Schwartz fought his guns beside Waterhouse, and under compulsion, shared the retreat, losing most of his guns. Taylor's battery, commanded by Captain Barrett, supported gallantly by the 22d Illinois infantry, stood firm, sending its terrible fire through the serried lines of Beauregard, until battery and support were outflanked on both sides, when they retired through a heavy cross-fire, the battery losing one man killed, seventeen wounded, twelve horses, the forge and battery wagons. Waterhouse took a second position with his three guns, supported by McClernand's second brigade, and was again compelled to retreat and again advanced. The rebels well knew when, on the parade ground of the first division, Taylor's battery took up its second position and engaged in a duel with a rebel battery eight hundred yards in front, which it silenced, and blew up its caisson. In the Sunday fight Co. A, Chicago Artillery, Captain Wood, was so much cut up as to be able to work but three guns. Matteson's and Silversparre's guns, on Sunday afternoon, effect ually stayed the heavy advancing columns of Beauregard's forces. As to Colonel Webster, all accorded him the meed of the higher skill and coolest decision. Long will be remembered by Souther leaders, that semi-circle of belching cannon he placed to celebrat the vespers of that Sabbath fight, and before which recoiled the hosts dashing forward to "drive Grant into the river." Col. David Stuart, commanding a brigade, was severely wounded He was commended for bravery and capacity. In the last bloody effort on our left, the famous scout, Carson from Chicago, was killed instantly by a cannon ball which took of his head. He was a daring and skillful scout, making his way almost at pleasure within and out of the enemy's lines. The Illinois 57th, Col. Baldwin, lost heavily after exhibiting the most determined bravery. Major N. B. Page, of Malden, was killed, falling in the heroic discharge of duty. He was mourned by comrades and by the community from which he went to war. Five Captains were wounded, one mortally; three Lieutenants were wounded, one mortally. Captain Lewis Mauss, a noted scientific Chicago occulist, com manding a company in the 43d, was wounded in the side by a fragment of shell and died within twenty-four hours. Captain E. M. Knapp, of the 52d, was killed on Sunday as he cheered his men on to the battle. But the long roll cannot be perfectly made at this time. Other cases of merit will be mentioned in the record of regiments and individuals. In the battle of Shiloh, Illinois wrote a glorious historic scroll. Whatever may be hereafter, the memory of that day, with its proud achievements, can never be taken from her. She wrote in blood a chapter that can never be obliterated. In her prairie homes, along her rivers, among her graves, and in her cities, thousands of children will each proudly say, "My father was an Illinois soldier in the battle of Shiloh!" CHAPTER XV. RECONNOISSANCE ON THE CORINTH ROAD-THE MOVEMENT ON PURDY-THE BATTLES AT ENERAL GRANT, with his customary tenacity of purpose GE and rapidity of action, did not rest upon the success achieved at Shiloh. On the 8th of April, Gen. Sherman with his cavalry and two brigades of infantry made a reconnoissance on the Corinth road. The rebel cavalry were soon overtaken and a fight immediately occurred. The rebels charged upon our skirmish line and broke through it, putting the Ohio Seventy-seventh to flight, and at the outset throwing Col. Dickey's Fourth Illinois Cavalry into disorder. Gen. Sherman sent orders to the rear for the brigade to form in line of battle. The broken infantry and cavalry rallied on this line and advanced, Col. Dickey's gallant regiment leading off in a dashing charge with their carbines. The rebels broke this time and fled. The troops being wearied out with their three days' hard fighting, privations and exposures, the pursuit was given up, and after caring for the wounded and burying the dead, they returned to camp. On the 30th of April, another reconnoissance was made by order of Gen. Grant toward Purdy, a small town twenty miles from Corinth, on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The force consisting of seven regiments of infantry including the Seventy-eighth and Twentieth Ohio, two batteries of artillery, and the Fourth and Eleventh Illinois and Fifth Ohio Cavalry were commanded by Gen. Wallace, and belonged to his division. At night the infantry and artillery bivouacked in the woods midway between Pittsburg Landing and Purdy, while the cavalry under command of Col. Dickey continued on toward Purdy, reaching its vicinity about midnight. The in > FARMINGTON. 285 tense darkness of the night, and a previous storm which set in, rendered operations impossible, and the force returned to the bivouac. The next morning, however, the word was again "Forward," and our cavalry entered Purdy. Col. Dickey sent a small force to skirmish two miles below Purdy, while another force destroyed the railroad bridge two miles above it. The work was accomplished. The bridge was torn up and the connection between Purdy and Corinth completely destroyed. The object of the expedition having been accomplished, the troops returned to camp on the 29th, without the loss of a man by the enemy. Many a brave Illinois soldier however, fell a victim to the exposures of that night in the storm and swamps. The third reconnoissance developed the battle of Farmington, in which Illinois generals and Illinois soldiers again shone conspicuously. On the 3d of May, our forces had scarcely got into their new camp between Hamburg and Corinth, before the order came for a reconnoissance in force. Generals Paine and Palmer were detailed for the work. The regiments selected were almost entirely from Illinois, comprising the Tenth, Sixteenth, Twenty-second, Twentyseventh, Forty-second and Fifty-first Illinois, the Yates Sharpshooters (Illinois), Houghteling's Illinois Battery, Hezcock's Ohio Battery, the Sixteenth Michigan Infantry and Second Michigan Cavalry. The column proceeded but five miles on the Farmington road, when a rebel force was encountered and the battle commenced. The rebel pickets were soon driven in. Our forces pushed on and were met with a sharp fire from behind the fallen trees. The gallant riflemen of the Yates Sharpshooters drove them from the abattis, and thus they were pushed from point to point for two miles, until an eminence was reached, from which the rebel artillery commanded the road. The Tenth Illinois and the Yates Sharpshooters, however, flanked them and they retreated under a most galling fire to a second position on the crest of a hill. Houghteling's guns came up on the double quick and opened a murderous fire, and again the rebels fled to a new position, half a mile further on and about a quarter of a mile from Farmington. Houghteling's Battery immediately moved to the rebel left, and Hezcock's Battery to the right. Their concentrated fire was soon too terrible for any troops to endure, and the rebels broke and fled toward Corinth in confusion, pursued by our cavalry. Our loss was only two killed and eleven wounded; the enemy's thirty killed and many wounded. Farmington was in our possession, but the main battle was yet to come. On the 9th, the enemy twenty thousand strong, drove in our pickets beyond Farmington, and advanced upon the forces under Generals Palmer and Paine evidently with the intention of flanking them and cutting them off from the main army. Gen. Paine at once engaged them, and for five hours the battle was continuous and fiercely waged. Gen. Halleck's orders, however, were peremptory that a general engagement should not be brought on. In accordance with these instructions, Gen. Paine's troops fell back after stubbornly disputing the enemy's advance and finding out their strength. The enemy made a demonstration to pursue, but abandoned the movement. Our loss in the engagement was twenty-one killed, one hundred and forty wounded, and ten missing. Among the killed was the brave Lieut.-Col. Miles of the Forty-seventh Illinois. His leg was crushed by a cannon ball, and he died in a short time from hemorrhage. Major Zenas Applington of the 7th Illinois cavalry also fell mortally wounded while gallantly leading his regiment. The Illinois regiments engaged in this fight were the 42d, Col Roberts; 27th, Lieut.-Colonel Harrington; 22d, Lieut.-Colonel Hart; 51st, Lieut.-Col. Bradley; 26th, Col. Loomis; and 47th, Col. Bryner. It was pre-eminently an Illinois battle, and, although fighting at fearful odds (nearly six to one) the luster of her achievements was in no wise dimmed. On the 21st of May another armed reconnoissance was made by the 2d division, commanded by Brig.-General Thomas A. Davis, which fought a battle with the enemy's advance fine on Phillip's Creek, resulting in their rout and the occupation of a new and advantageous position by our forces. The same day another reconnoissance was made by Col. Sedgwick's brigade, which was successful in ascertaining the position of a part of the enemy's line. During all these reconnoissances and battles between disjointed fragments of either army, the main army of Gen. Halleck was advancing slowly and cautiously, throwing out successive parallels, as if a siege of the works at Corinth were intended. The railroad |