The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-10
PRINCESS FLOUR
Best Made. Ask your Grocer.
HISTORICAL MISTAKE
An Important Correction Made by
Gen. Lew Wallace.
He Was Not Laggard at the Battle of
Shiloh, and Marched His Men Eigh-
teen Miles Instead of Six.

P1TTSBURG LANDING, Tenn, April 9.
AT the reunion of the Blue and the Gray
on the battlefield of Shiloh Saturday Gen.
Lew Wallace corrected some mistakes of
history in his closing speech. 1t was 3
o'clock in the afternoon when General Wal
lace returned from survey Of the ground
his command fought over in the two days
battle of thirty-two years ago. He said:
Il was held responsible for years for the
eaIatInty tly Wnlch oyertook the federal troops
the first day OF the fight, and before | re-
cetved my orders IL was said that l was a
laggard and marched but six miles that
day; that was going away from and not
toward the fight. Every man mere will
understand that / was more interested in
coming here than any other man could be.
L came not here to make speech but TO
correct history. In going over the line of
my march on April ., in company with the
surveyor or your county, yesterday, l. find
by actual chain measurement that instead
OF six miles my division had marched
eighteen miles and a little over. 1 find that
instead of marching away every step was
toward the sound of the guns Every
man who has been in an army knows that
fourteen miles is an average days march
for infantry. L marched eighteen miles
that day. and did it under the most un-
fay lrable circumstances, through Owl
creek bottom, with the mud up to the
axles OF the gun carriages. But let me
pass that. You have my apology for de-
tanning you l have been going over end
marking the line of my fight on the second
day. L began the fight in the morning
and ended 1t three-fourths of a mile be-
yond the point occupied by Sherman in the
beginning
II have in my heart to congratulate you.
my fellow-citizens. L congratulate you that
we have free country; tnat there Is not
slave in this grand Republic. L am rot
afraid to say tnat to you. for 1 know that
you would not have your slaves back
again. Without slaves your young men
Will be taught self-reliance and when that
comes 1t will mark the dawn of q new
glory in the South. l congratulate you
that We have a united country. Do you
know what it means? We have the strong
est nation on earth. We are not afraid
of combined Europe. They dare not at
tack us on land or sea We are getting
yesterday by two confederate soldiers who
were fighting from the other lie on
the battlefield 1t means that ali ran
cor of that war has disappeared. There
was more suffering among the women left
behind in the homes of the North and
South than among the men in the field. l
have in my mind an incident. Ii was my
business after the fall of Fort Henry TO
take Fort Hyndman- We captured Capt.
Hyndman, tent and newly arrived mail.
L opened the letters, and five out of six
were from mothers, wives and sisters of
the men we had driven out Of the camp.
The terms of every letter were couched in
almost Identical words as those we re-
ceiVed from our loved ones. They told Of
the little home incidents. Now this that
one was WELL or sick, or praying that God
would preserve their loved ones. Then il
In earnest and as honest in their convic-
tions OF the justice of their cause as we
We're on our side. He believed he was
rlghti l believed | was right 1 never
sent the sick confederates to the hospital
ard cared for the wounded when they fell
into my hands. have no difficulty in ex-
tending the hand of reconciliation"