Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-01-23
SHILOH.
How a Splendid Victory was Won and
Lost.


&C. D. M" in Washington Gazette.l
In a recent article published in the
Gazette, | spoke of Franklin, Tenn,
as the bloodiest battle of history. The
battle of Shiloh was certainly one of
the most remarkable, in many respects,
In the first place, that the two chief
commanders on either side-Generals
Grant and Sidney Johnston-were so
soon out of the fight Off, indeed, the
former was ever in it at alb, and in
the second, that their immediate rep
resentatives and subordinates contin-
ued and concluded the battle With
heads above the clouds a cireum-
stance which shows that while man
proposes, God disposes.
April g.. 1862, found Generals Grant
and Sherman on the bank Of the Ten.
nessee river, near Pittsburg Landing,
in command of over 10000 men, most
of whom had seen service and smelt
powder. For more than forty-eight
hours previous to daybreak of that
eventful Sabbath, General Albert Sid
ney Johnston, in command Of an equal
number Of Confederate soldiers, had
been marching from different points in
North Mississippi and concentrating
upon the invaders. The writer was
with the Southern troops.
AT different points, as we moved TO
the attack, we came upon small forces
Of Federal cavalry which were easily
driven back-yet, when the general
engagement began by daylight Sun
day, April 6, the Federals acted as if
they had never dreamed of an enemy
within a thousand miles of their
camps.
Formed in line of battle and press
ing forward with the rebel Yell" we
found neither b%reastworks nor organ
lied opposition. A more complete
surprise was never accomplished.
Thousands of the Federals we're first
awakened from sleep by the roar of
musketry and artillery, and the shouts
of our attacking columns.
| found one Union soldier, on the
front line, pierced 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
circumstances the Federals were
easily driven, and on the first day the
victory, on our part, was complete
and overwhelming. While vet the
sun was two hours above its setting.
the whole of Grants army, swept as
chat before the whirlwind, were
covering, armless, under the banks
of the Tennessee river, and all that
remained for the Confederate troops
was to move on a few rods further
and gather them in.
Meanwhile that kindly soldier.
Albert Sidney Johnston, had fallen
mortally wounded, and the command
fell upon General Beauregard. Gen
eral Johnston, always in front, was
twice struck during the battle. First.
just under the ball Of his great toe
and he remarked to one of his aides
loosely: you see | am like the Irish
mans duck, hard to trip" Within a
few minutes after, he ordered the
gallant Twenty-second Mississippi to
charge a we'll supported bat
terry, 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. until
tainting from loss of blood. he fell
dead from his saddle into the arms of
n Of his staff oficers-the Southern
Confederacy losing its most devoted.
brilliant, and able general. There
was something about the mar which
struck me from the first time | ever
met him he was grand, noble, pre-
eminent. There was an ~indeseribable
manhood in his look-a sublimity in
his simplicity which marked him as
n borne to command. No wonder
that, on hearing ofhis untimely death
Mr.. Davis remarked that the Con-
federacy had lost its ablest general
His retreat from Bowling Green, XIV.
TO North Mississippi, considering the
number of his troops and those Of the
enemy MS almost supernatural esti-
mate of the movements Of General
Grant, and the over-confdence of the
latter; his final plan of battle (which.
had he lived, would have left open
the return te Kentucky, or even into
the enemys country mark him as one
Of the ablest commanders known to
history.
While yet the sun was two hours
hours high, the order came to our
pursuing columns to fall back and
stack arms. While Gen Breckin-
ridges division was accomplishing
this singular feat, a large number Of
Federal prisoners were being hurried
TO the rear, and immediately past the
point where the writer happened to
be. Among the prisoners were seve-
raj illinois troops, who were loosely
rallied by our boys in grey.