The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-08

welI-chosen position at Crump's Landing.
on the west bank OF the Tennessee. about
four miles distant. Such was the disposi-
ton of the Union forces now on the verge
Of conflict at Shiloh.
Soon after daylight on Sunday the Con-
federates, 10000 strong, under the command
of General Johnston. advanced from the
vicinity of Corinth, in three divisions. Their
object was to strike a blow before Buelrs
corps had arrived. The pickets Of Sher-
man and Prentiss were driven in. when a
long roll sounded through the camps. Grant
thought the campaign he had begun was TO
be an offensive one. He had no idea that
the enemy would take the initiative. I'll
troops were unprepared for the attack
They were scattered about, some prepar-
ing their meals. others. passing the time
idly in their quarters. ''The surprise was
so complete and the rush so sudden" says
Headley, that officers We're bayoneted In
their beds Pandemonium reigned SUI
preme. All was confusion. There was no
time TO form the troops in regular line or
battle. The Union men were being slaugh-
tered on all sides by the terrific artillery
and musketry fire of the enemy. Colonel
Buckland's brigade fed like a herd or
sheep. McClernand moved up to MI this
gap in Sherman's division, and tried 10
stem the tide. 1t was apparent to General
Sherman that he was fighting against hope
less odds, and he gave the order to fall
back. Prentiss and 200 officers and men
were captured. BY II o'clock the Confed-
crates had full possession of the camps of
Sherman. Prentiss and McClernand. Gen.
Grant, who was at Savannah. Tenn, sew
eral miles down the river. when the bat
tie began, had hurried upon the field, but
his presence failed to calm the bewildered
men.
GRANTS ORDER TO WALLACE.
1t is at this critical juncture in the pro-
gress of the first days fight at Shiloh that
General Wallace's alleged dilatory conduct
brought forth so much adverse criticism.
1t appears that General Grant, finding
that the attack on Pittsburg LANDING
was unmistakable," had sent to Wallace
early in the day for endorsements. Head
ley tells us that Wallace lost his way
and wandering around all day, and nearly
falling into the hands of the enemy, did
not reach the battlefield until night.
Losing remarks that he had been de-
tanned by misinformation." General Grant,
i'm his personal Memoirs implies that his
directions TO Wallace were transmitted
verbally to Captain Baxter, a auartermas-
ter on his staff, and that Captain Baxter
made a memorandum of the order" Cen
eral Wallace claimed that THE order de-
livered to him by Captain Baxter was
simply to join the right of the army.
After having written the chapter in which
he touches upon the conduct of Wallace,
General Grant prepared a note in regard
TO this incident, which is, perhaps, the
last work he did on his book This note Is
dated at Mount MacGregor, New York,
June q, 1885, a little more than four weeks
before his death. 1t appears on page S5l,
of Volume 1. In dwelling at some length
upon this matter, he says: MY order was
verbal, and to a staff officer, who was TO
deliver it to General Wallace. so that L am
not competent to say just what order the
general actually received" 1t would seem,
from the preponderance of evidence pro-
duced by the remarks Of General Grant
himself, that Wallace's failure to reach
Shiloh in time to participate in the hrst
days fight was due to Captain Baxter's
misunderstanding of the order delivered to
him rather than to the inefhciency or lack
of Judgment or enterprise upon the part
of General Wallace as a commander.
Hurlbut's division retired to a thick wood
back of an open field. In front OF him
Sherman, with his raw brigade, took a po-
sition. Against these forces Johnston led
the enemy to the attack. As the Confed-
crates came upon the open field the Union
troops opened a severe musketry fire,
which swept their ranks and forced JOINS
tons men to retire to the woods. Fresh
regiments of the enemy were now called
I'D. and for the third time Johnston led his
men to the slaughter, himself falling NOR
tally wounded, and his forces compelled to
retreat. For hours this fraction of the
army, under Hurlbut and Sherman. stood
between the Federals and total annihila-
ton. The reinforcements of the enemy
kept pouring in until. overwhelmed by
numbers, Hurlbut and Sherman retired
towards the river. The Union line now was
a mile in the rear of the position held in
the morning, and every camp held by the
enemy. With the setting of the sun on this
eventful day reinforcements came to the
relief of the jaded Union troops.
A body of cavalry, the advance OF Buelfs
corps, Dashed up on the opposite side of
the Tennessee. Knowing that Buelrs col
umns were on the way and that relief
would soon be at hand, Beauregard made
the last desperate assault upon the Union
forces. Colonel Webster, seeing what was
about to occur, hastily collected all the
guns from the broken batteries around
him. They were twenty-five in number.
The guns were arranged in a semi-circle
around the landing. and preparations made
to meet this last onset. The enemy were
driven back with great loss. At this juno
ture the two gunboats, Tyler and Lexing-
ton, which had been lying quietly in the
river all day. co-operated with Colonel
Webster and also opened fire upon the en-
envy. Their twenty-four pound PARROT
guns did terrible execution. mo efforts of
the Confederate officers could urge their
men forward against these new engines of
destruction General Nelson, command
ing the advance OF Buelrs army, had sue
ceeded in the meantime in crossing the
river with a single brigade. With a bat
terry of artillery he opened fire on the enc
my. But night had now come on, and
Beauregard withdrew from the field to ar
range for opening hoStilitieS the next