Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-04-24
THE BATTERY.

grOtesque, or terrible that they fas-
cinate.
THE BATTERY.
There was one awful group ct the |
battle of Shiloh that was referred to |
by all who looked on it as presenting
all the features that could be found on
q battlefield. Nine horses were lying
in their harness Enl,every conceivable
attitude. Around and between them
were seventeen men-Federals. Horses
and mea were shot through the head.
Some Of the men had two and three
wounds, all in the upper part of the
body, any of which would have proved
fatal Horses and men we're lying, as
nearly as l can recollect, within ra-
dius of sixty feet. Near at hand was
q small tent, in which man lay with
a tremendous saber cut In his breast.
Eleven men = infantry - were lying
outside and in a semi-circle around the
artillerymen. The man In the tent
was an infantryman. The Confeder-
ates had taken the guns away. There
was no need for any explanation. Ev-
erything present told it louder than
words. just beyond this group, a
hundred yards, the Confederates had
rushed on and over Western regi-
ment-raw recruits stampeding them,
killing some and wounding others,
then pounced on the battery and de-
stroyed it. The trees were not very
close there; had the artillery had time
it is doubtful if they could have with
stood the rush of the onsetting Con-
federates. 1t was plain that artillery
men, horses. and the few infantrymen
were overpowered, blotted out in
minutes time.
THE wINDRow.
The contest covered great many
open fields. One field containing about
sixty acres showed how brave men may
be placed at the mercy Of opponents
concealed in the timber. Almost in
the center of this field fifty-nine men,
dressed in the Confederate brown, some
in rough black coats, lay in irregular
rows. Their position showed that they
were dashing across the field, when the
Federals, concealed in the wood, wait
ed until they were sure of their aina.
The bodies lay so close together that
it was impossible for me to ride from
one end Of that CHASTITY row to the other
without tramping on the dead. The
majority Of the poor fellows were
scarcely three feet apart. All killed
by bullets-their wounds were either
in the head or body. Death came
quickly, evidently, in every instance.
How many of their fellows escaped the
leaden hail in that charge across the
field no man living may be able to tell.
No man that looked on them will ever
forget that windrow of dead men.
THE WORK OF A SHELL.
The windrow was at least half mile
from the last battery. Half or three
fourths of mile from the windrow,
back of very heavy thicket, covering
marshy ground and where the large
trees were good distance apart, in
small open space, such spot as men
fleeing from danger would pause for
breathing spell, secure from the Wis
ion of an enemy on the other side of
the thicket, five men, Confederates,
lay. If man will open his right hand
| and spread his fingers apart the thumb
and fingers will exactly correspond
with the position in which these men
lay, with their feet forming the inner
part of o semicircle. Their feet, with
the exception of one, were not four
feet apart. The man who was farthest
from his fellows-as the thumb is from
the fingers was evidently thrown there
| by the missile that killed him. The
missile was fragment of shell, which
tore or cut his head off. The head lay,
face upward, about ten feet in the rear
of the fifth man from the headless
trunk. All of the four who were lying
with their feet near each other were
disemboweled. Here, again, no words
were necessary. This group of men
were standing together when a shell
exploded in their midst. And they lay
awaiting burial at our hands. one Of the
most horrible of all the battle pictures
viewed on Shiloh's field.
THE BRONZE MAN.
The rain of lead and shell and shot
at Shiloh set the leaves on fire on por-
tions Of the battlefield. A heavy rain
succeeded the first days battle, ex-
tinguishing the fire, but not before the
flames consumed more than one man
whose wounds rendered him power
less to help himself. The most ter
rible picture of all was that presented
by man lying altogether apart from
his dead, wounded and dying com
rades, in growth Of bushes about the
height and thickness of alder bushes.
These were mostly consumed by fire..
In the midst of them, lying on his
back, with his shoulders drawn up and
his chin thrust out; with one hand
clenched over his death wound near his
heart and the other clenched and held
at his side heavenward, was man
who in life must have presented a
superb physique. He looked giant.
One knee was drawn up as if in agony.
There was not q yestige Of clothing on
him; the fire had consumed it. His
i skin from his toes to his ear-tips was
like bronze, with varied tints. The
4 clenched hands, drawn-up knee, and
greenish and yellow tints, horrible as
they were, were not as awful as the
drawn lips and clenched teeth that
seemed to snarl at heaven. Some one
/ referred to him as the bronze man |!
Hundreds walked that way to view
| Ls..a cxJ Ill .x,sLlx I. -. -. !.