The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-21
eenerals month than Nelson startled for the head

if the bridge would be completed. He was an
swered, with an oath, mo" but he was to cross
vance, and the division would yet get the glory
of being first on the field of battle he seemed
to be shifting in the air. Ammen was as eager
for the fray as his chief, and on the
28th he marched to the river 1t was
an ugly looking stream The calvary at length
found a difficult and tortuous ford. At daylight
on the morning of the 10th, the tenth brigade
was drawn up on the banks of the river. 1t was
a raw, cold morning, and the water looked any
thing but inviting. The men were ordered to
strip off their trousers and boots, and to swing
them and their cartridge boxes on their bayo-
nets over their shoulders It was strange
ORDER but the men never hesitated, and in few
minutes they were ready for the cold plunge.
The cavalry was stationed in the stream just
above the ford, for the double purpose of acting
as guides and breaking the force of the swift
current. The head of the column plunged in, and
in a little while emerged upon the other bank
Now, they understood the order to strip trousers
and boots They were dry, and being hastily put
on the men did not feel the cold air. Within
few hours the whole division was across and the
race FOR Shiloh began in earnest.
1t was this giving of the advance to Nelson,
and the speed and energy he threw into it, drag
glng the whole army after him, that brought
Buells army to Shiloh in time. He was repeat
eddy told by his commander that there no
need of suchs haste, but on he drove, through
rain and mud, day after day, as if battle was
raging and he was endeaving to reach the field.
There was but one narrow road leading to Sa-
vannah, and along this the whole army of in
fantry, cavalry and artillery was rushing This
unexpectedspeed thwarted a proposed delay that
would have prevented the participation of the
Army of the Ohio in the battle of Shiloh. Gen.
Buell. was officer of the regular army, and
considerable of a martinez. He had soldiers
pride in the solderly appearance and bearing of
his men, and contemplated stopping at Waynes-
boro for two or three days, for the pur-
pose OF rest and general cleaning up,
that the army might meet their breth-
rem in good shape Before the order for
the halt reached Nelson he had passed through
Waynesboro, and was far on his way to Savan-
nah. 1t was also under contemplation to defect
from Waynesboro to Hamburg and from there
to the place of conjunction. The other divisions
coming up to Waynesboro, and finding that Mel
son had gone on with increased speed, they sup
posed the order for halt had been counter
manded, and moved on with accelerated steps,
knowing not what was before them; but the i'm
petuousty of Nelson had permeated the whole
army. Had the halt been made, or the course
changed to Hamburg there was no power that
could have put the two armies together in time
to have met the rebels. On the Attn the rain began
again to fall, and all day long it poured down on
Nelson's troops, but on they marched. On the
9Th the rain continued, and Nelson might have
we'll been excused if he had halted but he did
not stop, and by the night of the 9Th the whole
division was at Savannah but nine miles from
Crittendens division was but few miles out
The fateful Sunday morning came and with
1T the noise of the battle at Shiloh Nelson was
hurriedly ordered to move his forces to Pittsburg
Landing, by boats that would be provided for
them. The hours of the morning slipped by,
the sound of the conflict growing deeper and
louder, but boats made their appearance
Nelson stormed and fumed One moment he
would be at the landing, gazing down the river
to see if the expected boats were coming; the
ma Yf hn no hnaLr in re 49,
making the air resonant with his curses. The
cavalry sent out to find road, if possible
They returned and reported that the lower road
was impracticable, but that the second or upper
one might be used for infantry and cavalry
but not for artillery or trains. About half
past l the order came for us to hurry to
point opposite Plttsburg Landing, where boats
would be ready to ferry us across. Almost in
stantiy the Tenth brigade, with the Thirty
sixth Indiana in thedead, was off at a swinging
pace. For the first two or three miles the road
was dry and we made excellent time but then
we plunged into the midst of black swamp.
and for five or six miles it was struggle, but
the noise of the cannon, as we neared the battle
field, grew louder, and eloquently told us the
need of haste. Courier after courier met us
with urgent appeals to quicken our steps, They
told him how dire was the struggle, and how
great were the odds against our brethren. Of
this part of the march let me quote from the
diary of Col. Jacob Ammen, the gallant COM
mander of the Tenth brigade:
Our pace was accelerated, and l was again at
the head Of the column, when another courier
came with message of the same import as the
first, and soon another Both were sent
back, and the head of the column emerged from
the dense forest into field that bordered on
the Tennessee river. Now, at intervals the
shouts of men could be heard, the steam whis-
tie, the discharge of all kinds of arms-a con-
fused noise In we went, to a point opposite
Pittsburg Landing. The pioneers were put to
work to cut a road down to the bank to enable
the men and horses to get onto the boats"
At last part of the bIigade-the Thirty six h
Indiana and the Sixth Ohio-succeeded in EN-
barking in boats already crowded with fueitiyes
amid a confusion such as was never VT
messed before. The river was crossed and tie
advance of Buells army had reached the field in
time to assist in repellng the last assault OF the
enemy, and to make secure the result of the
next days battle, and night closed around us,
and with it came the storm.
Crittenden's division had been ordered to
march to Savannah early Sunday morning. and
arrived there in time to proceed by boat to
PlttSburg Landing, where it debarl.ed about 9
o'clock at night, after the fighting had ceased for
the day. On Sunday morning McCook, with his
division, was about twelve miles from Savannah,
wher he was ordered to push forward. All they
knew was that Grants army was on the west
side of the river, and in peril The sounds from
the battle field had not reached them. but thew
hurried forward. The roads were blocked with
the trains OF the other divisions, and it was not
until near midnight they reached Savannah.
Boats were there, but no arrangements had been
made for their transportation up the river
McCook boarded the boats, woke up the officers
and compelled them to get ready to take his
troops to the field, where they finally arrived
about A NJ, just as the new battle was com
mencing The sixth division, that of General
Wood, was still further away from Savannah
when the orders reached it to move forward rap
idly, and night fell when it had ten or twelve
miles to march, but it pushed on amid the storm
and darkness. AT last the darkness became i'm
penetrable. and not vestige of the road could
be seen and the division was compelled to halt
in the narrow roadway and await the coming of
the morning AS soon as the light was enough
to show the road the march. was resumed and
Savannah reached about o'clock when they en-
barked on boats in waiting for them, and by the
aid of steam rushed to the conflict
Thus it was that four divisions of Buells army
rushed to the help of Grant Had it not been
for giving Nelson the advance at Duck river, not
brigade would have been in time And if
Buell. had issued his order to halt at Waynes-
boro an hour or two earlier none of his forcas