The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-21
THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.
How General Nelson Gained the Advance and
Saved the Army-Sundays Fight.

RecOllections of an Old soldier-written for the
journal.
Since the fighting ended at Shiloh on Monday,
the eth day of April. 1862, the impression has
prevailed that it was only the arrival of Buells
forces that saved General Grants army from
disastrous overthrow, if not from capture. The
first days fighting certainly had ended badly for
General Grant. Night had come. aud bis army
had been driven back to the river, and the conf
dent and victorious enemy occupying the
quarters from which our troops had been driven.
General Grant, in his Century paper, contends
that he would have defeated the enemy on Mon
day, even if Buell. had not arrived. It is posi-
BILE he might have done so. bat Buell. did arrive,
and, to all human wisdom, just in the nick of
time. He arrival at that opportune moment was
due to what. at the uime, seemed to be
very trivial occurrences. AS war rem
iniscences are popular just now, and as
they are. to the great mass of readers, very
interesting reading, the story of Buelfs march
to Pittsburg Landing will not be out of place
while the discussion of the battle is going on.
In that story it will be seen upon what little
things great events sometimes depend.
At the beginning of March. 1862, General Buell.,
with the army of the Ohio, occupied Nashville,
through which the rebels had retreated after
abandoning Columbus and Bowling Green.
Prior to this time the operations of the two
armies in the West had been entirely disassoci-
ated. General Halleck moved and fought upon
his own line and own plan. General Buell. did
the same. There was no concert of action, and
but little communication. They both had the
same objective point-to find the rebels and
whip them but they acted independently of
each other The new line formed by General
Albert Sidney Johnston convinced them, how
ever, that concert of action was necessary and
that united movement would have to be
made. Correspondence between the two generals
took place and a quasi plan of campaign was
agreed upon. The plan went no further than
junction of the two armies The matter was
referred to the authorities at Washington and on
March IL, the departments of Halleck, Hunter
and Buell. were consolidated under the COM
mand of Halleck. Tt was to be called the de-
partnent of the Mississippi. AT that time the
army of General Buell. was 81, 900 strong; consist
ing of ninty-two regiments of infantry, H. 400
cavalry, and twenty eight field and six siege
batteries. OF this vast army 1900 were fit for
many of the regiments having seen service, and
all well drilled. and eager to meet the enemy.
Savannah, on the east side of the Tennessee
river, was chosen as the place for the junction
of the two armies. and General Buell. was ordered
to march with five divisions, numbering $4,000
effective men, under his personal command, to
Savannah The divisions to march were the
first second fourth, fifth and sixth, and were
commanded respectively by Brigadier-generals
Thomas, McCook Nelson Crittenden and
Wood.
On the 18th of March the forward movement
began, the Second division, under General
McCook taking the advance. The other divis-
ions followed at intervals of twenty four hours,
in the following order: Fourth, Fifth, Sixth
and First. The weather was pleasant when the
march began, and as it was understood there
was no call for haste, the march was leisurely,
each division keeping its trains we'll up, and per-
hitting but little struggling. 1t was long
march, and although the Army of the Ohio
knew what it was to take such marches. it
was tiresome one. The roads were in a
horrible condition, but the rapid movements of
the cavalry had prevented the rebels from de-
stroying the bridges, except three over Ruther-
fords creek, four miles north of Coium bia and
over Duck river, at Columbia. The creek
offered but little to delay the boys in blue, and
the pioneers soon opened road to and from
it. But Duck river was another thing, and
it was there the trouble began. The army
had no pontoons. The water was thirty
five forty feet deep, being swollen by the
heavy rains that had fallen for two or three
days The river was not very wide, but without
pi1n1
found so helpful later in the war, it was a Sc
rious obstruction, and was likely to cause consid-
cradle delay. There was little prospectof speedy
subsistence of the water to fordable stage SO
Johnson's brigade of McCooks division was set to
work to building bridge. One of the regiments
of this brigade was the Fifty second Indiana,
and it was largely composed of mechanics, and
it was given charge of the construction, although
the whole brigade worked energetically 1t
should be borne in mind that General Buell. was
not at this time, under any orders to hasten his
march, nor had he any reason to deem there was
any necessity of haste, for the place of junction
was to be Savannah on the west bank Of the
Tennessee, and if Hallecks forces were already
there, broad and deep river was between it
and the enemy and there could be no danger of
an attack. While the bridge was in process of
construction news was brought him that the
forces under General Grant were at Pittsburg
Landing. on the west side Of the Tennessee river.
and within striking distance of Johnston, who
was at Corinth, only twenty miles away. Buell.
was assured, however that there was security
for them, and no danger of an attack need be
feared.
This change of the place of junction seemed
to have been an accident. and wholly without
authority from General Halleck, or without
design. After the fall of Fort Donelson, Gen
eral Halleck had sent column up the Tennessee
river in steamers. to destroy the railroad con-
nections at Corinth, Jackson and Humboldt.
This expedition was under the charge of
Brigadier general c. f. Smith. The expedition
failed owing to the strength of the army at
these points. General Smith, on abandoning his
expedition, steamed down the river and debarked
at Pittsburg Landing, not having been informed
of any intended concentration at Savannah
Why he debarked his troops at that point
has never been satisfactorily explained, as he
contemplated no such movement AS the troops
moved up the river to the place of junction of
the armies under Grant, Buell. and Halleck,
finding Smith at Pittsburg Landing. the most Of