Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1885-04-16

forcements. but the battle was going awry.
Grant was everywhere on the field, constantly
under fire In his own account of it he says:
Three OF the ve divisions gagged the first day at
shi esl were entirely raw. and many OF them had
only received their arms on the way FROM their
states the fell. Many OF them had arrived but a
day two before. aad were hardly able to load
their muskets according to the manual. Their Of
ncers were equally ignorant OF their duties Under
these cumstances IL ID not tonishin many
Of the regiments broke at the first fire. In two
eases. as l now remember. the ooonels led their
regiments from the field rss hearing the whistle
of the encmy's bullets In these .he colonies
we-e const tutional towards, unit for any military
pos ion But1lot the officers aud led out OF
Gal-Cr by them Better troops never went upon a
bsts.cfield than many OF these officers aud men
aftcrw ard proved themselves t. be- who fed
panI, stricken. at the first whistle OF bullets and
shell at shiloh.
General Albert Sidney Johnston, Con
federate commander, was killed ON the first
day of Shiloh's battle. Jefferson Davis had
early said of him that he regarded his ser
vice to the Confederacy as worth more than
the accession of an army of 10000 men.
Night fell and found the fight unfinished
The gunboats continued to fling shells into
the Confederate lines, the woods caught fire,
and only merciful rain saved the wounded
from being burned alive. Buell. and Gen.
Lew Wallace arrived and the old lines were
reformed. Grant visited each division com
mander after dark, directing their positions
and ordering an attack at early dawn. At
last, returning to the landing, he made his
headquarters under tree and hay down in
the rain 10 rest. The pain in his swollen
ankle and the drenching rain made him rest
less, and after midnight he moved to the loc
.ouse ON the bank This was in use as hos
pital, filed with the wounded and diving
groaning with anguish. THE sight" says
Grant, twas more uncomfortable than en-
countering the rebel fire, and L returned to
my tree in the rain"
The next day the battle went ON until
Beauregard and his forces beat a final re
treat, c. mt having lost over 12,0OO men.
Sherman has sad that he never afterwards
saw such terrific fighting. Grant writes
Of *:
shiloh was the most severe battle fought at the
West during the war and bat few In the East equaed
fer hard. determined tg..ting. Isaw an olcl fie.d
in our possession tire second day, over which the
Con:ederates had made repeated charges the cay
besorc, covered WI dead that II would have been
possible 10 walk ACROSS the clearing in any drcc-
tlon stepping dead bodies. without foot touch
Ing thcCrouad. ON one part, which had evidently
not been Iowed for several years bushes had grown
up so-lc 10 the lsht Of EIGHT or ten feet. There
was not OF these left ftstanGng unplerced by bul
lets. The smaller ones were all cut down. Contrary
to all my expert nee up that time and to tho
perience or the army was then commanding we
were ON the defensive.
This battle convinced Grant that the war
would be prolonged, and developed his views
as TO the conduct of il. Armies and not
strongholds should be subdued or destroyed,
he thought. He believed, too, that it would
b an sconomy ef blood to spend it rsRidly
a IL