Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-12-07
WANT RECORDS Right
War Department Will Not I'm
derstand Controversy Over
Iowa Regiments History
MUST BE CORRECTLY RECORDED
MUST BE CORRECTLY RECORDED
Members of the Shiloh Monumen. Com
mission Intensely in Earnest - Vet
Grams of Fifteenth and Sixteenth
Iowa Regiments Are Indignant Over
the Situation.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Dec. Tt think there
Will be secession right here in Iowa
unless the war department does the
right thing" declared Governor A. B.
Cummins. otter he had had session
with representatives of the Shiloh
monument commission. II never saw
men more intensely in earnest in any
thing than the members OF the COM
mission in regard to the proper history
to be placed on the monuments of the
nents. II the record Is not made to
correspond with the facts of history.
1t looks like these regiments wouli
secede from the union entirely. If the
history of their deeds as 1t has stool
undfsputed for forty years is to be
repudiated on an enduring monument
then who can blame these veterans if
they become indignant to endure IT."
John Hayes, of Red Oak, formerly
president OF the State Agricultural So
ciety. veteran OF one OF the regf-
inents whose history is in dispute, has
been most active In insisting that the
inscriptions shall represent what ac-
tually took place on the battlehelds.
He and others OF the commission were
in Des Moines last week and went over
the case. with the governor as it has
= a.. x1.A
and to be presented. IL that is possible,
directly to President Roosevelt. He
states that the case is now well pre-
pared the issues prepared carefully and
there Is every reason to believe that the
inscription on the monuments VIII fn-
ally be as desired by the survivors and
in accordance with the facts as well
known to the survivors of the regI-
,.aerts in Iowa.
- The situation In regard, to the con-
troversy - simple when II ! Is under
stood. but the war department has
thus far refused to understand it. The
plan OF the war department has been
to lay out the battlefield of Shiloh SO
that is will appear from an inspection
OF the monuments indicating the posi-
tions of the regiments that the battle
was a synterical affair, fought out
on exact lines and just as II night have
been planned in war offi1e. There is
to be line of monuments showing the
advanced positions held by the differ
ent federal and confederate regiments,
and these face each other as If the
regiments were drawn up for review.
The Fifteenth and Sixteenth Iowa reg
MT n 40
front of the line as indicated by the
markings for the line of advanced po-
sitions Of tha federal army. The mon
uments for these regiments must be
located on the field behind those Of 9TH
er regiments. II the story told by these
monuments Is that the two Iowa regi-
ments were engaged in fighting rebels
on the first day at Shiloh and did this
fighting in the forenoon. then the rec
ord will be that while there was fight
ing all along the line at that time
there was also fighting going on be-
hind the other federal regiments. The
war department has insisted that this
could not be true and Is not true. and
that there IL no report of any division
commander to bear out any such theory
AS to the absence of any such report
this is true. The fact is that the two
Iowa regiments fought alone on that
day and were not with any brigade
and there was no brigade commander
In charge to report to General Grant on
what the regiments did. Right here is
to be found the real cause of the con-
troversy that has been raised in re-
gard to the history of two regiments.
It is a history Governor Cummins is
to take up with the war department
ana President Roosevelt and. try to
have settled for all time and settled
right
What really happened in regard to
these two regiments" says one of the
members of the commission, 'is that
they arrived at Pittsburg Landing on
Sunday morning early and for the first
time loaded their guns. They were
raw recruits right from the farms of
Iowa. They were hurried forward In
anticipation of a great battle under
General Grant. They We're ordered to
Prentiss' division and started. There
was a wide gap between Prentfss and
McClernand and these regiments
marched right into this gap and there
encountered confederate forces that
had gone far beyond the federal line
of battle. Right here, between two di-
visions of Grants army, in a pocket In
the deep woods, these raw Iowa soldiers
fought for nearly two hours and lost
hundreds of their men, but held the
rebels in check The regiments were
later ordered by Grant to join Nc
Clernands division, as it was seen that
he needed them more than did Prentiss.
Their hardest fighting was all over be-
fore they were brigaded with any COM
nander, and nobody but the men them
selves and their regimental onfcers
knew what fighting they had done
Later when the federal line was forced
back and these two Iowa regiments
still held their position. they found
themselves IN line with other regi-
ments. Their fighting, in fact, took
place in the rear of the main body Oh
Grants great army. The first day at
Shiloh was a sort of free for all ana
these two Iowa regiments played their
part well. II they did not do their
fghting before noon of Sunday they
did no fighting at all on that day; yet