Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-06-22
1 Letter from GEN w, r. bhexman 60
Ltene. Gov. DtamtOn
~ [oommnpicstsd.
Il CAMF IN THE FIELD,
g ~ NEAR CHEWALLA, TENN,
June 1911


IA W. "a toOnnanieatsd.l
"A Cam IN THE FIELD,
Y g NEAR CHEWALIA, TENN,
June, 10, 1862.
Lieut. Coz, StGsfon, Columbus, o.: -sss...
Sin: am not surprised when anonymous scrib-
lers write or publish falsehoods, or make critl-
ciams on mAtters of which they know nothing,
OF which they are incapable Of comprehendlng.
It is their trade They live BY II. slander gives
point and plquancy to paragraph, and the Wri.
ter being irresponsible or beneath notice, eFcapes
q merited punishment. .tNF
Il is different with men In high official sta.
tion, who, like you, descend to this dirty work.
You had an opportunity to learn the truth, for l
saw you myselt ot Shiloh soon after the battle,
and know that hundreds would have aided you
IN your work had you been in search OF facts.
You never inquired Of me concerning the truth
of events shioh you must have known trans
plred in my sight and hearing, but seemed 70
have preferred the scamp stories" to authentic
data within your reach.
A friend BY mere accident hes shown me
slip Of newspaper dated April ~, 1861, etyled
"Extra, npublished az Bellefontaine, Ohio and
signed "B Stanton. am further told that
you are the man. II 90, and you be the Lieut.:
Governor OF Ohio, hold you to be my peer, and
tuHb QI 0tUtEhlb GE1utt AAuhA1ut uAN AAOduoob
all Of whom you difectly charge with conduct
on the field of Shiloh which deserves q court
martial, whose sentepce, II you have not borne
false witness, would be degradation or death.
The accusatory part of your published etatement
is all false, ialse in general talao in particular;
and repeat you could not have failed 10 know
1t was false when you published II. To prove
what say, now quote the concluding part OF
your paper: .e ,5--a.7. = I.t.a.
'Some complaints have been made about the
oondnct of few of the new regiments IN This
battle, including the 54th and 5Tth. hmust be
remembered that these are new regiments, that
not only had they never seen any service, but
they never received their guns until they arrived
on the Tennessee, some two or three weeks be-
fore the battle. So with MSers's battery. 1t
has not been more than six weeks eince they
have had their horses And yet these regiments
and this battery we're pnt on the extrome out
side Of our camp, and were consequently first
exposed to the enemy's fire. Add TO this that
our lines were 90 carelessly and negligently
guarded that the enemy were absolutely on us
and in our very tents before the officers In COM
mand were aware Of their approach The won
der, therefore, 10 not that these regiments were
finally broken and routed, but that they made
any stand OF all. Bu. the loss sustained by
these regiments, and especially BY Capt Stsrr's
company Of the Sab, shows that they made a
noble and gallant stand, and that their ultimate
retreat was not the fault Of the men, but OF the
laundering stupidity and negligence OF the Gen
eral In command. There is an intense feeling
Of indignation against Generals Grant and Pfen-
tiss, and the general feeling amoBgst the most
intelligent men with whom conveTsed, is that
they ought to be court-martialed and shot,
"Yours, etc,
(Signed) '' "B. STANTON"
With Myers's battery have nothing to do,
as il was 10 General Huflbut's division, whose
official report proves yours untrue; for instead
of being on the "extreme outside of our camp"
it was at the beginning of the battle more than
q mile TO the rear OF mine and McClernand's
and Prentiss's divisions. The Fifty.fOurth,
Col T. Kirby Smith, and the Fitty-seventh,
Col. VIM. MungeD, did form part Of my COM
mand. No ons that / ever heard has quest
Toned the courage and gAllantry OF the Fifty
fourth, unless it be inferred from your own
apology for them, and l know that / speak the
mind Of the officers Of thas regiment when say
they scorn TO have their merits bolstered mp by
your lame and impotent conclusions. As to
their being on the outer line II was where they
wished to be, and 90 far from being surprised,
they were, by my orders, under arms at daylight,
and 1t was near 10 A. NJ, when the enemy as
sailed their position. This position was 90 ia
Torable that Col. Stuart with his email brigade,
of which the Fifty fourth formed q part, held
at bay for hours Hsrdee's whole division, com.
posed Of infantry, artillery and cavalry.
The Fifty seventh was posted on the left Of
Shiloh, which say, and In, which, Beauregard
concurs with me, was the key TO the whole posi-
ton. It was In the very front, the place of
honor, to which Col. Mungen and bis men conld
not object, Their front was guarded BY them
solves, and II nsgIigence be justly, charged, it
belongs TO the regiment itself So favorable
was the ground, that although the regiments lost
but two officers and seven men,, Col. Mupgen |
has several times assured me that he counted |
fifty dead secessionists on the ground over |
which he was attacked. As to the enemy being |
in their very camp before the officers in COM |
mand were aware of their approach IL is the
most wicked falsehoOd that was ever attempted
70 DO Ihrust upon people sad end hesrt-sore at
the terrible but necessary Casualties of war
That the towards who deserted their Comrades
In that hour Of danger should, In their desperate
strait to cover up their intAwy, invent such q
story, was 20 be expected; but that you should
have lent yourself % willing instrument in
perpetuating that falsehood, 70 . shame from
which you can never hope 70 recover, The truth
10 now well understood. rgylos
:, For two dsys We knew the enemy was In our
front, buL the nature OF the ground and bis su-
perior cavalry prevented ns breaking through
toe veil Of their approach 20 ascertain their
true strsngth and purpose. Bus as soldiers, We
were prepared at all times 70 receive an attack,
and even to make an attack, II the cirepm-
stances warranted Il. On that morning cur
..taf. 40
were forced back 20 the email valley IN our
front All onr regimena Of infantry, batteries
Of attillery and squadrops Of cavalry were pre-
pared. / myself, their commander, was fully
prepared, rode along the line Of this very fegi-
ment, aud, eaw, is in position IN front Of their
camp, and lookingt TO a narrow causeway aofoss
the small creek BY which the enemy was ex-
pectsi and did approach. After passing this
regiment,1 rode on 20 Appler'B position, and
beyond scme Eve, hundred yards, where was
fired on, and my orderly, Thos. D.. Holiday,
was killed. Even after that, gave come d.
rectlons AboHt Waterhouses battery, and again
retnrned 70 Shiloh In sine to witness lheas
tack there. II is simply ridiculous 70 talk about
o surprise. To be sure, very many we're aston
ished and euTprised, not 90 much at the enemy's
coming, but as the manner OF his coming; and
these sought safety at the river, and could not
be prevailed on to recover from their surptisa
till the enemy had been driven away by their
comrades after two days hard hRhiing. ! have
never made question Of the individual bravery
of this or any olher regiment, but merely state
facts. The regiment still belongs to my COM
mand, and has ELECTED my praise for iss I'm.
proVement and steedihess In the army skirmish-
es and affairs during our advance on Corinth,
and 4 dopbs not the people Of Ohio will yet have
Ieason q feel Che. same pride In this regiment