The herald., 1894-11-10
THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE.
The Lecture of General Lew
Wallace.
He Explains His Actions At the
Battle of Shiloh.
He Asserts That An Error In the Trans
mission of Grants Orders Was the
Cause of = Misunderstaud-
ing and Trouble.

Accident forms an element OF victo-
ry and defeat in battles quite as much
az tho valor of men on both sides in the
army" is the manner in which Gen.
Lew Wallace prefaced his lecture on
Tho Army OF the Tennessee at the
Church of the Unity last evening.
The church was well filled and in the
audience were many war veterans and
contingent from the soldiera' home.
The speaker dwelt at length upon the
charges made against him at the battle
of Pittaburg Landing, or Shiloh, and
spoke in vindicstion of his course during
that great engagement. He designated
Gettysburg and Shiloh as the greatest
battles Of the rebellion.
"At the end of 80 years." said the
speaker, when the story OF those
engagements should be as open books.
there are material points regarding
them still unsettled. Among soldiers
and officers, who should be in accord
about the facts. debates are frequent
and bitter. AS an episode of that dis
NAL Sunday | will say that for 20 years
or more was set down as the criminal
of Shiloh. In that long time learned
all of sorrow and modification, and was
made the scapegoat for the sins of other
people. That great struggle began at
day break. Where was the Third di-
vision in the meantime? Was the
question. I WAS all day getting my
division to the scene. l did not bother
the public but demanded court OF in
quiry. | had but one hope and that was
exonerAtion by General Grant, and
knowing his justness appealed to him.
Finally the vind;cation of my course
came. 1t was when General Grant was
dying. His book was in print, but he
put footnote in his book exonerating
me and justifying my course. Since
then l have gone into the society OF sol
diers."
General Wallace then drew word pict.
ures of battle scenes, describing them in
q graphic style. "Apparitions," said
the speaker, "return, and also recollec.
tions OF pleasanter nature e-heroic acts
of officers and men. One man in partic-
ular comes to me. He rides tall gray
horse with generals trappings. A broad
brim med slouch hat, and see under it
a ruddy face, calm gray eyes aud close
cropped beard. The thunder Of guns is
on the ear; the infantry is charging
The noiee does not disturb my horseman
grim, but calm and imperturbable.
1t is the vision in my heart of General
Grant as he came to me in the morning
and in the evening at Shiloh"
General Wallace explained the posi-
ton of his division at Krump's landing
and his detail OF men and brigades dur
ing the several days prior to the engage
ment. He was proud OF his men they
had come out from Donaldson covered
with glory, and his brigade officers were
not without ambition. He told of the
work of his scouts and how he was
posted upon the position OF Johnson's 8
army. He (Johnson) was to march.
but whether he would attack
the main army at the landing, or march
on his division, he could not guess.
Couriers were dispatched to Grant.
Then he told OF the arrival OF Grant on
his dispatch boat on the morning of the
opening of the fight; of the subsequent
orders brought him by Captain Baxter,
which Grant had given verbally to Bax-
ter, and which the latter had trans.
ferred to writing, and this is where
in the grave mistake occurred, and
instead of marching to Pittsburg Land
ing by the lower road he joined the
main army on the right. Then he had
to countermarch. and in trying to make
the river by direct route struck quag-
mires and was delayed. but he and his
army reached the scene in time to join
in the victory OF the next day.
General Wallace will lecture again
this evening. His subject will be, How
L Came to Write Ben Hur.