The Opelousas courier., 1894-06-02
A VISIT TO SHILOH.
An Interesting Description of the Fa-
nous Battlefield as it is.

a VISIT TO SHILOH.
An Interesting Description of the Fa-
nous Battlefield as it is.
The battlefield of Shiloh is located in
Hardin County, Tennessee, on the bor-
der country Of the Tennessee River OPP
posite Pittsburg Landing, and about %
miles from Corinth, Miss. Here in 1S62,on
the 9th and 9TH of April, the great bat
tie was fought between the Union Army
under the command of Generals Grant,
Buell., Prentice and Lew Wallace and
the Confederate Army under Generals
Albert Sidney Johnston, Beauregard
and Others. 1t was a disastrous engage
ment on either side. On the first day
the Union army was defeated and fell
back to Pittsburg Landing. Prentice and
his entire command were made prisoners.
Albert Sidney Johnston was killed and
about $500 men were killed on both
sides. In the second days fight Grant
was REINFORCED by Generals Lew Wal
lace and Buell., and the Confederate
army was defeated with great slaughter.
but with their broken regiments and
thinned ranks retreated in fairly good
order to Corinth. The field of action in
this battle covered about three square
miles.
The country is cut up by low sandy
clay hills, hundreds Of deep washonts
with almost perpendicular banks
and many deep, miry creeks, and
a few swamps that are almost impass-
able.
Your soldier readers that were in the
battle will have a vivid recollection OF
these scenes and also OF the corduroy
xoclc ~oolo oE ,,otos nnl larc loIH 1rnes-
ways in the swamps n along the deep
mire even on the hill roads.
In many respects the scenes are now
nearly as they were 80 years ago, save
the ebb and flow as the advance and re-
ceding lines in battle.
The stunted timber on the clay hills,
the tall trees in the swamps, the turned
out folds along the Purdy and Hamburg
road, the cotton fields along the
Owl and Indian Greek, and the
rustic Tennessee plantation homes
around Savannah and Pea Ridge, are
now about as they were 80 years ago. AS
/ entered at n of the wayside log
houses I saw the dinner horn hanging
from a post, and a sleepy looking dog
lay sprawled out on the porch with not
enough energy te wake up and bark as
~ went eId ~ Il AT b ,ae Welt drawn ! apa np b btom a
ut Olu O0hCu OuChOUe Aio"h uP W u
weight pole. At every house l was Of
fered battle relics for sale.
At Shiloh Church l saw the site of the
old log church, now occupied by a rick
ETY. old barn-sided frame church. A
schoolhouse close by it has windows
without q glass, doors without locks or
catches, and in places rough boards rest
ing on back-logs served as benches.
Here, as in all other points, the larger
trees are SCARED with marks of shot and
shell. Not one in fifty is seen whose
top has not been shot away.
In my rambles hither and thither over
the field / saw the grave mounds of
many soldiers, and in places the grave
pits. partly washed away, are streaked
white with bones of the dead turned to
versary celebration of the battle. There
we're about 5000 people present, many
of whom were old soldiers from both
armies. In short, the blue and the gray
met again after 80 years. In this | saw
q change. In the former meeting the
cottOn-raiser of the South met the corn
planters of the North with bursting
bombs, bristling bayonets and open
graves ready to receive them. The sal
utation was solid shot from siege guns,
and the reply was a response sent from
10000 rifles.
Two flags were then floating on the
field of Shiloh. Two armies met to
deal out death one upon the other. But
now the blue and the gray met under
one flag. Southern homes were open to
Northern heroes. Southern heroes came
to meet their former foes on the same
field, but now as friends. They brought
with them baskets Of bread in place of
wagon loads Of bombs. bayonets and
rife balls. Each brought flowers to lay
upon the graves of the fallen. The
picket post of the past gave place to a
united picnic party Of the present.
Those who followed Beanregard shook
hands with those who followed Buell..
Those who fought and captured Prem
tice were now at peace with those who
came here to war under Wallace. The
Hamburg and Pnrdy road instead of
being q place of perils was now a high
way for patriotic pleasure parties and
everywhere sheep and quiet grazing
cattle were Q Q in place of armed men
in line of battle. Thirty-tw0 years is
the balm that has healed many bruises,
and the grave mounds of the gray, like
those of the blue, are now green, some
with s0dded grass, and others with moss
and wild flowers Of Southern forest.
In short, all is quiet. A green cedar
tree marks the spot in the cotton field
where Albert Sidney johnson fell. An
open forest marked by battle-scarred
trees indicates the place where Prentice
became p0werless and to save his men
surrendered. Yet the old soldiers say
it was all for the best, and that he was
among the bravest OF the brave.