Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-06-23
OF SHILOH
SURVIVOR OF GREAT CONFLICT
BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH
WRITES OF COMBAT
Original Letter Was Written On Scene
OF Struggle Short Time After The
Terrible Event-Writcr Tells of the
Dead and Wounded.

Written from the camp Of the Third
regiment of Iowa Volunteers on the
Shiloh battlefield, a few days after
the battle. the following portion OF q
letter of one Of the survivors will be
read with interest. Previous letters
had given full account of the first
days battle. The letter, the original
of which is in possession Of the writer,
is in part as follows: ~
"Our regiment (Third Iowa infantry
went into the fight about O'Clock
Sunday morning. have no doubt
many men at the front in Gen. Prem.
tiss' division. went in without their
breakfasts and had nothing to eat I'm.
til late Sunday night.
81 had charge of burying party and
helped bury the dead. ! can't give you
any idea Of the number Of rebels our
men buried. saw lao in one trench
and 1913 in another, and any number
of smaller ones.
Rebel Dead outnumbered Union.
81 candidly saw twice as many dead
rebels lying on the field as did Of our
men. You see they were the attack
ing party all day Sunday, and suffered
most Our infantry would lay down
on the ground until they got in short
were often less exposed
'On Monday we advanced and made
the attack and drove them.
II had the pleasure Of running after
them half a mile in one charge, our
attacking column driving them past
two camps, and our regiment going up
in the face of battery, killing all the
men and horses and getting the guns.
But we followed them little too far,
as they fell back on heavy reserve,
and we ran into them on a double
quick and found it out mighty soon
The bullets buzzed about us like hive
of bees.
eve retreated short distance and
formed new line and then met their
achievements and whipped them.
We had some help as fresh line OF
our troops came up to our rear and as.
sisted.
J I'm the charge on the battery / &C
tually had to pick my way to keep
!, from stepping on dead and wounded
men.
so we fought until the firing grad
ually slackened and the whole
rebel force was in full retreat
1--WE have reliable information that
the retreat became a rout, and the
force went struggling through the
woods for days before reaching Cor.
inth.
"Our infantry was too much exhaust
J ed to follow, and our cavalry struck a
strong rear. guard and was repulsed.
Incidents of the Battle.
Five rebels lay down under one
blanket Sunday night. A shell from,
one of our guns struck fair in theil
midst and burst. killing and manglins
all of them fearfully. I saw groups o.
dead, three or four. all killed by burst
ing shells and lying in a promiscuous
heap. One old gray-headed man wat
wounded and orawled UP and sat lean
ing against a tree, dying In that posi-
! ton. One rebel instantly killed while
in the act of tearing open his cartridge
the paper still between his teeth, hi,
: hand near his mouth and fingers closet
about the cartridge.-in fact the daat
were in every conceivable position ant
: killed in endless different ways. Man.
Of the confederates--rank and Ale
were of an inferior-looking class
poor whites, with light complexion and
sandy hair and beard. But there were
many fine-looking dead officers ant
men.
Gen. Halleck is here in command
and fresh troops coming in every day
We are still in camp on the battle
field, and are getting Strengthened up
and camp rumors say we will move OF
Corinth soon.
"Our division camp is near the cen
ter of the field About 5000 men an,
Thousands of horses are buried arouns