The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-07-10


terry, and Major Stone, having received
no orders to retire, held his ground, not.
withstanding the falling back of the divi.
slen TO which he belonged. lie WAS thus
posted on the extreme left of what re.
manned of our line of battle, with wide
space on his Lett, Le,ncen him and the
river, without gun to oppose thanking
movement on the part of the rebels
During the time his regiment occupied
this position, Major Jones says he fought
tour different regiments of the enemy.
Two OF theni-the Crescent Regiment, of
New Orleans, and the 2Ist Alabama, of
Moblle-were literally cut to pieces, our
boys pePpering them in the whites of their
eyes, from short range The Major saws
that he has learned since he was taken
prisoner, that over half of these two reqi
ments were Killed or wounded and scarce
~ an officer was unhurt.
Meanwhile, Sherman and Nc Clernand
and portion of Gen. Wallace's division
had suffered on the night of the fate of
Hnrlbut on the left, leaving the Sd, 9Th,
18th and l4th Iowa, the 18th and I'D
Missouri, a fragment Of the 18th Wis
consin and the 58th Illinois, to maintain
alone the battle on the front, WY these
regiments were so left in advance, your
readers will understand sufficiently well
when they reflect that brigades and regi-
meHts fought pretty much on their own
hook. 1iu, ut 5 o'clock, Prontiss rode UP
To Stone, and 10 doubt feeling like Wei
lnston, at Waterloo, praying for night or
Bfueher to come, said the center must be
maintained till Buel should cross the
river. or Grants army would be driven
into the Tennessee. And it was main
tnined. The right and left having been
driven back, the fight was recommended
against tho Spartan band remaining in
the center, with renewed energy. aud, %
course, By overwhelming Numbers
Hoping that they could maintain their
ground till night, or Bnel should come to
their relief, they fought against fearful
odds, till halt-past ) clock In the even
ing, when the Missouri o3d, next on the
right OF our Sd, gave way before an i'm
petuous attack, and what was remaining
Of our column, fearful of being utterly
surrounded, retired Too late. The
tiauking columns Of tho enemy were fast
coming together, and those of our men
who escaped passed through a terrific
cross-fre from rebels to right of them,
and rebels to left of them, who complete
ly enhladed the whole front (now toward
the Landlng) with shot and shell 1t was
q n al o,,l II lal l.. Al
and Grants army was not annihilated.-
The most of the Sd passed between the
thanking columns, under dreadful fire,
and escaped, but Stone himself, with
squad of some thirty or forty, came plump
against Tennessee regiment, and had to
surrender with as much grace as possible.
In about two minutes Prentiss came along
and was bagged in the game ulanner.-
The other regiments were too late to get
through at all, and were bodily captured.
They fought like brave men long and we'll.
They strewed the ground with rebels slala.i
But to them directly, victory did not
come, though they made victory possible
on the coming Monday. From eight in
the morning till six in the evening, they
had fought without moments rest. The
tortltude with which they stood to their
ground may be understood when il is
known tina, the Sd Regiment fired one
hundred and twenty rounds during those
twelve awful hours They all fought
like veterans-they all deserve the best
gratitude of the whole country. If r
have not mentioned other regiments so
often as the 80, the reason is obvious. -
My informant, by no possibility, could
know the different movements and details
OF the fight at a distance from him. He
speaks Of them all in terms OF highest
praise and l am certain the little band
who. throughout that fatal Saturday,
fought on their frst-taken ground till
darkness, and Buell. were near, gained the
Theremopyln of our Western campaign.
The gunboats, by passing up the river,
did much execution against the enemy's
right, but the nature of the field was such
that they could not keep back any great
extent of rebel lines. Had our center
gwen way, or been captured an hour ear
her, Grant would have been cut to pieces,
and the gunboats would have been as use
less AS at Fort Darling. To the regiments
which stood there in the front SO long, is
most Justly to be attributed the chief
praise Of saving Grant not only, but Buell.
likewise, for, had Grant been cut up,
Buell. would have fallen victim to over.
powering numbers. Retel officers have
told Major Stone that, had they been able
to drive back the Fighting devils" in
our centre thirty minutes sooner, they
would have certainly captured Grants
army. Chiefly, then, to Iowa valor, may
be attributed the final success of the Uni
on arms at the battle of Shiloh. This
simple narrative of the facts may serve n
! good purpose. ! have nipen II rnn inst