Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-04-25
GIN, GRANTS REPORT OF THE
BATTLE OF SHILOH.

.
We laid this document before our readers on
yesterday Of course, as has been the uniform
conduct of every Federal general who has
fought battle in this war since its inception,
from Bethel to Elkhorn. GRANT considers 1t his
bounden duty to start out with the PalPably
false assertion that he had gained great '' VIC
tory" Any other admission would have been
utterly suicidal as the sure precursor OF his sac
rifce upon that guillotine which has already VIC
timizsd its hecatomb of Lincoln generals-the
y9r popui Of the North The fate Of HARVEY
DIX. CADwALLADER, PEARCE, and other ike
unfortunates would have found repetition in his
own But there is something in the tone OF the
report-s sort OF vagueness coupled with an IN
disposition to 60 into details-which bespeaks
its insincerity more pOteutly than could have
been possible had the enemy achieved such ad-
vantages as is claimed. This same feature
characterized the report of Gen. CURTIS in his
pretended statement of what occurred at Elk
horn, Missouri conflict which history will re-
cord as a drawn battle, if not a comparative tn
umph of southern arms Gen GRANTS forced
to admit, however, that the Confederate army
'retreated in good order after the battle of
Monday, part of the programme Of Generals
JOHNSTON and BEAUREGARD which had been
chslked out in their preliminary council Of war
he passes over the proceedings of Sunday, when
his army was so badly routed and driven back
under the cover of their gunboats, with marked
and becoming silence. Doubtless, ike SIMON
CAMERON with the numerous and signal Victo-
ries obtained BY southern troops up TO the time
of the abdication of his position in the Fedora
Cabinet be looked upon the fight of that day as
q ''nere ahair"
The most absurd statement of Gen. GRANT is
found in his estimate Of the Federal loss. He
thinks that as many as fifteen hundred of his
troops were killed outright, which we viii sd
NIT, though the number probably more nearly
spproximated TWO thousand. Then follows the
manifestly untrue assertion that the number Of
his wounded only reached $500. We cannot re- /
call single battle of our campaign in Mexico, |
and but few in Europe, where the proportion of
wounded was in less ratio than four TO one, and
frequen ly as mueh as FIVE six. Buta Shi- |
lob the fight occurred in a thickly wooded coun- /
try, aud of course this ratio was much greater. /
On the ConfedeTats side, It was as much as eight
OF nine to one. tits reasonable to say that such
was also the case with the enemy, for a similar
cause. This hypothesis would place General
GRANTS wounded at about 1900, which, in
cluding 1000 prisoners taken, would make his
total loss Il 500 Let US place it even at 49,
900, which falls short of the enemy's first re
port by one-tourth.s
We are perfectly satisfied that European jour
mails shall form their opinion Of this great battle
and its moral results from this official abortion
from Gen. U S GRANT We could not posi-
bly, have expected it to be graced with more sin
Oerity or csndor, as the Federal general, in pen
ming it, was acting in the not impartial capacity
of his own biographer.