The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-06-24


ton of our state militia, and am still en-
gagged in that capacity. A letter addressed
to me at Springfield, Illinois, will reach me-"
This letter was never answered, and
through other channels Captain Grant
made his entry into service in which
he rose, in less than three years, to the
supreme command, directing the move
ments of armies aggregating million
men and operating along a line twenty
five hundred miles in extent. OF his
first engagement in the war of the re-
bellion he writes with candor, and makes
the following frank confession of his
fright
GAS soon as the enemy saw us they de-
camped as fast as their horses would carry
them. We halted at night on the road, and
proceeded the next morning at an early
hour. Harris had been encamped in creek
bottom for the sake of being near water.
The hills on either side of the creek extend
to considerable height, possibly more than
one hundred feet. As we approached the
brow of the hill from which it was expected
we could see Harris camp, and possibly find
his men ready formed to meet us, my heart
kept getting higher and higher, until it felt to
me as though it was in my throat. l would
have given anything then to have been
back in Illinois, but l had not the moral
courage to halt and consider what to do; |
kent right on When we reached a point
from which the valley below was in full
view halted. The place where Harris had
| been encamped few days before was still
there, and the marks of recent encamp-
ment were plainly visible, but the troops
were gone My heart resumed its place. 1t
occurred to me at once that Harris had been
as much afraid of me as / had been of him.
| This was a view of the question | had never
taken before; but it was one | never forgot
afterward. From that event to the close of
the war | never experienced trepidation
upon confronting an enemy
How narrowly the future commander
in-chief escaped death, on the very
threshold of his career, appears in the
following occurrence on the transport
after the battle of Belmont:
"Our smoke-stack was riddled with bull
lets, but there were only three men wounded
on the boats, and but one of these was a
soldier. When | first went on deck | en-
| tered the captains room, adjoining the
pilot-house, and threw myself on sofa.
! did not keep that position a moment, but
rose to go out on the deck to observe what
was going on. / had scarcely left when a
musket-bal entered the room struck the
head of the sofa, passed through it and
lodged in the foot"
AT the time of its appearance in the
Century THE WATCHMAN reviewed
General Grants story of the much mis-
apprehended battle of Shiloh. His ac-
count of some of the events in that
fierce conflict evoked criticism from
some of the officers engaged on the
Union side, who conceived that Gen
eral Grant had done them injustice.
The Century article appears in the Me-
moirs in its proper connection, with
some changes, corrections and observa-
tons, which these criticisms and con-
current account from confederate
writer have elected The general says:
General Beauregard was next in rank to
Johnston, and succeeded to the command
which he retained to the close of the battle
and during the subsequent retreat on Cor
| inth as well as in the siege of that place.
His tactics have been severely criticised by
confederate writers, but do not believe his
fallen chief could have done any better
| under the circumstances. Some of these
critics claim that Shiloh was won when
| the army under me would have been ami
hilated or captured Ifs defeated the con-
federates at Shiloh. There is little doubt
that we should have been disgracefully
beaten if all the shells and bullets fired by
| us had passed harmlessly over the enemy,
and if all of theirs had taken effect Com
manding generals are liable to be killed
during engagements; and the fact that when
he was shot Johnston was leading brigade
to induce it to make a charge which had
been repeatedly ordered, is evidence that
there was neither the universal demOraliZa-
ton on our side nor the unbounded conf
dence on theirs which has been claimed.
There was, in fact no hour during the day
when doubted the eventual defeat of the
enemy, although 1 was disappointed that
| re-enforcements 50 near at hand did not
arrive at an earlier hour
The description of the battle of Shiloh,
given by Colonel William Preston Johnston,
is very graphic and we'll told. The reader
will imagine that he can see at each blow
struck a demoraliZed and broken mob of
federal soldiers, each blow sending the en-
envy. more demoralized than ever, toward
the Tennessee river, which was little more
than two miles away at the beginning OF
the onset If the reader does not stop to
inquire why, with such confederate success,
for more than twelve hours OF hard lighting,
the national troops were not all killed, cap
tured or driven into the river, he will re-
gard the pen-picture as perfect But wit
messed the fight from the national side from
eight o'clock in the morning until night
closed the contest, and | see but little in the
description that can recognize. The con-
federate troops fought well, and deserve
commentator enough for their bravery and
endurance on the 9th of April, without de-
tracing from their antagonists, or claiming
anything more than their due.
&" In an article on the battle of Shiloh
which | wrote for the Century magazine,
stated that General A. Med. McCook, who
commanded division of Buell's army, eX'
pressed some unwillingness to pursue the
enemy on Monday, April 7, because of the
condition of his troops. General Badeau, in
his history also makes the same statement
on my authority. out of justice to General
McCook and his command, | must say that
they left point twenty-five miles east OF
Savannah on the morning of the 9th. From
the heavy rains of few days previous and
the passage of trains and artillery, the roads
We're necessarily deep in mud, which made
marching slow. The division had not only
marched through this mud the day before
but it had been in the rain all night without
rest. 1t was engaged in the battle of the
second day. and did as good service as lis
position allowed. In fact, an opportunity
occurred for it to perform conspicuous act
of gallantry, which elected the highest com
mendation from division commanders in the
Army of the Tennessee. General Sherman
in both his memoirs and report, makes men
ton of this fact. General McCook himself
belonged to family which furnished many
volunteers to the army. i refer to these cir
cumstances with minuteness because did
! f..in in. arff 10 /