The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-06-17
THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.

Reunions of army organizations call to
mind old associations, and thrill me often
with recollections of my experiences during
the war. l have noticed since its close the
popular impression exists that at Shiloh
the entire army was routed, and fell back
in the fore part of the day, and that no part
of that grand army held the enemy to ex-
coed two hours.
Now, sir, from my standpoint, in COM
mon with part of my brigade, members
of the Seventy-first Ohio, Fifty fifth Illi-
nois, and the Fifty-fourt Ohio; we saw
matters in very different light, and as no
historian or General has done us justice for
what we did on April 6, 1 deem it my duty
to correct the impression, and let the world
know what mere skirmish line accom-
plished without reserves or artillery:
Our camp was amid a peach orchard in
bloom. We had been there some three
weeks, doing fancy handbook duty. AS a
few straws or leaves accumulated in camp
detail was made TO clear it. Hence We
had made no preparation for the reception
of the enemy. Although the flower of the
rebel army lay some twenty miles away, in
command of one of their ablest generals,
we had no pickets out.
1t was quite early on that memorable
lovely morning of April 6, 1862, that heavy
cannonading was heard far down to the
right from our camp. 1t increased rapidly
and seemed to near us. My brigade con-
sisted Of the Seventy first Ohio on the right,
the Fifty-fifth Illinois in the center, and
the Fifty-fourth Ohio on the left, and was
the First Brigade of Sherman's Division.
When We took our places at the front our
brigade was isolated from the rest of the
| division, and sent to the extreme left flank
| to guard ford on Lick Creek. The re-
mainder of the division was sent to the
! right. Our position was on the nearest
| ridge, a little over on the north side. Every
part commanded the ford. The creek ran
in a northeasterly direction into the Ten
| nessee, and our line was nearly parallel
with that river for some miles. A ledge Of
rocks on the south side rendered it impos-
sible for an army in column to cross except
at this ford
At $3.50 a. m. we could begin 20 hear mus
kerry, and We were all in line, eager for the
| fray. A 10 a. IN. We were saluted by a
underground battery, on the bluff; we
Rugged mother earth, but they threw the
| shot into the e-tops. Very soon, little
past 10 a. m General Chalmers, mt the
head of his brigade. passed at the ford
and did not attempt to cross, but moved
down the ere * until the center of his COM
mand res ed on our left flank, aud concen-
trated his fire upon our line. We had to
get out OF that, as a military necessity"
| or soon they would have saved us the
trouble. In that we were outgeneraled.
| We moved over to the next ridge north.
He moved back and crossed the ford, and
ordered halt in q valley, at some twenty
| rods distant. Now, reader, our skirmi n
line was strung out the length of two rcgi-
ments, the Fifty fifth Illinois and the Fifty
fourth Ohio, and they covered our front
with full battle line, with n gap on our
right, left by the Seventy first Ohio. Such
was the situation in David Stuart's briea lie
when the ball opened.
! David Stuart was acting rs Brigadier
Scott, Lieutenant Colonel; Oscar Malm-
burg was acting Colonel of the Fifty fifth
| Illinois; G.. +. Thurston Adjutant, and n.
L. Sanger Major. / saw our position would
allow them to flank us easily. My position
i'm line happened to be in the rear of an oak
tree four feet thick. IL might have been
ordained TO grow there before the world be-
gan for our benefit. It proved n splendid
"minie halter, and several stepped in rear Of
il to load and deployed to fire. The rebs were
partly ambushed by Young bushes and dead
leaves, the color of their uniforms, so that
after the first fire could see naught but q
line of smoke, although the musketry was q
solid roar, mingled with peals from the
batteries.
will notice some incidents as proceed
as they occurred. After half hour they