The Army at Pittsburg landing-injured by a fall --the Confederate attack at Shiloh-the first day's fight at Shiloh-General Sherman-condition of the Army-close of the first day's fight --the second day's fight-retreat and defeat of the Confederates
When I reassumed command on the 17th of March I found the army divided, about half being on the east bank of the
Tennessee at
Savannah, while one division was at
Crump's landing on the west bank
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about four miles higher up, and the remainder at
Pittsburg landing, five miles above
Crump's. The enemy was in force at
Corinth, the junction of the two most important railroads in the
Mississippi valley --one connecting
Memphis and the
Mississippi River with the
East, and the other leading south to all the cotton states.
Still another railroad connects
Corinth with
Jackson, in west Tennessee.
If we obtained possession of
Corinth the enemy would have no railroad for the transportation of armies or supplies until that running east from
Vicksburg was reached.
It was the great strategic position at the
West between the
Tennessee and the
Mississippi rivers and between
Nashville and
Vicksburg.
I at once put all the troops at
Savannah in motion for
Pittsburg landing, knowing that the enemy was fortifying at
Corinth and collecting an army there under
Johnston.
It was my expectation to march against that army as soon as
Buell, who had been ordered to reinforce me with the Army of the Ohio, should arrive; and the west bank of the river was the place to start from.
Pittsburg is only about twenty miles from
Corinth.
and
Hamburg landing, four miles further up the river, is a mile or two nearer.
I had not been in command long before I selected
Hamburg as the place to put the Army of the Ohio when it arrived.
The roads from
Pittsburg and
Hamburg to
Corinth converge some eight miles out. This disposition of the troops would have given additional roads to march over when the advance commenced, within supporting distance of each other.
Before I arrived at
Savannah,
Sherman, who had joined the Army of the Tennessee and been placed in command of a division, had made an expedition on steamers convoyed by gunboats to the neighborhood of
Eastport, thirty miles south, for the purpose of destroying the railroad east of
Corinth.
The rains had been so heavy for some time before that the lowlands had become impassable swamps.
Sherman debarked his troops and started out to accomplish the object of the expedition; but the river was rising so rapidly that the back-water up the small tributaries threatened to cut off the possibility of getting back to the boats, and the expedition had to return without reaching the railroad.
The guns had to be hauled by hand through the water to get back to the boats.
On the 17th of March the army on the
Tennessee River consisted of five divisions, commanded respectively by
Generals C. F. Smith,
McClernand,
L. Wallace,
Hurlbut and
Sherman.
General W. H. L. Wallace was temporarily in command of
Smith's division, General
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Smith, as I have said, being confined to his bed. Reinforcements were arriving daily and as they came up they were organized, first into brigades, then into a division, and the command given to
General Prentiss, who had been ordered to report to me.
General Buell was on his way from
Nashville with 40,000 veterans.
On the 19th of March he was at
Columbia, Tennessee, eighty-five miles from
Pittsburg.
When all reinforcements should have arrived I expected to take the initiative by marching on
Corinth, and had no expectation of needing fortifications, though this subject was taken into consideration. [
Col. J. B.]
McPherson, my only military engineer, was directed to lay out a line to intrench.
He did so, but reported that it would have to be made in rear of the line of encampment as it then ran. The new line, while it would be nearer the river, was yet too far away from the
Tennessee, or even from the creeks, to be easily supplied with water, and in case of attack these creeks would be in the hands of the enemy.
The fact is, I regarded the campaign we were engaged in as an offensive one and had no idea that the enemy would leave strong intrenchments to take the initiative when he knew he would be attacked where he was if he remained.
This view, however, did not prevent every precaution being taken and every effort made to keep advised of all movements of the enemy.
Johnston's cavalry meanwhile had been well out towards our front, and occasional encounters occurred between it and our outposts.
On the 1st of April this cavalry became bold and approached our lines, showing that an advance of some kind was contemplated.
On the 2d
Johnston left
Corinth in force to attack my army.
On the 4th his cavalry dashed down and captured a small picket guard of six or seven men, stationed some five miles out from
Pittsburg on the
Corinth road.
Colonel [Ralph]
Buckland sent relief to the guard at once and soon followed in person with an entire regiment, and
General Sherman followed
Buckland taking the remainder of a brigade.
The pursuit was kept up for some three miles beyond the point where the picket guard had been captured, and after nightfall
General Sherman returned to camp and reported to me by letter what had occurred.
At this time a large body of the enemy was hovering to the west of us, along the line of the Mobile and Ohio railroad.
My apprehension was much greater for the safety of
Crump's landing than it was for
Pittsburg.
I had no apprehension that the enemy could really capture either place.
But I feared it was possible that he might make
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a rapid dash upon
Crump's and destroy our transports and stores, most of which were kept at that point, and then retreat before
Wallace could be reinforced.
Lew. Wallace's position I regarded as so well chosen that he was not removed.
At this time I generally spent the day at
Pittsburg and returned to
Savannah in the evening.
I was intending to remove my headquarters to
Pittsburg, but
Buell was expected daily and would come in at
Savannah.
I remained at this point, therefore, a few days longer than I otherwise should have done, in order to meet him on his arrival.
The skirmishing in our front, however, had been so continuous from about the 3d of April that I did not leave
Pittsburg each night until an hour when I felt there would be no further danger before the morning.
On Friday the 4th, the day of
Buckland's advance, I was very much injured by my horse falling with me, and on me, while I was trying to get to the front where firing had been heard.
The night was one of impenetrable darkness, with rain pouring down in torrents; nothing was visible to the eye except as revealed by the frequent flashes of lightning.
Under these circumstances I had to trust to the horse, without guidance, to keep the road.
I had not gone far, however, when I met
General W. H. L. Wallace and
Colonel (afterwards General)
McPherson coming from the direction of the front.
They said all was quiet so far as the enemy was concerned.
On the way back to the boat my horse's feet slipped from under him, and he fell with my leg under his body.
The extreme softness of the ground, from the excessive rains of the few preceding days, no doubt saved me from a severe injury and protracted lameness.
As it was, my ankle was very much injured, so much so that my boot had to be cut off. For two or three days after I was unable to walk except with crutches.
On the 5th
General Nelson, with a division of
Buell's army, arrived at
Savannah and I ordered him to move up the east bank of the river, to be in a position where he could be ferried over to
Crump's landing or
Pittsburg as occasion required.
I had learned that
General Buell himself would be at
Savannah the next day, and desired to meet me on his arrival.
Affairs at
Pittsburg landing had been such for several days that I did not want to be away during the day. I determined, therefore, to take a very early breakfast and ride out to meet
Buell, and thus save time.
He had arrived on the evening of the 5th, but had not advised me of the fact and I was not aware of it
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until some time after.
While I was at breakfast, however, heavy firing was heard in the direction of
Pittsburg landing, and I hastened there, sending a hurried note to
Buell informing him of the reason why I could not meet him at
Savannah.
On the way up the river I directed the dispatch-boat to run in close to
Crump's landing, so that I could communicate with
General Lew. Wallace.
I found him waiting on a boat apparently expecting to see me, and I directed him to get his troops in line ready to execute any orders he might receive.
He replied that his troops were already under arms and prepared to move.
Up to that time I had felt by no means certain that
Crump's landing might not be the point of attack.
On reaching the front, however, about eight A. M., I found that the attack on
Pittsburg was unmistakable, and that nothing more than a small guard, to protect our transports and stores, was needed at
Crump's.
Captain [A. S.]
Baxter, a quartermaster on my staff, was accordingly directed to go back and order
General Wallace to march immediately to
Pittsburg by the road nearest the river.
Captain Baxter made a memorandum of this order.
About one P. M., not hearing from
Wallace and being much in need of reinforcements, I sent two more of my staff,
Colonel McPherson and
Captain [William R.]
Rowley, to bring him up with his division.
They reported finding him marching towards
Purdy,
Bethel, or some point west from the river, and farther from
Pittsburg by several miles than when he started.
The road from his first position to
Pittsburg landing was direct and near the river.
Between the two points a bridge had been built across
Snake Creek by our troops, at which
Wallace's command had assisted, expressly to enable the troops at the two places to support each other in case of need.
Wallace did not arrive in time to take part in the first day's fight.
General Wallace has since claimed that the order delivered to him by
Captain Baxter was simply to join the right of the army, and that the road over which he marched would have taken him to the road from
Pittsburg to
Purdy where it crosses
Owl Creek on the right of
Sherman; but this is not where I had ordered him nor where I wanted him to go.
I never could see and do not now see why any order was necessary
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further than to direct him to come to
Pittsburg landing, without specifying by what route.
His was one of three veteran divisions that had been in battle, and its absence was severely felt.
Later in the war
General Wallace would not have made the mistake that he committed on the 6th of April, 1862.
I presume his idea was that by taking the route he did he would be able to come around on the flank or rear of the enemy, and thus perform an act of heroism that would redound to the credit of his command, as well as to the benefit of his country.
Some two or three miles from
Pittsburg landing was a log meetinghouse called
Shiloh.
It stood on the ridge which divides the waters of
Snake and
Lick creeks, the former emptying into the
Tennessee just north of
Pittsburg landing, and the latter south.
This point was the key to our position and was held by
Sherman.
His division was at that time wholly raw, no part of it ever having been in an engagement; but I thought this deficiency was more than made up by the superiority of the commander.
McClernand was on
Sherman's left, with troops that had been engaged at
forts Henry and
Donelson and were therefore veterans so far as western troops had become such at that stage of the war. Next to
McClernand came
Prentiss with a raw division, and on the extreme left [
General David]
Stuart with one brigade of
Sherman's division.
Hurlbut was in rear of
Prentiss, massed, and in reserve at the time of the onset.
The division of
General C. F. Smith was on the right, also in reserve.
General Smith was still sick in bed at
Savannah, but within hearing of our guns.
His services would no doubt have been of inestimable value had his health permitted his presence.
The command of his division devolved upon
Brigadier-General W. H. L. Wallace, a most estimable and able officer; a veteran too, for he had served a year in the
Mexican war and had been with his command at
Henry and
Donelson.
Wallace was mortally wounded in the first day's engagement, and with the change of commanders thus necessarily effected in the heat of battle the efficiency of his division was much weakened.
The position of our troops made a continuous line from
Lick Creek on the left to
Owl Creek, a branch of
Snake Creek, on the right, facing nearly south and possibly a little west.
The water in all these streams was very high at the time and contributed to protect our flanks.
The enemy was compelled, therefore, to attack directly in front.
This he did with great vigor, inflicting heavy losses on the
National side, but suffering much heavier on his own.
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|
Shiloh-morning of April 6, 1862 |
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The Confederate assaults were made with such a disregard of losses on their own side that our line of tents soon fell into their hands.
The ground on which the battle was fought was undulating, heavily timbered with scattered clearings, the woods giving some protection to the troops on both sides.
There was also considerable underbrush.
A number of attempts were made by the enemy to turn our right flank, where
Sherman was posted, but every effort was repulsed with heavy loss.
But the front attack was kept up so vigorously that, to prevent the success of these attempts to get on our flanks, the
National troops were compelled, several times, to take positions to the rear nearer
Pittsburg landing.
When the firing ceased at night the
National line was all of a mile in rear of the position it had occupied in the morning.
In one of the backward moves, on the 6th, the division commanded by
General Prentiss did not fall back with the others.
This left his flanks exposed and enabled the enemy to capture him with about 2,200 of his officers and men.
General Badeau gives four o'clock of the 6th as about the time this capture took place.
He may be right as to the time, but my recollection is that the hour was later.
General Prentiss himself gave the hour as half-past 5. I was with him, as I was with each of the division commanders that day, several times, and my recollection is that the last time I was with him was about half-past 4, when his division was standing up firmly and the
General was as cool as if expecting victory.
But no matter whether it was four or later, the story that he and his command were surprised and captured in their camps is without any foundation whatever.
If it had been true, as currently reported at the time and yet believed by thousands of people, that
Prentiss and his division had been captured in their beds, there would not have been an all-day struggle, with the loss of thousands killed and wounded on the
Confederate side.
With the single exception of a few minutes after the capture of
Prentiss, a continuous and unbroken line was maintained all day from
Snake Creek or its tributaries on the right to
Lick Creek or the
Tennessee on the left above
Pittsburg.
There was no hour during the day when there was not heavy firing and generally hard fighting at some point on the line, but seldom at all points at the same time.
It was a case of Southern dash against Northern pluck and endurance.
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Three of the five divisions engaged on Sunday were entirely raw, and many of the men had only received their arms on the way from their States to the field.
Many of them had arrived but a day or two before and were hardly able to load their muskets according to the manual.
Their officers were equally ignorant of their duties.
Under these circumstances it is not astonishing that many of the regiments broke at the first fire.
In two cases, as I now remember, colonels led their regiments from the field on first hearing the whistle of the enemy's bullets.
In these cases the colonels were constitutional cowards, unfit for any military position; but not so the officers and men led out of danger by them.
Better troops never went upon a battle-field than many of these, officers and men, afterwards proved themselves to be, who fled panic-stricken at the first whistle of bullets and shell at
Shiloh.
During the whole of Sunday I was continuously engaged in passing from one part of the field to another, giving directions to division commanders.
In thus moving along the line, however, I never deemed it important to stay long with
Sherman.
Although his troops were then under fire for the first time, their commander, by his constant presence with them, inspired a confidence in officers and men that enabled them to render services on that bloody battle-field worthy of the best of veterans.
McClernand was next to
Sherman, and the hardest fighting was in front of these two divisions.
McClernand told me on that day, the 6th, that he profited much by having so able a commander supporting him. A casualty to
Sherman that would have taken him from the field that day would have been a sad one for the troops engaged at
Shiloh.
And how near we came to this!
On the 6th
Sherman was shot twice, once in the hand, once in the shoulder, the ball cutting his coat and making a slight wound, and a third ball passed through his hat. In addition to this he had several horses shot during the day.
The nature of this battle was such that cavalry could not be used in front; I therefore formed ours into line in rear, to stop stragglers — of whom there were many.
When there would be enough of them to make a show, and after they had recovered from their fright, they would be sent to reinforce some part of the line which needed support, without regard to their companies, regiments or brigades.
On one occasion during the day I rode back as far as the river and met
General Buell, who had just arrived; I do not remember the hour, but at that time there probably were as many as four or five thousand stragglers lying under cover of the river bluff, panicstricken,
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most of whom would have been shot where they lay, without resistance, before they would have taken muskets and marched to the front to protect themselves.
This meeting between
General Buell and myself was on the dispatch-boat used to run between the landing and
Savannah.
It was brief, and related specially to his getting his troops over the river.
As we left the boat together,
Buell's attention was attracted by the men lying under cover of the river bank.
I saw him berating them and trying to shame them into joining their regiments.
He even threatened them with shells from the gun-boats near by. But it was all to no effect.
Most of these men afterward proved themselves as gallant as any of those who saved the battle from which they had deserted.
I have no doubt that this sight impressed
General Buell with the idea that a line of retreat would be a good thing just then.
If he had come in by the front instead of through the stragglers in the rear, he would have thought and felt differently.
Could he have come through the
Confederate rear, he would have witnessed there a scene similar to that at our own. The distant rear of an army engaged in battle is not the best place from which to judge correctly what is going on in front.
Later in the war, while occupying the country between the
Tennessee and the
Mississippi, I learned that the panic in the
Confederate lines had not differed much from that within our own. Some of the country people estimated the stragglers from
Johnston's army as high as 20,000.
Of course this was an exaggeration.
The situation at the close of Sunday was as follows: along the top of the bluff just south of the log-house which stood at
Pittsburg landing,
Colonel J. D. Webster, of my staff, had arranged twenty or more pieces of artillery facing south or up the river.
This line of artillery was on the crest of a hill overlooking a deep ravine opening into the
Tennessee.
Hurlbut with his division intact was on the right of this artillery, extending west and possibly a little north.
McClernand came next in the general line, looking more to the west.
His division was complete in its organization and ready for any duty.
Sherman came next, his right extending to
Snake Creek.
His command, like the other two, was complete in its organization and ready, like its chief, for any service it might be called upon to render.
All three divisions were, as a matter of course, more or less shattered and depleted in numbers from the terrible battle of the day. The division of
W. H. L. Wallace, as much from the disorder arising from changes of division and brigade commanders, under heavy fire, as from any other cause, had lost its organization and did not occupy a place in
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the line as a division.
Prentiss' command was gone as a division, many of its members having been killed, wounded or captured; but it had rendered valiant services before its final dispersal, and had contributed a good share to the defence of
Shiloh.
The right of my line rested near the bank of
Snake Creek, a short distance above the bridge which had been built by the troops for the purpose of connecting
Crump's landing and
Pittsburg landing.
Sherman had posted some troops in a log-house and out-buildings which overlooked both the bridge over which
Wallace was expected and the creek above that point.
In this last position
Sherman was frequently attacked before night, but held the point until he voluntarily abandoned it to advance in order to make room for
Lew. Wallace, who came up after dark.
There was, as I have said, a deep ravine in front of our left.
The
Tennessee River was very high and there was water to a considerable depth in the ravine.
Here the enemy made a last desperate effort to turn our flank, but was repelled.
The gunboats
Tyler and
Lexington, [William]
Gwin and [James W.]
Shirk commanding, with the artillery under
Webster, aided the army and effectually checked their further progress.
Before any of
Buell's troops had reached the west bank of the
Tennessee, firing had almost entirely ceased; anything like an attempt on the part of the enemy to advance had absolutely ceased.
There was some artillery firing from an unseen enemy, some of his shells passing beyond us; but I do not remember that there was the whistle of a single musket-ball heard.
As his troops arrived in the dusk
General Buell marched several of his regiments part way down the face of the hill where they fired briskly for some minutes, but I do not think a single man engaged in this firing received an injury.
The attack had spent its force.
General Lew. Wallace, with 5,000 effective men, arrived after firing had ceased for the day, and was placed on the right.
Thus night came,
Wallace came, and the advance of
Nelson's division came; but none-unless night — in time to be of material service to the gallant men who saved
Shiloh on that first day against large odds.
Buell's loss on the 6th of April was two men killed and one wounded, all members of the 36th Indiana infantry.
The Army of the Tennessee lost on that day at least 7,000 men. The presence of two or three regiments of
Buell's army on the west bank before firing ceased had not the slightest effect in preventing the capture of
Pittsburg landing.
So confident was I before firing had ceased on the 6th that the next day would bring victory to our arms if we could only take the
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initiative, that I visited each division commander in person before any reinforcements had reached the field.
I directed them to throw out heavy lines of skirmishers in the morning as soon as they could see, and push them forward until they found the enemy, following with their entire divisions in supporting distance, and to engage the enemy as soon as found.
To
Sherman I told the story of the assault at
Fort Donelson, and said that the same tactics would win at
Shiloh.
Victory was assured when
Wallace arrived, even if there had been no other support.
I was glad, however, to see the reinforcements of
Buell and credit them with doing all there was for them to do. During the night of the 6th the remainder of
Nelson's division,
Buell's army, crossed the river and were ready to advance in the morning, forming the left wing. Two other divisions, [Thomas L.]
Crittenden's and [
Alexander McD.]
McCook's, came up the river from
Savannah in the transports and were on the west bank early on the 7th.
Buell commanded them in person.
My command was thus nearly doubled in numbers and efficiency.
During the night rain fell in torrents and our troops were exposed to the storm without shelter.
I made my headquarters under a tree a few hundred yards back from the river bank.
My ankle was so much swollen from the fall of my horse the Friday night preceding, and the bruise was so painful, that I could get no rest.
The drenching rain would have precluded the possibility of sleep without this additional cause.
Some time after midnight, growing restive under the storm and the continuous pain, I moved back to the log-house under the bank.
This had been taken as a hospital, and all night wounded men were being brought in, their wounds dressed, a leg or an arm amputated as the case might require, and everything being done to save life or alleviate suffering.
The sight was more unendurable than encountering the enemy's fire, and I returned to my tree in the rain.
The advance on the morning of the 7th developed the enemy in the camps occupied by our troops before the battle began, more than a mile back from the most advanced position of the
Confederates on the day before.
It is known now that they had not yet learned of the arrival of
Buell's command.
Possibly they fell back so far to get the shelter of our tents during the rain, and also to get away from the shells that were dropped upon them by the gunboats every fifteen minutes during the night.
The position of the
Union troops on the morning of the 7th was as follows:
General Lew. Wallace on the right;
Sherman on his left; then
McClernand and then
Hurlbut.
Nelson, of
Buell's army, was on
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our extreme left, next to the river.
Crittenden was next in line after
Nelson and on his right;
McCook followed and formed the extreme right of
Buel's command.
My old command thus formed the right wing, while the troops directly under
Buell constituted the left wing of the army.
These relative positions were retained during the entire day, or until the enemy was driven from the field.
In a very short time the battle became general all along the line.
This day everything was favorable to the
Union side.
We had now become the attacking party.
The enemy was driven back all day, as we had been the day before, until finally he beat a precipitate retreat.
The last point held by him was near the road leading from the landing to
Corinth, on the left of
Sherman and right of
McClernand.
About three o'clock, being near that point and seeing that the enemy was giving way everywhere else, I gathered up a couple of regiments, or parts of regiments, from troops near by, formed them in line of battle and marched them forward, going in front myself to prevent premature or long-range firing.
At this point there was a clearing between us and the enemy favorable, for charging, although exposed.
I knew the enemy were ready to break and only wanted a little encouragement from us to go quickly and join their friends who had started earlier.
After marching to within musket-range I stopped and let the troops pass.
The command,
Charge, was given, and was executed with loud cheers and with a run; when the last of the enemy broke.
Note: Since writing this chapter I have received from
Mrs. W. H. L. Wallace, widow of the gallant general who was killed in the first day's fight on the field of
Shiloh, a letter from
General Lew. Wallace to him dated the morning of the 5th.
At the date of this letter it was well known that the
Confederates had troops out along the Mobile & Ohio railroad west of
Crump's landing and
Pittsburg landing, and were also collecting near
Shiloh.
This letter shows that at that time
General Lew. Wallace was making preparations for the emergency that might happen for the passing of reinforcements between
Shiloh and his position, extending from
Crump's landing westward, and he sends it over the road running from
Adamsville to the
Pittsburg landing and
Purdy road.
These two roads intersect nearly a mile west of the crossing of the latter over
Owl Creek, where our right rested.
In this letter
General Lew. Wallace advises
General W. H. L. Wallace that he will send “to-morrow” (and his letter also says “April 5th,” which is the same day the letter was dated and which, therefore, must have been written on the 4th) some cavalry to report to him at his headquarters, and suggesting the propriety of
General W. H. L. Wallace's sending a company back with them for the purpose of having the cavalry at the two landings familiarize themselves with the road so that they could “act promptly in case of emergency as guides to and from the different camps.”
This modifies very materially what I have said, and what has been said by others, of the conduct of
General Lew. Wallace at the
battle of Shiloh.
It shows that he naturally, with no more experience than he had at the time in the profession of arms,
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would take the particular road that he did start upon in the absence of orders to move by a different road.
The mistake he made, and which probably caused his apparent dilatoriness, was that of advancing some distance after he found that the firing, which would be at first directly to his front and then off to the left, had fallen back until it had got very much in rear of the position of his advance.
This falling back had taken place before I sent
General Wallace orders to move up to
Pittsburg landing and, naturally, my order was to follow the road nearest the river.
But my order was verbal, and to a staff officer who was to deliver it to
General Wallace, so that I am not competent to say just what order the
General actually received.
General Wallace's division was stationed, the First brigade at
Crump's landing, the Second out two miles, and the Third two and a half miles out. Hearing the sounds of battle
General Wallace early ordered his First and Third brigades to concentrate on the Second.
If the position of our front had not changed, the road which
Wallace took would have been somewhat shorter to our right than the
River road.