Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-02-05
THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.
Gen. Cist's Comments ON the Recent
Article Of Gen. Grant.

CINCINNATI, O., Jan. 26.-Gen.
Henry M Cist, author of '"The Army
of the Cumberland, expressed his
views on Gen. Grants article on the
battle Of Shilo at considerable length
today. Cist said that he regarded it
as an exceedingly valuable paper.
The endorsement Gen. Grant gives to
the official map of the battlefield, as
prepared on the field after the en-
gaegement, leaves Gen. Sherman and
the Army of the Tennessee society in
bad shape with their attempted cor
rection of official documents years
the events occurred. It is Singular
with what tenacity Gen. Sherman
claims that there was no SURPRISE at
Shilo-which fact Gen. Grant tacitly
admits; and its equally singular with
what positivness Gen. Grant adheres
to the theory that he and his army
were not defeated the first
day at Shiloh. Gen. Grant cndeav-
ored 10 satisfy himself and his read
erS in his paper that with the reforma-
ton of his lines. and with Lew Wal
lace's division on the field, ready ior
action, on Monday, the 7lh, his task
would have been a light one to re-
cover his camps and the ground lost
the day before But our TROOPS were
outnumbered and outgeneraled on the
9Th. The enemy was flushed with
triumph; with every incentive 10
make a fnality of Grant and his
entire army, and only waited for the
word to rush to the attack. Had help
from Buell's army not been nigh the
rebels would have made short
work of Grants army on the 9TH.
There is chapter on Shiloh
tibet has never been fully written
out and possibly never may be. /
have it from a staff officer who was
there that ON Saturday, the 9TH Of
April, he strolled through the several
camps of the division on Shiloh battle
field, passing from one to the other,
and then beyond their lines out into
the country for perhaps mile and a
half, and be found no pickets on
guard but did find the woods full Of
northern troops firing off their guns
promiscuously at squirrels, rabbits,
ETC., with the enemy IN force over
forty thousand strong only two miles
beyond, getting ready to crush them,
and not soul of the federal troops
knowing anything Of it. Cen Sher-
man has been at times greatly blamed
for this state OF affairs, but il was not
Gen. Sherman's fault that this was so.
He was not ia command, and had no
control over it. There is no officer
who could give the very inside of the
true history of the reason why and
wherefore of the surprise at Shiloh
better than Gen. Sherman, if he were
so disposed; but he will not
do it, as he can only
clear himself at the expense of
Gen Grant. The fact is that Shiloh
was regarded as a temporary rendez-
vous of all troops that were to partici-
pate in the campaign on Gen. a. 5.
Jobnston's position at Corinth. All
of Gen. Grants dispatches to Gen.
Halleck show this. The division of
Grants army were very comfortably
located in their temporary encamp-
ments, where they We're resting get
ting ready TO move out on the march
southwark, and they rested there
without thought of battle; in fact,
the idea that the rebels would attack
was scoffed at. The fault is that
there was no pickets out, no advanced
infantry guards. and no lines of in
trenchments. Nothing could have
been more badly managed to secure
success in holly contested engage
ment than the conditions under
which tie federal troops fought at
Shiloh