The National tribune., 1888-09-06
Shiloh Again.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Give me space
to say to j. w. Bryan, who goes for me at such
a rate in the issue of Aug. 2, that the infer
ences he draws are not warranted by the COM
muuication he criticizes. The statement that
Grants army camped on the night of the 9th of
April near where il had camped on the night OF
the 5th" is one which he assumes without
warrant and disputes with great gusto. 1t the
language Of my squib conveyed to anyone the
impression that BuelPs men did not commence
crossing the river Immediately on their ar
rival let me remove that impression at once
They came across Immediately, as fast as they
came to the opposite bank He says as his brl-
gade marched up he heard such expressions as,
" For Gods sake men, don't go up there you
viii be killed !" and "Oh / am the only man
left in my regiment" etc And further on he
says: Who ever heard of an Assistant Sur
geon fghting?"
Let me say that before was appointed AS
sistant Surgeon | had carried musket long
enough to know that the remarks he heard under
the bank never came from the fighting end Of
an army, and my old comrades of the 18th H.
who are living around me and who were on
the front line, tell a very different tale from
the one rehearsed by J. w. Bryan. Regarding
the means had for knowing so much while
still attending to my business in the hospital
from about o'clock on Sunday until about on
Monday afternoon | was in q central hospital,
NllGIG MUuHuCu were III III lIOui every paw
Of the line, and not one of them said, " Oh am
the only man left in my regiment" or any
thing like that. They said, " They can't drive
US any farther" We're holding them level
now" " Well whip 'em yet" and some, as they
H0ated out into the great unknown, " God help
the dear old flag" " | am willing to die for my
country" An, comrades, these men showed
the mettle of soldiers. On Monday men began
to come in wounded from BueIrs command,
but l saw none on Sunday. But now do not
from this infer that | say that none were
wounded Sunday. l only say did not sec
any that were wounded Sunday At the risk
of repetition let me sum up what have to say
about this battle of Shiloh.
Not far from o'clock Sunday afternoon
Grants army reached position from which
they were not driven. Beauregard's army had
made most heTculean efforts since early dawn,
and for purposes of vigorous attack was prac-
tically exhausted. The gunboats were vig0r-
Ously Smelling their right, and Wallace, hasten
ing up from Crump's Landing with about Z, 00C
men, to press their left They would have to
" git from thar in the morning sure even il
none of BuelFs force had been there to help.
Finally, the rear Of an army during battle is
the poorest place possible from which to judge
its fighting qualities; and, further land In
sist on this point, all the sick in hospital pres
ent with that army who could walk went tt
! the landing, and formed large proportion Of
! the crowd that excited Bryan's apprehension
! for the safety of Grants army. And now, Com
rade Bryan, while we were very glad TO see you
that Sunday evening, and nobody disputes that
/ you did all that was required of you, and al
! that anybody could have done, / will just bel
| you an even hundred dollars that if you hadn't
! got there we would have licked those rebels or
| Monday.-O. B. ORMsBY, Murphysboro Ill.