The National tribune., 1899-06-29

/ we'll remember an Aid giving orders t.
| our Colonel to move with his regiment Il
the front. and remember hearing him say
! to Col. Phillips he would go and show hin
the place for his regiment to take.
| We moved from our color-lineS in co.,
umns of four, at a right shoulder shift
keeping step by the tap of the drum, NOV.
ing in the direction of the main Corintf
Road from our camp-grOund to the place
We occupied and held in the morning s
| battle. From our camp | think it must
have been one and one-half miles. When
our regiment started to the front we had
not seen any OF the great number that had
broken and run, but soon the number OF
stragglers was such that it was almost
impossible for us to keep our formation
During the whole time of march on the
Corinth Road it was through this surging,
panic-Stricken mass of fleeing soldiers
all trying to get to the rear; yet not one
OF the 9th Ill. offered to leave the ranks;
you could hear our boys pleading and
begging the runaways to hold up and Join
our ranks-to turn back and 20 with us.
It's but justice here to say that many of
them did join our ranks and fight all day.
The men were all right. Some one blum
dered at the front. That caused the STAN
pede.
We turned off the Corinth Road and Col.
Phillips gave the order to halt, with the
companies in close order. Col. Phillips
rode to each company's commander while
/ the regiment was at a halt and spoke to
each. To Capt. McCleary, of Co. K, he
! had this to say:
Company commanders will see that
their file-ciosers are i'll their proper places
and that they do their duty to-day"
Capt. McCleary turned to his boys and
said: "There is going to be plenty of fight
ing today; there must be no towards in
Co. K"
The command went forward. Our band
| Yllaypl EIyalu march
pany took its proper distance, with our
colors flying, thought then, as do now,
to see the regiment going into battle was
the grandest sight l ever witnessed. In
the midst of the army stampede our regi-
ment was going into action with music
and colors flying.
AT this time we were close to the front of
the line of battle. A battery was in the
road in our front, firing rapidly. On our
right front was n large peach orchard,
and the Confederates could be seen in force
at the edge Of the woods. Many wounded
were passing us and going to the rear.
Our Colonel gave the order, Head of col
umn to the left" and we here left the main
Corinth Road, going into the woods.
After marching a short distance the
first company wheeled to the right and the
regiment formed by right into line on the
first company. The Confederates opened
on us with artillery, killing several in
Cos. B and G.
| AT the point where the regiment left the
main road there was a large pond, and
there DR.. Gulick established our field hos
pital. AT the close Of the battle and for
days after the waters of the pond were
/ bloody. The people now living on or near
the battlefield call it the Bloody Pond"
We marched by the left flank a short
distance and were then ordered to lie down
At this time the Confederate artillery was
playing on our ranks and shells falling
| amongst us. In our immediate front was
a ravine opposite our right company
The ravine was not very deep, but in front
of l and X, our left companies, it must
have been all of 20 feet deep.
| The order came, "Up and forward" and
we charged across the ravine at run OF
double-quick and stopped after gaining
We commenced firing, and after firing
our boys would fall back into the ravine
and load again.
We held this point for hours, defeating
all efforts the rebels made to dislodge us
and here in front of our line and opposite
our colors Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston
was killed.
1t was the fire from our guns that killed
him. To the right of Co. X, in our front
a small ravine entered the ravine the regi.
ment occupied, and into this small one
Gen. Johnston was carried when he was
wounded, and it was there he died. That
part of the line of battle that the 9th Ill
held at Shiloh on Sunday morning was
the key to the battlefield.
The fighting qualities OF the regiment
may be judged from the fact that out Of
81 commissioned officers who took parI
in Shiloh battle "a were killed and wounded
After the battle eight out of the 10 compan
les did not have commissioned officer