Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-05-07
THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.

An esteemed female friend at Chapel Hill, has
kindly sent us the following letter, written to his
mother by young man native of this State, who
was member Of the Texas Rangers. and an active
participation in the battles:
CoRINrH, Miss, Tuesday,, April Is, 1862.
DEAR Ma: just week ago to-day, after sharp
and desperate attack on the enemy by 200 men of
this regiment CTexas Rangers) under Maj Thomas
u. Harrison, commanded by COL Forest. with two
companies of his reg men ended the great battle Of
Shiloh, fought Is miles from this place near Pitts
burg on the Tennessee river. This last skir,nisb
OF Tuesday evening was after two hard days fight.
ing on Sunday and Monday, the 9Th and 7th. Our
whole army had fallen back to Corinth in good or
der, on Monday night and Tuesday morning. The
Texas Rangers and other cavalry were left behind
to cover the rear of our grand army, and to check
any advances of the enemy-who, not satisfied with
the severe castgatiOn administered, threw out re-
connoitering parties. One of these, consisting of
three regiments of infantry and one of cavalry came
up to the very road on which we were posted. So,
IN our usual style, with force all combined of 275
we charged them. Their cavalry broke and ran.
dlsorderlng their own infantry. We cut the flying
infantry all to pieces-we killed 25O, took 60 pris.
oners and lost two men killed and 20 wounded
This skirmish is considered 5y all as the most bril-
l'aat OF the whole battle. expected every minute
to be mt but escaped unhurt. | can not say how
many killed, but know hurt somebodv. lam
speaking OF the last part of the battle first because
no other troops but Rangers were engaged in it.
Io begin with the beginning of the great battle.
Our regiment with other cavalry were lowering on
the advance OF the enemy, capturing their pickets
ana struggling parties for six or seven days before
the great fight. The enemy slowly advanced in six
grand divisions composing an army variously esti-
mated at from 30 to 100000. Our army of about
$4,000 were thrown out very suddenly, Friday and
Saturday before the fight taking no tents and hard
y any baggage On Sunday morning the six grand
DIVISIONS OF the enemy, commanded by Prentice,
Grant, Wallace, Smith, McClernand, and some 9TH
ers, were encamped just five miles from the Tennes
see river, and parallel to it. on long low ridge,
with level woodland in front. This ridge extend
ed distance OF four miles, with two impossible
creeks hanking It, Every portion of space on this
ridge, half-mle in width, was covered with Yam
kee tents, beautifully laid out. Their army was
drawn up in line Of battle about half mile in front
OF their tents. Their reserve was behind lust in
front OF their tents. Their skirmshers were still
IN advance OF their main army. Their lines extern
ded from one creek to the other. The attack was
made by our cavalry at daylight, on Sunday morn.
Ing, driving in their skirmisters Our whole in
t1ntry and artillery followed up the cavalry charge.
For one hour the battle ragged furiously, when the
enemy began to fall back. 1t is impossible to give
yoo al iuSa VI tuC alGlCkS anu REFUSES Qu
ring that Sunday fight. By ten O'clock however
we had driven them beyond their own encampment,
and our men hastily snatched their dinner from the
Yankee tents and tables. By night fall we had
driven them plum to the river, into their gunboats
and entertainments there. Had not night come on
so quick, we would have captured or DESTROYED them
ALL AS it was, we took nearly all their field artil-
lery, all their ordnance, Quarter master and Com
mlSsary stores, nc. The main body of our ar....y
nod nIIlH lrht ~, VAL
had as much fine liquors. wines, cigars, eatables,
fine clothes, jewelry, fine pistols, &C., as we could
manage. Our whole army was reveling in the I'M
accustomed Injuries of the Yankee camp. Thous-
ands OF our prvateS came away loaded down with
Colonies and Generals uniforms and fine clothing
We took 1000 prisoners on Sunday evening We
lost Gen. Sidney Johnston and captured Gen. Prem.
tice In Sundays fight the Rangers made three
desperate charges losing about % men. On Mon
day morning the fight was renewed by the enemy
advancing, as he had received reinforcements of ten
thousand by river and thirty thousand by land du-
ring the night, and had crossed the river under
Gen. Buell.. The fight desperate a.day Mon
day. our men holding their ground until late in the
afternoon, when we fell back in good order to the
Yankee camps and were not followed by the enemy
During Monday night our whole infantry and artil-
lery marched off in good order to Corlnth, dis
lance then of about II miles, The cavalry remained
stores, fine Rio, &C. Monday evening we burnt the
most of their tents, what we could not haul away
We brought safely to Cornth 60 pieces of Yankee
artillery, ten thousand stand of muskets, an i'm
mense amount of shoes, &C.. and wagons and mules
and horses. l got the saddle and saddlecloth of
the Colonel of the 9Th Ohio regiment of artillery
The saddlecloth alone is worth $780, gave it to
our Colonel do not know the killed and wound
ed on either size, but it was fearful The Rangers
made two charges on Monday-in all six charges
We lost &C men-10 killed, sc wounded Terry,
the brother of our former Colonel, was killed. In
our company 10 were killed and wounded-4 killed
did not receive scratch, only powder burnt from
careessness in loading my gun. In Sundays fight
l shot Is times at Yankees who were in is or 90
PAGES of me; but others of our men were near me
firing too, can't say certainly how many killed,
but as said before, hurt somebody. We have in
this battle defeated and put hors du combat one of
the finest and best equipped armies on the CONT
nent. This Lincoln army was composed of western
men, no New Englanders in tall hardy, rough
men from the Northwest. While we have achieved
this victory however, comes the sad news that the
Yankees have possession of Huntsville and Decatur.
We had no forces at those points, for we could not
scatter our little army. x + t.
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