The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-07

What Admiral Porter Says of 1t in His Ma
val History of the Civil War.


From Porter's New Book.
The account of the famous battle which soon
occurred at this place must be left to military
writer's, but the battle of Shiloh, with its
changes of fortune from hour to hour, its keen
anxieties, the splendid fighting on both sides and
the splendid victory that was finally wrenched
from the enemy after he had driven our troops
back upon the river will always be remembered
by those who have read the history OF that day.
we will only refer to the moment when our
troops, having been driven by the enemy from
point to point and ridge to ridge. had reached the
river bank and were brought to bay. Here the
gun-boats, Lexington" and Taylor" rendered
good service, and the national troops, rallying
under the cover of their guns, now made a SUI
perb resistance, and although the enemy
flung himself again and again upon
the Union lines. he was again and again driven
back. The military historians have not done
justice to the work of the eunboats at this i'm
portant %juncture. y Y I" 1t is the belief of
many officers that without the aid of these ves-
sells the federal army would have been annihi-
lated. y Between our position and where
the enemy had prepared for this last rush was
a ravine which they must cross in the assault,
and here the two ~gunbcats took up a position.
At the same time Colonel Webster. of General
Grants staff, hastily collected some scattered
guns and placed them where they could play on
the left flank of the enemyis line when they should
advance. This was the decisive point in the bat
tie. The next half hour would settle the ques-
ton whether or not a victorious confederate
army should occupy and lay under contribution
the States north of the Ohio.
There was a brief lull in the firing while the
confederate host was making its final prepare
tons, and our troops were being collected in a
semi-circular mass, with the center not half a
mile from the river. Our men with the excep-
ton of the shameless skulkers) had fought
bravely, but were now in a disorganized condi-
ton. and it seems as if their main dependence
must now be upon the guns which Colonel Web
ster had collected to check the advance of the
enemy. As stated by General Grant. their
troops were massed so as to strike the main blow
at our left" SO by turning it they could seize the
transports and stores. 1t did not occur to the
enemy that this would bring their column under
the guns at point-blank range. y . In this
engagement the Taylor" fired 1873 shell, and the
Lexington" about the same number, and it can
be imagined what gaps were made in the enemy's
ranks by our expert gunners when they were
massed at the ravine for a rush upon our disor-
ganized troops already driven nearly to the
river.
The- tradition in the navy which will go
down sterity that the Taylor" and Lex
ingLor vented part of our army on that day
from being driven into the river, and turned the
enemy back when he considered that the victory
was in his hands. Why General Grant did not
have a large number of gunboats at Pittsburg
Landing is not understood, as it was a most ia
vorable position for their use, and the 60, 600
confederates spread over a large area of ground
would have offered many opportunities for them
to throw in an effective fire.
The victory was claimed by both parties. but
the federals remained masters of the field.
1t broke up the delusion of many in the North
who, up to this time, had believed that, after q
few heavy defeats. the Southern people would
return to their allegiance.
For here it was seen that, after the victories
of Donelson, and Shiloh, and the capture of Co.
lumbus, Nashville and Bowling Green, no per-
ceptible effect was made upon the resolution os
the confederates. Their energy was not in the
least diminished.