The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-10-04
BUELL. AT SHILOH.
The Battle of Sunday, April 6.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Having read
Comrades Wyman, of the oath Ohio, and Chote,
of the 9th KY, on Buell's army at Shiloh,
wish to state few facts that will perhaps en-
tighten these and other readers OF The Ma
TIoNAL TRIBUNE on that contest
Comrade Wyman says he would not detract
one iota from the bravery and herolsm OF
Grants army" How kind he is and how
grateful the old Army of the Tennessee ought
to be to this comrade for his great magnanimity
He says that "Ammen's Brigade began to cross
the river about o'clock, and they encountered
a mass of demoralized humanity"
Well, now, the facts are that this same Am
mems Brigade along with Nelson's Division,
had been all day coming up on the oppo-
site side of the river from Savannah, and
never crossed the river until $50 p. NJ,
after Gen. Grant had sent for them the second
time to hurry forward. They had been from
s q. m. till 5:30 p. m. covering eight miles, and
when they did arrive they were too late to aid
in the fight, for the last assault of the rebels
was being repulsed when these Ohio warriors
came upon the field. Why didn't Comrade
Wyman give us a list of the killed and wound
ed of Ammen's Brigade which occurred on
Sunday In their great struggle? The facts are
that there was not one of the brigade killed,
and but two wounded on Sunday evening.
Now, my dear comrade, don't try to make light
of the army commanded by Grant. That
tQeIG was many db Lue IlNGI WIN HGlO Ntuuh-
ed and demoraliZed we have no doubt, but
when it is remembered that the gallant old
Army of the Tennessee had fought all day long,
from sunrise to sunset; that every foot OF
ground had been contested, and that their
dead comrades marked every step from the
Shiloh Church to the Landing; that they were
fighting almost twice their numbers, formed in
three solid parallel lines, under the ablest
Generals in the South, is it any wonder that
\ THAR Lose Ixyoc and that demon
allied? That illustriOus Pension Agent, d. G.
Buell., who was the commander of the forces
! Comrade Wyman served in, in his article, Shi-
| Ion Reviewed" written after the old COM
mander was laid to rest at Riverside, under
took to claim all the honor of the battle al
/ Shiloh, but made q most inglorious failure
| Oh! no, my comrade, you could not detract
one iota from the gallant men who stood for l.
mortal hours on that bloody field, fighting as
men never fought, and dying by the scores
while you and Buell's army were slowly wend
| ing your way eight miles up the river and
arrived Just as that gallant army had repulseC
the last charge on Sunday evening. AS to the
| fight on Monday, haven't the least doubt bu
that the Army of the Tennessee, with the ar
rival of Gen. Lew Walace's Division, 6,00(
| strong, would have been able to have driver
BeauTegard's forces from the field, if Buell.!
army had never come; for Beauregard says ii
his report that he could only put 10000 mer
in line on Monday morning, and if we had de
stroyed $4,000 of his men on Sunday, flor Ia
says they attacked US with $4,000 on Sunday,
with Wallace's fresh division of 5000 we should
have been able TO have driven them back t.
Corinth. But the Army of the Ohio are emit
tied to and have always received proper credi
for their fighting on Monday, notwithstanding
one of its division commanders refused to pur
sue the enemy when ordered to by Gen. Grant
And now trust we shall have no more claim
| of what Ammen's Brigade or BuelIs army die
on Sunday at Shiloh. When they write, lie
them always write of what they did on Mon
day and not what they failed to do on Sunday
l believe / have some knowledge of that day
work, having been engaged from early Sunda.
morning until the close on Monday.-E P
LEE Secretary, 41st III. Veteran Association
First Brigade Fourth Division, at Shiloh; Mon
ticello III.