Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-04-17

points of interest on the battlefield
The Battle.
The battle of Shiloh, or, as it is some
times called, the battle of Pittsburg
Landing. was one of the most icrccll
contested of the war. II was fought
ut Shiloh, locality 50 called from
Il church situated there near Pitts
burg Landing, on the Tennessee river,
in Hardin county, Tennessee, April {
and 7, 1862, between the union forces
under Gen. Grant and the confederates
under Gems. A. s. Johnston and Beau.
regard.
After the evacuation Of Nashville
the confederate forces in the west were
concentrated near Corinth, Miss, while
Grant was preparing to move so rs ia
cut off their communication in west
ern Tennessee. On April |, with about
$4,000 men, he reached Pittsburg Land.
ing, where he was to be joined by
Gen. Buell. On the morning of the
battle his divisions were the commands
of Sherman, McClernand, Prcntiss,
l!urlbut, and w. II. l.. Wallace. They
had no intrcnchmcnts of any sort, on
the theory that as soon as Buell. arrived
they would march to COrinth to attack
the enemy.
The rebel army, commanded by Gen.
Albert Sidney Johnston, was, accord
ing to his own reports, $1,000 strong.
Moving with this force from COrinth.
he fell upon Grant early on the morn
ing Of Sunday, April 6. The attack
first fell upon the divisions of Sherman
and PrcntiSS, both Of which were driven
back, three regiments of the latter he
ing captured, and the whole army
forced back almost to the landing. Gen.
Sherman says in his report: "From
about the lSt Of April we were con-
ScOuS that the rebel cavalry in our
front was getting bodcr and more
Saucy; and on Friday, the 4th of April,
it dashed down and carried of our
picket guards, composed Of IN officer
and seven men, posted couple Of
miles out on the Corinth road. Col.
Buckland sent company to its relief,
then followed himself with regiment,
and, fearing lest he might be worstcd,
| called out his whole brigade and fol-
lowed some four or five miles, when
the cavalry in front encountered ar
tillcry. then, after dark, drew back
to our lines, and reported the fact by
letter to Gen. Grant At Savannah.
Saturday passed in our camps without
any unusual event. but ON SUNDAY, the
9th, early, there was good deal of
picket firing, and | got breakfast, rode
out among my lines, and, about four
hundred yards to the front of Applcr's
regiment, received from some bushes
in a ravnc to the left front Il vOllcv
which killed my orderly, Holiday.
About the same time | saw the rebel
lines of battle coming down ON us AS far
rs the eye could reach Allmy troops
were in line of battle and the ground
was favorable to us. gave the ncccs-
Sary orders TO the battery attached to
Hildcbrand's brigade and cautioned
the men to reserve their fire till the
reEclS had crossed the ravinc Of Owl
creek and had begun the ascent also
sent Stail officers to notify Gems. Me-
Clcrnand and PrrntiSS Of the coming
blow. In Il few minutes the battle of
Shiloh began with extreme fury and
lasted two days,
When Sherman and PrcntiSS were
attacked there was wide gap between
their lines. 4 little after 10 O'Clock
the federal line was connected, Shcr-
man on the right McClcruand next,
then W. H. l.. Wallace, and next on
his left PrcntiSS and lIurlbut, and Me
Arthur filling the space between Prem
tiSs and Stewart. The right was
gradually forced back on Il curve till
at half-past o'clock there was wide
gap between McClcrnandand Wallace.
Hurlbut held his ground till o'clock,
but by half-paSt I he retrcatcd, lcav-
ing Prcntiss' left in air. Through the
two gaps thus made the confedcratcs
left and right poured in and cncirclcd
PrcntiSs and Wallace. After their
surrender there was little fighting that
day. In the afternoon Buell'S advance
had appeared on the opposite bank of
the river, and Il single division had
crossed during the battle,
In this days fighting the union loss
was nearly ten thousand killed, wound
ed, and captured. The rebel loss was
as great in killed and wounded. but
the loss in prisoners was small. One
of the notable incidents of the day was
the killing of Gen. Albert Sidney John
Ston. The 18th Tennessee could not
be urged up slope to diSlodge the 32d
and 4lst Illinois regiments from their
position. Squads would leave the
ranks, run up to fence, fire, and fall
back to place, but the regiment would
not advance. Gen Breckenridge, ,foiled
and irritated, rode to Gen. Johnston
and complained he had u Tennessee
regiment that wouldn't fight. Gov.
Harris, of Tennessee, who was with
Johnston, demonstrated, and riding to
the 45th appealed to it in vain. Gen.
Johnston moved to the front of the
brigade now standing in line, rode
slowly along the front, promising to
lead them himself and appealed to
them to follow. The halting soldiers
were aroused to enthusiasm. Johnston,
Breckenridge, and Gov Harris in front,
followed by the brigade, charged up
the slope and down the hollow beyond.
Unchecked by the hot fire of the Hin
ois regiments, they pushed up the
higher slope and the position was
gained. The Illinois regiments fell
back slowly, halting at intervals to
turn and fire, and were not pursued.
One of these shots struck Gen. John
ston, cut an artery, and no surgeon
being at hand he bled to death in n
few minutes. Gen. Beauregard, at his
station at Shiloh church, was notified
and assumed command.
Bcauregard assailed the union CEN
ter and left, on which the most of the
artillery had been concentrated, and
which were also covered by two gun
boats. The attack was repelled, and
at night Il bombardment was opened
which compelled the confederates to
withdraw little. The remainder of
Buell's command crossed the river
during the night, raising the union
force to about forty-iive thousand
Gen. Grant and Gen. Buell. met al
Sherman's headquarters in the even
ing, and it was there agreed that Buell.
with his army should in the morning
attack on the left, and Grant, with his