The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-28
THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.
FACTS AND EVIDENCES OF FACTS
CONCERNING GEN. BEAUREG AitD
AND THE BATTLE OF SHILOH,
NEW ORLEANs. July 27 1a7l

might have addressed ourseR separately to
each-they certainly deserve such mark OF
courtesy on our part-but that course be-
sides compelling us to an irksome division OF
our subject, would have consumed more time
and space than we feel justified in asking OF
you.
Before we proceed any further, let it be we'll
| understood that our object is not-has never
| been-tO provoke discussion upon the various
| merits OF OurE former leaders, nor to arouse
among Curse YES any feeling of jealousy or
| dissensiOn. Unity in the South, especially at
| this hour, is, to our mind, an Imperative
necessity, and we would be the last, by any
| useless, inOppOrtune controversy, to disturb
| the now existing harmony so essential to the
well-being and recuperatiOn of our section
Hand in hand we were during our four years
struggle; hand in hand must we remain, now
| that we have redeemed our lost liberties and
| rebuilt public confidence around us. The
| future belongs to the South If the South will
only safeguard the present.
But, however great may our disposition be
| to ignore small issues and smooth over trivial
| asperities arising from differences Of opinion
| among us, we would fail in our own sense OF
| justice, as we before stated, were we to allow
| such serious inaccuracies as we have already
noticed to delude the public mind and lead
astray the future writer's of our history. His
| tory deals not In appearances or presump-
tions. 1t takes not for granted what Is called
| truth, but is error. It is content only with
real, tangible undeniable facts. On no other
condition can 1t be history. We go step
further and say that no man can be deemed
wise who would attempt to write, now, cor
| rect history OF the Confederate war. Too
much confusion still exists in it's varied and
| complicated events. Too many Of It's episodes
are yet unknown; and few, Ii any, OF us can
trace back to their true causes. the startling
effects which so often perplexed us.
1t is, therefore, safe to assert that the true
historian Of our war belongs not to the pres
ent generation, but to the one which Is to
follow it. We who have played an active
part in the drama can only collect suitable
materials to be hereafter used and moulded
into shape by writer's perhaps yet unborn.
But gather these materials we must, fear
lessly and cOnscientiOusly, regardless alike
OF the displeasure Of some and OF the dlsap-
pOintment Of others. AS the honest builder
picks out his timber with the greatest care.
and accepts not piece the soundne5s Of which
can be questioned so must we OF the South,
to be worthy OF our record select none but
hard, incontrovertible facts, the unearthing
OF which may have cost much trouble and
many pang, but whose value thereby is
doubly enhanced. These, and these alone,
must we cherish and store away most faith
fully as the only solid basis Of our history.
| The expression OF the foregoing views es-
tablish the true spirit actuating US in this
and In our former comm uncatOn. We will
now proceed to satisfy the inCredulity OF
those who, like your two correspondents, re-
fuse to accept the truth Of our statements
with regard to the battle Of Shiloh.
In our article dated July 49, we said: "Th6
concentration and organization of our forces
at Corinth, the plan Of the battle at Shiloh.
the order OF march of our army on that day
and the day, preceding It; and, Ia fact oil the
minor details and preparations In relation
thereto were devised conducted and written
| out in full, not as Mr.. Davis believes, by
Beauregard, his second in command-and
| that, too, at the earnest request of Gen.
Johnston himself. The approval of the
plan by Gen. Johnston may have made 1t, In
| some measure, his own, as it bore his official
signature; but the conception and execution
| OF 1t, so deservedly lauded by Mr. Davis, are
| due entirely to Gen. Beauregard; and Gen.
Johnston, when adopting that plan of battle,
modification or addition thereto The fact Is.
| SO disheartened was Gen. Johnston by the
| disastrous and unexpected loss of Forts Henry
| and DOnelsOn, which had cast such shadow Of
gloom over the whole Confederacy, that he
even urged upon Gen. Beauregard to take full
| command Of the whole army, he having lost,
as he thought, that public confidence and
military, prestige, without which commander
can neither sufficiently sway his troops, nor
| lead them on to promised victory"
This we said, this we reiterate, and will eg-
tablish by substantial, undeniable evidence.
j. AS to the concentration and organization
OF our forces at Corinth.
Gen. Beaureguard left his army corps in
Virginia on the second OF February, 1862, and
after remaining from the fifth to the thir-
teenth at Bowling Green, KY, to confer with
Gen. Johnston, in whose department he was
sent for cooperation, reached Jackson, Tenn.
on the seventeenth Of that month, and there,
for the time being, established his headquar-
contest these facts. At this latter date Forts
Henry and Donelson had already faIlens
Bowling Green had been evacuated.
On the seveenteenth Of February Gen. john
ston, then at Nashville, sent the following
telegram to Gen. Beauregard: Dispatch OF
sixteenth received. Do as your Judgment
dictates. No orders have issued for your
Gen. Beauregard also received the following
from Gen. Johnston; "Act as seems best to
you. Separation OF armies now complete"
From that time to the twenty-ninth OF
March, when Gen. Johnston assumed COM
mand Of "the Army of the Mississippi" as it
was called, Gen. Beauregard Was left per-
fectly free, to plan, devise and execute, as he
deemed proper, without any interference
whatever from Gen. Johnston. Then began
Gen. Beauregard's strenuous efforts for the
immediate concentration OF all available forces
at Corinth. On the twenty-flrst of February,
hardly four days after his arrival in his dis
trict ne informs the Governors OF Tennessee.
Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama that spe-
claI messengers are being sent to them, ON
important business, connected with his mill
tary programme; and on the day following
Lieut. Ferguson goes to Gov. Harris, then at
MurfreesborO with Gen. Johnston; Lieut..
Chisolm to Gov Shorter; Lieut. A. N. Z.
Beanregard, volunteer aid, to Gov. Pettus;
Dr. b. Chopin to Gov. Moore; Lieut.. b. b.
Waddell, volunteer aid to Gen Van Dorm, i'm
Arkansas; and Gen. Bragg is written to at
Pensacola. The mission of these messengers
(all living now, Ii we are not mistaken, and
two of whose reports are now before us) as
also the letter to Gen. Bragg, was to ask for
sixty or ninety days troops, which, added to
those already concentrating at or near Cor
inth, were to Illustrate the movements of the
enemy, then apparently bent on turning our
position in West Tennessee by way Of the
Tennessee river. Lieut.. Ferguson was COM
missioned, first, to see Gov. Harris for troops,
and then to urge upon Gen. Johnston to
change his line Of retreat from Stevenson to
KNOXVILLE and Decatur, so as to be nearer
Gen. Beauregard In the event of his being
able to obtain from the Governors of the four
States the additional troops he was calling
for. The above we Gull from Gen. then Ldeut.J
Sam. Ferguson's report:
These troops were sent, with more or less
diligence, and Gen. Bragg, whom the War
Department had declined to advise upon the