Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1894-11-03

issue Of tho battle. and possibly the
fate Of a nation prevented its comr ets
execution,
Tbs most interesting part Of tho field
tho visitor is a skirt Of woods, a
dense thickot q mile southeastof the
church on the crest Of a hill, and known
az Tho Hornets Nest Within its
shadows we're massod the divisions OF
Wallace, IInrlbut and Prentiss. In
front OF II is an open field, over which
tho Confederates bad TO pass 70 attack
IT, Hindman's brigade, which had swept
everything before II In other parts Of
tho Held, made the first assault, and
vas repulsed with great loss. A. r.
! Stewards brigade shared the same fate.
Then Gibson's made several gallant
but fruitless charges that sttewed tho
ground with the dead The famous six
hundred In their charge at Balaklaya,
immortalized by the poets pen, dis
| played no greater heroism than these.
| For FIVE hours, under a murderous fire,
with unabating fury, the Confederates
dashed against this seemingly impreg'
nable position, like angry waves against
a rocky shore. The slaughter was ter
rible there; the ground was hid by the
bodies OF those who fell, and the blood
ran down the trenches.
The crisis had now como. The enemy
had been driven back in every part OF
tho field save this, and II seemed im-
possible 10 move them there. Gen.
Johnston rode up, and seeing the situa-
ton, said, ''They seem to be Offering
stubborn resistance here, we must give
them tho bayonet. Come, will lead
you" With a last great effort, and de-
termned purpose TO conquer or perish,
the daring Tennesseeans and noble Mis-
! sissippians dashed into the open field.
The Federal line blazed from end TO
end; the attacking column withered be-
fore tho hail OF lead, but never paused
until IL had gained the crest and the
enemy was flying before them
In new position they made another
stand, and with terrific fire Of musket
and artillery made desperate fight to
uOlu butlT KTOunhs ODb DIlBdAp h0Au ~
too long and fell into tho hands OF the
Confederates. They also lost some OF
their artillery, captured by Col. John
II. Miller's regiment Of Mississippi
cavalry.
The day was won at the cost OF the
chioftain's life, and the Confederate he
roes wore the laurels--but only for day.
At o'clock Gen. Johnston was shot
with musket ball and died from loss
Of blood. He lived to see the whole
army driven back In utter confusion be-
fore his advancing lines.
Gen. Beauregard succeeded him in
command. A general advance OF the
whole limo would now have completed
the victory. Wallace had fallen, and
bis division had entirely lost its organi
cation, Sherman's was swept from the
field like chat before the wind, and
Prentiss' division Of 1900 had surren-
dcred. The river bank was crowded
with thousands OF terror-stricken strag
glers who had thrown down their arms
and fed, like the wicked, whore no man
pursued. Tho whole army, officers and
mon. were completely demoralized and
would have surrendered.
But an advance was not made, and
the army rested where its leaders death
had left IT. precious moments and price,
less hours slipped away; night came
and Buell. and Lew Wallace came with
twenty-five thousand reinforementa for
the enemy.
Gen. Beauregard, ignorant of the ar
rival OF Buell., renewed tho battle on
tho morning of the 18th and held the
enemy In check until two o'clock in the
afternoon, when he realized that he
was fighting fresh troops, and ordered
retreat, falling back in perfect order
to his fortified position at Corinth.
Thus ended the great battle Of Shiloh,
that promised decisive victory for the
Southern arms, but, as at Manassas, the
advantage gained was not followed up,
nothing was achieved.
There is no doubt that had Albert
Sidney Johnston lived four hours there
would have been a complete victory;
tho fate OF the Union army would have
boon worse than the French at Water
loo, and Grant would have been known
In history only as the man who lost an
army at Shiloh.
Gen. Johnston died under whiteoak,
the stump Of which is in the possession
of farmer who sells chips from 1t TO
relic hunters. A cedar tree now marks
the spot where he fell.
As looked upon the ground made
sacred by its Baptism with the blood Of
heroes, my thoughts turned backward
to tho dark days Of the war that cast its
shadow over my childhood days and in
imagination could see its heroes.
| thought of the poor soldiers that
died far from home and loved ones,
without the touch OF gentle hands and
the sound OF loving voices TO sooths
them in the hour OF death, and OF che
suffering wounded that lay out upon
the cold dark field or endured the sur
geon's torturous knife and saw.
thought Of the wives that we're made
widows, and tho children fatherless,
and OF the mothers that mourned for
their sons and refused to be cOmforted
because they were not
thought Of the nation that persisted
that our fathers defended, Of the flag
that we loved, and the blood that was
shed for its glory.
As looked upon the graves Of the
Sonthorn dead and than upon thoso ~
the North, though Of the contrast be-
tween the victor aud the vanquisbed.
The bones of the Northern dead have
long ago been gathered up and buried
in the nations beautiful cemetery.
Their graves are marked with slabs Of