Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1912-03-29
HOW SHILOH WAS LOST TO THE
CONFEDERATES


assembled his forces at Pittsburg
Landing on the Tennessee river and
awaited the arrived of Buell., VINO was
marching overland from Nashville.
Sidney Johnston with divisions OF
Polk, Bragg, Hardee and Brecken-
ridge, marched from Corinth to at
tack him, with Beauregard second in
command.
At daylight on April 9th the COME
derates struck the enemy's out posts
and the battle was begun. With 3d.
600 men they attacked 40, 600 in posi-
ton of their owing choosing. The
attack was surprise. Grant said,
~ did not believe Beanregard was
such fool as to leave his base of
operations and attack us in ours"
Hindman's Mississippians found
Premises men in camp eating their
breakfast and captured whole brig
ade. The Federal TANKS were turned
and driven pell-mell.
AT one point they massed their
troops and the desperate fighting over
the position gave it the name of the
Hornets Nest" Here behind a
dense thicket on the crest of hill
protected by defenses of logs and bush
the flower of Grants army was gath
cred. AS at Fredericksburg, an open
field must De crossed to assail it. For
five hours brigade after brigade brav-
ed the deadly peril of the assault.
Bindman's division was reduced to
fragments; A. P. Stewards regiments
were decimated; Gibbon' S Louisani ans
had suffered bloody repulse; and
Cheatham and Breckenridge had NOV
ed up Then Johnston cried, Men
we must give them the bayonet! | will
lead you," and the line charged with
mighty yell. A sheet of flame from
| the Federal guns poured destruction
into their midst The line wi,hered,
| but there was no pause. The crest
was gained, the position taken and
the enemy was in flight. At O'Clock
! the Federals had been driven back to
the river. The victorious Confed err
ates had possessed all of his encamp-
/ ments but one, nearly all of his field
artillery, thirty flags, three thousand
prisoners and thousands of small
\ Munitions of var
At this juncture nothing was needed
to complete humiliation of the FEEDER.
al army but to vigorously follow W
the victory. This was the situation
Grants army had been driven back
from their positions into corner with
the Tennessee river on one side, q
creek and swamp on the other, anc
the victorious Confederates in front
They could not cross the river, the
swamp was impossible and the Con
federates irresistible. They were
indeed "betwixt the devil and the deel
sea-"
But, alas! General Jahnston ha(
been shot by minieball as he sat OF
his horse. The artery in his leg wa,
cut. and because no one was near tt
stop the bleeding, he quickly bled t.
death.
The command devolved upon Beau
regard. Beauregard was sick, lying
upon an ambulance cot in the rear
He had not approved of the attack il
the morning, thinking about too mucl
time had been lost. Without perhap
| approaching the state of the battle, b.
gave orders to withdraw the troops
Fatal blunder. to snatch from tn
army the fruits of their victory just a
they vera about to pluck them The
army fell back and Grant was savet
from ruin.
There can be no doubt if Sidne,
Johnston had lived through the day
the entire Federal army there would
have been captured and destroyed, ant
General Grant in all probabilit,
would never been heard of again. Blu
as Touchstone says, There's much
virtue in it,"
That night General Buell. crossed
the river and reinforced the Federals
with %, 600 fresh men and the next day
Beauregard retreated to Corinth. TIL,
Federals followed with al army nj
$4,000, so slowly that it was not until
a month after the Battle of Shiloh
that they appeared before the lines O
Corinth. Then unwilling to hazard ar
attack, Beauregard retreated to Tup
elo, Mississippi, and being too i'll tc
attend to the duties of the position, he
transferred the command to General
Bragg.
Mrs. A. L. HULL,
Athens, Ca