The National tribune., 1886-02-25
SHILOH,
The Services Of the slst No. on th. Field.

To THE EDITOR: In the issue of your ex-
cellent paper of Dec "a, 1885, notice an arti-
Gle under the signature of Col. w. w. jack
son, with which l was in the main well pleased;
but as he only gives facts and incidents which
came under his own observation on that ever
memorable and hard contested field of battle Of
Pittsburg Landing Tenn, you will excuse
me for writing down a few of the facts and in
cidents which came under my own notice, and
that, too, without any desire upon my part of
detracting in the least from the honor due any
other brave comrade who took part OH the
bloody field. But as the Colonel fails to say
anything or even mention the part taken by
Col. Moore or his regiment of boys, and as L
have from time TO time read several statements
of the battle without their even being men,
toned, think it nothing more than right that
the part they played in that battle should be
written. Whether the Generals and command
ing officers there were surprised or not on Sun
day morning, Col. David Moore and the 2lst
Mo. were rather surprised to see so many john
nies at once.
The 2lst Mo- was in the division commanded
by Gen. B. NJ Prentiss, and, if l remember cor
rectly, in the Third Brigade, which was COM
posed of the 18th Mich, 25th and 21st Mo-, and
10th Wis. On Thursday before the battle Col.
Moore went out TO the front some four or five
miles with the right battalion of the 21st Mo.
On reconnaissance, and on Saturday he again
went out with the left battalion of the 2lst
some five miles toward Corinth, Miss. After
we returned to camp that evening the Colonel,
as we then understood, by orders of Gen. Prem
tiss, took the right battalion Of the 21st Mo.
and the left battalion of the 10th Wis. and went
out about one and half miles to the front on
picket duty. About IL or IL o'clock Saturday
night the battalion of the 10th returned to
camp, leaving Col. Moore and his 21st boys still
out on picket. On Sunday morning about 3
o'clock the Colonel observed an unusual stir in
his front and sent back to camp for the left wing
of his regiment, but before the bearer reached
camp the Colonel and his men were attacked
but we got there as fast as we could and in time
to assist in the next bout. This was about
daylight. We then fell back short distance,
where we were attacked again and the Colonel
was wounded in the leg Maj. King was killed,
and Adj't Strceper mortaly wounded. The
regiment lost in killed and wounded heavily of
both line officers and enlisted men. We then
fell back to near our camp, when, seeing the
25th Mo. and 10th Wis. in line on the color
line, and also the brigade battery on the line,
we made another stand /; but the 21st Mo-, with
both the other regiments named, was scattered
like chaff by the next attack of the rebels.
This was about eight or nine o'clock, and our
own brigade was the first and only troops we
had seen to support US up to that time. The
result was that from that time on during the
whole of the first days fighting the 21st Mo. was
Scattered-Some in one regiment and some in
another. We lost heavily both in killed and
wounded, with some 300 taken prisoners during
the day. This was our first fight. We went
in with . full regiment, and at daylight after
the battle we had 400 men left, and several of
them just slightly wounded, having lost over
half killed, wounded and taken prisoners.
Now, while the 21st Mo. does not claim any
honor belonging to other brave comrades, we
do claim the honor Of being the first troops en-
gagged in the battle of Pittsburg Landing, and
to have sustained the first shock of battle there
for at least two or three hours unaided; for
with the exception of the 25th Mo. and 10th
Wis, as above stated, who were standing in
line when we were driven back the fourth time
to our camp, we had no support, nor did we
see any regular line of battle until o'clock or
after.-T. w. BAIRD, Co. B, 21st No., Clifton,
Mo-