The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-06
N TIE NEST OF HORNETS
VOW A. MINNESOTA BATTERY
HELPED TO TURN THE
FS@- TIDE AT SHILOH
CRISIS IN THE CIVIL WAR
But for "the Hornets Nest" the
~ Union Army Would Have
Reen Driven Out of
Tennessee.

john F1ske'the eminent historian. in a
recent work on The Mississippi Valley in
the Civil War refers quite pointedly to
some Incidents of battle at Pittsburg
Landing April 6, 1862, in which Mime
sofa troops played quite d. prominent
part.
The fight was begun at o'clock Sum
day morning, the attack being made an
Gen. Sherp}an's brigade while Gen. Grant
was at Savannah, several miles north.
MIR. Fiske writes:
The first Union officer to take the
slarEa was the West virginia hrigadier
T;enjan1in Prentiss who on Saturday
deserted Indications of the presence Of
cavalry in the neighborhood ana
strengthened his pickets. Soon after 5
o'clock Sunday morning the battle was
begun by the s<irmishine of the rebel
pckets with those of Prentiss: ana
scarcely bad that general formal his
division and thrown it a quarter of q
mile forward when il was struck by the
mighty rush Of the CCnfederates On
they came IN three parallel lines. enc fol-
lowing another al intervals of about half
mile. First came Iardee with about
l0.00e men. then Erasg with l0003 more:
willie the rear line comprised Folks 10000
to leftward and IreCkenridge's 5000 TO
the right. Prentiss held his
ground nobly, gaining time for the other
divisions 10 form in line Of battle; but
Prentiss and Sherman, whose left regi-
ment soon gave way in disorder This
obliged PTentiSs TO fail back to save his
right flank. Prentiss retired upon an adj
Vapced portion of the line Of reserve
which Hm'ibut and William Wallace had
maintained since an early hour of the
day About the left center Of the fed
eral line was wooded area with dense
underground, admirably adapted for de-
Tense; and there the indomitaDle Prem
tiss, reinforced by Stuart and by brigades
from Wallace and Hurlbut, maintained
his ground from in the morning till 5
in the afternoon. Again ana again the
Confederate assaults were repuIsed with
heavy slaughter So saVaeely We're they
received that they bestowed upon the
place the name of Hornets Nest The
long struggle at this point proved fatal
to Johnston's scheme for turning the
Federal left and if among the Federal
generals there is any one who deserves
especial comnemoration as having
saved the day it is Benjamin Prentiss
tor the glorious stand which he made in
the Hornets Nest.
NThe death Of Johnston was a bitter
less to the Confederacy. but the often
repeated statement that Beauregard
threw away what Johnston had won
seems unfair to the former and incon-
sistent with the history of the remainder
Of the day. In point of tact the Con,
IeGcrdteS had not yet Won the battle. IN
order to gain q victory it was absolutely
necessary for the Ccnfoderates to capture
Pittsburg landing and CUT off Grants
army frcm reinforcements. The long
stoppage at the Hornets Nest had used
up 50 much Of the day as to cave scarce,
~ time enough for this cIowning achieve
ment"
III the center of the Hornets Nest
stood a Minnesota battery. although it
was overlooked in the official reports OF
the battle, because Gen. William Wallace,
who had been fighting right with the
Minnesotans, 6ied on the field, and Gen
Frentiss, who perhaps did not know of