiloh. As the Confederates advanced, the little Union force moved slowly back across Shiloh Branch, forming again at a point about two hundred yards from the southeast corner of Rhea Field, where the remainder of Peabody's brigade was in line. This position was held from a half hour to an hour against two brigades (Shaver's and Wood's). While falling back in line from this point Major King (21st Missouri) was mortally wounded. Meantime, General Prentiss had formed the re- mainder of his division (Miller's brigade) and had advanced about eighty rods from the front of his camp to the south side of Spain Field (Map III), where he was joined by Peabody's brigade, Powell's party, and the pickets. The division, now consist- 56 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH ing of seven regiments and two batteries, was here attacked by four brigades — Wood, Shaver, Glad- den, and Chalmers — comprising twenty regiments and three batteries. Against this tremendous odds the position was held for about thirty minutes, when the division fell back to the line of the camp where another stand of about thirty minutes was made, the division finally retiring at about nine o'clock — more than five hours after the reconnoitering party marched out. Among the casualties on the Union side in front of Prentiss's division were Colonel Peabody and Major Powell, killed 46 ; and on the Confederate side General Gladden was mortally wounded. There is ample testimony in the official reports of Confederate officers to show that the resistance met by their several commands in the slow advance from the picket line had none of the features of a sham battle. There were many casualties on both sides — how many was never certainly known. There was no bayoneting of Union men on their beds in their tents or elsewhere. Indeed there was never any foundation for such stories except in the imagination of sensational newspaper correspond- ents. And it is further to be stated that at the time when the lines came in collision at the front — about 8 o 'clock — every regiment in the camp, three miles THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 57 in extent, was in line waiting orders or was march- ing toward the sound of battle. A word of explanation should here be made in regard to General Sherman's (5th) division. This division was the first to go into camp at Pittsburg Landing, and the necessities of the situation re- quired it to cover three important approaches from the back country to the Landing ; namely, the main Corinth road ; a bridge on the Hamburg and Purdy road over Owl Creek ; and a ford over Lick Creek near its mouth which accommodated travel from Hamburg both to Purdy and Savannah. The cross- ing of Owl Creek was about three miles west of the Landing, and the crossing of Lick Creek was about the same distance to the south of the Landing ; while the Corinth road ran southwest nearly midway be- tween the two crossings. General Sherman camped three brigades (1st, 3d, and 4th) to occupy the Cor- inth road at Shiloh meeting-house, thus covering Owl Creek bridge. The other brigade (Stuart's) camping to cover Lick Creek crossing, was separat- ed from the division by a little mpre than one mile, and it remained separated throughout the first day's battle, acting independently of the orders of the divi- sion commander. The space between the two parts of Sherman's division was later occupied by Gen- eral Prentiss's (6th) division formed of new regi- ments as they arrived. When reference is here- 58 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH after made to Sherman's division, in the action of Sunday, it is to be understood that Stuart's brigade is not included for the reasons explained. Still another explanation is needed. When Gen- eral Sherman first went into camp special attention was paid to the selection of camping sites conven- ient to good water. By consulting the map it will be seen that three brigades of this division were camped somewhat irregularly, the left brigade be- ing out of line with the other brigades and also out of line in itself. As a consequence when line of battle was formed on Sunday morning it was not a prolonged line, the left of Hildebrand's brigade being well forward and in an open field where it was peculiarly exposed to the force of the first onset to which it quickly yielded as will be seen. At a little after seven o'clock, and after line of battle had been formed, General Sherman and staff rode to the left of his division in Rhea Field for a better view to the front; and while there in front of the 53d Ohio regiment (Col. Appier) the Confed- erate skirmishers opened fire from the brush across Shiloh Branch, killing the general's orderly. At about eight o'clock, looking off to the "left front", there were seen "the glistening bayonets of masses of infantry", and then, for the first time, General Sherman was convinced that "the enemy designed a determined attack." 47 A few minutes later the THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 59 Confederate advance struck Sherman's left under Colonel Hildebrand, and Prentiss's right under Col- onel Peabody. How Prentiss 's division met the at- tack has already been stated. How Sherman 's divi- sion met it will now be shown. The 53d Ohio, exposed as has been explained, and commanded, unfortunately, by an officer whose nerve deserted him at the critical moment, after firing two volleys, became demoralized and as an organization disappeared, though two companies were rallied by their officers, joined other organiza- tions and staid on the firing line throughout the day. Colonel Appier disappeared from the field and was later cashiered for cowardice. The attack on Sherman's left and center by Cle- burne's brigade of Hardee's corps was furious and sustained — to be repulsed, however, with heavy loss, by Buckland's brigade and the two remaining regiments of Hildebrand 's brigade. Cleburne, in his official report of this affair, says : ' ' Everywhere his musketry and artillery at short range swept the open spaces with an iron storm that threatened certain destruction to every living thing that would dare to cross them Under the terrible fire much confusion followed, and a quick and bloody repulse was the consequence." 48 One of Cleburne's regiments (6th Miss.) lost three hundred men, killed and wounded, out of 425, 60 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH and his brigade soon went to pieces. A second as- sault was made by Anderson's brigade of Bragg 's corps to meet a similar repulse. A third assault was made by two brigades of Polk's corps (Rus- sell's and Johnson's) joined with the reorganized brigades of Cleburne and Anderson and assist- ed by Wood on their right. This assault was suc- cessful, forcing Sherman from his first line at about ten o'clock, and with him one brigade of McClernand 's division that had come to his support on the left. Sherman 's right brigade ( McDowell 's ) was not involved in this engagement for the reason that the line of attack crossed its front diagonally without bringing it into action; but a little later Pond's brigade, from the extreme left of Bragg 's corps, appeared in McDowell's front, overlapping his right and covering Owl Creek bridge. Orders were then given to fall back to the Purdy road, and McDowell's camp was abandoned without a fight. By this tune Hildebrand's brigade had gone to pieces and Hildebrand himself being without a command, reported to General McClernand for staff duty. In fact this first assault on Sherman's line fell mainly upon a single brigade (Buck- land's), and it was on the hillside in his front where, according to General Lew. Wallace, there was "a pavement of dead men", after the fight was over. This must be considered one of the conspicu- THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 61 ous features of Sunday's battle. Time was of the utmost importance, to enable the proper formations in distant parts of the camp. The needed time was secured by the stubborn fight made by Sherman's division on its first line ; and it was probably this that gained for General Sherman, in the minds of some, credit for saving the day. It was in the Confederate plan to push its right east to the river, turn the Union left, seize the Land- ing, and force the army back on Owl Creek where it was expected surrender would necessarily follow. The stubbornness of the resistance to the Confeder- ate left delayed the movement toward the river somewhat, though two brigades (Chalmers's and Jackson's) were in front of the Union left near the mouth of Lick Creek, very soon after the extreme right fell back from the first line. To meet these two brigades of nine regiments and two batteries, Colonel Stuart had a single brigade of three regi- ments without artillery — and one of these regi- ments (71st Ohio) was led oft' the field by its colonel soon after the fight began, to take no further part in the day's battle. Colonel Mason was later cashiered for his conduct at Shiloh. The two remaining regiments of this brigade gave a good account of themselves (55th Illinois and 54th Ohio), making heroic resistance and suf- fering severely in casualties. There are those who 62 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH believe that the fighting on the extreme left by this little band of about eight hundred men without artillery and against three or four times their num- ber with artillery was not less important than was the fighting on the extreme right, though less con- spicuous. This movement of the Confederate right was under the personal direction of General Johnston, and upon its quick success depended the success of the battle as planned. Before eleven o'clock the battle was raging from right to left, a distance of three to four miles. As has been already stated, by the time that the battle was fairly on at the front every regiment in the most distant parts of the camp was in line. McClernand promptly supported Sherman, and Hurlbut also sent one of his brigades (Veatch's) to that part of the field, leading his two remaining brigades to support Prentiss. Hurlbut, meeting Prentiss 's division falling back in disorder, allowed the men to drift through his ranks, then formed line at the Peach Orchard, facing Lauman's bri- gade west and Williams's brigade south, where he met first the attack of Chalmers's and Jackson's brigades from the direction of Prentiss's aban- doned camp. A little later this position was attacked by the brigades of Bowen, Statham, Stephens, and Gladden — the latter officer, however, having re- THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 63 ceived a mortal wound in front of Prentiss's first line, as already stated. C. F. Smith's (2nd) division, now commanded by "W. H. L. Wallace, camped near the Landing, and fully three miles from the point where the battle began, was in line by eight o'clock, and the first brigade of four regiments (Colonel Tuttle) ad- vanced to Duncan Field and took position in the " sunken road" — long abandoned as useless, but which ere nightfall was destined to become famous for desperate fighting against odds (Map III). Of the second brigade (General McArthur's) one regiment was sent to the right; two were sent to cover Snake Creek bridge, over which General Lew. Wallace's division was expected at an early hour; and two marched under General McArthur himself, to the support of Stuart, on the extreme left. The third brigade (Sweeny's) moved south on the Corinth road to act as a reserve, though it was not permitted to wait upon opportunity. Two regiments of this brigade (7th and 58th Illinois) were sent at once to the right to prolong Tuttle 's line to connect with McClernand, going into posi- tion at about nine-thirty o 'clock. A third regiment (50th Illinois) was sent to McArthur on the left; and the remaining regiment of the brigade (8th Iowa), between eleven and twelve o 'clock, took posi- tion at Tuttle 's left in the " sunken road" connect- 64 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH ing its left with Prentiss who, having rallied a part of his division, put them in at the right of Hurlbut. Prentiss was here joined under fire by the 23d Mis- souri, just landed from the boats, giving him about one thousand men in the "Hornets' Nest". Two other regiments (15th and 16th Iowa), assigned to Prentiss's division, landing too late to join him at his camp, were sent to McClernand, joining him at Jones's Field, one and a half miles west of the Landing. Before noon the contending armies were in con- tinuous and compact line from flank to flank. Welded in the furnace heat of four hours' battle without a moment's respite, it might be said with little exaggeration that the men stood foot to foot, contending for the mastery. The Union lines had steadily but slowly receded, shortening at the flanks, and the Confederates had as steadily advanced, extending their flanks but recoiling again and again from attacks made at the center, and with heavy loss. The Confederate reserve under General Breck- enridge, about 8,500 men, were all in action before noon, the first brigade (Trabue) going in on their extreme left at about the time that Sherman fell back from his first line. The other two brigades (Bowen and Statham) went into line on the right, south of the Peach Orchard, between eleven and THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 65 twelve o'clock, in front of Hurlbut and near where General Johnston had his headquarters in the sad- dle. Though General Johnston personally directed the battle on the Confederate side, in this part of the field, he did not, as some writers have told the story, personally encourage an unwilling Tennessee regi- ment by riding along the line and tapping the bay- onets of the men with a tin cup which he carried in his hand, then leading the line in a furious charge. No part of such an incident occurred there or else- where, on the authority of one of General John- ston's chief Aids, Governor Harris of Tennessee — the only person who was present at the death of General Johnston soon after, and near the spot where the incident is said to have occurred. Stuart, McArthur, and Hurlbut having success- fully repulsed several attacks, General Johnston was evidently convinced that the Union left was not to be easily turned; and so about noon under his personal direction, having put into his lines two brigades of the reserve under General Brecken- ridge, a forward movement was ordered, six bri- gades participating — Chalmers 's, Jackson 's, Bow- en 's, Statham's, Stephens's, and Gladden 's. Threat- ened on his left by a cavalry flanking movement, Stuart was the first slowly to give ground; Mc- Arthur, on Stuart's right, necessarily followed, both changing front from south to southeast, falling 66 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH back and fighting for every foot of ground. This movement compelled Hurlbut to retire from his first position to the north side of the Peach Or- chard (Map IV). At about two o'clock, Colonel Stuart having been wounded, his two regiments having lost heavily, and having exhausted their ammunition — even after robbing the cartridge- boxes of their dead and wounded comrades — re- tired toward the Landing. General McArthur followed not long after ; and General Hurlbut, hav- ing connected his right with General Prentiss's left, swung back until their lines were nearly at right angles (Map V). Hurlbut retired toward the Landing at about four or four-thirty o'clock, leaving the line from left to right in the following- order: Prentiss's command, 8th Iowa of Sweeny's brigade, Tuttle's full brigade, and the 58th Illinois of Sweeny's brigade. While this fierce struggle was in progress on the Confederate right, at about two-thirty afternoon, General Johnston received the wound from which he died a few minutes later. General Bragg then took command of the right, and General Ruggles succeeded Bragg in the center. While the battle raged on the Union left, as des- cribed, it was not less stubborn and bloody on the right; but Sherman and McClernand were forced back to the Hamburg and Savannah road — a mile THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 67 from the Landing — about four-thirty o'clock, the Confederates gradually closing in from both flanks around the center (Map VI). Meantime General W. H. L. Wallace had sent orders for his command to retire ; but for some reason never explained four of his six regiments did not receive the order and were captured, as will be explained. As General Wallace and General Tuttle, followed by the 2nd and 7th Iowa Regiments, were fighting their way through a severe crossfire at short range, General Wallace was mortally wounded, and was left on the field to be recovered the next day, dying three or four days later without recovering consciousness. THE HORNETS' NEST This appellation owes its origin to the men who felt the sting of the hornets. William Preston Johnston in his history of his father (General A. S. Johnston) speaks of the term as a "mild met- aphor", and says that "no figure of speech would be too strong to express the deadly peril of an assault upon this natural fortress whose inaccessible bar- riers blazed for six hours with sheets of flame, and whose infernal gates poured forth a murderous storm of shot and shell and musket-fire which no living thing could quell or withstand". 49 No more graphic description of the fight at the Hornets' Nest has been written than that of which 68 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH the language quoted is a part — written from the view-point of the attacking forces, and, therefore, written with full knowledge of the results that fol- lowed from the " murderous storm of shot and shell and musket-fire." It is literally true that Duncan Field and the woods and thickets bordering it along the "sunken road" were thickly strewn with the dead and wounded. The same author tells us that "Hindman's brilliant brigades .... were shivered into fragments and paralyzed" ; that Stewart's reg- iments .... retired mangled from the field"; that "Gibson's splendid brigade .... recoiled and fell back" — four several times, indeed. Colonel Gib- son, in his official report says of his brigade : ' ' Four times the position was charged and four times the assault proved unavailing." The best informed writer, living or dead, on the details and incidents of the Battle of Shiloh — Ma- jor D. W. Reed, Secretary and Historian of the Shiloh National Military Park Commission and author of Campaigns and Battles Twelfth Regiment Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry, who was himself in the Nest during the entire day, says there were "twelve separate and distinct charges" made upon the line at the Hornets' Nest, with the result that three Confederate brigades were "entirely disor- ganized", and that "thirteen regiments lost their regimental organizations .... and were not brought THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 69 into the fight again .... during the day. ' ' 50 Gen- eral Ruggles, who commanded the Confederate lines in that part of the field after the death of Gen- eral Johnston, designates this as "one of the con- trolling conflicts of that eventful day." 51 The position was of such conspicuous importance that a brief description of the ground will not be out of place. Moving out on the Corinth road from the Land- ing about three-fourths of a mile one crosses the Hamburg and Savannah road. A fourth of a mile further on the road forks, the left-hand branch (Eastern Corinth) bearing south of southwest; and one-fourth of a mile still further on it crosses an old abandoned road near the southeast corner of Dun- can Field, and near the center of the Hornets' Nest. The right-hand road from the fork runs nearly west, crossing the north end of Duncan Field, then bearing south passes the "Little Log Meeting- house". At the point where this road, going from the Landing, strikes the east line of Duncan Field the abandoned road leads off to the southeast about a half-mile, then bending east to the Hamburg and Savannah road near Bloody Pond — another sig- nificant local name. Along this abandoned road, beginning near the north end of Duncan Field, the line of battle from right to left, was as follows: 58th Illinois (Sweeny's brigade) ; second, seventh, 70 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH twelfth, and fourteenth Iowa regiments (Tuttle's brigade) ; to the left of this brigade was the eighth Iowa, of Sweeny's brigade; to the left still was Prentiss's division, consisting of one entire regi- ment (23d Missouri), and parts of several other regiments — the entire line numbering not to ex- ceed 2,500 men. The old road ran along a slight elevation and was so water-washed in places as to afford good shelter to men lying down to fire on an advancing enemy — a sort of natural rifle-pit, though rather shallow in places. About half of the distance, from right to left, there was open field extending to the front about 500 yards to the timber occupied by the Confederates. The left half of the line was well screened by timber and, for the most part, by a heavy growth of underbrush so that the advancing lines not able to see the men lying in the old road were received with a crushing fire at short range. In every instance the repulse was complete and bloody. General Ruggles, becoming convinced that the position could not be taken by infantry, from the front, determined to concentrate his artillery and bombard the strong-hold. He tells us in his official report 52 that he directed his staff officers ' ' to bring- forward all the field guns they could collect from the left toward the right". General Ruggles evi- dently believed that this was a crisis in the battle, THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 71 admitting that ' ' for a brief period the enemy appar- ently gained". Nor was he alone in the belief, for one of his artillery officers (Captain Sandidge) said officially: "I have no doubt that had they been seasonably reinforced when they checked our ad- vancing troops, they could certainly have broken our lines". And he feared that result before the guns could be planted and infantry supports brought up. General Ruggles succeeded in bring- ing up sixty-two guns from the left, which were planted on the west side of Duncan Field about five hundred yards away ; and the bombardment began at about four-thirty afternoon. Of course there could be but one result. The Union batteries were forced to retire, leaving the way clear for the en- circling Confederate lines to close in. Besides the Ruggles aggregation of artillery of sixty-two guns, there must have been several other batteries playing upon the Hornets' Nest from the right, as none of the guns from that part of the field were in the Ruggles aggregation. Probably not less than sev- enty-five guns were trained on that devoted spot, and fully three-fourths of the Confederate army was coiling around it. And for some time before the surrender took place, a few minutes before six o'clock, rifle-fire poured in from three directions, as the beleagured faced about and attempted to fight their way out, The number to surrender was about 72 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 2,000 men. The importance of this prolonged con- test, from a little before ten forenoon to nearly six afternoon, upon the destinies of the day can hardly be estimated. It secured to General Grant's army the thing most needed — time to form the new line ; time for Lew. Wallace, for Buell, and for Night to come. The Hornets' Nest was distinctly an altar of sacrifice (Map VI). HOW BUELL SAVED THE DAY By the time the Confederate officers had re- covered from their " surprise" at the smallness of the capture at the Hornets' Nest, in view of the prolonged and effective resistance encountered, General Grant had formed his new line on the north side of Dill Branch, running from the mouth of the Branch on a curve back to the road leading from the Landing ; thence west to the Hamburg and Sa- vannah road ; thence north to the swamp bordering Snake Creek. At the extreme left of the line, the two gunboats lay opposite the mouth of the Branch. On the bluffs near the mouth of the Branch were two batteries, trained up-stream. Two other bat- teries were a little farther from the river and back nearer the road leading from the Landing ; and two more were still farther west, but advanced toward the edge of the bluffs overlooking the Branch. Back THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 73 on the road again and a little west were two more batteries before coming to the six big siege guns. A glance at the map for Sunday night's position will show that the line from the mouth of Dill Branch west to the siege guns was a semi-circle with the gunboats at the extreme left, and that there were about fifty guns in the line east of the Ham- burg and Savannah road, exclusive of the gunboats. Behind this array of artillery was ample infantry support, except on the extreme left where support was not needed, because of the nature of the ground in front. As General Nelson marched the head of his column up from the Landing at about five- thirty o'clock, he noted the absence of infantry along that part of the line, and in his official report he de- scribes what he saw as a "semicircle of artillery, totally unsupported by infantry", which was not quite true ; and he added another statement which was not at all true, namely; "the left of the artil- lery was completely turned by the enemy and the gunners fled from their pieces." 53 General Nelson evidently knew nothing of the batteries near the mouth of Dill Branch, for he struck the line at about the middle of the "semicircle" and the single regi- ment that he brought into action (36th Indiana) was sent to support the guns in front of the main line toward Dill Branch. Opposed to this array of Union artillery a single 74 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH Confederate battery took part in the last attack, and that was disabled. Any fair-minded person, having knowledge of the character of the ground between the lines of the two armies as the lines were on Sunday night — es- pecially on the left of the Union lines — must ad- mit that Grant's was a strong position and that his antagonist had serious obstacles to overcome before he could strike with effect. With as little delay as possible after the sur- render at the Hornets' Nest, General Bragg, still commanding the Confederate right, ordered his division commanders to "drive the enemy into the river", believing, doubtless, that the "drive" would be a brief and easy task. Accordingly the Confed- erate right uncoiled itself from around the Hornets' Nest and, led by Chalmers's and Jackson's bri- gades of Withers 's division, advanced along the road toward the Landing ; then, filing right, formed line on the south side of Dill Branch and near the margin of the deep ravine. This ravine, impass- able at its mouth by reason of steep bluffs and back- water, was difficult to pass fully a half-mile from its mouth. Its steep sides were timbered and ob- structed by underbrush, and at the bottom it was fairly choked with undergrowth. The last attack made upon the Union lines was upon the extreme left in which only two small bri- THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 75 gades and one battery participated. Chalmers's brigade bad nominally five regiments, but one of the regiments (52nd Tennessee) ''acted badly" in the early part of the day, and three hundred of its four hundred men are not to be counted. Jackson 's brigade detached one regiment to guard the Horn- ets ' Nest prisoners, so that it seems to be liberal, allowing for the losses of the day, to say that there were not to exceed 1800 men engaged in the last assault. The two brigades made their way down the south- ern slope, through the tangled undergrowth at the bottom of the ravine and, quoting from their official reports, "struggled" up the other slope, " which was very steep" encountering in "attempting to mount the last ridge" the "fire from a whole line of batteries protected by infantry and assisted by shells from the gunboats." General Chalmers says his men "were too much exhausted to storm the bat- teries". 5 * General Jackson says his men were without am- munition, having "only their bayonets to rely on", and that when "they arrived near the crest of the opposite hill", they "could not be urged farther without support", the men "sheltering themselves against the precipitous sides of the ravine" where ' ' they remained under fire for some time. ' ' ( The 76 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH Confederate skirmish line is shown on Map VI, at the crest of the bluff, north of Dill Branch.) This was the situation when eight companies of the 36th Indiana (Colonel Grose), about four hun- dred men, of Ammen's brigade, Nelson's division, Army of the Ohio, arrived on the scene. Colonel Grose was ordered to go to the support of Stone's battery, which was in position some distance in ad- vance of Grant's main line and near the brow of the hill up which the assailants were climbing with great difficulty. There the 36th Indiana exchanged shots with the skirmishers of Chalmers's brigade, during fifteen to thirty minutes 56 having one man killed and one man wounded. In his history of the 36th Indiana, Colonel Grose says that "after three or four rounds the enemy fell back. It was then dark." And he says, further, that "no part of Buell's army, except the Thirty-sixth Indiana, took any part whatever in the Sunday evening fight at Shiloh." And he might have said with equal truth and without disparagement to his regiment that the presence of the Thirty-sixth Indiana had no effect in determining the issues of the day. Had the four hundred men not been there the "enemy" would have retired just the same, for he could never have crossed the open space from the "last ridge" to the ' ' line of batteries ' '. The ground to be traversed was but gently rolling with little to obstruct the view — THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 77 no sheltering ridge or friendly copse to admit of unobserved approach. It must have been a ' ' rush ' ' of two to four hundred yards, in the face of point- blank firing, to reach the batteries, behind which, as already stated, was ample infantry support. The battle of the day really came to an end at the Hornets' Nest. All that followed was mere skir- mishing for the purpose of developing the new con- ditions. THE LOST OPPORTUNITY The "Lost Opportunity" is a phrase of Confed- erate origin and it refers to the last moments of Sunday's battle, briefly described above. Both the idea and the phrase seem to have been born of an afterthought, and a disposition to shift blame to the shoulders of General Beauregard, should blame be imputed, for failure to crush or capture Grant's army. The claim has been put forward with considerable persistency that the order of Gen- eral Beauregard to withdraw from the contest was responsible for the escape of Grant's army. This absurd claim has been answered most effectively by General Thomas Jordan, Adjutant-General of the Confederate forces engaged at Shiloh. In Southern Historical Society Papers, 57 General Jordan takes up the subject and refers to the offi- cial reports of several division, brigade, and regi- 78 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH mental commanders for the purpose of showing the demoralized and exhausted condition of the Confederate army. In referring to the report of General Withers, two brigades of whose division made the last feeble assault, he says : "If there be significance in words, he makes it clear that such was the absolute lateness of the hour, that had the attempt been made to carry the Federal batteries .... with such troops as were there assembled, it would have resulted in an awful butchery and dis- persion of all employed in so insensate, so prepos- terous an undertaking ; and such must be the verdict of any military man who may studiously read the reports of the subordinate officers of Withers 's three brigades, and bear in mind the formidable line of fifty-odd pieces of artillery which Webster had improvised ' \ 58 Surgeon J. C. Nott of General Bragg 's staff, who rode by his chief's side nearly all day, is quoted as saying that the "men .... were too much demoral- ized and indisposed to advance in the face of the shells .... bursting over us in every direction, and my impression was .... that our troops had done all that they would do, and had better be withdrawn. ' ' 59 Another officer of General Bragg 's staff, Colonel Urquhart, writing in 1880 is quoted thus: "The plain truth must be told, that our troops at the front were a thin line of exhausted men, who were THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 79 making no further headway Several years of subsequent service have impressed me that General Beauregard's order for withdrawing the troops was most timely". 60 The claim that there was a "Lost Opportunity" because of the order to retire, General Jordan says, "becomes simply shameful, under the light of the closely contemporaneous statements of every divi- sion commander, except one (Withers) ; of all the brigade and regimental commanders of each Con- federate corps, including the reserve whose reports have reached the light ; that is, of nearly all com- manders present in the battle. ' ' C1 This ought to be sufficient evidence to settle for- ever both propositions in the negative ; namely, the claim that Buell "saved the day", and that there was a "Lost Opportunity". The condition of Grant's army at the close of Sunday's battle as to strength has been greatly underrated by certain writers, and its disorganiza- tion has been greatly exaggerated by writers who have had an object in so representing it. It is true that both armies were badly battered as the result of about fourteen hours' continuous fighting with scarcely a moment 's cessation. Careful study of the reports of Confederate officers shows that there was not a single point of attack on any part of the field at any hour of the day where there was not 80 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH stubborn resistance with serious loss to the attack- ing forces. These reports also show that there was serious defection from their ranks, beginning early and continuing during the day, and that when night came on there was such disorganization that some of their commanders were entirely separated from their commands and remained so separated to the close of the battle, Monday night. These reports further show that instead of bivouacking in line of battle as did Grant's army the entire Confederate army, with the exception of a single brigade (Pond's brigade on the extreme left) withdrew a distance of two to four miles from the Landing. It is in evidence also from the same sources of infor- mation that General Beauregard was able to put in line on the morning of the second day substantially half the number of men that were in line on the morning of the first day. General Grant was able to put in line about the same proportion, exclusive of the reinforcements that came up during the night. There are no means of determining the compara- tive casualties in the two armies on the first day, but there is no reason for doubting that they were substantially equal — exclusive of the capture at the Hornets' Nest. It is known, however, that the casualties among field officers, from the grade of THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 81 colonel upward, were greater in the Union than in the Confederate army in Sunday's battle. Much has been said about the "stragglers" from the Union lines crowding the Landing and ' ' cower- ing" under the river bluffs — and w r ith about the same degree of exaggeration as certain writers have indulged in their descriptions of the opening of the battle. There were "stragglers" from both armies, and there is no reason to doubt that the numbers were substantially equal. It is true, how- ever, that the straggling was more in evidence on the Union side, for the very good reason that it was more concentrated — confined to a limited area about the Landing — while on the other side there was unlimited room for expansion and scattering over miles of territory. This remark applies with equal force to other features of the crowded condi- tion near the Landing, late in the day. Hundreds of teamsters with their four-mule and six-mule teams were there because it was the only place of safety for one of the essential parts of the army's equipment ; the sick from the regimental hospitals and company tents were there — several hundred of them — because there was no other place to go ; and hundreds of wounded were there from the front, together with a force of hospital attendants. Add these together and you have several thousand with- out counting a single "straggler". These things 82 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH are never considered by critics who have a cause to support. Every large army requires a small army to care for it, who are, necessarily, noncombatants. BUELL COMES ON THE FIELD By General Orders of March 31st, General Grant's headquarters were transferred from Sa- vannah to Pittsburg Landing; but a headquarters' office was continued at the former place for conven- ience up to the day of the battle, and General Grant passed between the two places every day, or nearly every day, on the headquarters' boat, Tigress. On Sunday morning, at Savannah, an "early break- fast" had been ordered, as it was General Grant's purpose to ride out with his staff to meet General Buell, whose arrival the evening before was not known. While at breakfast, firing was heard in the direction of Pittsburg Landing — "the breakfast was left unfinished" and General Grant and staff went directly to the boat and steamed rapidly up the river, stopping at Crump's Landing to order General Lew. Wallace to hold his division in readi- ness for marching orders. Before leaving Savannah General Grant sent to General Nelson of Buell's army, the following or- der: "An attack having been made on our forces, you will move j^our entire command to the river op- posite Pittsburg". 62 A similar order was sent to THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 83 General Wood, commanding another division of Buell's army, not yet arrived at Savannah, to move "with the utmost dispatch to the river" at Savan- nah, where boats would meet him. The following note was left for General Buell whose presence in Savannah was not known to General Grant : Savannah, April 6, 1862 General D. C. Buell : Heavy firing is heard up the river, indicating plainly that an attack has been made on our most advanced positions. I have been looking for this, but did not believe that the attack could be made before Monday or Tuesday. This necessitates my joining the forces up the river instead of meeting you today, as I had contemplated. I have directed General Nelson to move to the river with his division. He can march to opposite Pittsburg. Respectfully, your obedient servant, U. S. Grant Major-General Commanding. 63 This note clearly shows that General Grant, in common with his division commanders, was expect- ing an early attack. As soon as General Grant, after arriving on the field, learned the true situation, he sent a staff of- ficer with another order to General Nelson: "you will hurry up your command as fast as possible. All looks well but it is necessary for you to push forward as fast as possible". 64 Later still, prob- ably about noon though it may have been later, nothing having been heard either from Buell or 84 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH Nelson, General Grant sent another hurry-up order addressed to the "Commanding Officer Advance Forces (Buell 's Army) ' '. This order was delivered to General Buell on the boat as he was going to the Landing. He arrived at the Landing, he tells us in Shiloh Reviewed, about 1 o'clock, though Villard, who claims to have been on the same boat, makes the time later, between 5 and 6 o'clock, about the time that Nelson's advance crossed the river. And there are certain features of Buell 's official report which, in the absence of a definite statement on the point, make Villard 's claim as to the hour at least plausible. General Grant's first order to General Nelson must have been received as early as 7 o'clock — probably earlier, for Nelson had the order when General Buell, after hearing the firing, went to General Grant's headquarters for information, where he learned that the latter had "just started for the Landing". 65 General Nelson in his official report does not state the hour of receiving the order to march, but says that he "left Savannah, by order of General Grant, reiterated by General Buell in person, at 1.30 p. m. " 66 The language is a little ambiguous, but it doubtless means that the order was "reiterated" about noon or later and that the march began at THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 85 one-thirty, afternoon. 67 (Colonel Ammen says at one, afternoon.) Villard, heretofore quoted, says that Nelson re- ceived Grant's order about noon, by which he prob- ably means the "reiterated" order. In any event it appears that General Buell "held up" the order to Nelson fully five hours and then "reiterated" it. Why did General Buell do that ? Why did General Nelson wait to have the order ' ' reiterated ' ' ? Why did he not obey the original order regardless of any dilatory order from General Buell, since the con- tingency had arisen under which by General Hal- leck's instructions General Grant was "authorized to take the general command" of both armies; namely, an attack upon his own army ? Had Gen- eral Nelson marched under the original order, his division would have been on the field at about the time that it started on the ten-mile march. What might have been the effect of throwing 4,500 fresh men in the scale of battle, then hanging in doubtful poise, is, of course, conjectural — and it must be left to conjecture, though there is little room for doubt. General Nelson's entire division was across the river soon after dark. Advancing a little to the front on the extreme left it bivouacked for the night. A little later General Lew. Wallace came up on the extreme right, his division numbering about 5,000 86 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH men; but having to counter-march the division in order to bring the regiments in proper position his formation was not completed until after mid- night when it went into bivouack. During Sunday night Crittenden's division of Buell's army (two brigades) came up by boat, and in the morning two brigades of McCook's division arrived, to be joined about noon by another brigade. Wood's division, which was about thirty miles away when the battle began, arrived on the field at about two afternoon Monday, when the battle was about over. The total additions to the Union lines up to noon on Monday was approximately 20,000 men. During Sunday's battle General Grant passed from point to point behind the firing line, meeting and consulting with his division commanders and carefully observing the movements of the contend- ing forces, for, as has already been stated, there was no point on the field from which general observa- tions could be made. On Monday he commanded his own army, giving no orders to General Buell, the latter exercising independent command. Why General Grant did not assiune "general command" of both armies we might fairly conjecture (if con- jecture were necessary) to be due to the attitude of General Buell toward Grant's order to Nelson on Sunda}^ morning — treating it as invalid until "re- THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 87 iterated" by himself. There is no room for con- jecture in the matter, however, for General Buell says in his Shiloh Reviewed™: "I did not look upon him [Grant] as my commander". There is evidence also that Buell was disposed to treat the subject of Sunday's battle as something of a sham — that the resistance to the Confederate attacks was not particularly strenuous. General Tuttle of Grant's army, acted on Monday as reserve to Gen- eral Buell, having under his command the two Iowa Regiments that cut their way out of the Hornets' Nest on Sunday, and one or two other regiments of Grant's army. General Tuttle relates that "while passing over the field, April 7th", following up the advancing lines, "General Buell taunted me with not having done any fighting that amounted to any- thing [on Sunday]." When they came to the "clearing" in front of the Hornets' Nest and saw the ground strewn with dead, Buell "was compelled to confess that there must have been terrible fight- ing". Had General Buell passed over the ground at the Peach Orchard and over the slope in front of Sherman's first line, he would have found sim- ilar conditions t< > those in the ' * clearing ' ' in front of the Hornets' Nest, His estimate of the vigor of the Confederate attacks on Sunday was probably based upon the feeble attack made by exhausted men 88 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH which he himself saw near the Landing on Sunday night. In Monday's battle General Buell's army consti- tuted the left and General Grant's the right, with General Lew. Wallace's fresh division occupying the extreme right of the line — and it is worth men- tioning here that at least two of Grant's regiments were sent before the battle was over to the extreme left, and one of them, under command of General Nelson, made a bayonet charge across an open field. Another of Grant's regiments, under Crittenden and near the center, charged and captured a battery. In neither case was it necessary for General Grant to "reiterate" the requisite orders. As to the outcome of the contest on Monday there could be no doubt, with the large accession to the ranks of the Union army — a force nearly equal to the number of men that the Confederates were able to put in line. General Grant had instructed his division commanders on Sunday night to be ready to attack early in the morning, and General Buell ordered his divisions "to move forward as soon as it was light". Artillery fire began nearly at the same time — about five-thirty — on the extreme flanks of the Union army, though the lines were not in contact until about eight o 'clock. It would not be correct to characterize the movements of the Union lines on Monday as General Beauregard character- THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 89 ized the movements of the Confederate lines on Sunday — the figure of the " Alpine avalanche" would not apply to the movements of either day. However, the Union lines moved forward without serious repulses at any point, though there were some reverses on the left. The Confederates held their ground with stubbornness, occupying the line of the Purdy road until about noon. By two o 'clock the battle was practically over, and an hour later the Confederates were in full retreat. Map No. VII will give a good idea of the general movements on Monday. There was no general pursuit of the defeated army — just enough to be sure that it was a retreat in fact. The lack of pursuit was not, how- ever, because Grant lacked "the energy to order a pursuit", as John Codman Ropes alleges, but be- cause Halleck's instructions did not permit pur- suit ; 69 hands were still "tied". NUMBERS ENGAGED AND LOSSES There are two methods of estimating the strength of an army — one method excludes all noncombat- ants, the other includes noncombatants as essential parts of the army. On the inclusive method, the Historian and Secretary of the Shiloh National Military Park Commission 70 gives the strength of Grant's five divisions on Sunday at 39,830, and that of Johnston's army at 43,968. 71 In a note 72 in which 90 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH lie excludes noncombatants, the estimate is 33,000 and 40,000 respectively. The figures last given cor- respond with the estimates of the two commanders — Grant in his Memoirs, and Johnston in his dis- patch from Corinth, when about to march . In artillery, Johnston had one hundred and twenty- eight guns and Grant one hundred and twelve. Had Wallace's division come upon the field early on Sunday the two armies would have been very evenly matched, both in men and guns. On the second day, including noncombatants and "stragglers", the figures given are: Union, 54,592; Confederate, 34,000." The complete and accurate losses of the respective armies for the respective days have never been, and cannot be, stated. The losses of Grant's army by divisions, two days (except 3d division one day) were as follows: 1st division. MeClernand 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Unassigned W. H. L. Wallace Lew. Wallace Hurlbut . . Sherman . . Prentiss . . Med Wounded Prisoners Total 285 1,372 85 1,742 270 1,173 1,306 2,749 41 251 4 296 317 1,441 111 1,869 325 1,277 299 1,901 236 928 1.008 2,172 39 159 17 215 Total Army Tenn 1,513 6,601 2,830 10,944 74 Army of the Ohio, Monday — 75 2nd division 88 823 7 918 4th " 93 603 20 716 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 91 Killed Wounded Prisoners Total 5th " 60 377 28 465 6th " 4 .. 4 Total 241 1,807 55 2,103 Grand total 1,754 8,408 2,885 13,047 Army of Miss. (Confederate) 1,728 8,012 959 10,699 76 The killed in the two days' battle are almost ex- actly equal; the wounded are in excess by nearly four hundred, in the Union army ; and there was in the Union army an excess in prisoners, of 1,926. Eliminating the prisoners taken in the Hornets' Nest, it appears that more prisoners were taken in the open field by the Union army than by the Con- federates. The loss in officers in Grant's army on Sunday from the grade of colonel up was much heavier than in the Confederate army — forty-five in the former to thirty in the latter." THE LOST DIVISION So much has been written and said about the fail- ure of General Wallace to get his division on the field and into the fight on the first day of the battle that the subject deserves a separate paragraph and a map of the roads over which his division marched. By reference to the map (No. VIII) it will be seen that the division occupied three camps — one bri- gade at Crump's Landing; one at Stonylonesome, two to three miles west; and one at Adamsville, about five miles out from the Landing toward 92 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH Purdy. There is no dispute about the fact that Grant on his way up the river on Sunday morning stopped at Crump's Landing to notify Wallace to be in readiness for marching orders, though Wal- lace makes no mention of the fact in his official re- port, leaving it to be inferred that he had no order from Grant in the morning. He says that from the " continuous cannonading" he "inferred a general battle" ; that he was in "anticipation of an order" ; and that he ordered his first and third brigades to "concentrate" on the second at Stonylonesome. 78 In his Autobiography General Wallace says that he was satisfied before six o'clock, from the firing "up the river", that the battle was on; and he says that at about seven o 'clock, his concentration of brigades began. The official records show that this order was not carried out, for the third brigade did not move from Adamsville until about two-thirty after- noon, when it fell in behind the first and second brigades on the march toward Snake Creek bridge, and did not join them at Stonylonesome. About a year after the Battle of Shiloh, General Wallace had occasion to refer to the movements of his division, on that Sunday in explaining to the Department Commander the reasons for the late- ness of his arrival on the field ; and in his explana- tion he incidentally referred to Grant's call at Crump's Landing on Sunday morning, fixing the THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 93 time at " about nine o'clock". 79 General Grant and the members of bis staff fixed the time at seven to seven-thirty o'clock. No special importance is to be attached to this difference in time, however, for it had no important bearing on subsequent events — it is mentioned only because it may justify a doubt as to the recol- lection of General Wallace in fixing the time at which he received final marching orders; namely, "11:30 a. m." It was the belief of General Grant and members of his staff that the order must have been received from a half hour to an hour earlier ; though General Wallace's statement is now gener- ally accepted. The form of order sent to Wallace can never be definitely settled, as it is nowhere a matter of record, and the original was lost in the hands of General Wallace, or through the fault of his Adjutant General. During the year after the Battle of Shiloh, there was much criticism of General Wallace, to which he, of course, made defence. And so General Grant requested his Assistant Adjutant General, Colonel Rawlins, Colonel McPherson, Halleck's chief en- gineer, and Captain Rowley of his staff, each of whom had knowledge of General Wallace's move- ments on Sunday, to write out in detail their recol- lections, to be submitted to the Department Com- mander. Each wrote quite fully about one year 94 THE BATTLE OP SHILOH after the battle, Colonel Rawlins reproducing from memory the order dictated by him as he claims, to Captain Baxter, which order was carried by the latter to Wallace. Following is the order from memory : Major-General "Wallace : You will move forward your division from Crump 's Land- ing, leaving a sufficient force to protect the public property at that place, to Pittsburg Landing, on the road nearest to and parallel with the river, and form in line at right angles with the river, immediately in rear of the camp of Maj. Gen. C. F. Smith 's division on our right, and there await further orders. 80 Captain Baxter started by boat to deliver the order "not later than nine o'clock", according to Colonel Rawlins, and reported back to Grant before " 12 o 'clock m." In his official report, dated April 12, 1862, Gen- eral Wallace says: "At 11:30 o'clock the an- ticipated order arrived, directing me to come up and take position on the right of the army and form my line of battle at a right angle with the river." 81 Writing a year later to General Halleck, explaining the reasons for his late arrival on the field, he said : "At exactly 11:30 a. m., a quartermaster by the name of Baxter brought me an order in writing un- signed by anybody", the bearer of the order ex- plaining that he received it verbally and put it in writing while on the boat. In his Autobiography, General Wallace enlarges THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 95 somewhat on the subject of this order, and says that it was written on paper discolored with tobacco stains and bore the imprint of boot-heels; and he says that Baxter told him that the paper was picked up from the floor of the ladies' cabin, on the steam- boat. The original order having been lost, Wallace gives the following from memory : You will leave a sufficient force at Crump's Landing to guard the public property there : with the rest of the division inarch and form junction with the right of the army. Form line of battle at right angles with the river, and be governed by circumstances. 82 The Rawlins form of order was reproduced from memory within one year after the event; that of Wallace, many years after — possibly forty years. Aside from the precise road mentioned and the pre- cise position on the field designated in the Rawlins order, the two are strikingly similar — sufficiently so to suggest that the former, which had long been in print, may have been consulted to refresh the memory in preparing the latter. Referring again to the events of Sunday as re- lated by Colonel RaAvlins, it appears that about an hour after Captain Baxter started by boat with orders to General Wallace, Grant sent a cavalry officer, familiar with the road, with a verbal message to Wallace "to hurry forward with all possible dis- patch. 1 ' This officer reported back to Grant, be- 96 THE BATTLE OP SHILOH tween twelve and one o'clock, that Wallace declined to move without written orders. According to Rawl- ins, Captain Baxter reported back about 12 o'clock ; that he delivered the orders to Wallace at about ten o'clock; that Wallace read the memorandum hand- ed him by Captain Baxter and "appeared de- lighted". 83 Immediately after the report of the cavalry of- ficer that Wallace declined to move without written orders (Baxter's written order had not yet been delivered), Captain Rowley of Grant's staff was ordered to take the cavalry officer and two orderlies and carry instructions to Wallace, with authority to put the instructions in writing and sign them, if necessary. 84 Captain Rowley's account of this incident is more in detail than that of Colonel Rawlins. Rowley corroborates Rawlins as to the report of the cavalry officer and says that Grant, after hearing the re- port, turned to him (Rowley) and said : " Captain, you will proceed to Crump's Landing and say to General Wallace that it is my orders that he bring his division up at once, coming up b} r the River road, crossing Snake Creek on the bridge". Captain Rowley says he was authorized to put the orders in writing and properly sign the same, should General Wallace require it. He was instructed to take the cavalry officer and two orderlies with him THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 97 with the further instruction: "see that you do not spare horse flesh." 85 Captain Rowley gives the time of his starting on this mission at about twelve- thirty o 'clock. Colonel Rawlins fixes it at " not later than 1 o'clock p. m." Captain Rowley's party rode directly to Wal- lace's headquarters at Crump's Landing, to find "no signs of a camp except one baggage wagon that was just leaving. " 86 (The brigade had marched west to Stonylonesome in the morning.) Getting directions from the driver of the wagon, the party followed the road taken by Wallace and overtook the rear of the division some five or six miles out. The division was "at a rest, sitting on each side of the road". Riding forward to the head of the col- umn, Wallace was found "sitting upon his horse, surrounded by his staff". Although it is not so stated, it is fair to assume that the division was at rest while the cavalry was scouting to the front, as Wallace believed that he was approaching the crossing of Owl Creek, near the right of the army as it was in the morning, and where he might ex- pect trouble. Captain Rowley delivered his orders and stated that it had been reported to Grant that he (Wal- lace) had declined to march without written orders, which according to Rowley, Wallace denounced as a ' ' damned lie!" Wallace claimed that he had taken 98 ' THE BATTLE OF SHILOH the "only road he knew anything about," 87 leading in the direction of the right of the army. On learn- ing the real situation, Wallace ordered his division to counter-march for the purpose of reaching the river road by a short-cut if possible. Captain Row- ley remained with the division, acting as guide. When Captain Rowley left the field with orders to Wallace, it was supposed that the head of the column would be found only a short distance north of Snake Creek bridge, and that Wallace would soon be in the precise position where he was expect- ed to be, and where his presence was most needed. Two o'clock came, but no information from Wal- lace. Grant then sent two of the principal members of his staff, Colonel Rawlins, Assistant Adjutant General, and Colonel McPherson, Chief Engineer, to find the lost division. These officers rode directly to Crump's Landing, not knowing whether the division had left its camp. Following directions given them there, they came upon the division counter-marching on a cross-road to the river road, at about three-thirty afternoon. Colonel Rawlins repeated to Wallace the reported refusal to march without written orders, and Wal- lace repeated the denial. In regard to the road taken, Wallace said, according to Rawlins, that his guide had misled him. Soon after Rawlins and McPherson came up with tup: BATTLE OF SHILOH 99 the head of the column it was halted, as Rawlins states it, "for a considerable length of time, to en- able it to close up and rest". There was another delay when near Snake Creek bridge "for full half an hour" while changing the position of the artil- lery in the column. 88 The three officers, Rawlins, McPherson, and Rowley, agree in stating that the inarch of the col- umn was very slow, and that no urging of the terms of Grants' order or the seriousness of the situation seemed to have any effect. According to Rawlins, the speed was less than "a mile and a half an hour" after he joined the column, though "the roads were in fine condition ; he was marching light ; his men Avere in buoyant spirits, .... and eager to get for- ward." 89 Whatever the form of the order from General Grant to General Wallace, and however it may have been interpreted, Wallace's march began from Stonylonesome at twelve o'clock, noon, with two brigades, over the Shunpike road toward Owl Creek bridge, the third brigade falling in the rear where the road intersects f romi Adamsville. Captain Row- ley came up to the head of the column "at rest", north of and overlooking Clear Creek valley, not Owl Creek as Wallace supposed — he was still more than three miles from Owl Creek, and the rear of the column was still at Adamsville. The counter- 100 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH march began from the north side of Clear Creek, at a point marked "Smith's" (Map VIII). It was necessary for the head of the column to march back about two and a half miles to find a cross-road, then about the same distance on the cross-road, before the rear could move ; so it was well along in the af- ternoon when the last files of the third brigade left Adamsville. Colonel Rawlins and Colonel Mc- Pherson came up with Wallace on the cross-road at about three-thirty afternoon, as heretofore stated. From a glance at the map (VIII) showing the roads north of Snake Creek and the relation of the roads to the battle field, it appears that the shortest possible route from Wallace's camps to the right of the army (as it was even on Sunday morning) was by the river road and Snake Creek bridge (Wallace bridge on map). Not only was the road by Owl Creek bridge much longer, but the crossing was more hazardous in case the enemy succeeded in se- curing the crossing and planting a battery, for the approach from the North was through a swampy valley, heavily timbered and with dense under- growth, along a narrow road where deployment was impossible and where the column would be ex- posed to direct artillery fire for a distance of nearly a mile. Had General Wallace been familiar with the roads covering the territory which it was his special THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 101 province to guard, no guide could have misled him, and he would not have said that he was on ' ' the only road he knew anything about". His position at Crump 's Landing was as much exposed to attack as was the camp at Pittsburg Landing, and he was as likely to need support as he was to be called on for support. It was of the utmost importance for the safety of his own command that he know the short- est and best road between the two camps. Forty years after the event General Wallace was forced to confess that he had all that time been la- boring under a mistake as to the position of the head of his column when the order was given to counter-march. He had all this time supposed that he was overlooking Owl Creek at the right of Sher- man's lines when Captain Rowley came up and found his division "at rest", while his cavalry was scouting to the front. Instead of overlooking Owl Creek, he was overlooking the valley of Clear Creek three or four miles to the north. Of these facts General Wallace was convinced, not long before his death, by a personal inspection of the territory and the roads over which his division marched, in com- pany with the Secretary and Historian of the Shiloh National Military Park Commission, several of his own officers, with citizens living in the locality, and with a Confederate cavalry officer who was watching his movements on that Sundav. 102 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH Strangely, General Wallace allowed this con- fessed error to stand in his Autobiography, with only partial correction. It seems not to be generally known, though it has been a matter of official record since 1863, that Gen- eral Wallace in view of General Grant's criticism of his (Wallace's) conduct at Shiloh, asked of the Secretary of War a court of inquiry. The date of the request was July 18th, 1863 ; but on September 16th following, the Secretary of War was asked to " suspend action in the matter", General Wallace stating that he might be able to " satisfy General Grant upon the points involved". 90 It was on the advice of General Sherman that the request for a court of inquiry was withdrawn, and the request was never renewed, though General Grant had found no reason to modify his original criticism, down to the time of writing the chapter on Shiloh, for his Memoirs? 1 After the writing of that chap- ter, however, a letter came into General Grant's hands, written by General Lew. Wallace to General W. H. L. Wallace, dated April 5, 1862 (correct date April 4th). In this letter General Grant finds rea- sons for "materially" modifying the criticisms up- on General Wallace, as they appear in the chapter itself, appending a foot-note thereto by way of explanation. 92 The writer hereof is impressed with the idea that THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 103 it was the promptings of General Grant's generous nature, rather than the contents of the letter that prompted the foot-note. It is not entirely clear, in view of the admissions made by General Wallace in his Autobiography, that the letter from General Lew. Wallace to General W. H. L. Wallace does not furnish additional ground for censure. At the moment of writing the letter the author of it must have been "simmering" in his mind the knowledge that the Confederate army was then on the inarch to attack Grant; and yet there was no mention in the letter of that important fact. The reader must draw his own conclusions. ILLUSTRATIVE MAPS MAP 1 — Showing the territory over which General Grant operated from September 4, 1861, to the time of the Battle of Shiloh, together with the LOCATION OF THE IMPORTANT PLACES MENTIONED JX THE TEXT. It ALSO SHOW'S THE ADVANCE OF BUELL 'S AKMY PROM NASHVILLE TO SHILOH. MAP II — A VIEW OF THE PLATEAU ABOVE PITTSBURG LANDING, SHOWING THE PRINCIPAL ROADS, CREEKS, CULTIVATED FIELDS, LOCATION OF CAMPSj WOODED CONDITION, ETC. .MAP IIT — Showing the Confederate lines as they were on Saturday night; Praley Field where the picket fight occurred on Sunday morning, and the advance to attack. on the union side the map shows first and second posi- TIONS of Prentiss and Stuart, and first positions of Sherman, McClernand, Wallace, and Hurlbut. ^ M- I' ShUok /ofo //:3o A.m. April /#6j2. TWVs 2>»J» > /cWRelel V. Lfcllc^jlg MAP LV — Showing the general situation up to about noon on Sunday. .MAI' V — Showing change down to about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. s ^<3 * Qq 'V 41 °5 < i o ? . V3 «* \ 1 a *» w . ^, s ~ ( «. ft - 2 * < |z o ^o / •^'i^ 4 sf/ MAI' VI — Showing Ruggles's battery (62 guns) bombarding the Hornets' Nest, and the situation at the time of the surrender at that point. the lines facing each other across dlll branch were the last lines of the day, sunday. the batteries in grant 's line were ale there as represented: (1) markgraf 6; (2) Munch 5; (.'!) Powell 5; (4) Silfversparre 4; (5) McAllister 2; (6) Stone 4; (7) Dresser 2; (8) Mann 3; (9) Siege Guns 6; (10) Eichardson4; (11) Nispel 2; (12) Welker 3; (13) Hickenlooper 2; (14) Bouton 4 (?). Two other hat TERIES WERE SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE, BUT NEVER HAVING BEEN DEFINITELY LOCAT- ED ARE NOT REPRESENTED. ((f) 36TH INDIANA SUPPORTING STONE'S BATTERY. MAP VII— The movements on Monday the ri'ii are so little complicated as to BE EASILY TRACED, WITHOUT ANALYSIS. '"a-i-ar.r V 4 / /v^-W ■•■■ •'• MAP VIII — Roads north of Owl and Snake creeks showing Lew. Wallace' ADVANCE FROM CRUMP 's LANDING, SXONYLONESOME, AND ADAMSVILLE. NOTES AND REFERENCES NOTES AND REFERENCES 1 Greeley's The American Conflict, Vol. II, pp. 58-61. 2 Cist's The Army of the Cumberland, pp. 74, 75. 3 Cist's The Army of the Cumberland, p. 77. 4 The Century Magazine, Vol. XXXI, p. 749. 3 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. VII p. 561. 6 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. VII p. 121. 7 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. VII p. 593. s War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. VII p. 587. 9 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. VII pp. 574, 576. 10 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. VII p. 933. 11 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. VII pp. 594, 599, 612. 12 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. VII p. 660. 13 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 38. 118 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 14 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. VII, p. 628. is War j t] (e Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. VII, p. 674. i6 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. VII, pp. 680, 682. 17 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X. Part II, pp. 3-5. 18 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, pp. 21-26. 19 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, pp. 9, 10. 20 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X. Part I, p. 8. 21 War of the Rebellion : Official Records, Series I, Vol. X. Part I, p. 25. 22 Wallace's Autobiography, Vol. I, pp. 446, 451. 23 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 46. 24 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 49. 25 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 51. 26 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, pp. 50-51. 27 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 55. NOTES AND REFERENCES 119 28 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X. Part II, p. 62. 29 The several requests to be relieved of command in Hal- leek's department bear date of March 7, 9, and 11. — War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, pp. 15, 21, 30. 30 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 25. 31 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X. Part II, p. 33. 32 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, pp. 42, 51, 77. 33 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 47. 34 The following is the itinerary of General Nelson 's march from Columbia, as given by Colonel Ammen, commanding the advance brigade : March 30, 4 miles ; March 31, 10 miles ; April 1, 14 miles; April 2, 16 miles; April 3, 15 miles; April 4, 10!/4 miles; April 5, 9!/2 miles. — Ammen 's Diary in War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 330. 35 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, pp. 94, 95. 36 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 94. 37 Proceedings of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, Vol. XIV-XVI, p. 71. 38 Proceedings of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, Vol. XIV-XVI, p. 77. 120 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 39 Quoted by Major D. W. Reed in a paper published in the Proceedings of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, Vol. XXXVI, p. 216. 40 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 181. 41 Wallace's Autobiography, Vol. I, pp. 454-456. 42 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 278. 43 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 603. 44 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 464. 45 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 603. 46 Since writing the above the author has learned from General Charles Morton, who helped to carry the body from the field, that Major Powell was killed later in the day — about noon, at the Hornets' Nest. 47 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 294. 48 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 581. 49 Johnston's Life of General A. S. Johnston, p. 620. 50 Reed's Campaigns and Battles of the Twelfth Regiment Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry, p. 50. 51 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 475. NOTES AND REFERENCES 121 52 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 472. 53 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 323. 54 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, pp. 550-551. 55 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 555. 56 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 334. 57 Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. XVI, p. 297. 5S Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. XVI, pp. 300, 301. 59 Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. XVI, p. 307. 60 Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. XVI, p. 316. 61 Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. XVI, pp. 316- 317. 62 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 95. «3 yy ar j fj ie Rebellion; Official Records, Vol. LII, Part I, p. 232. 64 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, pp. 95-96. 65 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I. p. 292. 66 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 323. 122 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 67 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 323. 68 The Century Magazine, Vol. XXXI, p. 771. 69 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, pp. 97, 104. 70 Reed's The Battle of Shiloh, p. 98. 71 Reed's The Battle of Shiloh, p. 110. 72 Reed's The Battle of Shiloh, p. 112. 73 Reed's The Battle of Shiloh, p. 110. 74 Reed's The Battle of Shiloh, p. 98. 75 Reed's The Battle of Shiloh, p. 102. 76 Reed's The Battle of Shiloh, p. 110. 77 Reed's The Battle of Shiloh, p. 23. 78 War of the Rebellion : Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 170. 79 War of the Rebellion : Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 175. so War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 185. 81 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, p. 170. 82 Wallace's Autobiography, Vol. I. p. 463. 83 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, pp. 185-186. In 1886 Captain Baxter related his recollections of this incident for publication in The New York Mail and Express NOTES AND REFERENCES 123 (November 4, 1886) which are republished in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol. I, p. 607, as follows : "On Sunday, between the hours of 8 and 9 o'clock a. m., April 6, 1862, Adjutant General Rawlins, of General Grant's staff, requested me to go to Crump's Landing (five miles be- low) and order General Lew Wallace to march his command at once by the river road to Pittsburg Landing, and join the army on the right. At the same time, General Rawlins dic- tated the order, which was written by myself and signed by General Rawlins. "On meeting General Wallace, I gave the order verbally, also handed to him the written order. General Wallace said he was waiting for orders, had heard the firing all the morning, and was ready to move with his command immediately — knew the road and had put it in good order." 84 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, pp. 185-186. 85 War of the Rebellion : Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 179. 86 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 179. 87 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I. p. 180. 88 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 187. 89 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part II, p. 188. 90 War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. X, Part I, pp. 188-190. 91 Personal Memoirs of V. S. Grant, Vol. I, pp. 337-338. 92 Personal Memoirs of U. 8. Grant, Vol. I, p. 351. INDEX INDEX Abbott, J. S. C, sensational ac- count of Battle of Shiloh by, 13 Adamsville (Tennessee), brigade of Wallace's division at, 91, 92, 99, 100 Ammen, Colonel Jacob, brigade commanded by, 76; reference to, 85, 119 Anderson, General Patton, brigade commanded by, 60 Appier, Colonel Jesse J., 58; dis- appearance of, from field, 59 Artillery, use of, in battle, 70, 71, 73, 74 Babk road, 50 Baxter, Captain, order carried to Wallace by, 94, 95, 96; recol- lections by, 122, 123 Bear Creek, 29 Beauregard, General P. G. T., 14. 16, 27, 51, 88; concentration of army under, 36 ; attempt to place blame on, 77 Belknap, Major William W., 6 Bell (Scout), news brought by, 46 Belmont, Battle of, 23 Bloody Pond, 69 Bowen, General John S., brigade commanded by, 62, 64, 65 Bowling Green (Kentucky), 22, 25 Bragg, General Braxton, statement by, 54; reference to, 60; com- mand assumed by, 66 ; operations of, after capture of Hornets' Nest, 74 Breckenridge, General John C, Confederate reserve under, 64, 65 Buckland, Colonel Ralph P., re- connoitering by, 39, 40 ; account of events preceding battle by, 39-41; reprimand to, 40, 45; brigade commanded by, 59, 60 Buell, General Don Carlos, account of Battle of Shiloh by, 14, 19- 21; credit for saving battle given to, 17, 18; arrival of army of, on field, 18, 82-89, 84; ref- erence to, 24, 26, 27; commun- ications between Halleck and, 25; disagreement between Hal- leck and, 27, 28; Halleck placed in command over, 28 ; Grant or- dered to connect with, 33 ; move- ments of, 35-38 ; plan of Con- federates to defeat, 51; part played by, in Battle of Shiloh, 72-77, 79; note from Grant to, 83; order held up by, 85; atti- tude of, toward Grant's orders, 86, 87; attitude of, toward bat- tle, 87; position of army of, in Monday's battle, 88 Cairo (Illinois), headquarters of Grant at, 22; reference to, 23 128 INDEX Carpenter (Scout), news brought by, 46 Chalmers, General James R., bri- gade commanded by, 56, 61, 62, 65, 74, 75, 76 Chattanooga (Tennessee), 27; im- portance of, 28 Cist, Henry M., errors in account of Battle of Shiloh by, 17 Clarksville (Tennessee), occupa- tion of, 26 Clear Creek, 99, 100, 101 Cleburne, General Patrick R., bri- gade commanded by, 59, 60 Columbia (Tennessee), Buell's ad- vance at, 28, 35, 36; itinerary of Nelson's march from, 119 Columbus (Kentucky), 22, 25; im- portance of, 23 ; evacuation of, 27 Confederate army, description and objective of, 51, 52; condition of, at close of Sunday's battle. 80; number of troops in, 89, 90; losses in, 90, 91 Confederates, number of, in Battle of Shiloh, 15, 16, 31; weak point in line of, 22 ; evacuation of Columbus by, 27; new line es- tablished by, 27; Wallace's knowledge of movements of, 45, 46 ; resistance met by, 56 ; plan of, to seize Landing, 61; diffi culties confronting, 74 ; ' ' lost opportunity" of, 77-79; stub born fighting by, 89 Corinth (Mississippi), condition of Confederates after evacuation of. 14; importance of, 27; reference to, 28, 29, 31; movement of Confederates from, 32, 39, 46, 51 ; expedition toward, 33 ; diffi- culty in attacking, 33; concen- tration of Confederates at, 36, 51 Corinth road, 50, 57, 63, 69 Crittenden, General Thomas L., division commanded by, 86; charge by regiment under, 88 Crump's Landing, Wallace's divi- sion at, 18, 30, 31, 32, 45, 91; reference to, 82, 98, 123; stop made by Grant at, 92; arrival of Rowley at, 97 ; exposed posi- tion of camp at, 101 Cumberland River, importance of line of, 21-23 Decatur (Alabama), 27, 36 Dickey, Colonel T. Lyle, desire of, to reconnoiter, 41 Dill Branch, 72, 73, 74, 76 Dodge, General Grenville M., 7 Duck River, 28, 35, 36, 37 Duncan Field, 63, 69, 71; number of dead in, 68 Eastport (Tennessee), 29 Fiske, John, errors in account of Battle of Shiloh by, 15-17 Foote, Commodore A. H., advice of, 24 Fort Donelson, Confederates forced back to, 23; capture of, 26; events after capture of, 27-35, 51; reference to, 28, 47 Fort Henry, Confederates forced back to, 23; report of Smith concerning, 23, 24; capture of, by Grant, 24, 25; events after capture of, 26 ; reference to, 28 ; Grant at, 29 ; expedition from, 30 Fraley Field, 53 Fremont, General John C, 22 INDEX 129 Gibson, Colonel Randall L., bri- gade commanded by, 68 Gladden, General Adley H., bri- gade commanded by, 56, 62, 65; death of, 56 Grant, General Frederick D., 7 Grant, General Ulysses S., prej- udice against, 14 ; policy wrong- ly attributed to, 15 ; number of guns in line of, 16 ; dispatch of, misquoted, 17; reinforcements to army of, 17; headquarters of, at Cairo, 22; result of prompt action of, 23; offense to Hal- leck by, 26, 27; orders from Halleck to, 28, 29, 32, 33; sus- pension of, from command, 29; expedition planned without con- sultation with, 30 ; restoration of, to command, 30, 32; orders issued by, 33; anxiety of, 34; rejection of advice of, 35; Buell ordered to join, 36 ; couriers sent to Buell by, 36; Buell's arrival not known to, 37, 38; authority of, in case of attack, 38, 85; Wallace's knowledge of attack on, 45, 46 ; failure of Wallace to send information to, 46, 47; plan of Confederates to defeat, 51; failure of Confederates to sur- prise, 52; new line formed by, 72 ; strength of position of, 74 ; blame for failure to defeat, 77 ; condition of army of, at close of Sunday's battle, 79, 80; trans- fer in headquarters of, 82; in- structions to Nelson from, 82, 83, 84, 85; note to Buell from, 83; movements of, behind lines, 86 ; attitude of Buell toward orders of, 86, 87 ; position of army of, in Monday's battle, 88; reason for failure of, to pursue Con- federates, 89; number of troops in army of, 89, 90; losses in army of, 90, 91 ; orders to Wal- lace from, 92-99; criticism of Wallace by, 102; modification of criticisms by, 102; generosity of, io;: Greeley, Horace, errors in account of Battle of Shiloh by, 13 Grose, Colonel William, statements by. 76 Hahn, William J., acknowledg- ments to, 11 Halleck, General Henry W., report by, 14; waiting policy of, 15; reference to, 23, 24, 31, 34, 36, 37, 85, 94; communications between Buell and, 25; desire of, for more troops, 25, 26; disagree- ment between Buell and, 27, 28; command of two departments as- sumed by, 28; orders to Grant from, 28, 29, 32, 33, 38; orders to Buell from, 35, 36; adherence to orders of, 44, 45 ; effect of in- structions of, 89 Hamburg and Purdy road, 50, 57 Hamburg and Savannah road, 50, 51, 66, 69, 72, 73 Hardcastle, Major Aaron B., ac- count of skirmish by, 53, 54 Hardee, General William ,T., corps commanded by, 59 Harris, Governor Isham G., 65 Headley, Joel Tyler, errors in his- tory by, 14 Henderson, David B., 6 Hildebrand, Colonel Jesse, brigade commanded by, 58, 59, 60 130 INDEX Hindman, General Thomas C, bri- gade commanded by, 68 Holman, T. W., acknowledgments to, 11 Hornets' Nest, Iowa troops in, 5; errors relative to, 19 ; reference to, 64, 80, S7; description of fight at, 67-72; number captured in, 71, 72; importance of, 72; surprise of Confederates at small number in, 72; prisoners taken in, 91; death of Powell at, 120 Humboldt (Tennessee), 29 Hurlbut, General Stephen A., divi- sion commanded by, 31, 32; ref- erence to, 50, 62, 64, 65, 66; losses in division commanded by, 90 Illinois, troops of, in Battle of Shiloh, 40, 61, 63, 66, 69 Indiana, troops of, in Battle of Shiloh, 73, 76 Iowa, troops of, in Battle of Shiloh, 5, 63, 64, 66, 67, 70, 87 Jackson, General John K., brigade commanded by, 61, 62, 65, 74, 75 Jackson (Tennessee), 29, 31 Johnson, General Bushrod B., bri- gade commanded by, 60 Johnston, General Albert Sidney, criticism of, 16, 50; death of, 18, 19, 65, 66; errors in state- ments relative to, 19; command of Confederates assumed by, 27, 51; reference to, 28; concentra- tion of army under, 36; plan of, to join Beauregard, 51 ; Confed- erate movements directed by, 62 ; story concerning, 65 ; biography of, 67 ; number of troops in army of, 89, 90; losses in army of, 90, 91 Johnston, William Preston, state- ments by, 67, 6S Jones's Field, 64 Jordan, Colonel Thomas, discussion of ''lost opportunity" by, 77, 78, 79 King, Major John H., wound re- ceived by, 55 Lauman, General Jacob D., brigade commanded by, 62 Lick Creek, crossing of, 57 ; ref- erence to, 61 Little Log Meeting House, 69 McArthur, General John, brigade commanded by, 63; reference to, 65, 66 McClellan, General George B., 25, 28 McClernand, General John A., 15, 62, 63, 66; division commanded by, 32, 60; losses in division commanded by, 90 McCook, General Alexander M., division commanded by, 86 McDowell, Colonel John A., brigade commanded by, 60 MePherson, Colonel James B., 41, 47, 93, 100; orders to Wallace carried by, 98, 99 Mann, Lieutenant, wound received by, 55 Mason, Colonel Rodney, 61 Memphis and Charleston Railroad, 27, 31, 34, 51 Michigan, troops of, in Battle of Shiloh, 55 INDEX 131 Miller, Colonel Madison, brigade commanded by, 55 Mississippi, troops of, in Battle of Sbiloh, 59 Missouri, troops of, in Battle of Shiloh, 42, 43, 44, 52, 53, 54, 55, 70 Mobile and Ohio Bailroad, 27, 30 Moore, Colonel David, reenforcing party under, 52, 53, 54; wound received by, 55 Morton, General Charles, 7, 120 Nashville (Tennessee), 25, 28; occupation of, 26, 27; evacua- tion of, 27, 51; Buell on march from, 51 Neal, W. A., account of action of Peabody by, 42 Nelson, General William, division commanded by, 16, 19, 26, 36, 37, 76, 85; number of troops brought into battle by, 17; state- ments by, concerning artillery, 73 ; Grant 's instructions to, 82, 83, 84, 85; reference to, 86; charge by regiment under, 88; itinerary of march of, 119 Newhard, James M., account of ac- tion of Peabody by, 42 Nichols, Captain F. C, letter to Peabody from, 43, 44; reference to, 53 Nott, Surgeon J. O, statement by, 78 Ohio, troops of, in Battle of Shiloh, 40, 58, 59, 61 Ohio, Army of the, 76; losses in, 90, 91 Owl Creek, 49, 57, 60, 61, 97, 99, 100, 101 Paducah (Kentucky), expedition to, 22; reference to, 23 Paris, Comte de, account of Battle of Shiloh by, 17 Paris (Tennessee), 29 Peabody, Colonel Everett, 11; re- connoitering party sent out by, 42, 43, 52; death of, 43, 56; reprimand to, by Prentiss, 43, 44, 45; brigade commanded by, 55 Peabody, F. E., letter to, 43, 44 Peach Orchard, 62, 64, 66, 87 Pittsburg Landing, first regimeut to disembark at, 5; description of camp at, 13; ranking officer at, 15 ; reference to, 18, 34, 36, 101, 123 ; Army of the Tennessee at, 21; attack on camp at, 30; troops in camp at, 31, 47; rea- sons for conditions at, 35; Buell ordered to concentrate at, 36; description of, 49, 50; Sher- man's division in camp at, 57; plan of Confederates to seize, 61 ; Wallace 's division at, 63 ; Grant's headquarters moved to, 82; arrival of Buell at, 84 Polk, General Leonidas, 60 Pond, Colonel Preston, Jr., brigade commanded by, 60 Powell, Major James E., 11; death of, 43, 56, 120; reconnoitering party led by, 43, 52-54 Prentiss, General Benjamin M., division commanded by, 13, 50, 62, 64, 66; reference to, 14, 16, 18, 42, 48, 55, 57, 59, 70 ; re- connoitering party sent out from division under, 15, 52 ; recon- noitering party sent out without knowledge of, 42; Peabody rep- 132 INDEX rimanded by, 43, 44, 45; readi- ness of division under, for at- tack, 44, 45; losses in division commanded by, 90 Purdy road, 89 Rawlins, Captain J. A., 93, 95, 96, 97, 100, 123; order repro- duced by, 94; orders to Wallace carried by, 98, 99 Reed, D. W., 6, 120; researches by, 10; acknowledgments to, 11; description of battle at Hornets ' Nest by, 68, 69 Reid, WMtelaw, praise of Buell by, 17, 18 Rhea. Field, 53, 55, 58 Rich, Joseph W., qualifications of, for writing history of battle, 6, 7 ; author 's preface by, 9 Ropes, John Codman, errors in ac- count of Battle of Shiloh by, 14, 89 ; failure of, tu understand topography of field, 50 Rowley, Captain William R., 93, 99, 101; orders to Wallace car- ried by, 96-98 Ruggles, General Daniel, command assumed by, 66; statement by, 69 ; artillery called up by, 70, 71 Ramsey, Captain I. P., account of events preceding battle by, 41 Russell, Colonel R. M., brigade commanded by, 60 St. Louis, headquarters of Fre- mont at, 22 ; reference to, 28, 30 Sandidge, Captain L. D., 71 Savannah (Tennessee), Smith's headquarters at, 30 ; reference to, 32, 47, 83; troops at, 32; concentration of Grant's army at, 35 ; Buell ordered to con- centrate at, 36; departure of couriers from, 36; arrival of Buell at, 37; failure of Buell to report arrival at, 38; Grant's headquarters moved from, 82 Saxe, Captain Edward, death of, 55 Scribuer Brothers, errors in his- tory published by, 13 Seay Field, 53, 55 Shambaugh, Benj. F., editor's in- troduction by, 5 Shaver, Colonel R. G., brigade com- manded by, 55, 56 Sherman, Buren R., 6 Sherman, General William T., divi- sion commanded by, 13, 16, 18, 31, 32, 39, 40, 42, 57, 58; ref- erence to, 14, 15, 44, 45, 62, 66, 87 ; orderly of, killed, 58 ; at- tack upon division under, 59-62; losses in division commanded by, 90 Shiloh, Jiattle of, Iowa regimeuts engaged in, 5 ; misrepresentations of, 9, 10; criticism of inaccurate accounts of, 13-21; relation of, to other military operations, 21- 27; events preceding, 27, 38-47; condition of Union army at, 47, 48; description of field of, 48- 51; description of, 52-89; first Union officer killed in, 55 ; part played by Buell in, 72-77; "lost opportunity ' ' of Confederates in, 77-79; numbers engaged and losses in, 89-91 ; criticism of Wallace 's conduct at, 102, 103 ; maps illustrative of, 107-114 Sir loh Branch, 55, 58 INDEX 13;] Shiloh National Military Park Commission, map prepared by, 9 Shunpike road, 99 Smith, General Charles F., expedi- tion commanded by, 23, 24, 29, 30; report by, 30, 31; reference to, 32, 63, 94; difficulty of ex- pedition of, 34 Snake Creek, 46, 47, 49, 63, 72, 92. 96, 98, 99, 100 Spain Field, 55 Statkam, Colonel Win Held S., bri- gade commanded by, 62, 64, 65 Stephens, Colonel William H., bri- gade commanded by, 62, 65 Stewart, General Alexander P.. brigade commanded by, 68 Stibbs, John II., 7 Stone, Major William M.. 6 Stonylonesome (Tennessee), bri- gade of Wallace's division at, 91 ; reference to, 92 ; beginning of Wallace 's march from, 99 Stuart, Colonel David, 16, 63, 65 ; brigade commanded by, 57, 61; wound received by, 66 Sunken road, 63, 68; description of, 69, 70 Sweeny, Colonel Thomas W., bri- gade commanded by, 63, 66, 69, 70 Tennessee, troops of, in Battle of Shiloh, 75 Tennessee, Army of the, operations of, 21; condition of. 47, 48; losses in, 90 Tennessee River, importance of line of, 21-23, 28 ; expedition up, 29 ; troops on west side of, 32; coun- try west of, in hands of Con- federates, 34; plateau on east side of, 48, 49; difficulty of crossing, 49 Thompson, Atwell, battle-field plat- ted by. 10 Trabue, Colonel Robert P., brigade commanded by, 64 Tuttle, General .lames M., brigade commanded by, 63, 66, 70; ref- erence to, 67; statements by, 87 UNION army, occupation of Nash- ville by, 27; condition of, 47, 48; readiness of, for attack, 56, 57; last attack upon, 74-76; casualties among officers in, 80, 81; stragglers from. 81, 82; total reinforcements to, 86; number of troops in, 89, 90; losses in, 90, 91 [Jrquhart, Colonel David, statement by, 78, 79 VEATCH, Colonel James C. brigade commanded by, 62 Yillard, Henry, errors in account of Battle of Shiloh by, 17; ref- erence to. 84, 85 Wallace, General Lew., number of troops brought into battle by, 17; errors in account of Battle of Shiloh by, 18, 19; division commanded by, 19, 30, 32, 63, 88; statements by, 31, 32; knowledge of attack possessed by, 45, 46 ; failure of, to inform Grant of attack, 46, 47; refer- ence to, 60, 72 ; Grant 's orders to, 82; arrival of, 85; losses in division commanded by, 90; late arrival of division of, 91-103; 134 INDEX criticism of, 93; march of divi- sion under, 99-101; court of in- quiry requested by, 102; request -withdrawn by, 102; letter writ- ten by, 102, 103; orders carried to, by Baxter, 123 Wallace, General William H. L., wound received by, 18 ; refer- ence to, 41, 50; division com- manded by, 63; orders by, 67; death of, 67; losses in division commanded by, 90; letter from Lew. Wallace to, 102, 103 Waynesboro (Tennessee), desire of Buell to camp at, 37 Webster, Colonel J. D., artillery of, 78 Williams, Colonel Nelson G., bri- gade commanded by, 62 Wisconsin, troops of, in Battle of Shiloh, 55 Withers, General Jones M., divi- sion commanded by, 74, 78, 79 Wood, General Sterling A. M., bri- gade commanded by, 55, 56, 60 Wood, General Thomas J., Grant's orders to, 83; division command- ed by, 86 Woodyard, Lieutenant Colonel Humphrey M., 54 One copy del, to Cat. Div. ■