The age-herald., 1902-04-06
Anniversary of the Bloody Battle of Shiloh,

YedTB morning-and 1t was on Sunday. too occurred the bloody battle of Shiloh; one of the greatest battles of the world, and with perhaps, two exceptions, the most bitterly contested battle of the war be- tween the States.
 Pittsburg Landing, by which name the battle of Shiloh was first called, Is located nine miles above Savannah on the West bank of the Tennessee River. There Is no town at Pittsburg Landing and at the time of my first visit to the battlefield there was not house, with the excep- ton of the old Shiloh church, within four miles of the landing. At the river there Is simply tolerably good place for boats to land, and prior to the war 1t was the chief shipping point for large scope of territory lying between the Tennessee River and the Memphis and Charleston Railroad
 The battle fought here on the 9th and sth days of April, 1862. was the most inn nortsnt and the most bitterly contested ever fought on the American continent up to that time It was the severest or any battle fought in the West during the civil war, and General Grant In his me moirs says that there was but one or two fought In the East that equaled 1t in hard, desperate fighting and loss of life in proportion to the number of troops engaged on both sides. The loss on both sides at Shiloh, according to official re- ports was 3.269, out of total or i3,OOO troops, composing the armies of Generals Grant and Albert Sidney Johnston. The battle of Shiloh takes It's name from little log meeting house, called Shiloh 4a1 IY, nf trees about two miles distant from Pitts burg Landing on the Tennessee River, on a ridge extending from Lick Creek to Snake Creek. Immediately in front Of this church was formed General Grants forces on the morning of the 9th day of April, 1862.
 Condition of Grants Army.
 That the reader may better compre- bend the importance of this engagement at Shiloh it were better to go somewhat into the detail of the condition of Gen. eral Grants army and its position inn mediately following the capture of Fort Donelson. on the Cumberland river. Al bert Sidney Johnston was in command or all the Southern troops west of the Ale ghany Mountains to the Mississippi River, his line extending from Columbus, Ky, on the Mississippi River, to Chattanooga, Tenn, by way of Bowling Green and Nashville. He thus possessed the grea, advantage of having absolute command of all the troops in his department while the Union forces west of the Alleghanles were at first divided into three, and sup- seuuently four, separate military olVis- ions. each with a commander receiving orders from and reporting directly 10 the government at Washington
 General Grant, nearly two months be- fore the battle of Shiloh, had captured the Confederate strongholds Of Fort Hen ry, on the Tennessee River, ana Fort Donelson. on the Cumberland River. For the latter achievement, one or the most brilliant and important of the war ne re- ceived the thanks of the nation ana promotion to Major General of Volun- teers in the United States army Yet 1t is true that within three weeks after the surrender of General Buckner at Fort Donelson General Grant was relieved or his command and was virtually under ar rest detained at Fort Henry by oroer or General Halleck, who was chief or stan to the commander r-in-chief. But within one week after being relieved and turning over his command to Gen. Charles F. Smith he was reinstated. and, proceed ing up the river, he established his head quarters at Savannah, and after survey of Pittsburg Landing. recognizing It's great importance. he took possession of It with one division of his army. Albert Sidney Johnstons lines being thus broken by General Grants victories and by the opening of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, he was compelled to evacuate Bowling Green and fall back to Nashville. Millions of dollars worth of Confederate stores and provisions were Tn Nashville, which General Grant. with the co-opera- tion of Commodore Foote was anxious to secure, but was prevented from doing so by orders from Halleck which directed him to conf1ne his operations to the Ten nessee River.
 Sluggish Movements of Buell..
 General Buell. was marching Southward through Kentucky with large force and his advance reached Bowling Green in season to see the Confederate rear guard move off with their last wagon and their last serviceable guns. Notwithstanding this fact he did not reach Nashville until the forces of Johnston had been gone from that city full week with the last of their enormous supply of provisions and stores. and every gun they possessed. Johnston fled across the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers into Northern Mississip- pi and took possession of Corinth at the junction of the Memphis and Charleston and Mobile and Ohio Railways, the most important strategic point between Chat tanooga and the Mississippi River. Here he proceeded to gather about him force that was intended to defeat and destroy the Union forces operating in that de- partment. The fall of Forts Henry and Donelson had the effect of arousing the people and the governments of the South ern states almost to a point of despera kion and no one who has not travelled in the South can have an idea how they moved heaven and earth to render a great victory on the Tennessee an abso- lute certainty. The best of Southern Generals were summoned from every quarter to lend their counsel and employ their strong arms in the service of the Confederacy and make a determined and desperate effort to force the independ- ence of the Confederate government by the destruction and annihilation of the Federal forces under Grant and Buell..
 General Beauregard. who had fought and won the battle of Bull Run, was de- tached from the army in Virginia, and with the pick and flower of his troops at Manassas was hurried to the reinforce ment of Johnston at Corinth. Pensacola, In Florida was abandoned in order that the experienced artillerists at that point might be transferred to the army of Johnston. Island No. 10 was weakened that the regiments there assembled might give their combined strength to the for lorn hope and add the strength of their numbers to Johnston and Beauregard. Thus had a mighty army taken it's stand near the banks of the Tennessee, which was to be made immortal, so the Con- federate cheftans thought, by the over = throw of the Federal army and triumph ant success of the Confederate cause. Here were assembled Albert Sidney John- ufon Reauregard who was considered in-