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The battle of Shiloh [from the New Orleans, la, Picayune, Sept., 25, 1904.]
And the
Shiloh National military
Park.
[See also
Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol.
XXXI, p. 298,
et seq.]
General Grant in his ‘Memoirs’ says: ‘The
battle of Shiloh, or
Pittsburg, has been, perhaps, less understood or, to state it more accurately, more persistently misunderstood than any other engagement between the
National and Confederate troops during the entire rebellion.’
This is as true now as it was when it was written.
Most of those persons who have written of
Shiloh on the
Union side have confined themselves to discussing the comparative achievements in that battle of
General Grant's command, the army of Tennessee, and
General Don Carlos Buell's command, the army of the Ohio.
Most of those who have written from a Confederate standpoint have confined themselves to the discussion of what should have been the final result should
General Albert Sidney Johnston not have been killed, and should
General Beauregard have pressed forward instead of ordering a retreat on the afternoon of the second day's battle.
So that what we have mostly of the
battle of Shiloh from those who write of it is not what was actually done by the two great armies on that field the 6th and 7th of April, 1862, but ‘what might have been.’
Shiloh was the first great battle that had ever been fought on the
American continent.
When the
American colonies entered into the war for independence in 1776, they had only an aggregate population of three millions, scattered along the
Atlantic Coast from the
Penobscot river in what is now the
State of Maine, to the
Savannah river in
Georgia.
In 1812, when the second war with
Great Britain was begun there were about seven million people in the
United States.
No great armies were assembled, and no great battles, as measured by great numbers, were fought.
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When the war between the States, or Civil War, of 1861-5 began, the
United States had a population of over thirty-one millions.
The official statements show that the
battle of Shiloh, up to the date upon which it was fought, saw the greatest array of men marshaled in hostile conflict that had ever been seen on the
Western Hemisphere; and its results were more disastrous than any known in the history of the continent.
The bloodshed was only exceeded at
Gettysburg, the
Wilderness,
Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and
Chickamauga.
The
Count of
Paris, in his history of the war, says of
Shiloh:
It was in fact, from the date of this battle, that the two armies began to know and respect each other.
Taught by experience thus gained, the generals felt that so long as such armies continued in the field, the struggle between the North and the South would not come to an end.
It is not proposed in this article to undertake an exhaustive or even particular account of the events of that great battle, but rather to give briefly from the official records now published to the world, such a general statement as will lead to an intelligent understanding of the battle, the causes which led to it, and its results.
I must not omit to say that my work has been much aided by the very accurate report of
Major D. W. Reed, Historian and
Secretary of the
Shiloh Commission, published in 1902.
The report on the
Confederate side was made by
Genernl G. T. Beuregard, who succeeded to the command on the death of
General A. S. Johnston.
General Grant made no report further than what was contained in a letter written immediately after the battle to
General Hallock, informing him that an engagement had been fought and announcing the result.
General Grant explains the reason of his not making a report as follows:
* * * ‘General
Hallock moved his headquarters to
Pittsburg Landing and assumed command of all the troops in the field.
Although next to him in rank, and nominally in command of my old district and army, I was ignored as much as if I had been at the most distant point of territory within my jurisdiction, and although I was in command of all the troops engaged at
Shiloh, I was not permitted to see one of the reports of
General Buell or his subordinates in that battle until they were published by the War Department, long after the event.
For this reason I never made a full official report of the engagement.’
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General Grant's ‘Memoirs’ have been consulted in writing this article, as have all reports published in the official records, both Union and Confederate, and the
Life of General Johnson, by his son, the late
Colonel William Preston Johnston, and the writing of others on both sides.
I give a brief resume of
General Johnston's command, and what occurred previously, which led to the
battle of Shiloh.
Preliminaries to the battle.
On the 10th of September, 1861,
General Johnston was assigned to the command of that part of the
Confederate States which lay west of the
Alleghany Mountains, except the gulf coast;
General Bragg being in command of the coast of
west Florida and
Alabama and
General Mansfield Lovell of the coast of
Mississippi and
Louisiana.
His command was very large in extent, and his powers and discretion as large as the theory of the Confederate government permitted.
He lacked nothing except men, munitions of war, and the means of obtaining them.
The
Mississippi river divided his department into two distinct theatres of war. West of the river
Fremont held
Missouri with a force of from 60,000 to 80,000 troops confronted by
Price and
McCullock in the extreme southwest corner of
Missouri, with 6,000 men, and by
Hardee in the northeastern part of
Arkansas, with several thousand raw recruits, the major part of them suffering from diseases incident to camp life.
East of the
Mississippi the northern boundary of
Tennessee was held in sufferance from an enemy who for various reasons hesitated to advance.
The Mississippi was open to a naval invasion unless it could be defended and held.
General Grant was at
Cairo, and had there and at
Paducah about 20,000 men, and to oppose his invasion
General Polk had seized
Columbus Ky., with about 1,000 Confederates and had placed it in a state of defense.
Tennessee was divided by the
Tennessee river, and also by the
Cumberland.
Insignificant works of defense had been erected on both sides at
Forts Henry and
Donelson, near the boundary line, but in fact there was no practical defense against the capture of
Nashville by the
Federals, which was the most important depot of supplies west of
the Alleghanies.
The defence of the border of
Tennessee first engaged
General Johnston's attention.
Kentucky had assumed a position of neutrality, which was abandoned by act of its Legislature in September.
There were about 34,000 Federal volunteers
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and 6,000 Home Guards assembled in that State under
General Robert Anderson, of
Fort Sumter fame, and he had with him
Generals Sherman,
Thomas and
Nelson.
The Confederacy had 4,000 poorly-armed and badly-equipped troops at
Cumberland Gap under
General Zollicoffer, guarding the only line of Communication between
Virginia and
Tennessee.
Eastern Tennessee was hostile to the
Confederacy, and required constant guarding and vigilance.
Besides
Zollicoffer's force there were only about 4,000 available men to protect
General Johnston's line against some 40,000 Federal troops.
His line extended from
Cumberland Gap to
Columbus, Ky., with
Bowling Green as a salient.
Buckner was moving with a small force in
Kentucky, the numbers of which were greatly exaggerated, and created much alarm.
Bowling Green was strongly fortified, and
General Johnston used every means in his power to rally the Kentuckians to his standard.
He brought
Hardee from
Arkansas, with 4,000 men, and appealed to the
Southern governors for arms and 50,000 troops.
Governor Harris, of
Tennessee, responded as best he could, but the government at
Richmond was unable to re-enforce him or to arm the troops he had.
General Johnston realized the magnitude of the struggle, and his unprepared condition, but the people of the
South only awoke to it when it was too late.
He was never able to assemble more than 20,000 troops to meet the 100,000 on his front.
On the 7th of November the
battle of Belmont was fought opposite
Columbus, in Missouri,
General Grant commanding the
Federal and
General Polk the Confederate army.
In January, 1862,
General Johnston was confronted by
General Halleck in the west and
General Buell, who had succeeded
Sherman in
Kentucky.
With the exception of the army under
General Curtis in
Missouri, about 12,000 strong, the whole resources of the
Northwest were turned against
General Johnston in
Kentucky.
Halleck, with troops at
Cairo and
Paducah, under
Generals Grant and
C. F. Smith, threatened
Columbus, and the defenses at
Forts Donelson and
Henry. Buell's right wing menaced
Donelson and Henry, while his centre was directed against
Bowling Green and his left was advancing against
Zollicoffer at
Mill springs on the upper
Cumberland.
The campaign opened with the defeat of the
Confederates under
Crittenden and
Zollicoffer on the 19th of January, 1862, by
General Thomas at
Mill springs, or
Fishing creek.
While the loss was not severe, it ended with a rout, which left
General Johnston's right flank exposed.
To then reduce the force
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at
Columbus would imperil the
Mississippi river, nor could he hazard the loss of
Nashville, and he, therefore, determined to make the fight at
Forts Henry and
Donelson, and soon
Fort Henry fell.
He had determined when the movement against
Fort Henry was made to fall back on the line of the
Cumberland, and make the fight for
Nashville at
Donelson.
Buell was in his front with 90,000 men, and to save
Nashville he had to fall back on it with a part of his army.
He retained for this purpose some 14,000 men—of whom only 8,500 were effective to confront
Buell's force—and concentrated at
Fort Donelson 17,000 men under
Generals Floyd,
Pillow and
Buckner, to meet
General Grant with a force of 25,000 troops.
When, on February 16,
General Johnston learned of the defeat and surrender of the troops at
Donelson, his first object was to save the remnant of his army, and he at once determined to abandon the line of the
Cumberland, and concentrate all his available troops at
Corinth, Miss., and prepare for a renewed struggle.
On the 25th of March he had assembled an army of 23,000 at
Corinth.
He was re-enforced by
General Bragg from
Pensacola with 10,000 men, and on
General Johnston's arrival at
Corinth his army numbered 50,000 men.
The fall of
Forts Henry and
Donelson and abandonment of
Nashville raised a storm of indignation over the country, and especially in
Tennessee, and a committee of congressmen was sent to
President Davis to ask
General Johnston's removal.
To the committee
Mr. Davis replied: ‘If Sidney Johnston is not a general, I have none.’
To a friend who urged him to publish an explanation in vindication of his course,
General Johnston replied: I cannot correspond with the people.
What the people want is battle and a victory.
That is the best explanation I can make.
I require no vindication; I trust that to the future.
His plan of campaign was to concentrate at
Corinth, and interpose his whole force in front of the bend of the
Tennessee river, the natural base of the
Federal army, and this effected, to engage and defeat
Grant before the arrival of
Buell.
This required immediate action, but time was required for the reorganization of the troops of
Bragg and
Beauregard.
This occupied ten days. Hope was entertained of the arrival of
General Van Dorn with reenforce-ments before the arrival of
General Buell, who was marching from
Nashville with 37,000 men to join
Grant, but who did not arrive until two days later.
Hearing of
Buell's near approach on the 2d of April,
General Johnston determined to at once move to the
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attack.
General Bragg was assigned to the command of a corps, and also as
Chief of Staff.
To
General Beauregard was tendered the immediate command of the army in the impending battle, which he declined.
He did this because he had just come into the district which he had assigned to
General Beauregard and was disinclined to deprive him of any reputation he might acquire by the victory, if one should be gained.
This did not mean that he relinquished the supreme command of the army.
General Grant's army had been transferred up the
Tennessee river by boats and was concentrated on the western bank at
Pittsburg landing.
It arrived by divisions, and
General Bragg had proposed to
Beauregard to attack before the arrival of the whole force, but
General Beauregard did not acquiesce.
General Grant's plan was for a continued movement of his men and
General Buell's army.
With
Pittsburg landing as a base, the army was to occupy
north Mississippi and
Alabama, command the entire railroad system of that section, and take
Memphis in the rear while
Halleck came down the
Mississippi river.
General Johnston suspected the movement and prepared to defeat it.
General Grant's army in camp consisted of 58,000 men, 50,000 of whom were effective, and
Buell was near at hand with 37,000 more.
General Mitchell with 18,000 men was moving against the railroad at
Florence, Ala., not far distant.
General Johnston had determined to attack on the 3d of April.
His general plan was to attack by columns of corps and to make the battle a decisive one; to utterly defeat
Grant, and if successful, to contend for the possession of
Kentucky and
Tennessee.
On Saturday afternoon while waiting the dispopition of the troops, a council of war was held, in which
Generals Johnston,
Beauregard,
Bragg,
Polk,
Breckinridge and
Gilmer took part.
The Confederate army was in line of battle within two miles of
Shiloh Church, and of
General Grant's line.
General Beauregard proposed that the army should be withdrawn to
Corinth.
He argued that the delay and noise had given the enemy notice of their approach, and that they would be found fully intrenched.
Genreal Johnston expressed surprise at the suggestion and
Generals Polk and
Bragg expressed their dissent.
General Johnston closed the conference with the simple remark:
“Gentlemen, we shall attack at daylight to-morrow,” and turning to one of his staff officers, said: ‘I would fight them if they were a million.
They can present no greater front between the two creeks than we can, and the more men they crowd in there the worse we can make it for them.’
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Another council was held at
General Johnston's tent that evening, which elicited the same views and same determination of
General Johnston.
At the dawn of day on the 6th of April as the troops were being put in motion, several of the
Generals again met at the campfire of
General Johnston.
The discussion was renewed,
General Beauregard still expressing his dissent, when rapid firing in front indicated that the attack had commenced, and
General Johnston closed the discussion by saying:
“The battle has opened, gentlemen; it is too late to change our dispositions.”
He proposed that all move to the front, and the
Generals promptly rode to their commands.
The front line of the Confederate army was composed of the 3d Corps and
Gladden's Brigade under
Hardee, extending from Owl to
Lick creek, a distance of three miles.
Hindman's Division occupied the center,
Cleburne's Brigade on the left and
Gladden's on the right, having an effective total of 9,024.
The second line was commanded by
Bragg with two divisions—Wither's and
Ruggle's—Wither's on the right and
Ruggle's on the left.
This line was 10,731 strong.
The third line, the reserve under
Polk (the 1st Corps), with three brigades under
Breckinridge.
Polk's corps was massed in columns of brigades on the Bark
Road, near
Mickey's and
Breckinridge's, on the road from
Monterey toward the same point.
Polk was to advance on the left of the
Park road, at an interval of eight hundred paces from
Bragg's line, and
Breckenridge to the right of that road was to give support whenever necessary.
Polk's corps was composed of two divisions,
Cheatham's on the left, and
Clark's on the right, being an effective force of 9,136 men in infantry and artillery.
It followed
Bragg's line at an interval of eight hundred yards.
Breckenridge's reserve was composed of
Trabue's,
Bowen's and
Statham's brigades, with a total of infantry and artillery of 6,439 men. The cavalry, 4,300 strong, guarded the flanks.
The total effective force of all armies was about 39,630.
The Federal army present was about 49,232, or present for duty, 39,830.
At
Crump's landing, six miles distant,
General Lew Wallace had a force of 5,640 men.
General Nelson's division, of
Buell's army, arrived at
Savannah on Saturday morning, and was about five miles distant; while
Crittenden's division had arrived on the 6th.
The first gun of the battle was heard at 5 o'clock in the morning of the 6th, and
General Johnston and staff at once mounted and rode to the front.
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Some skirmishes on Friday had aroused the vigilance of the
Federal commanders.
Yet,
General Grant had telegraphed
General Halleck Saturday night: ‘The main force of the enemy is at
Corinth; one division of
Buell's column arrived yesterday.
I have scarcely the faintest idea of an attack (general one) being made upon us.’
General Prentiss had, however, thrown forward
Colonel Moore with the 21st Missouri regiment on the
Corinth road, who had encountered
Hardee's skirmish line under
Major Hardcastle, and taking it for an outpost attacked it vigorously.
Thus in reality the
Federals opened the fight.
The struggle was brief.
The 8th and 9th Arkansas regiments came up, and
Colonel Moore was wounded, and his troops gave way.
The battle.
Briefly, on the first attack by the
Confederates the front line of
Grant's army was driven from its position, excepting two of
Sherman's brigades, whose position intrenched the first line of battle.
These brigades resisted stubbornly, but their flanks becoming exposed, they were compelled to give way and take position on
McClernand's right, which was held until the afternoon, when both divisions were driven back.
General Grant arrived on the field at 8 A. M., and ordered
Lewis Wallace up with his division, while he set to work to reorganize his scattered lines.
Hurlbut and
W. H. L. Wallace were now attacked, but repulsed the
Confederates, who, however, continued the assault until 4:30 P. M., when
Hurlbut fell back, and
Wallace, being left to meet the assaults alone, fell back a half hour later.
General Lew Wallace, who, as before stated, was at
Crump's landing six miles distant, did not reach the field until near night.
The Federal army was then crowded back to the river, leaving all of its encampments and some 3,000 prisoners in possession of the
Confederates; it halted after the falling back of
W. H. L. Wallace, the remaining Federal artillery was hastily assembled by
General Webster, of
General Grant's staff, posted on a ridge covering
Pittsburg landing, and a renewal of the attack by the
Confederates was successfully resisted, two gunboats adding their fire.
Buell's advance had reached
Savannah on the evening of the 5th, and at 6 P. M. on the 6th,
Ammen's brigade crossed just at the close of the day's battle.
Next morning all of
Nelson's,
Crittenden's and
McCook's divisions had crossed, and with
Lew Wallace's command, some 25,000
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fresh troops were available.
General Johnston had fallen about 2:30 P. M. on the 6th, and the command developed upon
General Beauregard.
At daylight on Monday
General Grant attacked along the whole line, but was stubbornly resisted, the battle continuing until about 4 P. M. The Union line of the previous day and thirty captured guns were regained.
The arrival of
Buell's army with its fresh troops made the contest unequal, and though stubbonly contested for a time, at about 2 o'clock
General Beauregard ordered the withdrawal of his army.
To secure this he placed
Colonel Robert F. Looney, 38th Tennessee regiment, augmented by detachments from other regiments at
Shiloh Church, and directed him to charge the centre of the
Union lines.
In this charge
Colonel Looney passed
Sherman's headquarters and pressed the
Union line back to Purdy road. At the same time
General Beauregard sent artillery across
Shiloh Branch, and placed the guns in battery on the high ground beyond.
With these arrangements
Beauregard, at 4 o'clock, safely crossed
Shiloh Branch with his army, and placed his rear guard under
General Breckenridge in line upon the ground occupied by him Saturday night. The Confederate army returned leisurely to
Corinth, while the
Union army returned to the camps it had occupied before the battle.
No general pursuit of the
Confederates was made,
General Halleck having issued orders forbidding it, and the
Confederates were allowed to retire to
Corinth while the
Union army occupied itself in burying the dead and caring for the wounded.
Soon after
General Halleck's arrival and assumption of command was inaugurated the ‘advance on
Corinth,’ in which the most conspicuous and leading part was played by the spade.
General Beauregard reported a loss of 1,728 killed, 8,012 wounded, and 959 missing. The Union's loss was reported at 1,754 killed, 8,408 wounded, and some 2,855 prisoners. Revised statements make the total loss in both armies killed, 3,482; wounded, 16,420; missing, 3,844; total, 23,746.
The Shiloh National military Park.
I have stated that the
battle of Shiloh is less known or understood than any of the great battles of the war, and gave, what I think, are the reasons.
So, also, the
Shiloh National Military Park is much less known
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than
Gettysburg or
Chickamauga Parks, partly on account of its inaccessibility by reason of remoteness from railroads.
The only public means of reaching it is by boats on the
Tennessee river.
The nearest railroad points are
Selma, on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, about eighteen miles westward, and
Corinth, at the junction of the
Mobile and
Ohio and Southern (formerly
Memphis and
Charleston) Railroads, some twenty miles south.
A gravel road, of which twenty-five miles is of very excellent character, has been constructed within the park, extended to either
Corinth or
Selma would greatly facilitate travel, and doubtless add many visitors to the park.
The Commissioners have recommended this, naming
Corinth as the point, and a bill is now pending in Congress for its construction.
A survey has been made by the Illinois Central Railroad from
Jackson, Tenn., by way of the park to
Tuscumbia.
If this is built it will help the present facilities; but even with this railroad, there should be a wagon road.
The park was established by an act of Congress, approved December 27, 1894, and lies wholly in
Hardin county, on the west bank of the
Tennessee river.
The
Secretary of War appointed as Commissioners,
Colonel Cornelius Cadle, of
Cincinnati, for the Army of the Tennessee,
Chairman;
General Don Carlos Buell, of
Paradise, Ky., for the Army of Ohio;
Colonel Robert F. Looney, of
Memphis, Tenn., for the Army of the Mississippi;
Major D. W. Reed, of
Chicago,
Secretary and Historian, and
Captain James W. Irwin, of
Savannah, Tenn., Agent for the Purchase of Land.
The Commission organized April 2, 1895, at
Pittsburg Landing, and at once entered on its duties.
Mr. James W. Riddell was appointed clerk of the Commission.
Mr. Atwell Thompson, of
Chattanooga, Tenn.,
civil engineer, was employed to take charge of the work.
He at once began surveys, and ran parallel lines across the field from north to south every two hundred feet, upon which stakes were placed two hundred feet apart.
From these surveys levels were taken, and a contoured topographical chart made of all land within the limits of the park.
From official maps and reports, information received from residents, personal recollections of survivors of the battle, etc., roads, fields and camps were restored, battle lines and positions of troops located and shown on the map, and marked by historical tablets on the ground.
General Don Carlos Buell died in November, 1898, and
Major J. H. Ashcraft, 26th Kentucky Volunteers, was appointed to his place.
Colonel Robert F. Looney died November 19, 1899, and
Colonel
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Josiah Patterson, of
Memphis, Tenn., 1st Alabama Cavalry, succeeded to his place.
Colonel Patterson's death followed soon afterwards (Feb. 12, 1904), and
General Basil W. Duke, of
Louisville, Ky., was appointed.
As before stated, twenty-five miles of excellent road has been constructed, the undergrowth has been cut out, such of the original trees as remained, preserved, and a fine growth of trees forty-two years old, grown since the battle, adorn the park.
The park embraces, in round numbers, 3,675 acres of ground upon which there was actual fighting.
Of this area the government has purchased 3,325.05 acres. About 350 acres more are needed for marking correctly the positions of all the troops.
With this addition the government would own all the land upon which there was any fighting, including the
Union camps and
General Hardee's line of battle Saturday night.
The monuments in the park erected by States, are as follows:
Illinois has erected 38 regimental monuments, and one very handsome State monument;
Ohio 34,
Indiana 23, Iowa 11 regimental and one State monument.
The latter in beauty of design, excellent workmanship and solidity of construction, is unexcelled.
Pennsylvania has one monument to its one regiment engaged;
Wisconsin will soon erect a monument.
General William B. Bate, of
Tennessee, who commanded the 2d Regiment at
Shiloh, has raised the necessary money, and will soon have erected a monument to that regiment.
This, when in place, will be the first Confederate monument on the field.
The Commissioners have placed monuments to the
general officers on both sides, and officers commanding brigades who were killed in battle.
On the
Confederate side
Generals Albert Sidney Johnston and
A. H. Gladden were killed, and of the
Union Army,
General W. H. L. Wallace and
Colonels Julius Raith and
Everett Peabody.
These are uniform in size and shape.
Though plain, they are quite imposing.
They are made with concrete foundation and base twenty feet square with pyramids of cannon-balls on each of the four corners.
A concrete second base in the centre is surmounted by a 24-pounder parrott gun set on end. On this is a bronze shield with the inscription.
The inscription on Genera
Johnston's monument is as follows:
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C. S.
General Albert Sidney Johnston,
Commanding the Confederate Army,
Was Mortally Wounded
Here at 2:30 P. M., April 6, 1862.
Died in Ravine Fifty Yards East at
2:54 P. M.
The place in the ravine where he died is plainly marked, the tree under which his volunteer aid-de-camp,
Governor Isham G. Harris, laid him, still standing there.
The inscription on the other mortuary monuments are of a like character.
The headquarters of general officers of divisions and brigades are marked by pyramids of shells, with inscriptions giving names of the officers.
The lines of all organizations are plainly marked, so that it is easy to recognize the ground over which any body of troops passed during the battle.
The Confederates who fell at
Shiloh are buried in large trenches, five in number, near where they fell.
The Commission has placed them in fine order and adorned them with shells similar to the adornment of the monuments just mentioned.
I was there on the 30th day of May last (Decorative Day). The Commissioners invited me to a seat in their carriage, and we passed to all these resting places of Confederates, and on arrival at each burying place the
Commissioners alighted and decorated them.
Hereafter it is expected that there will be a general decoration of Confederate graves, as is usual at other places.
The National cemetery.
This adjoins the park, and is on a bluff 120 feet high, immediately on the
Tennessee river.
It was laid out in 1866, and contains ten and a half acres. There are buried in the cemetery the bodies of 1,239 known and 2,375 unknown Union soldiers.
It is handsomely laid out, and under the superintendence of
Mr. John W. Shaw is kept in admirable order.
There is a very good hotel near the offices of the
Commissioners, and a general store, where almost any article usually found in such places can be had.
Altogether, the park is a most beautiful one, and the work done by the
Commissioners reflects credit on their good judgment and business capacity.
