New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-06-23
7 LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
UARDEE AND BEAUREGARD AT SHILOH
A LETTER FROM An AIDE-DE-cAMr OF GENERAL
urAT-pFGAKD.

A LETTER FROM AN Albb-Df-NA'' ~
BEAUREGARD.
To me Fdftor Of The Tribune. .
SIR: There appeared in your journal on April
i communication signed ~" purporng to report III
substance statements made by the late Lieutenant Con-
eral TIardee Of the Confederate states Army IN S Guy
soon after the war, to the effect that tho
must have gained decisive victory over tle
forces on the 9th Of April 1s62, upon the hu ol 0n
or Pttsburg Landing but for the death Oh "'no''
Albert Sidney Johnston and the premature ceN''''"
the Confederate operations on that afternoon
orders Of General Beauregar who had succecded 10 o
oumand Inasmuch as happened rs an oh'cl VI" Wv
person al staff Of General Beaurcgard 10 nave pool zulu
Genera. Harlee on the occasion In question: 'u'io'
uropery suffer the statement made by " D 10 st'h' ~"
challenged or uncouplcd with facts Oh "nich was "
o,o Witness that prove either that s. must h''o
rayely misunderstood General IIardee or that h' NUN
10, ~ tho ACCOMPLISHED Confederate General had gone
erouslv astrav Those facts will be found related III .h
official report which I wrote week ater INC p''''o
namely Apr H. 1862, when the events OF the p"''''
were fresh in the minds of all participants ana are ''
follows, ~ then stated .,,
5lo IN m)-Was ordered by you General BeanregaIV
o'2 W. a1 Ccncral UaricG and how be was get
TING along bIt 10 return and report 10 you before Ik
fouud his conmand-the General Win ms Il'i, d al
ing them Nothing cond cAcEtu ms ~ tbo d,It II
antrv He always in the thlckeSI Oh Iiy ~ nv
was usee' b 70 hcd ANYTHING was "Tcll the Gen raj
Hcanrecar We are getting along very well pnt Iney %
PttS 9Th 70 him. ms offered to act a. his aide decamP and
10 bring up regiments "hlcm WeTc III bed with
'nc Of thcm and was bringing mp the second Tht IN,
tremendous fire was opened upon w. I.u,' 49, Tho
ecd nieces and the heavy OF the gun pnhS. &
tennessee regiment which was 6ngiRE i." ,pnrV
broke in disorder and fe back M1 Up csyrJ3
s5tcI me In raying them and inducing them 10 NE
,rcc withdrew his command beyond the range Oh tiir
ynns of the gunbolts (see page 1-l. EIl. ,lrr. Ne
lions OF General Bcaurcgard. Harper D'o'"''S' -'
York, lsSLl r,,., T
In other words. when I reached Gener" liar"'o
found him substantially checked or unable 10 carry ''
Ground occupied by the enemy in his lmn'''' I''"'
This WAS the condition in which his corps Sf'''l swat
tered from the nature Of the hed' was al li' "''''
I,,,t dr-l when another aide dc-camp on the 4aH o
General Rc,urcrard came mp with the order" to arrest
The conflict and fail back to the campso the enemy lol "
i,, IN order with which that a.dc-dr camp l'V"I'
IN. only four days thereafter lAprH TO- l7o-'
laws lac was dispatched by General b''lI'-''" ."
dusk a,out O'Clock" and that he commnn'''u." it ~
General. Bracg Polk uud IIardee. 7ee Noi. L. P'7'
30 Memoirs Of General bc'uI' 10
BROTHERS: N,w-York, ls-lD
Et 10 leave no ground for honest doubt 10 ~'hhu "P"
81, 10 the hour that General Bel1r'sIds 'r''' ID arr
ro hattie for the dly received and executor ny ''u
l If,vloc if can ONLY serve the truth OF history Tor me
20 quote in substance from the report oil one Oh
Hairless brigade commanders, Inc 'u'7'i ""''' '''
dncui-hcd Clrburue, n follows;
ftF,
f,r,lr party brought ammunition rtP'G',' ' W., ~
zine steep hill more than W. ~. IA,
,,uiiutiiru advanced until cbcctcd bV H'Ib I'iN '
lire FROM rlrboats When firing rel,rd alN1'' III "-,
,',u ,,TJ IN, nm ailcdr-ramp al General brtlcSt'I
i t,s,.r ned me VIC were uot 10 approach nearer I "
river. II was now dark 50 returned aug 't'.l' III
an. nf tine pnrruvs rnramDmcut- near TIE fdlk I'"'
In fact all the rel ors OF IIardecs subordinate com
,,,nders clearly establish that it not until hsht
r,d c,rno that the battle stopped They Sho" Iu-
nor that at the time the order withdraw for the night
oheI the CORPS all o. IL, conshmcnts-unabe To carry
,c r,lnd Immediately in front-were virtually at Il
half unable. o.force their way ahead mainly, 1t must In
frutb be added because component parts had not been
held together by their commanders including General
u,rI,e himself I may also add that the condition III
which his CORPS was found when the order to retire rom
An, conflict and Reasonable it, scattered members
reached General UlrGcc substantially the same rs
that Of the other Confederate corp,on that Held a. may
r b seen by any attentive reader of the reports OF
no sulorI;uato commanders OF the corps ul brH'IdN
Bragg and Polk in OF which can pr sven 'l' t'N'
.u.i;ull ground for the idea that the orders I It
non stopped the COucdcIatcs AT the moment Oh uec'
I'm conclusion may properly say that undrnldny II
,,a. General RraIrcgard VINO projected the movement
that brought the battle; that he Planned hc n,uhtr
of that battle with all it, chief details ana HhalN IH;
after the battle had been joined De sent me 10 ttc III
Johnston with a message to this ehtc.; lha III ms ~
lief his Irauregard-D right position was IN front WIN
the troou en- Jagged while that of Johnston was et"'ru
m a point from which be could direct The "h0e Io.cr'
Having communicated these views to General johnston.
was directed with The answer that ne Wl9At
nclurctrI to direct the movements a. h'
had been doing hut that he, Johnston would remain IN
the front among the Troops, which II goes "lthou sly
j. moi tLc pp.fion generally occupied by tn" commander
in chief directing the tactics OF an army IN battle
Nt,c- Cfk, June IL, leS4 ALEX. kohi. ChI>oI-h'