t^73 sv B33 533 THE BATTLE FIELD OF SHILOH. Field of Shiloh, Tennessee, April 14th, 1862. Dear King : — I commence writing you a letter, which, I know, you will be glad to get ; for I mean to tell you what our battalion did on the 6th and 7th inst., whilst the great battle at this place was progressing. ********** Leaving Columbia, we took up the line of march for Savannah, a distance of eighty-two miles through a country almost unin- habited, and barren to the last degree. On Saturday night we encamped at a place seventeen miles from the latter town. Starting again the next morning, we had proceeded but a little way when the noise of the battle of that disastrous day broke upon our ears. As we advanced the cannonading became each moment more distinct. It was plain that a desperate fight was going on somewhere : but not one of our number dreamed that Grant had been attacked and was at that instant slowly losing ground before the enemy. Indeed the general belief was crea- ted by reports brought from the front that our gunboats were attacking some batteries at a place called Hamburg. About noon, however, wo began to think it possible that in some way or other our aid might be needed ; for we were halted in an old cotton field, our arms were inspected, and rations and ammuni- tion were issued. Still we were ignorant of the terrible conflict then going on, though by this time the ground fairly trembled under our feet with the rapid discharges of artillery. Again pushing on, sweltering in the hot southern sun, travelling over roads almost impassable and fording several streams, about dark we halted for a few hours at a creek three miles inland from Savannah. There we learned for the first time, that instead of a gunboat bombardment, that day had been fought at Pittsburg ' $^ Landing, the bloodiest battle in which American troops were ever engaged. The accounts of the conflict were most cheering. They represented that Grant had that morning attacked the im- mense army under Albert Sidney Johnson and Beauregard, completely defeating and routing it after a desperate fight of fif- teen hours duration. The cannon we continued to hear at inter- vals were said to be those hurried forward in pursuit of the fly- ing enemy. You may be sure we were jubilant at this news ; although we declaimed somewhat against the selfishness that precipitated the engagement and won the victory before Buell's column had an opportunity to take a part. Little did we dream that so far from having gained a triumph, Grant's force was then defeated and panic-stricken, with an insolent foe occupying most of his camps, and that the morrow would introduce us to scenes of carnage the mere imagination of which sickens the heart. It was quite dark, though still early in the night, when we moved on again. The men were in the best of spirits, rude wit- ticisms, laughter and snatches of song ran along the whole line. Here and there some fellow boasted of the gallant deeds he would have performed had he been in the day's engagement. The officers, on the other hand, were more quiet than usual. They marched in silence or gathered in little knots and conver- sed in whispers. At length, the town of Savannah was enter- ed. Every house in the place seemed to be illuminated ; for each had been converted into an hospital and was packed from attic to basement with the dying and wounded who had been conveyed thither by the steamer. Groans and cries of pain saluted our ears from all the buildings we passed. Through the windows, the sash of which were re- moved to give air to the injured, we could see the surgeons plying their horrid profession. The atmosphere was that of a vast dissecting room. The streets were crowded with ambu- lances, baggage trains, parties bearing the victims of the fight on stretchers, on rails, on rude litters of muskets and on their shoulders, and with batteries of artillery and long lines of infan- try waiting tn be taken to the scene of the struggle. The confu- sion everywhere visible, the shouting, cursing, quarrelling, beg- gars description. Teams of mules, abandoned by their drivers ran away trampling down every thing in their course. Quar- termasters rode about at furious pace trying to extricate their transportation from the general mass. Doctors, one hand full of instruments, the other of bandages, and covered with blood, wildly rushed through the immense crowd in search of addition- al subjects of their art. Still, from all that could be gathered, the idea appeared to be that we had achieved a great victory. No one could exactly tell the events of the day ; but the fact of our decisive triumph was unquestioned. The falsity of this common opinion every reader of the newspapers already knows. Getting on board the " Hiawatha," by midnight we were plough- ing the turbid Tennessee river en route for Pittsburg Landing, by water a distance of fourteen miles. From the officers of the steamer we got other accounts of the battle, which we after- wards ascertained to be correct. Their statements were, that Johnson and Beauregard, hoping to destroy Grant before he was joined by Buell, then close at hand, made a furious attack upon him, in great strength, that Sunday morning immediately after daylight. There is some dispute whether or not we had outposts ; those who mantain we had, admit that they were play- ing cards at the time of the assault. At all events our troops were completely and criminally surprised. Unable to form to resist the onslaught, hundreds of them were mercilessly shot down in their tents and company streets. Those who escaped fled in the greatest terror through the camps in their rear, spreading the panic and closely followed by the successful foe. At least two miles of the ground occupied by our forces was thus abandoned before the regiments near the river could be brought to present a front to the rebels. A temporary check was then given to the enemy's impetuous advance, but being strongly reinforced they pushed our army slowly and surely towards the landing. During the whole day the battle raged with violence. Several corps of our volunteers behaved with great gallantry ; but others ran at the first fire, and with those surprised in the morning (at least ten thousand men), could not again be brought into action. But the Secessionists steadily gained upon us. Seven batteries of our light artillery and a large number of our soldiers fell into their hands, as well as thousands of tents, and immense quantities of Commissary and Quartermaster's stores. When night closed upon the struggle we were driven within three hundred yards of the river, and would have been pushed into it had not the spiteful little gunboats then been enabled to come to our relief. Our loss in the engagement was terrible ; but it was not all we suffered. At times when the fortune of war was most decidedly against us, the skulkers under the bluff, would rush in crowds to reach the steamers moored in the Tennessee, and by jostling and pushing each other into and struggling together in the water, hundreds of them were drowned. Little pity is felt for their fate, of course ; but still these help to swell the casualties of that disastrous day. Regaled, as wc were, daring the entire passage from Savannah to Pittsburg Landing, with stories of defeat and forebodings of what would occur the next day, you may be certain that we were not as comfortable as if we were in the old barracks. It was plain to the dullest comprehension that McCook's, Nelson's and Crittenden's divisions of Buell's army, then arrived at the scene of action, would have work enough to do early in the morning, and that too against an enemy flushed with recent victory. It seemed like folly to hope for success; for our strength did not exceed thirty thousand. From Grant's badly beaten and demoralized force we expected nothing, unless it was a mere show of numbers. On the other hand, the rebels were estimated at from 60,000 to 80,000. These considerations did not do much to inspirit, whilst throughout the night our anxiety was kept alive, and our consciousness of the immediate presence of the foe not permitted to slumber, by the regular tiring from the gunboats upon the camps of the enemy close beside those of our own. At daybreak on Monday the 7th inst. our battalion was dis- embarked. Forcing its way with difficulty through the vast crowd of fugitives from the previous day's fight gathered on the river bank, we scrambled up the bluff in the best way we could, and formed in the camp of the Missouri Artillery. Here there were more refugees, their officers riding among them and urg- ing them to rally, but without the least success. I never witnessed such abject fear as these fellows exhibited. Without a single avenue of escape in the event of defeat, they were unable, even, to muster up the desperation of cornered cowards. It is said that several in high command set them the example of pusillanimity. As we moved among them they inquired "what regiment is that?" " 15th Regulars," replied some of our men. "Well, you'll catch regular hell to-day," was their re- joinder. Others said, "Boys, "it's of no use; we were beaten yesterday and you'll be beaten now." But still our men got into line well, and were marched by the right flank a \'v\v hun- dred yards to the place where the action of the previous day had ended. Here Capt. Swaine and Major King joined us, knapsacks were unslung, and we made the final preparations for the conflict we knew to be imminent. Being informed thai we were the reserve of Rosseau's Brigade, we were slowly moved forward in column at half distance, through camps our troops had abandoned in the fight of the Gth inst. Other corps, all the while were passing us on either side, and disappearing from view in a clip of ground in front, but as yet the engagement had not begun. Let me try, at this point, to give you as good an idea of the field of battle as I am able. The Tennessee river at Pittsburg Landing, describes a considerable curve ; in the neck formed by this bend and some distance outside of it were the camps of Gen. Grant's command. On the morning of the 7th, the rebels were posted some distance inside of the ground formerly occu- pied by us, so that the line of conflict was pretty nearly straight between the two remote points of the semi-circle. Nelson's division was on our extreme left, resting on the river; Crit- tenden was next to him on his right, then came McCook in the centre, and joined to him was McClernard, who had other of Grant's generals beyond him. This order continued unbroken until the struggle was over. Nelson and Crittenden's commands having passed the left flank of our battalion speedily became engaged. A few scatter- ing shots were heard from their direction, which were soon followed by such heavy firing of small arms that it was plain our men had found the enemy. The field artillery also broke in with its thunder, increasing the din already so great that it was difficult to hear one's self speak. As further evidence that the battle had begun in earnest, a mounted officer dashed by crying, " bring on the ambulances," and those vehicles were at once taken to the front, to return in a few minutes laden with mangled freight. Other wounded men, some on foot, others carried by their comrades, likewise now came to the rear. From these Ave learned that Nelson and Crittenden, although suffer- ing severely, were steadily pushing the rebels back, a story attested by the frequent cheers that arose from their gallant fellows. A sharp firing that now took place almost immediately in our front, showed that the left and centre of our (McCook's) Divi- sion, had got into action, and that the battle was rapidly becom- ing general. Our battalion was instantly deployed into line to receive the foe, should the troops in advance give way. While in this position, Generals Buell and Rosseau rode up, ordered us to proceed to the right of the brigade, which was the right of the division, and be ready for any emergency, and to send out at the same time a company of skirmishers to provoke an attack. This converted us from a reserve into an assaulting party. Forming in column by division on the first, we marched by the right flank to the, position we were to occupy, Captain Haughey, with his command, being thrown forward to feel the enemy. (I will state here that battalions of the 16th and 19th regiments IT. S. Infantry, the whole under Major John H. King, were with us and shared in all our operations.) At this place we again deployed, then moved by the right of companies to the front, until a little hill between us and the rebels was sur- mounted, when we were again brought into line. Rapid discharges of small arms forward of our left flank, now showed that our skirmishers were successful in their search. Again we were advanced, until having gained some distance, we were ordered to lie close to the ground. Immediately we were exposed to a cannonade and fire of musketry, whose severity denes description. From three batteries and their strong sup- port of infantry just before us, masked by the underbrush, came a shower of grape, canister, spherical case, rifle balls,