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batteries and boats kept up their | repairing roads and rebuilding the

thunders, fairly silencing the Rebel guns, and compelling their infantry to take post farther and farther back, in order to be out of the reach of our shells; and all through the night, at intervals of 10 to 15 minutes, the gunboats continued to send their compliments into the Rebel lines, as if the pouring rain which fell at midnight might not suffice to break the slumbers of the weary thousands who had lain down on their arms wherever night found them, to gather strength and refreshment for the inevitable struggle of the morrow.

bridge over Duck river at Columbia; which place Gen. B. himself left with his rear division on the 2d of April; reaching Savannah with his advance division, Gen. Nelson's, on the evening of the 5th: the remaining divisions were strung along the road from Columbia at intervals of six miles. A halt to rest on reaching the Tennessee was generally expected; but, on the morning of the 6th, ominous and persistent reports of musketry as well as cannon in the direction of Pittsburg Landing dispelled this illusion. Buell hastened to Gen. Grant's headquarters, only to learn that he had just started on a steamboat for the Landing; having left orders for Gen. Nelson, with Buell's advance, to push on up the right bank of the river, leaving his cannon, because of the badness of "Gen. S. COOPER, Adjutant-General : the roads, to be taken by steamboats. "We have this morning attacked the Though it was still believed at Saenemy in strong position in front of Pitts-vannah that there was nothing going burg; and, after a severe battle of ten hours, thanks to Almighty God, gained a complete victory, driving the enemy from every position.

Before seeking his couch in the little church at Shiloh, the surviving Rebel leader dispatched a messenger to Corinth with this exhilarating dispatch for Richmond:

"Battle-field of Shiloh, "Via Corinth and Chattanooga, "April 6th, 1862.

"The loss on both sides is heavy, including our commander-in-chief, Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, who fell gallantly leading his troops into the thickest of the fight.

"G. T. BEAUREGARD,

*

"General Commanding." Maj.-Gen. Buell's long-expected 'Army of the Ohio' had been delayed on its march from Nashville,

63 His official report says:

"As we proceeded up the river, groups of soldiers were seen on the west bank; and it soon became evident that they were stragglers from the engaged army. The groups increased in size and frequency, until, as we approached the Landing, they numbered whole companies, and almost regiments; and at the Landing the banks swarmed with a confused mass of men of various regiments. There could not have been less than 4,000 or 5,000. Late in the day, it became much greater. Finding Gen. Grant at the Landing, I requested him to send steamers to

on above more serious than an affair of outposts, Gen. Buell sent orders to his rear divisions to hurry forward, and, taking a steamboat, proceeded to the Landing; where the multiplicity and constant increase of stragglers soon convinced him that the matter in hand was urgent and important." Finding Gen. Grant at the Landing, he requested the dis

Savannah to bring up Gen. Crittenden's division which had arrived during the morning, and then went ashore with him. The throng of disorganized and demoralized troops increased continually by fresh fugitives from the battle, which steadily drew nearer the Landing; and with these were intermingled great numbers of teams, all striving to get as near as possible to the river. With few exceptions, all efforts to form the troops and move them forward to the fight utterly failed. In the mean time, the enemy had made such progress against our troops, that his artillery and musketry began to play into the

SECOND DAY'S FIGHT AT PITTSBURG LANDING.

67

patch of steamers to Savannah, for | later, on boats which had been pressGen. Crittenden's, his 2d division, while he landed to take part in the fray.

Gen. Nelson, starting at 1:30, arrived at 5 P. M. opposite the Landing with his leading (Col. Ammen's) brigade, which was immediately crossed and formed in line, under a fire of Rebel artillery, on the right of Webster's guns. Ammen's men were just able to put in an appearance before dark, firing a few volleys and repulsing a Rebel charge on their guns at 6) P. M., when the enemy desisted and withdrew. By 7, the whole division was over, and soon in position; lying down on their arms, under orders from Buell to advance and attack at early daylight; which were implicitly obeyed.

Crittenden's division reached Savannah at nightfall of Sunday, and was forwarded by steamboats directly to the Landing; where it was rapidly debarked and formed on the right of Nelson.

Buell's next division, Gen. A. McD. McCook, was 12 miles from Savannah when it received orders, which it made haste to obey, arriving at Savannah at 7 to 8 P. M.; but, finding there no boats ready for its service, McCook routed up the captains of the boats lying at the dock, and embarked Rousseau's brigade, with which he reached the Landing at 5 A. M.; his other brigades, Cols. Gibson and Kirk, arriving some time

vital spot of the position, and some persons were killed on the bank, at the very Landing." "He says:

"From this agreeable duty [of praising the meritorious], I turn to one in the highest degree unpleasant one due, however, to the brave men under me, as a contrast to the behavior of most of the army who fought so heroically. I allude

ed into service as they successively reached Savannah. The residue of Buell's army was too far behind on the Columbia road to be even hoped for. Two brigades of Wood's division arrived, however, just at the close of the battle.

The fighting reopened along the whole line at daylight of the 7th, and under conditions bravely altered from those of the day preceding. The arrival of part of Buell's and all Lew. Wallace's commands had brought to the field not less than 25,000 troops; fresh, so far as fighting was concerned, for this day's action; while Beauregard, whose men, throughout the 6th, had been on foot 16 hours, and fighting most of the time had barely 3,000 left of his reserve wherewith to match them. His force had been fearfully reduced by the casualties of battle, and scarcely less by skulking, or scattering in quest of plunder-faults common to all raw troops, but of which he complains in his report as though they were novel and amazing." He had hitherto been buoyed up, or at least had buoyed up the spirits of his soldiers, by expectations and assurances that Gens. Price and Van Dorn, with some 30,000 men from across the Mississippi, were close at hand, and would reach him in time for this day's battle. But they did not come, and Buell did. The hot fire of musketry and artillery poured in upon

to the fact that some officers, non-commissioned officers, and men, abandoned their colors, early in the first day, to pillage the captured encampments; others retired shamefully from the field on both days, while the thunder of cannon and the roar and rattle of musketry told them that their brothers were being slaughtered by the fresh legions of the enemy."

his entire front before sunrise, gave | tured by a charge of Col. Buckley's

him ample assurance of this; while his soldiers, exhausted and stiffened by yesterday's protracted efforts, and chilled, like ours, by the rain of the intervening night, stood to their arms firmly, but without alacrity or enthusiasm.

Nelson had quietly aroused his men at 4 A. M.; and he advanced in parade order at 51; soon concentrating upon himself the fire of half the Rebel army. Not having received his artillery, his infantry, annoyed by two Rebel batteries, began, at 74, to give ground; when, on applying to Gen. Buell, the battery of Capt. Mendenhall, and at 9 that of Capt. Terrill-both regulars-were sent to his support, and the Rebel batteries in front thereby silenced. Meantime, the Rebel concentration upon this division was continued; but its behavior was splendid, especially that of Ammen's brigade, admirably handled by its chief; while that of Hagen, on the right, maintained its position with equal gallantry. The loss by this division of 739 out of 4,541more than half of it in Hagen's brigade-attests the tenacity of the Rebel resistance this day.

Crittenden's and McCook's divisions were engaged later, but not less earnestly. Advancing across a ravine, McCook's right and center were immediately attacked in force; but the steady valor of Rousseau's brigade prevailed, and their assailants, recoiling, were pursued nearly a mile; when they were röenforced and rallied among the tents whence McClernand's left had been so hurriedly driven the previous morning. Two of his guns, being now turned against us by the enemy, were finally cap

5th Kentucky; while McClernand's headquarters were retaken by Rousseau, who, impetuously pursuing across a level field, opened too wide a gap between his right and Gen. Crittenden's division, which was filled by Col. Willich's regiment advancing, under a deadly fire of shell, shot, and musketry, to its support; rushing up for a bayonet-charge to within 200 yards of the enemy's line, when the latter gave way, and the regiment was deployed in line of battle to give them a hastening volley. Disordered by bad management, which brought its skirmishers under a fire of our own regiments on either side, Col. Willich's 32d Indiana hastily fell back; but was soon reformed and deployed, advancing with the entire division until the retreat of the enemy was decided.

Lew. Wallace, on our extreme right, with Sherman and McClernand between him and Buell's divisions, had likewise opened fire at daylight, dismounting a gun of the Rebel battery before him. Throwing forward his right, by Gen. Grant's personal direction, until his line, which had been parallel, formed a right angle with the river, he advanced en échelon, preceded by skirmishers, across a ravine to the opposite bluff, where he waited for Sherman to come up; and meantime, finding his right secured by a swamp, attempted to turn the enemy's left, which was thereupon heavily röenforced, being effectively cannonaded by the batteries of Thompson and Thurber. An attempt was made to capture Thurber's battery by a dash of cavalry, which was easily defeated by the skirmishers of the 8th Missouri;

BEAUREGARD RETREATS FROM PITTSBURG LANDING. 69

when the battery was charged by in- | thing before them. At 4 P. M., our fantry; who were easily repelled by Col. Morgan L. Smith's brigade.

soldiers held the original front line whence we had been so hurriedly driven 34 hours before; and the whole Rebel army was retreating, unpursued, on Corinth." Gen. Sherman, with two brigades and the cavalry, went out a few miles next morning on the Corinth road, and had a smart skirmish with a small Rebel force, mainly of cavalry, which he repulsed, destroying a camp, and capturing a hospital, wherein he found 280 Confederate and 50 Union wounded; returning with the former to his camp near Shiloh next morning.

Meantime, Gen. Sherman, who had waited for the sound of Buell's guns upon the main Corinth road, advanced at 8 A. M., steadily and slowly, under fire, until he reached the point where the Corinth road crosses the line of McClernand's abandoned camps, and saw Willich's regiment, on his right, fighting gallantly for the possession of a point of timber some 500 yards east of Shiloh church. Hence the Rebel army could be seen re-forming its lines to the southward, with a battery by the church, and another near the Hamburg road, pouring grape and canister into any column of our troops that advanced upon that green point of timber whence Willich's "Hour by hour opposed to an enemy regiment had just been repulsed, but constantly reenforced, our ranks were perinto which one of McCook's brigades ceptibly thinned under the increasing, withering fire of the enemy; and, by 12 M. (Rousseau's) was now advancing. [of the second day], 18 hours of hard fightDirecting the fire of two 24-pounding had sensibly exhausted a large number; howitzers of McAllister's battery my last reserves had necessarily been disposed of; and the enemy was evidently reupon the Rebel guns, Sherman form-ceiving fresh reenforcements after each ed his two brigades (David Stuart's, now commanded by Col. T. Kilby Smith, and Col. Buckland's) to advance in line with Rousseau; which they did superbly, sweeping every

An Impressed New-Yorker" says: "No heroism of officers or men could avail to stay the advance of the Federal troops. At 3 P. M., the Confederates decided on a retreat to Corinth; and Gen. Breckinridge, strengthened by three regiments of cavalry-Forrest's, Adams's, and the Texas Rangers, raising his effective force to 12,000 men-received orders to protect the rear. By 4 P. M., the Confederates were in full retreat. The main body of the army passed silently and swiftly along the road toward Corinth; our division bringing up the rear, determined to make a desperate stand if pursued. At this time, the Union forces might have closed in upon our retreating columns and cut off Breckinridge's division, and perhaps captured it. A Federal battery threw some shells, as a feeler, across the road on which we were

Beauregard, in his official report, states that his effective force had now been reduced, "from exhaustion and other causes, from 40,000 to less than 20,000 men;" and adds:

repulse; accordingly, about 1 P. M., I determined to withdraw from so unequal a conflict; securing such of the results of the victory of the day before as were practicable."

This is pretty fair, but not strictly accordant with the dispatch which

retreating, between our division and the main body; but no reply was made to them, as this would have betrayed our position. We passed on with little opposition or loss, and by 5 o'clock had reached a point one and a half miles nearer Corinth than the point of attack Sabbath morning. Up to this time, the pursuit seemed feeble, and the Confederates were surprised that the victorious Federals made no more of their advantage. Nor is it yet understood why the pursuit was not pressed. A rapid and persistent pursuit would have created a complete rout of the now broken, weary, and dispirited Rebels. Two hours more of such fighting as Buell's fresh men could have made would have demoralized and destroyed Beauregard's army. For some reason, this was not done; and night closed the battle."

he, after sending back from Monterey | his army." Gen. Grant, writing on a request to Gen. Grant for permis- the 9th, gives his losses approxision to send a mounted party to the battle-field under a flag of truce to bury his dead, and being answered that, owing to the warmth of the weather, they had already been buried, transmitted to Richmond, namely:

"CORINTH, Tuesday, April 8th, 1862. "To the Secretary of War, Richmond: "We have gained a great and glorious victory. Eight to ten thousand prisoners, and 36 pieces of cannon." Buell reenforced Grant, and we retired to our intrenchments at Corinth, which we can hold. Loss heavy on both sides. BEAUREGARD."

Beauregard officially reports his loss in this battle at 1,728 killed, 8,012 wounded, 957 missing: total, 10,699, or a little more than onefourth of the admitted strength of

66 These cannon were unquestionably taken on Sunday; but how many of them were retained on Monday and carried off in the retreat, does not appear. It is not probable that Beauregard returned to Corinth with so many or so effective guns as he had taken thence when he

advanced.

mately at 1,500 killed and 3,500 wounded, and says nothing of a loss of prisoners, of whom about 2,200 effectives were marched off the field with Prentiss, with possibly 200 or 300 more of our wounded of Sunday. A later and more circumstantial statement summed up our losses as 1,735 killed, 7,882 wounded, 3,956 prisoners; total, 13,573. Recurring to the reports of subordinates—all we have-we find their losses stated as follows:

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next Rebel Governor of the State, and whose official report of the second day's fight contains the following:

"Having suffered from loss of blood and intense pain, I placed the regiment under the command of Lt.-Col. S. E. Hunter, and rode over to the hospital to get relief. After having my wound dressed, I was about lying down, in order to take a little rest, when a general stampede began of wagons, ambulances, and men. I mounted my horse immediately, and rode after the disgraceful refugees. I succeeded in putting a stop to the stampede, and placed cavalry in the rear, with orders to cut down all who attempted to pass. Here I met an aid of Gen. Bragg, who ordered me to rally all the stragglers and form them in line. This I did. After forming a battalion, Lieut.-Col. Barrow, commanding the 11th Louisiana, came to me with the remnant of his regiment, and placed mand. This force, together with the remnants himself and regiment under my comof two Alabama and one Tennessee regiment, made a large body of men, who stood firm in front of the hospitals, ready to receive the advancing column of the enemy.

67 Beauregard's official report enumerates, among the casualties on his side, in addition to the loss of their commander-in-chief, Albert S. Johnston, that Hon. Geo. W. Johnson, "Provisional Governor of Kentucky," was killed on Monday, having had his horse shot under him on Sunday; Brig.-Gen. Gladding, of Withers's corps, was mortally wounded; that Gen. Bragg had two horses shot under him; Gen. Hardee was slightly wounded, his coat cut with balls, and his horse disabled; that Gen. Breckinridge was twice struck by spent balls; that Gen. Cheatham was slightly wounded and had three horses shot under him; that Brig.-Gens. Clark, Bowen, and B. R. Johnson were severely wounded; and that Gen. Hindman had his horse "While rallying the stragglers, I came across two batteries that had lost all their commisshot under him and was severely injured by hissioned officers. These I took possession of, fall. [He was hoisted ten feet into the air by the explosion of a shell, which tore his horse to shreds, and was himself supposed to be killed; but he rose at once to his feet and called for another horse.] Several Colonels were killed, and many more severely wounded; among them, Henry W. Allen, 4th Louisiana, who was chosen

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sent for ammunition, supplied them with men from my command, and sent one of them to Gen. Beauregard. This battery fired the last shots against the enemy. The other battheir position in the very face of the enemy, tery, and the forces under my command, held until ordered to be retired by command of Gen. Bragg."

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