Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-19
WAR And PROGRESS
Address Delivered by Major Samuel
Mahon, at Davenport.
IOWA HORNETS NEST BRIGADE
Reunion Held In Connection with e
A. h. sEncampment-The Brigade
That Wonil LIS Name at shiloh
The Address.

$3.50 - &'sAssAS
The Address.
Below is published an address deliv-
cred by Major Samuel Mahon, of this
city, at Davenport before the members
of the "Hornet's Nest" brig
ade, held its reunion in cons
nection with the state encamp-
ment of the Iowa G. A. r. The subject
OF the address is "The Influence of the
Civil War on the Progress of the Ma
tion'' and tho the full text has been
published before SO many errors crept
into the type that in justice to itself
and the author the Courier reprints
the address below
Comrades, do some of you recall the
coincidence of this meeting with the
closing act of the war drama. From
Camp Mcclellan in this beautiful city,
some of us bid our last adieu to the
camp and its duties and with Uncle
Sans pay in our pockets, scattered to
our homes to continue the battle of life
with the experience of four years of
obedience, privation, self-reliance and
familiarity with danger, for capital.
With the energy of youth we turned
our faces toward home and loved ones,
with eager anticipations inspired with
high hopes for the future. Il
This is our day of Renaissance and
we trace the thread of memory back to
the first days of our soldering, when
from the mastering camps, Warren at
Burlington, Curtis at Keokuk, was be-
gun the four years of camp and march,
and siege and battle. On Belmont's
fruitless field the Seventh regiment re-
ceiyed its first baptism; again at Dom
elson the Second, Seventh, Eighth,
Twelfth and Fourteenth in provision
y al brigade faced death on the hills of
Donelson in that three wintry days of
siege and battle, which ended glorious
enemy's work by the brigade comman-
! ded by Col. j. G. Lauman and headed
by the Second under the intrepid Tut
tie. Donelson was the first important
victory achieved by the Union armies
and it changed the whole complexion
of the war, instilling new courage into
the whole country This with Grants
Z adventurous advance of $50 miles fur
ther into the then Confederacy to Pitts
burg Landing advanced the Union
lines practically from the Ohio river
300 miles south to the line of the
Charleston and Memphis railroad. This
gave control of the great territory com
i prising the state of Kentucky and Ten
snessee, except for the brief period of
sBragg's daring campaign into Ken-
@tucky the following year.
@s Donelson was great victory; it's
fruits were 10000 prisoners, 100 pieces
of artillery and all the supplies and
ammunitions of a great garrison.
Shiloh was drawn battle; battle
of regiments and brigades rather than
OF an army. Much as has been written,
the story of the isolated contests in it's
wooded depths will never be told in
full; the appalling casualties in killed
and wounded testify to the hand to
hand character of the fight and fierce
tenacity of the combatants. Shiloh
! made few promotions except in it's
ghastly list of vacancies in the regi-
iaents of the line, and the wall from
{ the desolate homes in the far north
took the place of congratulatory or
ders. The achievements and heroism
q OF Shiloh were not paraded in general
[ orders; they came out gradually as the
story of the struggle was told piece
meal by the particular actors; here
regiment, there a brigade, always out
numbered at the point of contact,
fought stubbornly on thru the long
hours OF that fateful Sunday.
"a lo fo,,+,,,,, - IL.
ade OF g. r. Smiths division, composed
OF the Second. Seventh, Twelfth and
aurteenth Iowa with the Eighth To-
wa temporarily attached, to occupy a
salient angle in the general line of, the
battle near its center about o'clock
q: m. OF Sunday; the position was about
one and one-half miles from the land
ing with Prentiss on the left and Nc
Clellan on the right after both had
fallen back from their first positions;
this position was maintained until 1870
3 in the afternoon without giving sin
gle foot to the enemy. Repeated as
saults were directed against the three
left regiments, each attack resulting in
disastrous and bloody repulse; mean
time as the hours dragged on the
sound of battle on both TANKS steadily
drifting to the rear, was ominous of
disaster. About 4:30 o'clock the brig
ade in imminent danger of being
surrounded, was ordered to fall back;
the order reached two regiments of the
five which broke their way out of the
Cul de Sac, attacked on three sides by
the enemy, in their retreat. The three
remaining regiments being left to their
fate for lack of orders, were soon after
compltely surrounded and captured !.
The two retreating regiments, after
falling back thru Hurlburt's camp, a
short distance, rallied, faced about,
formed line and discussed the. practical
bility of advancing to the succor of
their comrades; the attempt was, how
ever, abandoned as impossible, and af-
ter holding the position short time
they leisurely marched back to the line
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