The Cairo bulletin., 1904-04-06
ANNIVERSARY Of
FAMOUS BATTLE
in Which Cairo RcSiden 5 Took
Active Part.
THE BATTLE OF SHILOH
WAS SAID BY SHERMAN TO HAVE
EEEN TIE RLOODlEST
or TIE CIVIL
WAR.

personal memoirs OF gentleman now
living IN Cairo, WHO served as a pri.
yata soldier In the battle of Shiloh,
Fought foriy-two years aga today and
which Gen Sherman characterized as
the bloodest Battle Of the war"
Sunday moTnipg April 6. 1852 dlTn.
el beautiful ana bright. we were
\ an up ana many "mess2s" had hal
breakfast We had heard firing far
/ around to oar left. ana an uneasy feel
1 ms seamsd To have possession Of us
4 had heard The sound before, au3
lac'y Il was net the pickets only fol
+ il was too constant and heavy Near
4 er ana nearer It caro- Men instinct
/ vclr nut ON their accoatrcmcnts and
"fcll IN" to ranks
Our company had handsome silk
Gag that had boon presented 60 it rs
IN ladies Of Goleouia. when enlisted.
ana II was now rolled up in IT'S case
ia The leutoaants tent and [ th0ught
it would DO 81 good time 70 take it cut
for it's baptism Of fire. but being on
IS a private, did not suggest II.
Pretty soon we could hear ar uc-
c3sioaal "hunming" III She young
leaves in the t.sc tops. and +. grew ia
the familiar zip. zip" of, ana finally
to the vicious "sping" Of the rife balls
and almost simultaneously came the
roar Of musketry from Sherman's Iii
yisioa, the long ranks Of men IN gray
from beyond the little log church. the
dense smoke from our own guns. the
shricks Of the voundad and the Yell.
CT Che officers
No one can describe a battle nor
artist paint one. n the description
the actual shifting panorama Is mis-.
sing, ana IN the painting one cannot
even Imagine tho Noise, confusion. and
all the horrible medley of sounds that
50 70 make the pand Tnonlau Of war
Many Of our men had fallen. and al
Though orr ranks were yet frm, y
soon became evident that Shorman'g
troops were beginning to wayor
oar ovn lines M far from our FIRST
position and when about 10 O'CLOCK
Sharmaa's men began 20 come bach
ON the run. our division tMcClcr
nand'al also gave ~ay and It secne5
la If we were actually carried bacl
ty sotne ilowcr outside our own will
There was q hall. reforming Of
lines q short breathing spell and Their
came the well known rebel ycu8 ami
again The woods seemed alive with
the whizzing bullets. and for the first
time that day. the grape and cannls
ter saot made sad havoc in our ranks
aud the dense smoke from the artil
lery ohsclrsd the sunlight till it look
ed dark
Again and again this was repeated |
all during the day ana our ranks were
continuously thinning familiar faces
OF comrades and friends were missing
lnd the officers whom We had heart /
all through the din Of that awful day
we're silent Company and rcgimenta' /
ORGANIZATIONS were nearly obliteratvd
aut still discipline was well maintain /
ed as this incid III viii show
About the middle Of the afternoon /
there came a lull in the Storm; ant /
"o were In q comparatively oDer /
place In thc woods, the trees stoo+
apart and there 9aG mo unacrbrush I
Sud- mig FROM onl in our front r1re
buglo call founding charge ana thet
Attention; GX bayonets prepare d /
rcprl c1yalry;' wore the quick orders
from a nam on horseback In ON
rear, and as Aodlcaly as if
battalion drill the front rank dropp
IN lacc with butt az the musket frW
by planted under tee right foot; tn
rank dressed up in perfect line VIII
arm at ready" 1rot gallon. charea
waa sound d on the bHglo and th
gray horgcme1 came down in fine or
der until they seemed almost sure f
ride right over VS.; the hcrss began t
rear. FOR taey do not Ike the brist
ling fence OF steel in their from. but
on they carlc until not pore than thf
width Of a narrow street divided ms
Already confed rate sabor blade
we're lifted high I'm the air to cleavf
tho blae capped heads Of TIE lnec'Ml
e0Idiers.
Tbn came the order frou the col
1nel "Ain. Ere" and we'll aimed
yollev. az calmly delivered as if or
irin oupied scores Of Gadflea and
Front rsak ready. aim fire. ttrce
Tin r7v uaddened horses into confus
lqi etieslf beyond The control ~ ihr
ridefs But AGAIN came tn rebel vel
and Te wondered # the whole north
ern c1nfod racy had again been fu-u
ID leo cn this one b9ttlz field. hu
This Hmo SIC we're not forced back
nor did they succeed in turning our
flank and placing ug under cross
fire. and help arriving from many dil
FEY ut regiments whose rglnizaii1n.
aal been breton up. sc heii on
grauad until ordered back 10 uev
line. waich it had become ecc.s2rl
to form. cause Of the failure 81 CRY
troops to hold a portion 81 the cli
line farther 10 our left (AfterEardc
we kncx It vas what the Rebels cal
led the hornets nest and was tic
most hotig contested part Of tire whole
hsid and the eg0T; made in tae cap
tare resulted in the death Of the com
mander Of their army. Gen Albert