The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-04-10
PEOPLE GED THINGS.
Over at Shiloh.

/ over al 04NOus
Monday over at Shiloh on the western
banks Of the beautiful Tennessee river
where was fought one OF The
blOOdiest battles Of the civil war.
occurred the greatest reunion that
has been held on that historic field.
Tine occasion was the annual reunion OF
tine Blue and the Grey which was III
stituted in the 81 ring Of 1894 Pre-
vious 10 that time these reunions were
unknown though for many years De
coratlon Day-Mav 30-had been OBJ
served at Shiloh with Appropriate ex-
ercises, put participated in almost en-
I tirelv nv IT, people of the Norm,
who would go up the Tennessee river
several hundred strong on specially
chartered steamboats,. with brass bands
apoard. playing Yankee Doodle
ana The Star Spangled Banner,
aud other patriotic airs, and the
steamers profusely decorated with
| flags of all sizes from the jack staff to
the wheel The boats on sucn occa-
sions pres 'nted picturesque sights ana
every wear the citizens of the river
towns focked TO the levees TO see the
yanKee excursion boats pass ON their
wav to Shiloh. Early IN 1894, led by
Capt ]. W. Irwin, of Savannah, v no
fought under Albert Sidney johnson
in the battle few influential veterans
from both sides, set about to have a
grand reunion of both the Blue and the
Gley. TO take place on April and Z.
the anniversaries OF the Shiloh fight.
The reunion was advertised far and
wide and the result was vast
outpouring of nearly 7, 900 people The
veterans of the North met the veter-
ans OF the South in cordial spirit
for the first time since they met In
deadly conflict in 1862. They fought
over the battle again and again, tell
ing "reminiscences and banterlng each
other IN the best of spirit 1t was
great occasion, and marked the reunion
of the veterans of both sides as per-
manent feature In Shiloh history.
Since that time the reunion has been
held every year with great success
The reunion Monday and Tue sday
was the largest that has been held
yet. and was doubly interesting
because of the dedication OF the
monuments lately placed on the
field bv the State of Indiana, at a
cost of $50, 600. Several OF the North
ern states, Iowa, Illinois and Mich :
gan, have already placed monuments
on the field, concentrating the vaior !
of their soldiers who fell In that
mighty struggle. Indiana was well rep
resented at the reunion Monday, sending
a delegation of her most distinguished
citizens to take part in the exercises,
among them being Gen. Lew wal
lace. the author of 'Ben Hur, who
spoke, James Whitcomb Riley, |
ORIGINAL nOom. |
Senator Albert Beveridge, Gov. W.
T Durbin, ard others. On the Con-
federate side, Tennessee was repre-
sented by Gen. George W. Gordon and |
Col. Josiah Patterson Of Memphis, and
a number of others. The battle OF
Shiloh. said t1en. Grant, was the most
misunderstood of all the great battles
of the war He argued also that there
was never any chance of his army |
being defeated. He denied that John
sor surprised him in his attack on
tire morning of the first days fight,
and speaking of johnson, as gener-
al, he wrote: my Judgment is that
he was facilitating and undecided In
his actions. - The South has always
criticized Gen Beauregard' s action In
stopping the fight on the evening or
the first DAY, and Gen. William Pres
ton johnson, son Of the lamented |
Commander In. chief of the Confederate
forces at Shiloh, in his account of the
fight, said that Beauregard was sit
ting far back in the woods behind the |
main battlefield, with the shells from
the Federal gunbOats on the river
exploding thick all about him, and
seeing now and then few struggling |
soldiers retreating from the firing line,
and that he thought the Confederates
were not gaming, when really they
were driving the enemy into the
river. Gen. Grant says, however. that
johnson could not have done any bet
ter than Beauregard under the circum-
stances. He then adds sarcastlcally
"Some critics clai N that Shiloh was
won when johnson fell, and that If
he had not fallen my army would have
been annih1lated or captured. Ifs
defeated the Confederates at Shiloh.
There is little doubt that we would
have been dlsgracefully beaten If all
the shells and bullets fired by us had
passed harmlessly over the enemy, and
If all theirs had taken effect. He
SAYS further: "Tbe fact that john
son, when he was shot, was leading a
brigade to induce it to make charge
which had been repeatedly ordered,
Is evidence that there was neither
universal decentralization on our side
nor the unbounded confidence on their
side which has been claimed There
was no hour in the DAY when doubted
the eventual defeat OF the enemy,
although | was disappointed that re-
Inducements so near at haLd did not
arrive at an earlier hour. " This latter
statement is in reference to Gen. Lew
Wallace's failure to obey Grant s order
sent to him early on the morning of
the first day. telling him of Johnson
attack, and ordering MIN to move his
division at once to Shiloh. Wallace
was stationed at Crump's Landing.
six miles below. on the Tennessee
river and though he received the sum-
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