280

THE SECOND DAY'S BATTLE.

Let us see what has been doing on the left meanwhile. Buell's forces on the field lay near Pittsburg Landing, and composed the center and left wing of Grant's new line of battle, upon which it was expected the Confederates would fall in the morning. Only the divisions of Nelson and Crittenden were well in hand at dawn. The former had quietly called up his men at four o'clock, and soon afterward he notified his general of his readiness for motion. Crittenden was ready at the same time, and when the booming of Wallace's heavy guns on the right was heard, they both moved forward, Nelson's division leading, with Ammon's brigade on the extreme left, Bruce's in the center, and Hazen's on the right. Nelson's artillery, which was to be sent up by water, had not yet arrived, but the battery of Mendenhall, of the regular service, and Bartlett's Ohio Battery, were on the field. McCook, who had been moving all night, so as to be a participant in the impending battle, had just arrived at Pittsburg Landing with his division when Nelson and Crittenden began their march, at half-past five in the morning."

• April 7, 1862.

Nelson moved forward through the open woods and some cleared fields over the rolling plateau for about a mile before encountering the Confede rates in force, when, at six o'clock, he was assailed by their artillery, and halted. Mendenhall's battery was brought into action, and Crittenden took a commanding position on the right of Nelson, with Bartlett's battery posted at his center. A contest was maintained for some time, when McCook's division arrived on the ground, accompanied by General Buell, who assumed the direction of affairs. McCook's forces were formed on Crittenden's right, and some straggling troops that were on the field the day. before were placed on McCook's right, making Buell's entire line. about a mile in length, extending from a point southeastward of the Hamburg road, and across the Corinth road, so as to touch Hurlbut on the left and at the rear of McClernand. The entire National line formed an irregular curve.

While Buell's force was getting into position, Mendenhall and Bartlett fought three batteries of the Confederates in front of Nelson and Crittenden. The foe was evidently in strong force. A little to the rear of his left was the high, open wooded ridge on which Sherman and McClernand were encamped on the morning of the 6th, and this was an objective, according to Grant's order already alluded to. Forward Buell's column moved, and Nelson's division first felt the shock of battle, which soon became general along the whole line. Colonel Hazen, with his brigade, made a gallant charge and seized one of the Confederate batteries, but was driven back by superior numbers thrown into the woods on Crittenden's left, and a cross-fire of artillery, sustaining a heavy loss. Colonel Smith's brigade of Crittenden's division then advanced into the woods and repulsed the Confederates, and at the same time Terrell's Regular Battery of 24-pound howitzers was brought on the field and advanced to Nelson's left, near the IIamburg road, then heavily pressed by great numbers. Its effect was most salutary, for it soon silenced the right battery of the Confederates; but Terrell was speedily forced back, with Ammon's brigade, when a regiment from Boyle's brigade re-enforced Nelson's left, and it again moved forward and drove the foc. This exposed the Confederates at their second and third batteries, from which

they were soon driven by the concentrated fire of Mendenhall and Terrell, with a loss of several of their cannon.

3

Meanwhile McCook's division had been fighting the Confederate center, pushing it back step by step, until it was driven from its position. The action of that division was commenced by General Rousseau's, which was well supported by Generals Kirk and Gibson, Willich's regiment, and two regiments of Hurlbut's division.' After expending its ammunition, and marching to the rear for a supply, it was seen moving "in splendid order, and steadily to the front, sweeping every thing before it," smiting the foe so severely that he was driven from his position, and lost one of his batteries at the first onset. It was in front of this division that the Confederates, commanded by Beauregard in person, assisted by Bragg, Polk, and Breckinridge, made their last decided stand, in the woods beyond Sherman's old camp, near Shiloh Meeting-house, where we left that officer and Wallace confronting them. Two brigades of General T. J. Wood's division had just reached the field, but not in time to participate in the engagement. But they relieved the weary fighters, and sealed the doom of the Confederates, who now abandoned all hope of conquering the National left, and concentrated on their right, as we have observed.

It was now long past noon. Wallace had again changed his front for attack, with Sherman on his left as a support. Again his first brigade had moved forward, when a squadron of Confederate cavalry dashed out of the woods toward his temporarily exposed flank. These were repulsed by the Twenty-third Indiana, aided by an oblique fire by the First Nebraska. But a greater peril was menacing Wallace's whole division, at that moment. Sherman's forces, touching his left, had again given way, and were followed by a heavy mass of desperate Confederates, who were eagerly pushing forward to isolate Wallace from the rest of the National army. The situation of the gallant Indianian was extremely critical for a while. He immediately ordered up Colonel Charles R. Woods, of the reserves, with his Seventyeighth Ohio. These, with a regiment sent by General McClernand, and the Eleventh Indiana, Colonel McGinniss, whose front and flank had been attacked, stoutly held the ground, with the gallant Thurber ready to act with his artillery if required, until Colonel August Willich, with his splendid Thirtysecond Indiana, of McCook's division, dashed against the Confederates, and drove them back. Meanwhile Sherman had recovered his line, and the brigade of the wounded Colonel Stuart (now commanded by the skillful Colonel T. Kilby Smith) and that of Colonel Buckland, supported by two 24-pound howitzers of McAllister's battery, moved forward abreast of Rousseau's Kentucky brigade. Wallace's troops, who had entered the woods, also

Hurlbut's shattered division, which had fought on the previous day, was held in reserve much of the time at the rear and left of McClernand.

See General Sherman's report.

General Rousseau had the honor of retaking General McClernand's head-quarters on Sunday morning. At the outer edge of that encampment the dead body of General A. S. Johnston was found.

Speaking of this movement in his report, General Sherman said: "Here I saw Willich's regiment advance upon a point of water-oaks and thicket, behind which I knew the enemy was in great strength, and enter it in beautiful style. Then arose the severest musketry-fire I ever heard, and lasted twenty minutes, when this splendid regiment had to fall back. This green point of timber is about five hundred yards east of Shiloh Meeting-house, and it was evident here was to be the struggle."

pressed steadily forward, while "step by step, from tree to tree, position to position," said that officer, "the rebel lines went back, never stopping again— infantry, horses, and artillery-all went back. The firing was grand and terrific. Before us was the Crescent regiment of New Orleans; shelling us on the right was the Washington artillery, of Manassas renown, whose last stand was in front of Colonel Whittlesey's command. To and fro, now in my front, then in Sherman's, rode General Beauregard, inciting his troops, and fighting for his fading prestige of invincibility. The desperation of the struggle may be

easily imagined. While this was in progress, far along the lines to the left the contest was raging with equal obstinacy. As indicated by the sounds, however, the enemy seemed retiring everywhere. Cheer after cheer rang through the woods, and each man felt the day was ours.'

992

And so it was. Heavily pressed on all sides, the Confederates gave way,

1 The general position of the Confederates may be understood, by considering that on both days their lines were parallel to those of the Nationals.

2 Wallace's report.

FLIGHT OF THE CONFEDERATES.

283

and flying through the National camps of Sunday morning, they burned their own, and with a powerful rear-guard under Breckinridge,' they hurried, in a cold, drizzly rain that soon changed to hail, with their sick and wounded in every conceivable conveyance, to the heights of Monterey that night, far on the road toward Cor

inth, but happily pursued by the conquerors only as far as the bluffs and swamps of Lick Creek. They were astonished at the fact that they were not more vigorously followed, for Breckinridge, it was thought, could easily have been separated from the remainder of the Confederate army and cap

MULES CARRYING WOUNDED MEN.4

tured, and Beauregard's whole force might have been dispersed or made prisoners. Thus ended THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.

5

Although the Confederates had utterly failed in their intentions, and were thoroughly vanquished and driven from the field, with an acknowledged loss of nearly eleven thousand men,' Beauregard telegraphed to Richmond

1 Breckinridge's command was strengthened by the cavalry regiments of Forest, Adams, and the Texas Rangers, making the effective force of the rear-guard about 12,000 men.

That retreat must have been a terrible experience for the sick and wounded. "Here," wrote an eye-witness, "was a long line of wagons loaded with wounded, piled in like bags of grain, groaning and cursing, while the mules plunged on in mud and water, belly deep, the water sometimes coming into the wagons. Next came a straggling regiment of infantry, pressing on past the train of wagons; then a stretcher borne upon the shoulders of four men, carrying a wounded officer; then soldiers staggering along, with an arm broken and hanging down, or other fearful wounds which were enough to destroy life. I passed long wagon-trains, filled with wounded and dying soldiers, without even a blanket to shield them from the driving sleet and hail, which fell in stones as large as partridge-eggs, until it lay on the ground two inches deep. Some three hundred men died during that awful retreat, and their bodies were thrown out to make room for others, who, although wounded, had struggled on through the storm, hoping to find shelter, rest, and medical care."

Beauregard expected a vigorous, and possibly disastrous pursuit, and said to Breckinridge, "This retreat must not be a rout! You must hold the enemy back, if it requires the loss of your last man."" Your orders shall be executed to the letter," was the reported reply. See Pollard's First Year of the War, page 302.

The picture shows the method of carrying sick and wounded on mules, which was in practice at the earlier periods of the war by both parties. The horse-litter, on which men who could not sit up were carried, is shown in the front figure; and the Cacolet, in which men wounded in the upper extremities were carried sitting, is seen in the figure behind. When good ambulances came into use, these methods were abandoned or became rare exceptions.

A rapid and persistent pursuit would have created a complete rout of the now weary, broken, and dispirited rebels. Two hours more of such fighting as Buell's fresh men could have made would have demoralized and destroyed Beauregard's army. Thirteen Months in the Rebel Army, by an impressed New Yorker,

page 169.

See reports of Generals Grant and Buell and their subordinate commanders; also of General Beauregard and his division commanders. A very spirited, and, it is said, correct account was given in the Cincinnati

13,573.

It was

Gazette, written by its army correspondent "Agate " (Whitelaw Reid), who was an eye-witness of the battles. The author has been favored with the written and oral statements of participants in the battle on both sides. Beauregard reported his loss at 1,723 killed, 8,012 wounded, and 957 missing; total, 10,697. General Grant ported his entire loss, including about 4.000 prisoners, 1,785 killed, 7,882 wounded, and 3,956 prisoners; total, the killed in the Confederate army, on Monday, was George W. Johnston, "Provisional Governor of Kentucky" (see page 159), who was with the Kentucky troops in the action. His horse was shot under him on Sunday, and on Monday he was in the ranks. day evening. exploded in his body. The horse was blown into fragments, and his rider, with his saddle, was lifted about

probably about 15,000, and there is reason to believe that Beauregard's was not less. Among

General Hindman had a very narrow, escape, just before the retreat, on MonWhile leading his men, in a fearful struggle, a small shell entered the breast of his horse and

ten feet in the air.

His staff-officers near supposed he was killed, and one of them exclaimed, "General Hind

284

• April 8,

1862.

THE BATTLE-FIELD OF SHILOH.

from Corinth, almost twenty miles from the battle-field, twenty-four hours after his flight, "We have gained a great and glorious victory. Eight to ten thousand prisoners, and thirty-six pieces of cannon." Conscious that his misrepresentations would be exposed by facts in a few days, he added: "Buell re-enforced Grant, and we retired to our intrenchments at Corinth, which we can hold." He had sent a flag of truce that morning from Monterey, where he had a hospital, asking Grant to allow him to send mounted men to the battle-field, to bury his dead. Grant refused. He informed him that, owing to the warmth of the weather, that office of humanity had already been attended to by his own army. "I shall always be glad," wrote Grant in his reply, "to extend any courtesy consistent with duty, especially so when dictated by humanity." There was also a sanitary consideration in this matter. It was important for the health of

sippi, for a journey of about two hundred miles on the Mobile and Ohio railway to Corinth, near the northern borders of the State. It was a cool moonlit night, and the topography of the country through which that railway passed, and over which Grierson had raided and Confederate troops and National prisoners of war had been conveyed, might be easily discerned. At twenty miles from Meridian it was a rolling prairie, with patches of forest here and there, and broad cotton-fields, stretching in every direction as far as the eye could comprehend. That character it maintained all the

man is blown to pieces." At that instant Hindman sprang to his feet and shouted, "Shut up there! I'm worth two dead men yet. Get another horse." In a few moments he was again in the saddle, but he was so much shocked that he was unable to take the field the next day.

1 In this number Beauregard evidently ncluded all the cannon he had captured on Sunday, but did not mention the fact that on Monday he had lost nearly as many.

2 Most of the prisoners taken at Shiloh were sent to Camp Douglass at Chicago. They were generally in a most miserable condition when captured. A lady at Chicago, writing to a friend, said: "But I have not told you how awfully they were dressed. They had old carpets, new carpets, and rag carpets-old bed-quilts, new bedquilts, and ladies' quilts, for blankets. They had slouch hats, children's hats, little girls' hats, and not one soldier cap on their heads. One man had two old hats tied to his feet instead of shoes. They were the most ragged, torn and worn, and weary-looking set I ever saw. Every one felt sorry for them, and no one was disposed to speak unkindly to them. Some of them looked careless and happy enough, and some looked very sad, and others would be very good-looking if they were well dressed and in good company. Even the officers were the most forsaken looking set of men I ever dreamed of. We have sent them newspapers and books, but we find that very few of them can read."