The National tribune., 1907-05-30
"SHILOH'S BLOODY FIELD"
The Survivors Of thei ;6attle Celebrate
the 4Sth Annive .sarX. ~ Bevisitins the
Scene of Conflict. ,traD

scene OF COnulcts pEhJ
Editor National TribSng The Annua
Reunion of the Survivors rpf the Battl,
of Shiloh Association tsas,h held at Pitts
burg Landing on thes45th anniversar.
Of the battle of Shiloh. April and I
1907. The members Of the Association
assembled at st. Lopis. April 8, ant
went on board the steamer City of Sal
tillo, which had been chartered b,
Comrade Holman, of the Committee O.
Transportation. We left st. Louis OF
the evening of the 81 of April. ever!
berth in every state-t0om being occu
pied by a comrade. and arrived at Cairo
at 7:40 p. m. the next day. amid the
boom of the cannon on board; reached
Paducah at a. IN. on the 5th and lef
at a. m. We passed Forts Henry anG
Holman, 341 miles from st. Louis. al
1915 noon, and arrived at Pittsburg
Landing at $40 a. m. amidst the boom
of cannon, on the 9th of April, just A.
years subsequent to the opening of The
bloodieSt great battle of modern times
We found the season much farther adj
vanced than it was at the time of the
battle, for the trees were nearly all now
in full leaf, while at the time of the
battle they had not put on their Sum-
mer attire
This was the first return to the bat
tlefield by most of the comrades, and
all took a deep interest in travelling
over all the places occupied by each
both in camp and during the bloody
strife. 81.
Owing to the popularity of the lay
of the land, the small open fields, the
hills and wales. the timber and various
creeks and runs, nearly every comradc
was enabled to determine the exact To-
cation of his camp. including that of
his brigade and division, and also the
exact location of his regiment or bat
terry in every position occupied thruout
all the battle, altho the protracted
period of 4 } years had INTERVIEWED.
AS all may knew, the battlefield of
Shiloh is now National Military Park,
and embraces in round numbers 5000
acres of land. 1t is now cared for by
Uncle Sam in n manner befitting the
great importance of the great battle.
The high bluff at this point extend
nearly to the river. there being only a
few feet in width on the intervening
bottom. Upon the high bluff. only a
few yards distant from the river, is
situated the National Cemetery. in
which are sleeping 1000 of our Union
comrades. who here laid down their
lives in order tina! government "of the
people, by the people and for the peo-
The river and ravine fronts of this GEM
etery are protected in n substantial man.
nar by solid wills Of stone masonry, so
that the ravages of water can make no
incursion upon the burial place of the
sacred dead. A flagstaff is erected In
the cemetery on the bluff near the riv-
or and extending upward for about 100
feet, and Old Glory is raised and low
cred upon this flagstaff every day in
pt l,a rig a., of
the sun. and this viii be continued on
ward thruout years to come till time
shall be no more. b.
Every grave in the casin e{Ary is mark
ed by marble head ana foot stones. up
on the former of which Il chiseled in
the solid marble the iftilP name, com
pany and regiment iGof 1.-THE soldier
sleeping there, in all ocases where the
identity of the soldier S, kRpwn or could
be ascertained. The etfnetery is in
closed by an iron ferree aid the stone
wall heretofore mentiqfied.i Each aisle
of the cemetery is thotb1y gravelcd. and
ornamental trees gre groESing turnout
in endless profusion. .GtnI'ything being
cared for by Uncle san ii BETTING
manner. The old r1RdS turnout the
entire battlefield are stil, maintained
just where they were AT lime of the
battle, but they. are ni4T. Heavily gray
tlcu ana pTO|ldtu ,Wiln,.< SuDSl3n TIL
stone culverts and bridges, at all creeks
and depressions. with Suitable cut stone
caps and facings.~-Ths- forests are still
preserved in the .eanle, tcoadition and
surrounding, as near possible
which prevailed in April. 1852. The
various small fields which then existed
thruout the 5000 acres are still pre-
served exactly in the same condition Of
1862. and rot o single tree or sprout is
allowed TO grow anywhere upon any Of
them. Apprc pirate monuments of gran
tie and marble have been erected by
each of the States represented by her
sons in this mortal strife. Stone NOM
mcntS have also been erected TO the
memory of each regiment and battery
engaged in thu great battle, and metal
lie markers prevail turnout the field for
the purpose of showing the exact loca-
lion of every regiment and battery en-
gagged in the conflict. Appropriate and
graceful monuments are also erected
Of solid stone at the several places
where We're located the division head
quarters OF the several divisions. for a.
that period the armies of the West hal
cot been fully organized into corps. In
addition to these there is also an ap-
prepriate monument of Bedford sand
stone erected upon the spot where fell
". II. l.. Wallace, of Indiana, COM
nlandcr OF the second DIVISION. An APP
pTopriate monument is also erected to
tee memory of Albert Sidney Johnston
the commandments of the Con-
feierate Army in the battle. who fell a.
a distance of 100 yards only in trent of
the 2Sth ILL.,, which monument stands
hard by the spot where Gen. Johnston
was helped off his horse by Isham G.
Harris, Governor of Tennessee, few
moments after receiving the wound
which produced his death. from the fire
of about a dozen rifles in the line CT
the 2Sth H.. then posted in the Peach
Orchard. He was then conducted to Il
spring. 30 yards distant. where he soon
expired. and the Southland thereby lost
its foremost military chieftain.
All inanimate nature seems to wei
come the survivors of this great battle,
for everywhere the forest is clad with
living green in full leaf, and blushing
flowers in endless profusion adorn the
valleys and hiltsides everywhere. thus
proclaiming to the world at large, with
silent but emphatic deduction, that the
dead shall bloom again in the early
Springtirne of the world to come
How different-oh. how different
from 40 years ago! The scenes of that
mortal Sunday still loom up before Us
all. and never can wholly disappear til
the grave has closed over all who were
then contending here. The well-nigh
endless walls of GeethYIfg fire; the con-
tinuouS roar and contsatsion of rifles
and cannon which nlAda the whole
earth tremblc; the sErieking of shells
in endless carnage; th@ Killing of COM
radeS like grass hefnA4Ag Y,Sa Srythe 70