The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-16
THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.
New Light on the Question of "Surprise"-
The Part Taken by Wallaces Division.

men of the enemy-that it ought to have warned
the federal commander of our meditated attack.
Our forces could not get into position for bat
tie until late on the afternoon of the 5th-too
late to commence the action on that day. Our
pickets had been thrown out well in advance Of
our first line of battle, not far from the enemy
position without seeing or discovering any of
his pickets or outposts. Such an oversight on
the part of the federal commanders is really I'M
accountable, unless they chose to overlook that
important maxim of war: Never despise an
enemy, however weak and insignificant he may
appear
So near to each other were the opposing forces
that, hearing a loud beating of the drums about
the hour of tattoo, and believing it proceeded
from our lines, General Beauregard Immediately
dispatched a staff officer with orders to suppress
such thoughtless and imprudent sounds. The
staff officer returned shortly afterWard and re-
ported that the noise General Beauregard had
heard and was DESTROYS of quietng came, not
from our troops, but from the enemys encamp-
ments in our front Later in the evening
federal assistant surgeon and his orderly, riding
out on some night excursion, crossed our picket
lines, and were captured They We're speeches.
with establishment when brought to Generals
johnson and Beauregard. at beholding so large
force within striking distance of their own
camps, where all was now silence and repose,
and where none suspected the approaching
storm From them we learned that General
Grant had returned for the night to Savannah.
and that General Sherman commanded the ad-
vanced forces. No other information of inn
portance was obtained from the two prisoners.
Such was the lack Of discipline in the largest
part of the confederate forces that, despite the
strict orders given to enforce perfect quiet
among our troops drums We're beaten bugles
blown, fires kindled here and there by many
regiments, and firearms discharged at different
points in rear during that eventful night.
These and other bivouac noises should have be-
trayed to the federal generals on the first line
the close proximity of their foe. That such
not the case is due, no doubt. to the fact that
they fell into an error similar to that which Ger
eral Beauregard and others Of our officers had
made and attributed these untimely sounds to
their own troops.
Before o'clock A. NJ. on the 9th of April Gen
eral Hardees pickets driving in those of General
Prentiss, encountered some companies of the adj
vanced federal guard and desultOry firing be-
gan. The order to advance was now given, and
at o'clock General Hardees entire line moved
forward. Overhead was the promise of "A bright
day. but the after mists of the recent storm yet
hung in the valleys and woods yelling still more
thlckly the forest screened positions of the
enemy, upon which the lines of battle were
directed only by conjecture. General Prentiss
having hurried a reinforcement to the guard
and Informed Generals Wallace and Hurlbut of
the attack, threw forward three regiments well
to the front. His position a prolongation of
the elevated ground where stood the Shiloh
meeting house. held by General Sherman. the
whole bounded in front by a ravine and water
course, which, rising near the left of Prentiss
fell into Owl creek, near the Purdy road bridge
occupied by Shermans right. The confederate
lines of attack soon appeared driving before
them the skirmsh line, formed of the troops of
the guard. Premises whole force was now
thrown forward and became the first engaged
as his position was slightly in advance of Gen
eral Shermans and the difficulties of the ground
in front of the latter caused our line still more
to obique Shortly after o'clock General Prem
tisss command was falling under fire, and the
assalllng wave soon struck General Shermans
pickets, sweeping them back in the direction of
his camps. General Sherman called upon Gen
eral McClernand for assistance and gave notice
of the attack to Generals Prentiss and Hurlbut
the latter of whom dispatched Veatchs brigade
of four regiments, to the support of General
Sherman's left. Before o'clock the musketry
fire, which had gradually swelled, slackened and
almost ceased, while the federal skirmishers
were leaving the field, and the wooded interval
separating the enemys encampments from
advancing lines was leSsening more and more
1t was the momentary hull before the full out
burst of the storm.
Notwithstanding the bold movement of the
confederate cavalry on the previous evening. and
the noise of the conflict since dawn G. n Sher-
a strong demonstration was intended, until near
ly o'clock, when, seeing the confederate bayo-
nets moving in the woods beyond his front he
became satisfied for the first time, that the
tire federal camp. The regiments of his division
all then under arms, were thrown into line of
battle, Taylors and Warehouses; batteries
were posted the former at the Shiloh meeting
house, and the latter on ridge to the left, with
a front fire over open ground between Munger's
and Appler's regiments of his left (IIildebrand's
brigade Gen. McClernand, responding promptly
to Gen. Shermans call, had sent forward three
Illinois regiments, which were posted in the rear
of Warehouses; battery and of Appler upon
whom Gen Sherman impressed the necessity of
holding the ground at all hazards. Veatch's brig
ade, of Gen. Hurlbut's division, took position on
Gen. Sherman's left
Wallaces and Hurlbuts divisions deliberately
posted, and handled with skill. maintained a
stubborn resistance to the attack. Consisting
mostly of troops who had served at Donelson
they calamity formed their lines, notwithstand-
ing the surprise and disorder through which
they had been ushered into the conflict
The way was now open for an advance of the
confederate left against Wallace division, which
was at that time the advanced federal right
Posted on ridge under cover of thicket and
supported by artillery, this division had I'M
finchingly held its ground, ropellingwith slaugh-
ter every attack made upon it. Under the or
ders of General Bragg, who was directing the
movements against its LEFT, between 1 and 3
o'clock Hindmans Division was led to the assault
but repulsed under murderous fire. its gallant
commander falling severely wounded It was
rallied and led to a second charge.
but with no better success. Gibsons
brigade was then sent up, without
artillery support in four bloody, detached
and unavailing assaults, its TANKS raked by
battery and its front covered by the fire of the
infantry posted on the thicket on the ridge
After these repulses General Bragg abandoned
the task, and passed further to the right in the
direction of Breckinridges division.
The enemy at this point, however was now
falling back, in accordance with the retrograde
movement of the other federal forces. and Gen
eral Wallace fell mortally wounded, afterhaving
by his skill and tenacity, contributed much to-
ward the salvation of the federal army
Meanwhile since o'clock, Colonel J. D. Web
ster, an able officer of General grants staff had
been collecting the reserve artillery and other
batteries till he had massed about sixty guns
(some of them twenty four FOUNDER seige gunsl
reaching out to the camps of Wallace, a po-
stiOn which was held by the remainder
of that division, with some of
Netherlands regiments and fragments of Sher-
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