The daily gazette., 1878-06-21
The Dead of Shiloh.

THE DIsGRACEFUL NEGLECT OF THEIR
REMAINS BY THE GOVERNMENT,
Colonel Wills De Hass in Phila. Weekly
Times.
Monday morning, at o'clock, tho
combined forces Of Grant and Buell.
moved against the enemy. General
Buell's fresh troops, with the division of
Lew Wallace, not engaged on Sunday
(why, may perhaps never be known, J
pressed the enemy at all points. Steadi-
ly the army of the Union regained our
camps, and by noon signal victory had
been achieved. Beauregard withdrew
his forces in good order and pursuit twas
not continued beyond Shiloh church.
Tuesday, the Sth, General Sherman de-
termined to pursue. With two brigades
from his own division, two from Buelrs
army Generals Garfield and Wood and
two regiments of cavalry, he proceeded
from Shiloh in direction of Corinth, At
the distance of little over mile we came
upon the advance camp of the enemy on
Saturday night. Everywhere along our
line OF march remains of the fetreating
army were noticed. Fresh graves were
all around; the dead, dying and wounded
lay i'll tents, old houses and upon the
ground. We were marched to a point
about four and half miles from the
church, when our videttes informed lis
the rebel cavalry were directly ahead,
concealed i'll ravines and behind low
row of tents. General Sherman order
skirmishers thrown out, deploying COM
panies A and b of my own regiment,
when orders were given to ,the Seventy
seventh to support skirmishers. The regi
ment was led within fifty yards of the
line of tents. The ground was an old
cotton-field, partly covered by fallen
trees-hence the name of the engage
ment, "Fallen Timber" The field was
skirted by heavy wood. Almost imme-
diately the enemy's skirmishers opened
flre, and the writer realized that he was
an object of particular mark. A fierce
yelled filled the air, and the rebel cavalry
came up from ravine and behind tents
as thick as they could ride. l ordered the
men to up and fire, which order had
scarcely been executed when the entire
line was ridden down, the men sabred
and shot by force ten times superi or
to our own. The dash was one of tbs
bOldest ofthe war, and the loss sustained
over-third of my command. The prompt
ness of Colonel Hildebrand in ordering
up the other regiments of his brigade
think saved the day and the commanding
general and staff from capture. An officer
of his staff Mccoy was ridden down
and, as General Sherman assured me,
he narrowly escaped. / regard this
statement due the memory of brave and
mertorious officer.
The dead were buried on the spot; the
wounded removed to camp; the rebel
camp destroyed with "A large amount OF
property, and this was the last of the
| fighting ut Shiloh! The losses sustained
by both armies exceeded the frightful
number of 800 men. Four years after
| the battle a writer visited Shiloh and
Corinth, gave a hideous picture Of the
condition of things. He stated that r.,
600 Confederate soldiers lay unburied on
| the two fields After the battle of Shiloh
| General Grant ordered the dead of both
armies to be buried. The inhumation,
however, consisted of little more thar
a thin covering of earth, which thu
heavy rain have long since washed off
and the remains of brave men who peril
ed all for their country's sake lie expose,
to the elements. This fact is disgracefu
to the government and the people, ant
should be remedied with the least posi-
BILE delay Instead of squanderinl
means over idle parades, it should b'
our duty and pleasure to give the bleach
ing bones of our gallant dead the rites o
decent burial. Regarding this as fitting
opportunity, it is respectfully and earn
estly suggested that Congress adop
some measure for the preservation of the
| remains at Shiloh-that a cemetery b.
established and graves properly marked
also, that the church at Shiloh be rebuil
| as a national memorial