Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-09-14
IN THE HORNETS NEST.

His Experience at the Battle OF
Shiloh and Recoliections OF the
Eventful Daytime Surrender of
Prentiss.
Gibhart Hurts, sergeant of Company
K, of the Eighteenth Missouri, writes to
the Detroit Free Press:
was in Company K, Eighteenth Mis-
souri,, center brigade, consisting of the
Sixteenth and Eighteenth Wisconsin,
Eighteenth Missouri and Captain A.
Hickenlooper's Ohio battery. The right
br gade consisted Of the Twelfth Michi-
gan, Twenty first and Twenty-ffth Mis-
souri, There we're two regiments on
our left, the Fifteenth Michigan and
Sixty-frst Illinois. This constituted
Gen. Prentiss' division at Shiloh. Our
brigade were camped apart, but in line
of the front, and there was an open
space of about quarter of mile be-
tween our brigade and the one on our
right. On Saturday, the day before the
fight Gen. Prentlss had received Informal
ton that the enemy had 1een seen by
our scouting parties In small detach-
ments and that same afternoon Gen.
Prentiss had ordered out five companies
of the Twenty first Missouri, under Col.
Moore, OF the right brigade and two
companies from Wisconsin regiment.
center brigade; one company Slxty-frs
Illinois on our left, to strengthen tie
picket and outposts in our front. One
company Eighteenth Missouri was to
hold itself III readiness if called on dur
ing the night. Early on the next Sun
day morning before sunrise we heard
firing OFT in the direction OF our right
brigade camps. Soon an officer rode
rapidly through our camp to Col. Madi-
son MIXERS tent and in an instant we
heard the command, fall in, fall in. and
the long role was beat and the buges
sounded. Our regiment and brigade
were soon III line and loaded our guns
aud marched rapidly across the large
open field in our front. At this time we
could hear the firing more briskly and
the same time We could see our plckets
fighting and falling back through the
woods in our front. They soon came
out of the woods, some helping their
wounded comrades, and passed to the
rear, saying that the woods were full OF
rebels, and that they had killed some of
our boys. Our regiment and brigade
were soon in line Of battle and our Col.
Madison Miller rode down in
front OF our line, giving
orders to keep cool and to shoot low.
We could hear the bullets then already,
wh'zzing through the air. At the same
time the enemy came in sight in heavy
force, with their guns shining i'll the
morning sun. Col. Miller in an instant
wheeled his horse to the rear and gave
the command to fire, and we sent a
whitening voliey into their advancing
columns and the fight was ON with US,
and there we stood fighting while our
own officers and comrades were falling
fast around US. In short time six O:
our officers received their mortal wounds
on this line namely: Adjt. Edgar, Capts.
Clark, Cooper and Godfrey, and Lieut..
Dayton and Sharp. We fought here
until the enemy were coming in cur
right flank through the open gap be-
tween our brigade camps and line of
battle, We were ordered to fall back,
and right here is where the first confu-
sion took place, as we.got scattered. Some
would load as they went and turn and
fire, and some of the command made a
stand in our camp. The enemy did not
follow US, but first cautiously advanced
to the edge of the woods and ran back
again, but they soon came out with their
flags and advanced in squads. They
would advance a short distance and lie
down. l was shooting at them from be-
hind tree In Our camp. All at once l
neard rush coming
Gown through the Wisconsin camp on
the right and rear, and turning around
l saw g red flag and an officer in gray
that was enough for me in close quar-.
tiers, and did not stop to look for more
and we took to our heels, and coming
out to an open place / saw Gen. Prem
tlss rapidly riding in the direction OF
the Sixty-trst Illinois and Fifteenth
Michigan that were still in line yet of
on to our left, and with waving his cap
he was cheering them to hold their
ground, but he could not stem the tide
as the enemy were soon on them in
heavy force and they wavered and then
also fell back. A part of General Prem
the roadside in the rear of some troops
that were lying down behind a rail
fence. in an open place. At about this
time o'clock, the enemy had got pos
session of our camps and were helping
themselves to our breakfast and com:
mlssary stores, and there was stop in
the fight on this part of the field. Gen
Prentiss' command had been lighting the
enemy from about a.. M, UP to this
time, commencing on the right brigade
first, Col. Moore with his i've COM
panies in the advance until it had
extended along his whole line to the
left, and all his regiments had lost heavy
In officers and men, nearly one-fourth.
Col. Moore, Twenty-frst Missouri, lost
his leg; Col. Peabody, Twenty~ffth Mis-.
souri,, was killed; Col. Allen, Sixteenth
Wisconsin, was wounded and his horse
shot from under him. We lost our ad-
!utant and five officers, not counting
those that were wounded and re over
ing again. After we had reformed we
marched into the fight again under Gen
eral Prentiss in connection with Genera.
w. II. Wallace's troops that had just
come up at this time from their camp
near the landing. We marched out "a D.
idly through the woods, when we came
up with our skirmishers and got posses
sion OF an old worn out road that ran
just right for our line of battle and an
swered we'll for breassworks, and every
soldier recognized the advantage of the
position by lying down in it as soon as
they reached there without orders, and
section Of battery soon took position
upon our right and we were ready tore
ceive the ensmY and were not kept wait
lnglong. We soon heard cheering at dis
lance in our front and the battery in
position on our right commenced fir
ing. The cheering was afterwards
called the E'rebel yell'' lthat we often
heard and got accustomed to IN tf1e At.