Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-04-13
CARROLL'S ENTERPRISE.
How the New York Herald Came
to Give the First Account Of
the Battle Of Shiloh.
WhiteIaw Reid and the Rest Of
the Press Gang Left Out
in tho Wet.

CHICAGO, April 10.-lt is a histori-
cal fact that the New York Herald
published the news of the battle Of
Shiloh twenty-four hours carrier than
any other paper in the country.
Major w. G. Carroll, the man who.
sent that paper its dispatches is now a
resident ofthis city. The following
is the way he did it: 81 had held for
some time a rowing commission from
the New York Herald, but having
been appointed to General Logan's
staff as aid .de-camp, l was on the eve
of r~esigning. | reached Savannah on
Sunday, April 6, the morning the bat
tie began. AS | came south, down
the river, | learned that Geographic
communications were established
with the north at Fort Henry, a point
about $50 miles to the north Of the
city. / was with General Grant Sun
day at Pittsburg Landing, and was
with him Sunday night. l acted as
one of his aids throughout Monday.
Monday night | went to General j. A.
Rawlins and stated that | should like
to send the first dispatch of the
fight. | knew the bitter feeling hat
existed between Grant and Buell., and
explained that if Buells correspond
ents got their stuff off first, Grant
would have very little credit for the
battle. General Rawlins and Com
modore Graham and General w. j..
Hilyer talked the matter over with me
and finally they put a boat at my
command. About l o'clock Monday
night | started up the river. There
were on board other correspondents,
and among them Whitelaw Reid.
Tuesday night we reached Fort Henry.
Knowing just where the telegraph
Office was, l had the advantage and
reached there first. | handed a ten
dollar gold piece to the operator and
told him to bold the wires for me. and
that there would be some other fellows
along shortly. He promised to put
me through. 1t was not long before
Reid and the other fellows came
bowling along. They all wanted a
wire in a hurry, but the operator said
that he could not do anything for
them, as the wires we're acting badly
because of the storm. If they wanted
to leave their copy, he would, however,
send it just as 500 as an opportunity
offered. Whitelaw Reid then wrote a
short dispatch, announcing the fighting
of a big battle, and the winning of a
big victory and wound up by saying
that he would be in Cincinnati
on Thursday with full particu-
lars. These men didn't know me,
for they had just come up with Buell.,
and had not had the opportunity to
know the correspondents who were
with Grant. As soon as they left II
commenced sending. In the midst Of
the message a dispatch came from
Logan, at Cairo, asking who was send
ing. 1t was answered, Carroll, and
the message came back, LET it come"
A two-column dispatch appeared in
an extra Of the Herald on the next
morning. Mr.. Bennett sent the dis
patch to President Lincoln Lincoln
sent it to the senate, and from the
senate it went to the house. The dis
patch was read in both houses on the
next day. The associated press sent
the dispatch all wei the country. II
read a congratulatory telegram from
Hudson, the managing editor of the
Herald, and from Chapman, the mar
who was managing the wal news Of
the Herald. Isee that Mr.. Mccullough,
Of the Globe Democrat, assigns Chap.
mar to the New York World. he is
mistaken in this. One ofthe peculiar
features of this battle is that General
Grant never made any official report
Of it. Buell. sent two reports Of the
fight to Grant for his approval, but
they were both sent back for correc-
ton. Finally, Buell. sent his report
to Halleck over Grants head, and to
this day Grant has made no official
report of his own victory.