Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-01-31
FIGHTING BATTLES OVER.


 Notes of a Confederate staff.oficer a
 Shiloh. It would reem that after th
 lapse Of g years, all feeling of aurimos lty, and all desire to color or make ou,
 favorable showing for the side one re
 presents had passed away. Yet from
 reading of these articles on tue battl, of Shiloh wo find that the freest use o
 assertlors are still made where factl should be given. General Grant places the effsc lve strength Of the Union forces on the morning of the 9th at 33OuO al
 Shiloh. Owing to the pecullar action of Lew Wallace who failel to comprehend or obey orders, fully 5C00 men who fought ct DJnelson ! were at tLai tune looked upon us veterans. did not reach the battle field until nightiall- too late to take any part ID the first days battle. Beauregard reported the con foderate strength at 4O.955. If We ac- cept the statements of Grant and Beau regard the confederate forces putnam bered the Union forces the first day of the battle, by nearly 5000. Vii f liam Preston Johnston however, makes an estimate of the forces engaged. that differs widely from the above. He esii- | mates Grants forces at about 50.O00 eifsc- ] tive men on the field of battle aud Buell. near at hand with 37,0OO more. Oppos- ed to him were 5Q0o0 confederate troops less than 40,000 of whom were avail able for combat, under Gen. Albert Sid ney Johnston. Tt will be seen taai while NIT. Johnston the author, oyeresti- mates Gen. Grants forces, be places Gen. Johnston's effective forces at about the same number as BeauregErd did.
 But the strangest thing observed in connection with these articles are the statements of Johasan and Jordan, both of whom wrote from Confederate stand points. Johnston states that "afier the surrender at Donelson, the South, but especially tie important State Of Ten nessee, WAS in delirium of rage anl 1 terror And though Gen. Johnston had l implored them 10 enlist and come 10 his | relief, and had warned them of the re- I suit If they failed and that, after mis- fortune did come as he had predicted l they had forgotten what be tcld them. | and called him Rn 'ldiot, coward and l traitor. and sent a depuiation t0 Jeff | Davis to demand his removal. IL was | General Johnston's pl n to concentrate ! at Corin.h and interpose his whole force | Ii front of the great bend of the Tennt S. i see, the natural base Of the Confederate Army; this effected, to crush Grant l. battle before the arrival of Buell.. Gen Bue'i's 4acTements were closely watched. and, hearing of his approach on the d of April, General Johnston resolved to delay DO longer, but strike at once Q decIsive blow"
 Thi- writer says, General Beauregard also, it seems, had plan, which, how ever, must have differed widely from that Of General Juhuston's, as 1t was evi- dently tentative in its nature-a recor- nuisance in force with a retreat on Cor inth as one of its features"
 Gen. Jordan, Adjutant General of tht Confederate army assembled at Corinih states most positively tlat the idea ci attacking Grant at Pittsburg Landing originated with BeauregaTd, and that Johnson was opposed 10 it. "Gen. Lew Wallace had been maneuvering' in prox- unity of Gen. Folks command on the 2d of April, winch was reported to Gen Beauregard, who immediately endorsed on the back of t: Now is the time tU advance on Piitsburg Landing" This Gen. Jordan carried in person to Gen. Johnston, who, after reading 1t, very clearly stated some objections, chiefly to the effect that our troops were too raw and iucoml letely equipped for an offensive enterprse, such Us an ons. upon the Federal army, in position of their own choosing, and also that he could not see from what quarter proper could be assembled In time Gen. Jordan states that 'as Gen. Beau regard had discussed with me repeat edly within B week the details O. sucL an offensive operation in all its features, and the necessity for it before the Fed eral Army was ready to take the otfens 1,1 F.faffa the objections raised by Gen. Johnston Both of these writers admit that on ar riv1ng on the field oi battle, BsaureRaTd wanted to withdraw to Corinth. belIev- Ing that the Confederate forces could not successfully contend against Grants army. while Johnston said that having arrived on the ground it was too late to beat a retreat, and ordered an advance.