The National tribune., 1899-10-19
THE 9th ILLS BUSY DAY.
Fierce Struggle for the Hornets Nest on the
Shiloh Battlefield.


Fierce Struggle for the Hornets Nest on the
| Shiloh Battlefield.
| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In the
| issue of Aug. 3 | read Comrade Josiah
| Luke's article denying that the 9th Ill.
| fought at the Hornets Nest at Shiloh.
| He SAYS: IF Oates will look up the records
| he will find that the famous Hornets Nest
| Brigade was composed of the Sth. 18th and
| 14th Iowa, and about 500 of Gen. Prentlss S
| Division. He will also find that W. II. u.
Wallace and his men were nowhere near the
! Hornets Nest.
The comrade should not be so reckless in
his assertions. If he would visit the battle
field now. 81 years after the battle, he might
change his opinion.
Now for the records the comrade calls for.
Gen. NJ. +. Forces history. From Fort
| Henry to Corinth,' page IA, says: The
| ConfederateS gave it the name of The
Hornets Nest The Century magazine
for February, 1885, contains an article.
Albert Sidney Johnston and the Shiloh
! Campaign" by his son. ". p. Johnston. On
pages 625 and G26 | find the following:
"On the Federal left center W. H. l.. Wal
lace and Hurlbut were massed with Prem
| tiss's fragments in "a position so impreg-
nabe and thronged with such fierce de-
| tenders that it won from tie ConfederateS
the memorable title The Hornets Nest.
! For five hours Hurdman. A. p. Stewart and
Gibson's Brigade made fruitless assaults.
| Gibson's Brigade was four times repulsed.
| When Gen. Johnston came up and saw the
| situation he said to his staff: They are
offering stubborn resistance here. l shall
have to put the bayonet to them.
ut was the crisis of the conflict. The
| Federal key was on his front. If his as
sau!t were successful their left would be
completely turned and the victory won
| He determined to charge. He sent Gov
| Harris, of his staff to lead Tennessee
| regiment. and after a brief conference with
Breckinridge, whom he loved and admired
| that officer appealed to the soldiers. AS he
| encouraged them with his fine voice and
manly bearing. Gen. Johnston rode out in
| front and slowly down the line. His pres
ence was full of inspiration. He was on
his thoroughbred. 'Fire-eater.' His words
! were few; he said: Men, they are stubborn;
we must use the bayonet.' When he
reached the center of the line he turned.
| i will lead you, he cried, and moved toward
the enemy.
with mighty shout the line moved
forward at a charge. A sheet OF flame and
mighty roar burst from the Federal strong
hold. The Confederate fire withered; but
there was not an instant's pause. The
crest was gained. The enemy was In
flight. Gov. Harris returned, and finding
him very pale asked: General, are you
wounded? Johnston answered in very
deliberate and emphatic tone Yes, and
fear seriously These were his last words.
Harris and Wickham led his horse back
under cover OF the hill and lifted him from
it."
Now. the question is, on what part of the
Union lines was this fierce fighting done,
and against what Union troops was john
Ston leading his troops when he received the
wound that caused his death? This point
was without doubt the Hornets Nest"
1t is now more than 81 years since the
battle of Shiloh was fought. Congress has
set apart the Shiloh battlefield as National
Park. Senator Harris, OF Tennessee, and
other Confederate Generals who took part
i'm this famous battle. visited the field to
locate the position of the Confederate forces
on that field during said battle. also to put
markers where Gen. A. s. Johnston was
wounded and the place where he died.
In front of the ravine held by the 9Th Ill.
was an open field; in the open field stands
large oak tree. and near this tree Gen.
Johnston received his wound. The dis
tance from the ravine where the colorS OF
the 9th Ill. were held to the tree where Gen.
Johnston was wounded is 20 yards; from
the place where he died, so yards. 1t was
against the line as held by the 9th Ill. that
the Confederates We're charging; it was the
stubborn resistance of the 9th III. that Gen.
Johnston had reference to when he said:
"They are stubborn" The small ravIne
where Gen. Johnston was carried and
where he died, was held and occupied by Co.
X, 9th H., and was the extreme left of the
9ths lines, and for over five hours they
held this line in the ravine.
A short distance to the right of this ravlne
was the 41st ILL.,, and to the right and rear
of the 9th Ill. was the 32d Ill. Let us turn
to the records and see what the losses are in
the three regiments named by Comrade
Luke, the Sth 18th and 14th Iowa, and com
pare with the losses of the three Illinois
regiments who held the ravine and point
near 1.-THE point of our line the Con-
federates charged, led by Gen. Johnston.
This report is from the acknowledgements
Office.
Iowa regiments losses: Still owa, killed,
80; wounded, Y; missing or prisoners. 3I9:
18th Iowa, killed, -; wounded, 3S; missing
or prisoners, 429; 18th Iowa, killed, 8;
wounded, 2S; missing or prisoners, 236.
Total killed, 81; wounded, 1873; missing or
prisoners, ,O44.
Illinois regiments losses: 9Th ILL.,, killed,
1O3; wounded, 266; missing, none; 32d ILL.,,
killed. A; wounded, PIP; missing, none;
41st ILL.,, killed, %; wounded, 133; missing,
none. Total, ia killed, GIL wounded.
Let the comrades who read this and COM
line the Hornets Nest" was. Why, the
loss in the 9th Ill. in killed and wounded
doubles the losses in all of the three Iowa
regiments named during the battle: Our
Colonel, Jesse J. Phillips, visited all parts
OF our line of battle, and to writer OF this
WIltil he WIS WltH 70. N lie Silu
oates, this point. the junction of the two
ravines. must be held at all hazards; it must
not be given up" And after our lines to
our right had fallen back and X still held
this point and fought on.
Col Phillips was satisfied this ravine was
the key TO this part of our battle line, and
that is why he held on to it, and did such
desperate fighting there. How well the
regiment did its whole duty let the record
speak. Our regiment had no sllulkers
under the river bank nor any loss in prs-
oners; at no time during the two days of
battle was its formation disorganized
Before closing let me quote this article from
I. Union writer, Col. Fox, who says:
Scars are the best evidences of wounds,
and a long roll of honor bespeaks a fighting
regiment. This gallant command dhe 9th
H. fought on that field at the deadly point,
the Hornets Nest"
What other evidence does Comrade Luke
require? l do not wish to throw discredit
on any regiment or troops who did their
duty on that field, but the comrade has to
learn that there were other troops who
fought at Shiloh that the battle was not