The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-04-26
FIG BTING OVER
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns.

e Editor NATIoNAI. TRIRrNE:

Fitty-seventh Ohio infantry, detailed for
picket duty. The day warm, bright and
clear, and we were pleased with the prospect
Tor some long range target practice
casional shot at the Confederate piesets who
had been very bold Thursday and Friday.
There quite slirmish beyond the picfzet-lines
on Friday afternoon, and some four five of the
Confeserates were taken prisoners They were put
in the old log, Shiloh Church, and had never
seen one, that evening we thFonged around the
church and talked through the cracks between
the logs with them, and bold defiant lot of fell
lows we found them. One of them said to me:
You'uns Will catch he'll tomorrow g" 1t afforded
me food for thought, and the next morning when
relieving, asked the retiring pickets if they had
seen any rebels. They said they had lots OF
'eml" and showed Us where to look for them.
Sure enough, it was but little while before
saw several horSenen about half mile in front,
and commenced firing al them quite brisSIy, when
they soon disappeared. 1t was kept up, however,
all day long; our company certainly fred more
than hundred shots that day. The officer of
the day came around and we reported to him what
we We're doing. / also informed him what the
prisoner had said the night before, and gave him
my opinion that had large force in our front,
because many OF the horsemen appeared to be
officers with feldglasses, accommodating posi-
ton, rather than cavalry trying to capture kill
our picSets. This state of facts reported to
regirnenta, brigade and division headquarters be-
lore noon we kept popping away at them, and the
boys had the sights of their Enfield rifles at the top
notch. while many ofthe crack marksrnen had gone
far down IN front, in order TO get closer shot and
we saw many horses jump, and thought that several
fellows hit during the day. At times quite
squad of hoYsenen would come out into the open
woods and look through their glasses at our posi-
ton then the boys would fire at them, when away
they would scamper. Again, in the afternoon these
facts We're reported to headquarters, and think
Colonel Sullivan, of the Forty-eighth Ohio. who
division officer of the day, out and IN
spected affairs He was much interested, and rode
OF to headquarters pretty lively. think recon-
Nuisance was sent out from his brigade, but am
not certain, as they did not pass our line.
That evening as far as the eye could reach,
through the open woods in our front we could see
hundreds of fires built by the rebel troops re-
member trying to count them, but it almost
4 Gtor
OF the post on the main Corinth road, which
f! from Pittsburg Landing. out past Shiloh Church,
ana we were nom miie TO perhaps q mile and a
half beyond our brigade line of camps, which were
established not far from the old log church. II was
long, dreary night to The rebel ean1p-fres seen
early IN the evening had made strong impression
| upon US and after talking the matter around
| the picket fires that night, pretty generally
came to the conclusion that there going to be
fight in the morning. Long before daylight
| perhaps about three oclock-we heard the tramp
OF quite body of men and horses coming out the
| ioeiu noih camp we uiu not kho" VINO shey
were, put every gun was cooked on our post
! and the alert. How distinctly
| l remember the start it gave me, when we
| halted them, at the answer Major Powell
! gave to challenge who goes there? I"
| Major Powell, in command of three companies Of
! the Twerlty-fh Missouri ~ NV first thoughts were
| that all Mssourians were secesh, and began to won-
der how they got inside our lines but the major ad-
yaneed gave the countersign, and explained the
| rebels for breakfast We told him what we had
and done the day before and also of the camp
fires in the evening, and advised him to be careful
as there were more rebels than he could handle.
| We also advised him where their outpost was.
They passed out the road but had not gone half
| mile when bang. bang! bangl we heard
| their guns and saw the flash of their fire. and the
Battle of Shiloh there and then, about four
T O'Clock Sunday morning, April 5sh, 1852, COM
| menced. Major Powell and his men fought well
and at first drove the rebels but his wounded
came streaming back with word that he wanted
help, and it was not long before some more troops
went out to help him. BY this time it was daylight
/ just as the sun came up, company was relieved
| by company G of the Fifty-seventh Ohio. and our
company marched back to camp, leaving good
deal of firing between the troops under Powell and
our pieketS one side, and the rebeSon the other.
This firing severe and could be plainly heard
| by US all the way back to camp, and should have
been notice enough to prevent any one being sur
priSed.
When we reached camp our company cooks had
breakfast ready for but before we had finished,
the long roll sounded. fall in ~ was heard, and
nine companies OF the Fifty-seventh formed IN line
| OF battle, facing almost west, right reaching
nearly to the road and some two three hundred
yards south of the church. About one hundred
yards to right, and facing nearly SOUTH stood
the Seventy-seventh Ohio, also in line of battle
and some four five hundred yards to our left and
front could the Fifty-third Ohio under arms,
all ready Tor the battle winch our retiring pIe>es
were each moment bringing nearer to Us. These
| three regiments composed the Third brigade of
General Sherman's division. and were under COM
mand of Colonel Hildebrand. ofthe Seventy seventh
Ohio. They in the advance of the whole army,
excepting the piclets and the troops under Major
! Powell. We had been IN line q few moments when
General Sherman and his staff passed along our
rear and went on south towards the Fifty-third
Ohio. doubt whether he got TO that regiment be-
fore they commenced firing. however. About this
time the first rebel cannon was fired, and the ball
slx-pounder, came crashing through the tree-tops
and struck the ground near the Shiloh spring. abou.
four feet from the LETT front of company A, Fifty
seventh Ohio throwing the soft dirt over several OF
our men. BY this time the Fifty-third was firing
heavily, and we had orders To load How clearly
l recall seeing Major Fearing, in command of the
Seventy Ohio pull out his revolver and as
he gave his regiment orders TO fire point 1t al some
| body could not see, and fire. As yet we had not
fired shot and could see nothing; but soon plenty
| of gray and butternut coats We're visible in the
woods beyond the little creek, and Lieutenant Col
onel Rice came prancing along on his war horse,
" Old Sam" and gave the orders to " fire az will y
How long we fought in frsnt of our tents canno.
say; should judge it may have been half or three
quarters of an hour; but soon got orders 10 fall
back on a ridge, where WAREHOUSES; battery was
as the rebels We're marching past our left, between
US and the Fiftythird The left wing of the Fifty
seventh was moving when got the orders, and
as we moved up to where our tents were, turned
to look toward the F1ftythird Ohio, and could see
thousands OF rebels between US and that regiment
and nothing but a confused of smoke
about the camp of the Fifty-third Our own
camp full of men, lodging among the tents
Many We're lying around dead wounded, and
things generally We're in confusion. Just then
heard Lieutenant Jim Dixon calling TO help
him, as he shot through the foot and could moi
walk; he was too heavy for me to carry, so made
him hop one foot and bear his weight on me
until we could catch up with the company 1t was
slow work climbing that little hill foot, with
rebel bullets tearing up the ground and riddling
the tents full of holes all around us-at least
thought so, and guess Dixon did too for he said he
could not make it, and had better go on. However
managed to get him over the hill, where We took
a rest. soon caught q mule, and with the help OF
a comrade, we loaded Jim on his back, and started
him for the hospital.
BY this time lines established on the
ridge nearly in line with the church. where Water
houses battery was pouring grape and canister
into the JohnnieS at 81 lively rate. But, goodness
what had become of our regiment? 1t had dwin-
died to half its size the day before and the brigade
a n a
we had to fall back again and while we were pass
ing through the open woods in rear of Shiloh
Church, Captain James CSIbbon of company
was killed by mimic ball through the heart Al
though 1t Is twentyone years ago, can still fancy
hear the ping of that bullet it came and the
| sieScning thud it gave rs it struck down as good
and brave man as died that day.
The next line we formed was quite strong one
and, although were a general mixture, / re-
member how glad were to see General Sher.
man, with rag on his hand, ride along our lines
We were attacked here several times, but repulsed
the foe pretty easily when they came up, although
the fighting was heavy, and most of our companies
were badly cut up, and many without officers. The
sun was very hot, and we suffered intensely for
haversacks with knapsackS in the tents when
we formed line of battle in the morning.
But who cares about my experience In that bat
tie of Shiloh? The main question now is. were
our troops surprised? i don't propose to settle
the controversy by this scrap of personal history
but merely wish to call attention to the facts:
First. The troops and generals were aware of the
presence of the rebels in front FOR At least two
days before the battle took place.
Second Our own troops (the Twenty-ffth Mis-.
souril opened the fight early as a. nl more
than mile from any camp, and the fight did not