Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-04-23
The Battle of Pittsburg Landing
Full Details

We had yesterday the satisfaction of a
conversation with Capt. j. T. Stockdale
q the steamer Horizon, who was at Pitts
burg Landing when the battle commene-
ed sunday morning, and was sent down
% hSavannah with his boat, but returned
IeXt day. lie saw much of the fight, and
Pent Tuesday and Wednesday in walk
ing over the battle-ground. lie had also
aeonversatlon with Il wounded rebel pris-
omr who was well known to him. Capt.
Stockdale is clearheaded observer. not
at all sensational in his style of conversa-
ton, and his statements are entitled to A
great deal of consideration.
His estimate of our loss is: KiIIed-from
200 TO 1900; wounded. from $500 TO
4D00-one third of whom will die. mis-
sing, that Is to say prisoners. $500. Our
entire loss in killed. wounded and missing.
500. The'rebels lost more killed than
we did, and not so many wounded.-
About one thousand unwounded rebel
prisoners We're taken, and twelve hundred
wounded. There are, therefore, over four
thousand wounded men on our hands. and
a great number of them very badly hurt.
Capt Stockdale walked over the battle
field for miles, and usually the rebel dead
were more numerous than ours. Only in
few places were our dead thicker than
theirs. The shelling of the rebels by the
gunboats had been very destructive Sew
eral groups of six, eight and ten, who
were killed by a single shell, were seen.-
Rebel prisoners stated that the first big
shell which landed among them, killed
nearly twenty, and it was impossible to
force the men forward where the heavy
shots from the boats were crushing the
timber, and the shells were shrieking and
crashing on every side. The field where
the enemies dead were thickes. was
where they encountered Lew. Wallace's
division Monday morning. There, stand
ing on stump, Capt. $. counted sixty
dead rebels. There were several piles of
nearly a dozen each. Everything indi-
eating that the repulse of the enemy on
Monday had been most deadly.
Officers informed Capt. 5. Thursday
evening, as he was leaving the Landing,
that up to that time two thousand two
hundred secesh had been buried. This
was believed to be authentic Our troops
did retake on Monday, all the batter
I5ses is i+of tfS efisfiffs fIe t sfIs.
my We're so confident of their ability to
hold our camps which they took ON Sun
day, that, with single exception, they
did not destroy them, Many who were
wounded in the battle on Sunday. were
killed during the fight on Monday, being
unable to get out of the way. and the
ground where they lay being fiercely con-
tested. One poor fellow who was put ON
board Capt. Stockdale's boat. and died on
it, had been wounded i'm the side on Sun
day, and on Monday was struck by three
balls.
Capt. Stockdale had on his boat awound-
ed rebel who was an old acquaintance
His name was Patsiveni. and when Capt.
5. knew him, few years ago, he was the
chief clerk of p. L'Ano & Co. doing buis-
ness at No. l3, Cent street, New Orleans.
Patuvieni was member of the New Or
leans Guards, company which was of
the Home Guard organization, but upon
the news of Grants movement up the
Tennessee river, it was called into service
for ninety days, twenty days of which
term of service had expired when the
battle was fought. Patavieni stated that
the attack was made with sixty-five thou |
sand men, with a reserve of thirty-fve |
thousand, and that they were told that |
Van Dorm and Price were at Memphis /
with their whole army, and would be in 1
Corinth at once. A large number of the |
rebel force We're ninety day men. They /
we're forced into the service. The rebel /
advance from Corinth was commenced |
nine days before the attack made
Patavieni said he had been nine days out
rom Corinth, and yet our folks were as
careless as if they were party of picnic
srs, and knew nothing of the enemy's adj
rance. Patavieni was shot through the
high, and died on the way down the riv-
,r.
A great many of the rebel dead left on
he field were middle aged men. They
yere all coarsely but comfortably clad,
md the whole rebel army seemed to be
veil armed. The arms found OH the
ground were chiefly Mississippi rifles, pre-
,ussion muskets, and a foreign arm,
hoaght to be an Austrian rifle.
The forces which Gen. Grant had engag-
d on Sunday, were not only sadly cut up,
'ut much demoralized. They were dis
,osed, and probably not without cause, to
,lame their officers, and Gen. Grant was
,reatly blamed as responsible for the care
esS disposition of his troops, and the slo-
Chil uiSSipliliO hhiSh lClAliltCu u sur ,
rise.
Gen. BuelPs troops were, in drill and
ppearance, the superiors of those under
zen. Grant. There was the light of bat
lie and the promise of victory in the faces
f every division of Buell's troops. They
ame up in splendid order, and kept in
rder and did their work in workman
Ike manner. They dealt terrible destruc-
ion among the enemy, and did not suffer
cry much themselves. They were in
Ugh spirits after the battle, and contact
18th them treasured the dispirited troops
f Gen. Grants divisions. Taken all in
II, the army on Thursday evening was in
ood sound trim, and good temper, fully
the opinion that they would give ,
luch better account of the enemy next
me.
The soldiers gloried in Buell., being :
leased not only by the magnificent army :
e brought to the field, but by the soldier
l1e way in which he handled them
Ie exposed himself freely, leading the {
Dlendid charge which in the first report Z
nat passed over the lines, was attributed
, the generalship and bravery of Grant.
mong the incidents reported is the fol-
wing: Generals Buell. and Grant met {
n the Landing. Gen. Buell. pointed to Ii
he mass meeting of stragglers who were
'ouching under the bluff. and asked : e
What docs this mean ?" Gen. Grant Fl
id: "The men won't fight" Buell. re- e
arked: " 1t is the fault of their id a
Ulcers. The men will fight if they have h
chance" lie then urged them in per- e
N % go to the field, but the majority OF Fl
lem refused to bulge, except to attempt I
get aboard the boats. They were so r
Irnest in their efforts TO board the boats 9
lat it was necessary to remote the temp i
ton by Withdrawing the boats, and some v