The National tribune., 1905-11-09
IOWA AT. SlUI.OH.
At What Time Did the, 18th and 16th
Iowa ERxsge:

- W uae 1I"e LIlO Inc ISt0 aUO lOt0
Iowa ETxsSe:
Editor National Tribune: In Comrade
McElroys very Interesting article
Open'ng OF the Mississippi Chapter
XIV, under Grants First Move" in
your issue Of July IL. appears: Gen.
Grant ut once saw the likelihood of
ammunition falling. and set Col. Pride,
or his staff. TO work organizing ammu-
milton trains 10 supply each of the divi-
SONS The I'D Mo.icame in about that
time on boat. and Gen. Grant hurried
ii out To reinforce Prentiss. The 18th
iowa also came up ION II boat, and the
10th Iowa, which had been sent to the
front without ammunition. had been
sent back 10y Prentiss 10 get it's supply.
Grant formed these two regiments into
a line 10 arrest the tide of stragglers
and make them go hack 10 the front
linen 1t appears he made his way out
toward Shilch Church, which he re-
Sarded as "a keypoint of the field, to
meet sherman and McClernand. He
found them engaged I'm sharp battle.
but still holGlng the enemy at bay. and
he assisted them i'm bringing the troops
back into lire and encouraging them
To stout resistance. IN short time he
returned to the Landing to send his
staff officers to hurry up Wallace and
also To Nelson to bring him forward.
He also sent the two Iowa regiments to
reinforce McClernand. and then went
to see how the other divisions were do
ing"
From that article it appears that
Gen. Grant was at Pittsburg Landing.
and had ''set Col. Pride, of his staff. to
work organizing ammunition trains
(before) the Esd Mo. came in =
on a boat The 18th Iowa
also came up on a boat They did.
but some hours before Gen. Grant ar
rived on April s, 1862. In his Memoirs,
Gen Grant says, page 335: con reach
ing the front, however, about 8 a. M"
And on page 1854: But / witnessed
the fight from the National side from 8
O'Clock in the morning until night closed
the contest
Lieut-Col. Jno. A. Rawlins. Assist
ant Ad1utant-Genera1, says page 1874,
Vol 10, o. II w. r.: In passing Crump's
Landing This was not far
from or $50 o'clock a. M From
thence you continued direct to Pitts
burg Landing. which place you reached
about o'clock a. M
In his article, Our Surgeons Col
w. ii. GibbOn, Surgeon, 18th Iowa i'm
the Regimental History, page 105, says:
ION April !, 1862. we left St Louis on
the steamer Minnehaha for Pittsburg
Landing, and arrived there on the
morning of April s. At early
dawn men and officers We're stirring
Already could be heard distant mus
Kerry firing and an occasional boom of
cannon. The excitement grew
about the Landing. Men were hurry
ing to and fro; ammunition and sup
plies were rushed up the bluff; field
officers. staff officers. orderlies, were
dashing to and from the Landing with
All earnest and serious nien that be-
tokened the imminence of a great oc-
casion. A great battle was on.
The two regiments, the 18th and 10th
Iowa, were now drawn up on the bluff
awaiting orders.
about 8 a. m. Gen. Grant arrived
from Savannah iplease note that that
a. m. is confirmed by Gen. Grant, in
his Memoirsl. I'm Il few moments he
aud several of his staff came up the
bluff and engaged Col. Reid in con-
verSatiOn, Gen. Grant asking many
questions about the regiment, where it
was from, its officers, arms, etc. They
had been talking, perhaps, 10 minutes,
when one of Gen. Grants staff officers,
Col. Pride. I think it was, came in from
the front and said a. / understood him.
that Gen. McClernand was hard pressed
ana wanted reinfOrcementS. Gen. Grant
waved his hand in our direction and
said, Take these two regiments out to
him.
after being in position on the bluff
for some time we were ordered to adj
vance. Capt. w. T. Smith, on looking
at his watch, said: Remember. it is 20
minutes past g.. Statement of w. Fl.
Goodrich, then Corporal of Smiths b
Co. and iast Captain of B Co., 18th
Iowa. See page 189. History 18th
Iowa."
From the above it appears that Gen.
Grant sent the 18th and 10th Iowa out
To reinforce Gen. McClernand before
he made his way out toward Shiloh
Church" (Which on page 338 OF his
Memoirs he says was some two or
three miles from Pittsburg Landing"D
and not after he had ridden out there
two or three miles, and assisted Sher-
man and McClernand in bringing the
Toops back into line and encouraging
them to stout resistance" and then lin
short time he returned to the Land
ing to send his staff officers to hurry up
Wallace and also to Nelson to bring
him forward" after which, by Chapter
XIV, it reads: He also sent the two
Iowa regiments to reinforce McCler-
nand."
The truth of this whole matter is
that Gen. Grant, soon after s o'clock
n. m. of April 6. 1862, ordered the 18th
and 10th Iowa to march and reinforce
McC1ernand. which they attempted to
do, led by staff officer of Gen. Nc
clernand, but before reaching his po-
sition they were led into an ambush,
and For two hours, from 10 to 12I
O'Clock. we maintained our position"
as Col. Hugh 7. Reid, commanding the
two regiments. reports, and 1.-THE enemy
were attempting to outflank us on the
right and left. We were unsupported
by artillery or any other regiment ex-
cept the gallant 18th, which had also
suffered severely" The 10Th Iowa lost
1872 men out Of 1856 engaged, and the
18th Iowa lost FOG men out Of 100 en-
saged.-L. S. Tyler, Co. H, 18th Iowa,
KeOkuk, Iowa.