The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-05-24
a REMlNlscENcE OF SHILOH.

a "REMINISCENCES OF SHILOH.
Story Of . Famous Battle by Private Who
Was There.
"Would you like to have private's
opinion of the battle Of Shiloh?'' asked
veteran Of the civil war Receiving
an affirmative response, he proceeded:
was farmers lad in northern I'LL
nois and Joined the Fifty fifth Illinois
in its march south when was 10 years
old. My experience was that of every
boy under similar circumstances.
Buoyed up by enthusiasm and natural
youthful spirits, took kindly to the
drill and in short while considered
myself model soldier: T was admitted
to be an excellent shot and took great |
pride in my target practice.
Elm the spring Of 1862, during the
first few days in April, I had all the
chance I desired for target practice and
awaited myself of it. AS every one
knows, Grant was in charge of the
Union forces and had landed about 35, :
900 men5down below the little Shiloh
chapel at place called Pittsburg Land
ing. The Confederates had been run out
of Nashville and were concentrating all
their forces at Corinth, little place
over the line in Mississippi, while
Grants object was to cut off their COM
munications in western Tennessee.
People may say what they please
about General Grants intentions and
plans and knowledge Of the enemy at
Shiloh, but have never yet seen pri-
vate who did not admit that the attack
by General Albert Sydney Johnston on
the morning of the 9Th was we'll plan
ned apd complete surprise. I do not see
how the Union army could have been
surprised more perfectly:
Take our own regiment, for example,
We were, most of u.s. cleaning our guns
or sitting around talking. A few were
playing cards, while others were telling
them they had better be going to church.
was myself practicing at a target
down by the creek, where large crowd
Of the boys were washing. We had heard
continuous musket firing since very
early in the morning, but as this hap
pened every day no attention was paid
, to it. Some Of us were surprised at the
cannonading we heard, and one man
mentioned it, but that was all.
Presently a volley Of musketry opened
, up right in our faces, and not so yards
from us was the front line of the rebels.
Talk Of surprises! If you had seen our
! men running and lodging through the
= woods that morning, some without
boots, some without hats or coats, some
even without shirts and nearly all with
! out guns, you would need no further
- evidence to convince you as to the COM
pleteness Of the surprise. Why, we
r didn't have a single picket or guard out.
Well, at first it was simply race,
but as soon as the camp was cleared out,
which was very speedily done, the race
l stopped, for the Confederates at once
l abandoned us in order to plumber our
t tents. This gave nearly all our men the
. time necessary to escape.
= The Fifty fifth had scattered in every
: direction, as had number Of other regi-
0 ments. found myself running along
. with member of some Michigan regi-
: ment and having been down at the creek
: washing when the enemy came up he
0 had on not thing except pair of draw
r ers. There were few Of the enemy still
following us, and as a bullet came whiz-
: zing along and scraped the inside of his
u arm he turned off to one side and ran
off down the ravine, while cut across
n a little open place as fast as could to
: some denser timber. The bullets whizzed
e around me in quite a lively manner as
d I was going across the open, but as soon
d as got under cover determined to turn
a the tables,
p It now became almost like squirrel
hunting or a game of hide and seek.
e Away off to my right was bluecoat,
r while opposite him as opposite me were
several rebels watching a chance to pick
It us off. We were better shots than they
s were, however, and they showed thei1
r realization of it, after a few Shots by
S keeping behind trees. Presently saw {
rebel creeping up till he got behind tho
: front tree in the opposite timber, OBJ
iquely off to my right, and just where he
h could get a good shot at the Union sol
y dier on my side. He did not see me al
It all, and for the first time since entered
g the army took deliberate aim at sin
e gle human being
Firing as one Of crowd at another
e crowd is a very different thing from
IS picking out all Individual human beine
q and deliberately taking his life away
l. This thought flashed through my mind
l. and had no sooner raised my gun ani
is taken aim than at once lowered i
:. again. It was too much like plain muir
der. And yet there he was raising hi!
d gun and preparing to kill my ally ant
h my friend. IF he had been close enough
d for me to be sure Of 'fwinging'' him by
l. breaking his arm, my mind could have
been made up easily, but he was so fa7
a away: What should T do?
=, All this rushed through my mint
is while he was raising his gun to hi
d shoulder, and my decision was formed