Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-28

it was fired upon by artillery and
musketry. Under a murderous fire
the regiment formed line of battle. adj
vanced about $50 yards into the woods,
driving the enemy before them, and
for two hours, from 10 to IL a. M,
maintained it's position, until out.
thanked and hard pressed in front to
escape capture it was ordered by Cen
eral McClernand to fall back to new
| line. 1t rallied and fought with other
! divisions later in the day and on Mon
day.
Number of men engaged, 760.
Casualties:
Killed-Line officers 2, enlisted
| men 90. ..... %
Died of wounds-Enlisted men. -. 20
Wounded-Field and staff 8, line Of
ficers 10, enlisted men 1879. -. 1852
Captured-Line officers 2, enlisted
men 10. ........ ............ ~
Aggregate .2os
IOWA.
SIXTEENTH REGIMENT INFANTRY
VOLUNTEERS.
Commanded by Col. Alexander Cham
bers (Wounded), Lieut.. Col. Add. H.
Sanders.
This regiment reached Pittsburg
Landing twelve days after it organi-
cation was completed and ON the morn
ing Of the battle, Sunday, April 6, 1862,
first received ammunition. While pre-
pairing to join Prentiss' (Sixth )divis-
ion it was ordered in line on the right
of the Fifteenth Iowa to act as re-
serve. When the line had been
formed but a short time it was ordered
to march, following the Fifteenth Iowa,
to the right of McClernand's (First)
division. 1t was here engaged at 10: 80
a. M, here suffered its loss and, under
4 orders, retired.
4 The Afternoon Fight.
Late in the afternoon, under Lieuten-
ant Colonel Sanders, it supported
Schwartz battery near the landing.
On Monday the regiment was on the
reserve line.
Present for duty, 1856.
Its loss was: Two officers and Is
men killed, II officers and 81 men
wounded, Is men missing; total, 1872
And this commission further respect
fully asks the governor of the state of
Iowa to investigate the facts involved
in the reports of F. C. Ainsworth, chief
of the record and pension bureau,
heretofore referred to, and if upon in.
vestigation he believes, as this com.
mission believe, that said reports are
not just to said regiments, that he pre-
sent the matter to the secretary of war
and take such other and further steps
and action as in his judgment may
seem best to the end that the Fifteenth
and Sixteenth Iowa regiments shall
have inscriptions placed upon the
monuments to these regiments which
shall be in harmony with their official
4 reports.
Governor Cummins Present.
Governor Cummins was present with
the commission when the above reso.
lutions We're presented and motion
was made that the commissioner from
each regiment, when called upon to
vote upon the resolutions should rise
and express his opinion and his reasons
for his vote in brief manner. On
the call of the regiments by the secre
tary each member arose promptly
and stated his reasons for voting fol-
4 the resolutions and each and all Of
them gave as reason, among others
that the written reports of the colonies
|
the time Of the battle. showed that the
regiments were engaged in battle with
the enemy in the Zones field, between
the hours of 10 and IL o'clock a. M,
of the first day of the battle" that
these reports had stood for over forty
years unchallenged; that the truth OF
said reports had been confirmed by
scores of living officers and men of said
re who 7,arfi rin -, Tho hot
tie, and the records and history should
not be changed in order to make the
lines of battle appear symmetrical; that
If the history and records of the wal
could now be changed in the manner
now proposed by the national commits
sion, it would establish dangerous
precedent, and they therefore earnest
ly voted for the adoption of the reso
lutions
The members of the commission all
spoke feelingly and earnestly in sup
port of the resolution.
Governor Cummins when the resolu-
tons were adopted, stated that he
would gladly take up the task request
ed in the resolutions and would do the
best he could to have the case opened
up for hearing and would present
the case himself to the secretary of
war.
A Bitter Controversy.
This controversy has been one of al
most unequalled rancor, and it has
aroused the most intense feeling on
the part of the survivors of the two
regiments named. The question in,
volyed is whether the Fifteenth and
Sixteenth regiments fought at Shiloh
in the forenoon of the first day of the
l battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862. The
position Of the survivors of both regi-
ments is the same in substance, and
is summed up in the demand of the
Fifteenth to have inscribed on the tab
let of it's monument these words:
for two hours. from 10 to IL O'Clock,
maintained it's position
The contention has been raised by
Major Reed, secretary of the Nationa;
Shiloh Military Park commission, that
these two regiments did not partici-
pate in the forenoon's fighting, and
that therefore they are not entitled to
have inscribed on their monuments
anything signifying that they were en-
| gagged in the forenoon's hattla Tn a