Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-05-30

memorials and with monuments Is tha
work of the state commissions. A good
beginning has been made and much more
has been planned for in this direction.
Massachusetts was the first to send
commission; 1t made the hrst appropria-
tlon for monument ana mas the honor
of holding the first dedication exercises
in the park.
Shiloh.
The battlefield of Shiloh will always
stand forth in the history Of the Civil
War as the field of plumbers and as the
death place of Albert Sidney Johnston,
the Confederate general who had planned
the battle and was the only one who
could have conducted It successfully for
his Side who stricken early In the
fight.
Shiloh will also be remembered for II
was there that Grant made his name
known He. though clearly beaten early
in the fight. nlucked victory from defeat
and fought the bloodiest and most des-
pcrate conflict that had Their been wagsj
thus far In the war.
On January l. 1862, General Johnston
was In command of all the Confederate
forces of Tennessee and Kentucky and
was occupying line Of defense from
Columbus. NY. AHIOuBu IpINS Iteulg hnu
DonelsOn to Bowling Green, KY, where
he had his headquarters. At the same
time the Union forces in that section
were the Departments Of the Missouri
and Ohio, commanded by Generals Hal
eck and Buell. respectively. The former
had his headquarters at St Louis and
the latter Mt Louisville, Ky. Generals
Halleck and Buell. for sometime had been
canvassing plans for an attack upon the
Confederates and the former wRs deslr-
Gus of having the government place him
In supreme command
In the meantime General Grant OBJ
tanned permission to attack Fort Henry.
Aided by Commodore EOote Grant cap
tured the fort on February 6, and then
moved on Donelson, taking It. with $1,000
prisoners. on the 18th.
This achievement of Grants brought
his name into prominence, and incidental
y brought down on his head the wrath
Of Halleck, who, on n pretext unworthy
Of him, suspended him.
Johnston with his line broken in the
center, retired ana formed Il new line
on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad
and the Union troops at once began to
move down upon him. On March IL the
Union forces in that section were turned
over to General Hallcck, who then re-
stored Grant to command aud later
April gave him command OF the entire
Army of the Tennessee.
General Buell. was ordered to join the
Army of the Tennessee for an advance
on Corinth. when the unexpected hap
pened General Johnston when he fell
back after the loss Of Forts Donelson
and Henry had been reinforced and on
March % he consolidated all the com.
mands into one army-the army Of the
Missssippi-of which he assumed com
mand. When he learned OF the move
Of tho IIulOn trDOn9 and OWNED
the meaning he determined to assume
the offensive and on April 3 ordered his
troops forward to Mlckey's, eight miles
from Pittsburg Landing. with the inten-
ton of attacking Grant at sunrise on
the 5th
Heavy rains, bad roads, etc. delayed
the arrival at Mickey's until the night OF
the 5th, but the troops took position, for
the attack was planned for the following
morning. In the meantime, however, there
had been more or less skirmishlng In the
neighborhoOd. but the real fighting began
early Sunday morning and lasted until
Monday afternoon, when the Union troops
were heavily reinforced by Buell. and
the Confederates retired to COrinth and
the Union army to its camps occupied
before the battle.
The heaviest blow to the Confederateg
was at 2:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon,
when while personally directing tne move
ments OF his reserves. General Johnston
was struck by mimic ball and instantly
killed. 1t was Johnston who had planned
the battle and he could have probably
brought about a different result, but fate
decreed otherwise. and though Generals
Bragg and Rugges fought their men with
skill and courage all through the next
day, the day was lost to them.
The battlefield OF Shiloh was created
into a public park In order that the
armies OF the Southwest which served In
the Civil War. like their comrades OF the
Eastern armies at Gettysburg aud those
of the Central West at Chlckamauga,
may have the history OF one of their
memorable battles preserved on the
ground where they fought" With those
words begins the act that Congress passed
In 1894 and the commission appointed
began its work the following year.
To visit the various battlehelds and read
the stories told upon the markers Of iron
and stone will be the privilege accorded
to future generations. and, as they read,
they will learn that the bitterness Of the
war has gone forever; that the North
and the South stand now cnder one flag
and yet honor those who fought for the
principles they thought were right