The record-union., 1897-06-11
BATTLE OF SHILOH.
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where I had obtained my water sup
ply I found a squadron of Jaded cav
airy drawn up, and engaged in the IN
teresting work of stopping stragglers.
In the crowd of fear-stricken and de-
1ected soldiers I found there, I saw
man who belonged to my fathers regi-
1nent; | recognized him by the letters
and number on his hat. Inquiring the
fate of the regiment he told me that
it had been entirely cut to pieces, and
that he had personally witnessed the
death of my father-he had seen him
shot from his horse. This intelligence
filled me with dismay, and then de-
termined, non-combatant that l was,
that l would retire from the battle
field. Watching my opportunity, L
Joined an ambulance which was pass
ing, loaded with wounded, and by some
means escaped the vigilance or the
cavalrymen, who seemed to be almost
too badly scared to be on any sort of
duty When through this line, l
pushed my way down past the point
where the stragglers were being i'm
pressed and forced back to carry sand
bags up from the river TO aid in the
construction of batteries for some
heavy guns which had been brought
up from the transports. 1 passed these
temporary works, by the old ware
house, turned into a temporary field
hospital, where hundreds of wounded
men, brought down in wagons and
ambulances, were being unloaded, and
where their arms and legs were being
cut off and thrown out to form CORY,
CHASTITY heaps. l made my way down
the plateau, overlooking the river. Be
low lay thirty transports at least, all
being loaded with the wounded, and
all around me were baggage wagons,
mule teams, disabled artillery teams,
and thousands of panic-stricken men.
i saw, here and there, officers gather
ing these men together into volunteer
companies, and marching them away
TO the scene of the battle. 1t took a
vast amount of pleading to organize
even a company Of fifteen or twenty,
and 1 was particularly struck by the
number of officers who were engaged
in this interesting occupation. 1t
seemed to me that they were out Of all
proportion to the number of fugitives
day before review his troops on the
bank, overlooking the road below. be-
tween the beach and the river, I saw
General Grant. 1 had seen him the
day before, review his troops on the
Purdy road, while a company of Con-
federate cavalrymen, a detachment of
Johnston's army, watched the perform
ance from a skirt of woods some two
miles away. When I saw him at this
moment, he was doing his utmost TO
1pl n fS 70, t.
must have been about half-past four in
the afternoon. The General rode to the
landing, accompanied by his staff and
bodyguard of twenty-five or thirty
cavalrymen. I heard him begging the
stragglers to go back and make one
more effort to redeem themselves, ac-
companying his pleadings with the an
nouncement that reinforcements would
soon be on the field, and that he did
not want to see his men disgraced.
Again heard him proclaim that if the
stragglers before him did not return
10 their commands, he would send his
cavalry down to drive them out. In
less than fifteen minutes his words
We're made good. A squadron of cav
airy, divided at either end of the land
ing, and riding toward each othen
with drawn swords, drove away every
man found between the steep bank
and the river. The majority of the
skulkers climbed up the bank, hanging
by the roots of the trees, and in less
than ten minutes after the cayIary had
passed, they were back in their old
places again. 1 never saw General
Grant again until 1 saw him President
of the United States.
While sitting on the right bank of the
river, Hooked across to the opposite
side and saw a body of horsemen
emerging from the low cane brakes
back OF the river. In a moment I saw
Il man waving a white flag with a red
square in the center. 1 knew that he
was signaling, for had seen the splen-
did corps of Buel's army, and L recog-
nized that the men with that flag were
our friends. Sitting by me We're two
distracted fugitives, who also saw the
movement on the other side of the river
Said one of them to his companion:
bill, We are gone now. There's the
Texan Cavalry on the other side of the
river!" The red square had mis1ed
him. Fifteen minutes later / saw the
head of a column of blue emerge from
the woods beyond and move hurriedly
down towrd the rivers edge. Immedi-
ately the empty transports moved over
TO that side of the river, and the first
BOAT brought over a figure which I
recognized. The vessel was a peculiar
one, belonging in Southern waters, and
had evidently been used as a ferry
boat On its lower forward deck, which
was long and protruding, sat a man
of tremendous proportions up on a
magnificent Kentucky race horse with
bobbed tail. The officer was rugged
out in all his regimentals, including an
enormous hat with a black feather in it,
q knew that this was General Nelson,