Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-10

past four liz the afternoon. That his
division ~disintegraded early in the
day is true, but under circumstances
not discreditable to himself or even to
the n His conduct was character
lied by great bravery, and leaves no
%repreaeh.
The events just related ended the
conflict in the cenNer, called by the
confederates, the Hornets Nest For
some hours It was the turning point
in the battle, and beyond doubt saved
what was finally saved of the first
days wreck at Shiloh. 1t gave time
to gather and organize a sufficient
force in the rear-te plant batteries
and take breath.
The eonfederates, exhausted by the
hours Of struggle, and depleted by the
lack Of discipline, and plumber OF
camps, fingered about the place of sur
render and captured camps for some
time-moHents Of precious respite for
the defenders Of the union.
Colonel Webster placed large guns
in position, and all artillery in hand
was placed where it would do most
good. All complete organizations
were in lire. Numbers of waits
from the battlefield fell in. just as
the shades Of evening began to gather.
Lite lSGFOHE tFSd0 VI CtS VI RoSAlS ulis
gades came up the hill at the Landing
and formed on the left.
Finally, the c~onfederates c%oncentrat-
ed about the place Of surrender, made
some attempt at .deplayment, n a
~spasmedic ana disjointed attack was
attempted upon the last federal posi-
tion, on q line with the Landing. They
were easily repealed, and the confed-
crates withdrew to bivouae at various
places in their rear.
Darkness threw Its mantle over the
blood stained field. The living and
unhurt sought rest Is best they could
to await the call for battle on the
morrow. The wounded lay scattered
over the field, writhing in anguish
The daaA were quietly at rest, suffer-
ing neither fear nor pain,
The two federal gunhoats had been
woods and Up tho ravines from the
river, and through the night added
their sullen roar to the Thunderstorm
which had burst over the field.
During all these events, the fedora
army had fought step by step from Its
first lines to Its present position, ane
had received ne aid from General Lev
Wallace's division. AS night closed in
such division arrived and took it's po-
sition In the rear Of the right. Ger
tain, it is, that Wallace had received
the day. repeated orders to march te
the field. All his marches and coun-
t~ermarehes, however, did not bring
him upon the scene during the first
day. All the published comments, his
own included, fail to afford a salts
factory solution. The bald fact re-
mains, that although 50 ordered he
did not during a whole day get into
the battle, only six miles distant. His
would have reached the battlefield
sooner on their hands and knees.
During the night Buell's army KEEP
arriving. BY morning nearly twenty
thousand of them were in line-sea.
soned, hardy and brave troops of the
army of the Cumberland.
Much speculation has ensued as t.
what would have been the result il
such re-enforcements had not arrived
A full survey Of the facts warrants
this conclusion; that during the mex
day, or any number of days, the con
federate army, in its exhausted con.
dition, could not have driven the fed
eral army from Its last position.
Neither could the federal army
without the aid Of Buell., have assumes
the offensive on Monday morning
with any hope Of success. It Is idle tt
speculate as to what General Gran
intended to do without such re-en
were at hand and all his arrangement
were made in view of that fact.
1t may be well here to allude to tn
last line of the federal army on Sun
day evening. It was not, as is oftel
understood, a promiscuous mass o
troops huddled in a semi-circle aroun,
the Landing. It was a weli-ordered
compact line of desperate and brav
men at right angles with the river, o.
which Its left rested, and reaching
fully a mile west, with General Lev
Wallacess fresh division close at hand
It's TANKS were well protected; on
OF them covered by the gunboats an,
siege guns, the other by Owl creek
All known facts lead to the conclu
sion that it was the only complete
compact federal line Of battle forme,
that day, with both TANKS fully pro
tected n nc breaks along its front.
From this position 1t could not hav
pushed by any confederate force a
hand. If the remains Of Genera
Grants army. REINFORCED by Genera
Lew Wallace's division and twent,
thousand men from the army Of tn
Cumberland, required until 4 o'cloc]
in the afternoon Of the second day t
press the confederate army w mile
back to Shiloh church, it is absurd t
say that any successful advance coult
have been made without Buelrs hel1
How the battle was taken up tn
next day and carried to a successful
conclusion. it is not the purpose o
this article to follow. 1t was done
and well done. Again the flame O
battle encompassed the field, and it
fierce echoes reverberated through it
ravines. The battle-scarred an,
storm-beaten but now veteran rem
nants of Grants army We'd with tn
divisions of McCook, Crittenden an,
Nelson in regaining the lost ground Q
Sunday.
Step by step the field was won, an,
; ere the sun sank again to rest ever
camp was recovered.
The blue and the gray we're burie
by the v~ictors, and the ~residfum of tn
routed, mangled and bleeding confed