The National tribune., 1892-07-07
Shiloh Again.

wv. Jones, Co. D, 25th Mo-, says: ST was
i pleased to read in THE NATIONAL TRIB-
| UNE of Feb. short piece from Comrade
| Gamble, Co. A, 25th No. in regard TO the bat
| tie of Shiloh. He says: To say that was sur
| prised when / saw the claim that Gen. Nell
| sons men saved our army from capture April
6, 1862, at Shiloh, is putting it mildly. as did
| not know until then that any one had ever
| thought or supposed anything of the kind.
| There is no doubt about our having been
| beaten all day, as the attack was almost a COM
| Iete surprise. The rebs beat US in detail in
| the morning, for as soon as one regiment was
| forced to give way another would come up just
| in time to meet the rebs, flushed with victory,
| only to be flanked out of their position. Thus
| we fought them all day, disputiDg every foot of
| the ground they gained, until We had moved
| back to the river Now 1 am not going to
| claim that it was to the bravery of the men
| entirely that we were not driven farther, as
we had gone as far possible. on account of the
| river, and were liz the condition of cornered
| towards and had TO fight or surrender, and we
| chose the first was in position to note the
| exact position of our men, and am perfectly
satisfied now, as l was then. that Beauregard
could not have captured that army that night
even If Gen. Nelson had not been within 80
miles Of it. Further, as | understood the
matter at the time, there were only 5000 of
Nelson's men on that side of the river at the
time the rebs withdrew from their grand
charge. and think it would be charging 10000
men with being rather weakly to allow 5000
men to save them from capture"
Shelby Cole, the Guerrilla and Spy.
r. B. Booth, Co. Fl, 9th Iowa, Mona, Iowa,
says: "a postal from comrade of the 89th Ind,
dated at Brooklyn Village, o. saying that he
had seen my letter in the columns of The Ma
TIoNAL TRIBUNE, and that it reminded him of
L.
Mo-, Sept. %, 1864. The comrade asks me to
write the circumstances of Coles capture and
execution. There are no doubt others that are
better acquainted with the details of this affair
than myself; but, as the comrade has made
the request. l will tell what know about it.
My regiment with others were ordered from
St. Louis to Iron Mountain by rail, but from
some cause did not go all the way, but were
stopped at q station between Desoto and the
mountain. While waiting at the station
man in the garb of a farmer, who turned out
to be Cole, came into our camp carrying q
moving scythe, pretending that he had come
to town to have it sharpened. Some one either
informed on him or else he was arrested on
suspicion. About dark the regiment boarded
the train to return. The cars being fat-cars
Cole was we'll guarded on the way to Desoto.
Sergt Treat, who had charge of the guards
offered Cole one of his coats, as it had grown
cool, and Cole had been captured in his shirt
sleeves. A few minutes after this Cole, with a
jack-knife, cut Treats throat and jumped from
the car. The guards followed, with others that
came TO their assistance. Cole was secured land
l have heard by some source since the war;
pinned to the car with bayonet. / am
not able to say whether this is true or not.
When we reached Desoto lot of soldiers
took Cole in the direction of the woods near
by, and he was hanged. l was told that Cole
was asked if he had anything to say. He re-
piled that he had killed so Union men, and if
they would turn him loose he would kill 80
more. / don't know what regiment did the
hanging, but think the 9th Iowa should have
been the one and think they were capable of
doing the job as well as any of Smiths guer-
rillas."