Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-21

Special to Times Republican.
Centerville Feb. PHI. H. Wright
of Centerville. formerly adjutant Of the
Iowa National Guard, and a veteran o.
the Sixth Iowa in the civil war. takes
issue with the contentious of the Fiji.
teenth and Sixteenth Iowa regiments
forenoon battle of the first day Of
Shiloh. General Wright goes over the
controversy quite fully and in closing
says the Iowa veterans should droI
the controversy and accept the in
scription made by the national COM
mission. Certain it is says Genera
Wright, that we may better rely or
this historical record, supplied by mel
who served in both the armies, includ-
ing the reports and correspondence OF
the officers who commanded the arm
les, made then and there by them While
it was new and fresh in their memoir
les, than to rely upon the stories told
| for the edification of campfire gather
| ings."
\ 1iliS ID lllS SoIllCilNlOll NlilSl1 IoNSl II
or Cunlmins and the Shiloh commits
sion and the veterans of the Fifteenth
and Sixteenth regiments are making
I to the war department and the presi-
dent. So far the national commission
and the secretary of war have refused
to give credence to the reports of the
| colonies of the two Iowa regiments
made then and there by them while it
was new and fresh in their memoir
| ies.''
General Wright, however, says, in
| his discussion of the subject:
"None of the troops composing the
| divisions commanded by General Will
| liam t. Sherman and General M. b
Prentice and occupying the front and
outer lines of the camp, had ever been
under fire in general engagement,
and it was generally commented upon,
i'll extenuation of the conduct of some
commands that they were new end en-
tirely ignorant of military orders and
customs, some of them having receive
ed their guns that morning.
1T was the good fortune of the Sixth
Iowa to be the first infantry command
to debark at Shiloh on the evening of
the 10th of March, 1862 and together
with a troop of the Fifth Ohio cavalry
and a section of artillery attempted to
make a reconnaissance out on the Purdy
road to that village, located on the
Mobile & Ohio railroad, few miles
north of Corinth, but the impenetrable
darkness caused the advance to make
such slow progress that the expedition
was abandoned and the troops slept on
the ground where they Were-on the
high bluff above the landing.
THE next day the same troops re-
newed the effort and advanced out to
the vicinity of the village where the
enemy was found in camps and engag-
ed at washing clothes and swimming
in the creek. A few shots were eX-
changed and the command returned
and took it's position on the line of bat
tie formed by General Sherman's
communicating the extreme right of
Grants army. Company D of the Sixth
Iowa, commanded by ex-Lieutenant
Governor Madison NJ. Walden, who was
detailed with his company to guard the
road, stationed them at the Owl creek
bridge on that road.
Discipline Lax.
'@The location being delightful in the
midst of the perfume of the early spring
flowers, foliage and growing vegeta-
ton, together with bathing and wash
ing of clothing and grinding on the
little mill situated just below the
bridge, prompted Captain Walden to
request that his company be allowed
to remain at the bridge and perform
the guard and outpost duty on that
approach to the camp, and-under the
lax discipline then in vogue generally
the request was granted and the COM
pany camp pitched, up and down the
creek, covering the bridge, where it
remained until II o'clock a. m. on Sun
day, April 6, 1862, the date of the bat
tie, without being seriously disturbed
by the enemy.
The men composing the company
We're far mboys taken off the farms
in Appanoose county the spring before,
and with their limited knowledge of
war were enthusiastic to enter into
any kind of adventure or scouting that
promised opportunity to Sc the enemy.
The captain being young man-25
years old-and in full sympathy with
his men, was soon engaged in all kinds
of expeditions in the daytime and also
night marauding that resulted in much
chicken fixin's, pig roasts, honey, corn
dodger, milk and COW butter, in the
Company d camp during the warm
spring days, along the embowered
banks of Owl creek. These scouting
expeditions thru the country for four
to six miles out In front Of the picket
guard lines soon familiarized the men
with the outlying roads and general
of the country, and also
the frequent contacts that occurred
with the enemy's scouting parties Of
cavalry gave spice to the duty.
Knew the Roads.
Nearly every man in the company
had made from one to five trips to
the landing on the Tennessee river
with the teams hauling out provisions,
forage and equipments until they had
quite familiar knowledge of the camps,
roads and general topography Of the
locality and the troops in their camps.
Probably there was not another COM
mand engaged in the battle, of the in
fantry arm of service. which had such |
for acquiring the know
ledge for understanding the localities
and situations at the time of the battle |
as did Captain Walden's company of |
Appanoose county boys.
Scouting parties Of the enemy had |
approached the post on several occa- I
sions and aroused the camp by firing |
with small arms, and on Thursday, be- |