Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-02-01

How a Splendid Victory was Won and
Lost

How a Splendid Victory was Won and
Lost.
&c. D.. in Warrington Gazette.
In recent article published in the &c.
! etf, | spoke of Frapklin, Tenn, as the
bloodiest battle of history. The battle Of
Shiloh wys certainly one of the most re
markable, in many respects. In the first
| place, that the two chief commanders or
either side-Generals Grant ana Sidney
Johnston-were so soon out of the fight
| (if, ind eed, the former was in it at all, and
in the second, that their immediate rep,
| resentatiVes and subordinatts continued
and concluded the battle with heads above
the clouds; circumstance which shows
| that while man proposes God disposes.
| April 6, 1862. found Generals Grant and
| sherman on the bank of the Tennessee
river, near Pittsbu Landing, in com
mand over 5000 men, most Of whom
had seen service and smelt powder. For
more than forty eight hours previous to
da, break of that eventful Sabbath, Cen
eral Albert Sidney Johnston, in command
of an equal number of Confederate soldiers,
had been marching from different points
on North Mississippi and COZ centrating up
on the invaders The writer was with the
Southern troops.
At different oints, as we moved to the
attack, we came upon small forces of
Federal cavalry which were easily driven
bsck-yet when the general engage
ment began at daylight Sunday, April 6,
the Federalss acted as if they had never
dreamed Of an enemy within a thousand
miles of their camis.
Formed in line of battle and pressing for
ward with 1.-The rebel yell" we found
neither breastworks nor organized opposi-
ton. A more complete surprise was neves
accomplished. Thou ands of the Federal
were first swak ened from sleep by the roar
of musketry and artillery, and the. shouts
of our attacking columns.
found one Union soldier, on the front
line, pierc by musket ball. fallen across
a skillet of biscuit with his sleeves, rolled
up, as if just in the act of kneading dough.
Under these C rcumstance the Federals
were easily driven, and on the first day
the victory, on our part, was complete and
overwhe lming. While yet the sun was
two hours above its setting the whole of
Grants army sweapt as chaf before the
whrlwind, we're covering armless, under
the banks of the Tennessee river, and all
that remained Fl the Confederate troops
gather them in.
Meanwhile that kindly soldier, Albert
Sidney johnson, had fallen MORALLY
wounded, and the com msnd fell upon
General Beauregard. General johnson,
always in front, was twice struck during
the bate. First Just under the ball Of
his great toe-and he remarked to one of
his aides loosely, you see am like the
Irishmans duck, hard to trip" Within
few minutes after. he ordered the gallant
Twenty second Mississippi to charge o
well supported battery, himself leading.
During this charge he received the wound
in the knee, which cut the main artery,
He still pressed on thinking the wound but
slight, uotil fainting from loss of blood, he
fell dead from bis saddle into the arms of
one of his staff oficers-the Southern
Con edracy loosing its most devoted. brill
liant and able general. There was some
thing about the man which struck me from
the frat time ever met him; he was grand,
noble preemineut. There was an indie
scribale manhood in his look-a sublimity
in his simplicity which marked him as one
b rne to command. No wonder that,
on hearing of bis untimely death Mr.. Davis
ked that the Confederacy had lost
us ablest gee eral. His retreat from Bowling
Green, KY, to North Mississippi, con-
sidering the number of his troops and
those OF the enemy; his almost supernatu-
ral estimate OF the movements of General
Grant, and the over. confidence of the
latter; his final plan Of battle (Which, had
he lived, would have left open the return