The record-union., 1897-06-11
BATTLE OF SHILOH.
Story Of the BlOOdieSt Battle Of the ClVi
War.
Told by Col. John A. Cockeriil, Who
Was a Spectator and Particle
pant in the Fight.

the late Colonel John A. Cockerill ap-
peared in the blue and Gray a lew
years ago. 1t gives the writer's expe-
rience at the battle of Shiloh. General
Sherman used to say it was the best ac-
count of that famous battle which was
ever written:
Shiloh Church, Sunday morning, April
8, 1862. Here is a date and a locality
indelibly burned into my memory. At
16 years of age / found myself an en-
listed fourth-class musician in the
Twenty fourth Ohio Regiment, in which
my elder brother was a First Lieuten-
ant, and afterward Captain and Colo
nel 1 had campaigned in Western Vir-
ginia, and had seen some of the terrors
and horrors of war at Phillippi and Rich
Mountain, and some of its actualitles
in a winter campaign in the Cheat
Mountain District. During the winter
of 1861, my command was sent to Louis
vile, Ky, where General Buell. was or
ganiZing his splendid regiment of the
Ohio for active operations against Bowl
ing Green and Nashville. My regiment
was assigned to General Nelson's COM
mand, and the early spring found US on
the left flank of the army, on the north
side of the Green River. With unex-
pected suddenness, Nelson's division
was one day in March sent hurriedly
back to the Ohio River, where it was
placed on transports and headed for
the Cumberland River, to participate
in Grants movement against Fort
Donelson.
Before reaching that point, intelli-
rpcniVa6 of tho of
that stronghold, and our f1otilla pro-
ceeded to Paducah, KY At that point,
General w. T. Sherman was organiz-
ing his recruits from Ohio Indiana and
Illinois, for the forward movement up
the Tennessee River. I had been taken
i'll no board the steamer en- route, and
my father who at that time command
ed the Sixteenth Ohio Regiment, sta
toned at Paducah, found me and took
me in his personal charge. Two days
later my regiment sailed up the Cum
berland River and was with the bri-
gade first to enter Nashville. When
reached the convalescent stage, L asked
permission to rejoin my command, but
General Sherman said that the armies
of Grant and Buell. would form a Goa
lition somewhere up the Tennessee Riv-
er, and | might as Well remain where
was, for the reason that my father
could give me better care in my feeble
state than 1 could have with my own
command.
Thus it happened that I was with the
army of General Sherman when it felt
it's way up the turbid Tennessee River
as far as Pittsburg Landing and so it
happened that 1 was at Shiloh Church
on the morning of that terrible on
slaught by General Johnston's army
upon Sherman's division, which held
the advance of Grants army operat-
ing against Corinth.
| have often wondered what sort of
soldier in blue 1 must have appeared
at that time. l can remember myself
as tail, pale, hatchet-faced boy, who
could never find in the Quartermaster's
department blouse or pair of trous-
ers small enough for him, nor an over
coat cast on his lines. The regulation
| blue trousers | used to cut off at the
bottoms, and the regulation overcoat
sleeves We're always rolled UP, which
gave them the appearance of having
extra military cuffs, and that was one
consolation to me-
The headquarters mess of the Seven
tleth regiment had finished its early
breakfast and l had just taken my
place at table on Sunday morning.
9th of April, when I heard ominous
shols along our adjacent picket lines.
IN less than ten minutes there was
Volley hrlng directly in our front. and
from my knowledge of campaigning.
L knew that a battle was on. though
hfteen minutes before l had no idea
that any considera BILE force of the en-
| emy was in the immediate front of our
cantonment. The Seventieth Regiment
and the brigade to which [ was at
land of Ohio, formed on it's color lines
under fire, and, although composed of
entirely new troops, made a splendid
stand. At the first alarm I dropped
my knife and fork and ran to my faith
er's tent, to find him buckling ON his
sword. My first heroic act was to
gather up a beautiful Enfield rifle,
which he had saved at the distribu-
| ton of arms to his regiment, because
of its beautiful, curly maple stock I
| had been carrying it myself on one or
| two of the regimental expeditions to
the front, and had some twenty rounds
OF cartridges in a box which / had bor-
rowed from one of the boys of Com
| pany I. BY the time l had adjusted
my cartridge-box and selzed my rifle,
| my father was mounted outside, and,
with hurried good-by, he took his
place with the regiment. By this time
the bullets We're whistling through the
camp, and shells were bursting over
| head
| Not exactly clear in my mind what I
| intended to do, / ran across to the old
| log Shiloh Church, which stood on the
| flank of my fathers regiment. On my
right the battle was raging with great
ferocity, and stretching away to my
left and front one of the most beauti-
full pageants / have ever beheld in war
was being presented. In the very
midst of the thick wood and rank un-
dergrowth of the locality was what is
known as a "deadening vast, open
unfenced district, grown up with rank,
blasted trees, as though some farmer
himself and had abandoned the under
taking in disgust From out the edge
of this great opening came regiment
dIl6T regiment anu DF1Sdue dlter' DTlS-
ade of the Confederate troops The
sun was just rising in their front, and
the glittering of their arms and equip
ments made gorgeous spectacle for
me. On the farther edge of this open
ing two brigades of Shermans COM
mand were drawn UP to receive the on
slaught- AS the Confederates, march
ing regiment front en- echelon, sprung
into this field. they poured out their
deadly fire, and half obscured by their