Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-06-27

record in the navy before the war. lie was
hero in build and in mental ,liber. His
six feet four inches of frame carried grace
fully 300 pounds. well distributed, and his
brains and his culture gave just what was
needed to complete man of giant mold
Added to these were resolution and courage
and an overmastering contempt for petty
obstacles such as ordinary men stand and
gaze at at critical moment until they
rise like mountains in the pathway. This
quality characterized every act of his in
his career in Buell's Army of the Ohio, and
it was this, carried to the extreme in n cri-
sis which certainly called for extreme
measures which led to the fatal affair with
his brother soldier
When Buell's army was on the way from
Nashville, to unite with the remainder of
Ualleck's command on the Tennessee
river before the battle of Shiloh, the bridge
over Duck river was in flames and the
stream was ut food. Some time was
lost in constructing bridges and, although
two were nearly completed when the
waters leg, to fall, Nelson put his
division over by fording just as soon as his
men could gain footing In this way he
gained the advance of Buells column, and
The same impetuosity carried his division
20 the field of Shiloh on the afternoon of
the first day of the battle, April 6, in re-
Spouse to Grants appeal to come and save
the day to us.
Nelson, while marching to the rendez-
vous at Savannah, nine miles from Grants
camp, some days before, received word from
Grant that he need not hasten his march,
because there were no vessels mt hand to
put him across the Tennessee. Neverthe-
less, he had promised to be at Savannah
on Sunday morning; Halleck had a right
TO expect him there at that time if he
needed li..., and he took no advantage of
the leeway given, but pushed on, making
heavy march of ninety miles in less than
six days, reaching Savannah on Saturday
evening, the 5th. Gen. Grant visited the
camp and told Nelson that he would send
boats to Savannah early the following
week and bring the division to his own
camp at Pittsburg Landing Grant was
acting as second in command to Halleck,
who had not yet arrived. But on Sunday
morning the sound of firing reached Mel
son ut Savannah, and it came from Grants
camp on the river, nine miles above The
distance by land was more than nine miles;
the roads were numerous and interviewer,
and besides the floods had washed away
the guide marks and wiped out the paths
in many places. To move artillery on these
routes would be impossible, but Nelson set
his infantry in motion, got the best guides
the region afforded and FASTENED on the
scene of action. A forced march brought
him to the river opposite the battle field
and his advance brigade was in time to aid
in repelling the last desperate assault of
the Confederates on that disastrous Sun
day. For his services in this campaign
which included some most brilliant fight
ing on the 9th, Nelson was made IA mai
general.
Several months after Shiloh the Union
army of the west was compelled to retrace
its steps and go to the defense of Kentucky.
This was Nelson's native state, and it was
owing not little to his eloquence, inilu-
ence and energy that the sentiment of Sc
cession had been repressed there in 1861 and
kentucky retained in the Union. Nelson
received orders to repair to Kentucky, take
command and organize against Morgan,
Forrest Bragg, Kirby Smith and Hum
phrey Marshall, who with separate Con-
federate commands were pressing in from
different directions. The headquarters
was in Louisville. Early in September
Frankfort Lexington and the whole blue
Grass" region were in the possession of the
Confederates aud Morgan's daring riders
were pick ting on the outskirts of Cncin-
natl.
a new department of the Union army
had been created, with Gen. H. q Wright
in command as Nelson's superior. Wright
remained at Cincinnati, leaving Nelson to
look to Louisville, the point toward which
the heaviest columns of the enemy were
pressing under Bragg and Kirby Smith
Buell's army had not yet arrived. In such
an hour the fiery energy of Nelson burned