The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-27
SHILOH AND CORIMrH BAT1LE.FIELDS.
Their Present Gbastly Appearance
Bones Of 10000 Confederate Soldiers
Bleaching Above Ground.

Their Present GhastIy Appearanoe-Th The
Bones Of 10000 Confederate Soldiers
Bleaching Above Ground.
Corinth MISS. lGorres sondeRc ce ofe Memphis Argus
Not the least memorable of the "pitched
battlesn OF the late war was that which was
fought in front OF this grand "intrenched camp"
that we call Corinth, ON the Sd and 4th days OF
October, 1862.
During the past two days, portion of my
sojOuru here has been spent in a partial expO-
ration of that part of the battlefield which lies
IN the northwestern angle formed by the cross
ING OF the Memphis and Charleston and Mobile
and OHIO Railroads. The sights that saw, OF
vast numbers of Confederate 'bones,p whose
skeletons and parts of skeletons, lying exposed
and bleaching on the field, in the bushes, and
on the hlllsides under logs, and on stumps; OF
the neatly incosed and well-marked graves of
Federal soldiers, all buried at the proper depth,
and of the forest trees, in all directons rent
and torn by shot and shell, and all the "storms
of furious war" and of many separate and dis
tinct desperate conflicts, hand TO hand, and
mUZzle to muzze; all these sights say, are
well worthy of brief record. Besides, i have
another object in calling attention to the battle.
held oi Connth, apart from the qualification of
pubic curiosity; and that is to urge upon our
people the proprety OF collecting the bones of
their dead brethren, at some suitable spot near
this place, and giving them decent interment
II IS estimated by intelligent gentlemen OF this
5o8n, E, mat upon the two fields of Shiloh and
Corlnth, In this vicinity, there are not less thar
I2,OOO confederate dead" whose bones, for the
most part, lie bleaching above ground.
vi all the Confederate dead on this field,
Colonel Rogers is, j am told, the only one who
was properly barred; that is 60 say, the only
one who was buried deep enough to prevent the
rains from washing the dirt away and exposing
the bones, He, il is snid, was buried under the
immediate supervision OF General Rosecrans.
In the northwestern angle formed by the
crossing OF the railroads from Corinth out to
'nd beyond the outer line of works. three and a
III T,cie milan taut the whole Off III,
field is dotted, here ana thereia snp,e DS niSces
thick as meadow mole'hills- the graves of
Federal and the expose remains of Confede-
rate dead The Confederate dead. it clearly
appears, were merely covered up on the ground
where they fell. The Federal dead were all
neatly Id erred, in the usual way, with head
ana Fotboards in every instance, and in most
cWyes, | believe, were enclosed with WOO den
palings | saw but one Federal grave where the
bones were at all exposed. | saw but one
Confederate tIHa1lus where the bones-generally
the skulls-Were not more or less exposed and
scattered around us IN all directions. At the
outer line Of intrenchments, where portion of
MauIy's division made the assault, saw two
human skull.bones, one pelyis, and two jaw
bones, lying on stump, with no trace of
grave or tCTLbJitS nearer than tlty or hundred
yards. In front of the outer breastwOrks, not
lar from the same spot, saw two tunlWi, where
some six or eight Confederate dead had been
uncovered by the action OF the elements, and
were lying around upon the ground, already
bleached perfectly white, and, of course, crumb-
ling rapidly to decay. The condition of these
twami, 1 am told, by gentlemen residing in the
vicinity, who have examined every part OF the
field, is a fair specimen of all the rest. In one
place-as was informed by Captain Mask, of
this town, who, with Colonel Polk, rode over
the field with me--the bodies of two or three
Confederates were placed side by side Of a log
TO save labor, suppose-and little dirt thrown
upon them; the dirt had all washed away, and
there the skeletons lie, wholly exposed and un-
cared for, like the beasts that perish"