Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-22
AT SHILOH CHURCH.
INCIDENTS PRECEDING THE sTRANG-
EST BATTLE OF THE REBELLION,
The Gathering of the Confederate Forces
The Major Who Checked the Ad-
vance of Johnston-A Recon
noisanco In Force"
u. A. Cockerin in New York worIdl

man, composed of the new levies from Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois, was picked up at
Paducah and carried up the Tennessee river
to PIttSburg Landing Scarcely man in the
command had heard "a shot fired in anger"
Sherman set up his standard at the primi-
tive church in the wilderness called Shiloh,
five miles from the river side, and his bri-
gadeS, which were soon to receive such q
baptism of IRE, stretched themselves where
ever swamp and lagoon permitted, grimly
facing Corinth h-Corinth, the ganglon and
railway nerve center OF the western Con-
fcderacy. After him came the troops of
Grants army, squatting irregularly be-
tween Shiloh and the river, and the Han
nibal of these legions, fresh from the con-
quest of Fort Donelson, slipped his toddy in
peace at Savannah, fifteen miles away from
the patient soldiers who kept watch at sol
emn Shiloh church. The division of Lew
Wallace slumbered at Crump's Landing. six
miles below-Slumbered and wondered when
the war would actually begin. Across the
broad face of the state of Tennessee the
grandly disciplined and spendidly equipped
army of Don Carlos Buell. was moving by
easy marches to join the invading hosts on
the bank of the muddy river.
At Shiloh s. ZOO men mounted guard
daily, devoured their rations and slept in
peace. The army trains dragged slowly
along the heavy roads between church and
river, and suffers vended luxuries to raw
Spartans at a profit of 100 per cent The
man at the front line saw squadron of cav
airy ride away toward the militia rendez-
vous at Corinth every morning and return
lazily at night with an "All is We'll" There
was an honest belief in camp that these
horsemen secured the narrow territory be-
tween blue and gray as the dragons of
Ciaverhouse beat up the Presbyterian
quarter of Scotland. Subsequent events
proved that the gallant hussars of the Fifth
OHIO were in the habit of playing Sseven-up"
and sleeping through all those days within
mile Of the camps they We're charged to pro-
tect Insufficient scouting and carelessness
at headquarters We're fearfully atoned at
Shiloh.
How was it at Corinth, At first we were
told Of handful of raw troops holding the
great point d'appeni Of the southwest. But
there came day when the Wellington of
the confederacy entered Corinth to execute
the boldeSt stroke OF the war. He saw the
army of Buell. moving to the junction with
Grant and he conceived the plan of falling
upon the lounSers at Shiloh and annihilating
them before the union of forces made Grant
too terrible to resist There was no force of
consequences at Corinth, and all would
depend upon rapid concentration 1t
was gigantic plan and splendidly
was it executed. Fresh from the abandoned
trenches about Bowling Green came the men
of Kentucky. From Pensacola, Mobile,
New Orleans, Memphis and the camps of in
struction in the interior came the soldiers Of
the Confederacy. They came by rail by
one grand invocation. 1t was the gathering
of the clans at the summons of the blazing
cross. Men who guarded forts ON the Mis-
sissippi, or watched sails whitening on the
southern bays, poured into Corinth, stopped
to cook five days rations, and turned their
faces toward Shiloh. Enthusiastic soldiers,
who had faced the legions of Buell. in front
of Nashville, paused To feel the hand of the
great military organizer, listened to the
reading of this strange battle order, and
pushed on to Shiloh:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE MIssIs-
SIPPI, CoRINTH, April ?, 1862. SOLDIERS
OF THE ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI: | have
put you lii motion TO offer battle to the in
vaders of your country. With the resolu-
ton and disciplined valor becoming men
fighting, as you are, for all worth living or
dying for, You can but march TO a decisive
victory over agrarlan mercenarieS, sent to
subjugate and despoil you of your liberties,
property and honor. Remember the pre-
ciOus stake involved; remember the depend
ence of your mothers, wives, sisters and
children on the result; remember the fair,
broad, Astounding land, the happy homes
and ties that will be desolated by defeat.
The eyes and hopes of 5000, 900 of people rest
upon you. You are expected to show your
and oa
worthy of the women Of the south, whose
noble devotion in this war has never been
exceeded in any time. With such incentives
to brave deeds, and with the trust that God
is with US, your general will lead you conf
IDENTIFY to the combat, assured Of success.
A. S. JOHNSTON, general commanding
At Shiloh church. April Dayl The Fourth
brigade of the Fifth division, composed of
the Forty eighth, Seventieth and Seventy
first regiments of Ohio, lay on the flank of
the old sanctuary. In front of the quarters
of the colonel of the Seventieth sat group
of field officers in the early twilight. The
sage and solemn Buckland, commandant of
the brigade, was there, as was Hildebrand,
Loudon and Coils Kyle and Garfield, who
were fated to die so gallantly on this very
field six days hence. A bucket of beer,
fresh from the sultan's tent, was the rally
ing point of this squad of officers.
They talked of the inertia of camp
life, bemoaned the lack of drilling grounds
and complained of the scorbutic ten
dency of the times and the malaria which
was weakening the men. The raw recruits,
lacking in healthful exercise, We're not proof
against that insidious climate. A thought
struck the solemn Buckland. He would go
at once to Sherman and ask permission to
take his brigade or picnic excursion He
would march on the road toward Corinth.
The exercise woul greatly benefit the men,
and men and officers would be familiarized
with the country. The suggestion was read
lily acquiesced in, and Buckland stalked
away to the marquee of the general com
manding Assent was obtained, and next
evening the Fourth brigade cooked days
rations and went to sleep, after much
turmoil, dreaming of picnics. Next
morning the bugle sounded en- avant, and a
handsome column of blue filed down into
the ravine and marched away on the road to
Corinth. / trudged on foot and carried
rifle III the ranks of Company l of the Sew
entieth. The snowy daisies were peeping
from under the green banks, the birds were
twittering in the budding forests and golden
sunlight streamed on bayonet and sabre.
The roll of drums and the steady tramp of
the moving column awakened echoes on that
iocund spring morning, quite new to those
pastoral scenes. At noon a halt was called
at Pea Ridge, six miles from camp. Arms
were stacked, Coffee-pots unslung, fires lighted
and small games of poker begun. The holi-
day soldiers disp5rtei themselves every
where and displayed a juvenile determina-
ton TO enjoy the outing"
Major McFerrin, of the Seventieth, was
placed in command Of squad of twenty
men and sent in advance to picket the Cor
inth road. Nobody recognized the need Of
the precaution. for nobody dreamed Of foe.
At the moment that Buckland's brigade
stacked arms at Pea Ridge and sat down to
coffee, the head of Rebel Johnston's army
was marching into the village of Monterey,
three miles south and half way between
Shiloh and Corinth.
The dashing major of the Seventieth had
been gone fifteen minutes when a half-dozen
shots were heard in rapid succession in the
direction he had gone. Anon the major
,s,, han ,t, his 1un cbarCrpr