The commercial., April 14, 1922, Image 8

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The Commercial, Union City, Tenn.
FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1922.
THE BATTLE OF SHILOH;
BY DON SINGLETARY. M. D.
' Just sixty years ago to-day on
April 6 and 7, 1862, the battle of Shi-
loh was fought the Federal army
against the Confederate government.
Here brother fought brother and
friend fought friend. If our readers
could have seen that battle as it was,
and as it occurred, yeu would have
viewed an area about 3 miles in di
ameter, in half moon shape, strewn
with more dead men than two cities
like Clinton's population to-day, or
between 3,000 and 4,000-dead men.
Then there were about three times
that number with blood streaming
from their wounded bodies. We hear
the cry of pain, broken bones and
lacerated bodies. Our doctors, hos
pital corps, ambulance forces worked
all night, and yet many lay there
while rain poured down in torrents
all that night dead and dying, help
less. No wonder that Sherman said
"War is hell!"
General U.S. Grant and Gen. Sher
man, the Federalist-s, began to land
their armies at Pittsburg Landing
the 16th of March and before this
battle came off had assembled about
48,000 soldiers at and near Shiloh.
Their main camp was on the west
bank of the Tennessee River and be
tween two large cceeks one north
and one south of their camp. This
camp was a high plateau of wooded,
waving land, with some clumps of
undergrowth.
Grant intended to attack the Con
federate army at Corinth very soon,
which place was 21 miles from his
camp. Grant's camps were beautiful
ly laid off and tented for about three
miles back from Pittsburg and about
Shiloh. Their camp was well provl- not do us ruin. Johnston listened
sioned with the best of eatables, sut- patiently, but never wavered. Gen.
leries; : etc. They ate, drank; they
were armerry set. - They had never
dreamed'or thought that the Con
federates might attack them. Grant's
headquarters were at Savannah,
eight miles from camp, and he" had
orders from General Halleck in St.
Louis not to bring on a battle, for he
(Halleck) was coming scon. He
wanted to lead that fight at Corinth,
From the day the Yankee army
landed at Pittsburg our Confederate
cavalry began to fight them and to
keep their pickets busy. We kept
them huddled closely. We did not
allow them-to get any news of our
army movements.
General Albert Sidney Johnston
and Gen. Beauregard during the lat
ter part of March had assembled an
army of about 40,000 soldiers at
Corinth to protect our railways from
the invading enemies. Many of our
Confederate army "were new recruits
and had neither arms nor ammuni
tion. Corinth was 18 miles from the
Yankee picket lines.
General Johnston determined to
attack Gen. Grant in his camps. So
he commenced moving his army on
Apr. 3. He believed he could travel
these 18 miles in two days and at
tack Grant's army on the 5th of
April. But the narrow road, the con
tinuous woods and mud delayed us,
so we did not get into battle line un
til sunset on April 5. Our army was
tired, wet, muddy and hungry. It
rained torrents both nights and we
had eaten all of our three days' ra
tions. Gen. Johnston now held
council of battle. Every one of his
generals advised a return to Corinth
and wait for Grant to attack us
Beauregard insisted on a retreat
They thought that Grant Knew oi
our movements and with his larger
numbers might easily repulse us if
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Johnston, with sparkling, eyes, , said
"We will coaimence the battle , to
morrow at daybreak. We-will fight
as our original program calls for this
battle. We can Itake breakfast with
them."
We were at" that moment . In our
arms close up to the Yankee pickets.
Before 5 a.m. on April 6 our skir
mishers were firing and our army
commenced to move up. As a heavy
line of pickets and skirmishers had
been fighting day after day, ten or fif
teen days the Yankee army was sleep
ing soundly. Only a few were vigi
lant. General Prentiss took out re
inforcements and later called, for
more; and later warned.; the entire
camp to the fact that a battle was in
full bloom. The Confederate gener
als moved slowly, fearing to be
caught inan ambush. We were not
certain that our movement, was &
complete surprise; but we moved on,
driving everything before us. By 8
o'clock we were taking their- tented
field and soon realized that we had
completely surprised Grant and his
entire army. ' General Grant and
some of his friends denied that they
were surprised, but their own reports
and facts belied them. General
Grant himself was at Savannah,
eight or nine miles away, and the
battle went on for over three hours
before he even reached the battle
field or gave a single command.
Grant was sitting at breakfast ta
ble when the sound of cannon boom
awakened him surprised him. He
reached the battlefield about 8:30,
and at that time we had captured a
good part of his tented camps and
were driving Prentiss, etc., through
their own camps. It was sucn a com
plete surpise we found many tables
with hot coffee and fresh breakfast
prepared, but not eaten. We cap
tured their tents, many of them in
good order and well supplied wtih
good clothes, blankets, bunks, etc.
This writer saw the things and slept
in one of those comfortable tents
that night. We ate their hams, we
drank their coffee. We slept in the
dry while Grant and his men stayed
out in the rain. That same night
Gen, Johnston had swept the field
our victory was nearly complete.
Gen. Prentiss and his "brave" men
at the "Hornet's Nest" held some of
us in check for four hours, and that
stand alone kept us from forcing
Grant to surrender or by rout flee
from the entire field of battle. Pren
tiss surrendered to us over 2,000
but he saved Grant. Had Prentiss
been captured two hours earlier, Gen
Johnston would not have met the
ball that killed him. Yet, we had
plenty of time to complete our vic
tory. Gen. Beauregard was now our
chief. Other generals were ready,
anxious to push on. The sun shone
bright and warm. Many of us stood
in line waiting. I remember it well.
Beauregard did not clinch our vic
tory. Some fighting continued for
awhile and then we went into camp
We saw the enemy routed, fleeing
They were badly whipped. Thousands
of them had already deserted the
field, and confusion and panic was
beyond control. (Century Co. Win
ston's Encyclopedia, Shiloh Cam
paign and Battle.)
On the next day Gen. Buell with
about 36,000 fresh soldiers had ar
rived on the battlefield. But Buell
saw the plight of Grant's army.
Neither Grant nor. Buell seemed to
want to fight any more. They did
get in battle array and several short
fights came off that day. The Con
federates under Beauregard were try
ing to carry oft their wounded, their
prisoners, their captured arms, can
non, provisions and valuables. We
tayed on the field all day. Shiloh
Church was in our possession all day,
We took our leisure. Many of us
camped on the outskirts of the battle
field that night. Not a Yankee dared
to follow us or molest us that after-
oon or night or next day. They
were scared. Grant reported that
we had about 100,000 men. Buell
had more fresh soldiers than we had
soldiers. -He seemed glad that we let
him alone. I could recall many rem
iniscences here, but space forbids it.
In that battle, Kentucky soldiers
were prominent and numerous, led
by Generals Albert Sidney Johnston,
John C. Breckenridge, J. H. Morgan,
Abe Bufford, H. B. Lyon, Loyd Tilgh
man and others. 0, I cannot name
them all. There were thousands of
us, colonels, captains, surgeons and
privates the peer of anjj on earth.
Our sons and sons' sons are the
prominent leaders to-day in" Ken
tucky. In Jackson's purchase and
"Pennyrile deestrict," the woods, the
farms, the cities, are full of our chil
dren, even to the third or fourth gen
eration. Shoud the writer live to see
August 11, he will be an octogen
arian. There are also yet thousands
of old chaps on hand, of my com
rades. If you like this article, drop
me a line and say so. If not, tell me
of my error. I
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SHESIFFS SALE OF LAND.
By virtue of an Venditioni Ex
ponas from the Circuit Court of
Obion County, Tennessee, in .the
cause of S. M. Fields vs. W. E. Rain
water and Claud Rainwater, directed
10 tne bhenff of said county, I will
sell to the highest bidder, for cash,
at the East door of the Courthouse
in Union City, Tennessee, at one
o'clock p.m., on the 29th day of
April, 1922, a two-fifths undivided
interest in and to a certain tract of
land situated in the 6th Civil Dis
trict of Obion County, Tennessee,
aiui Dounaea as roiiows: Beginning
at a stake, at the southwest corner
of the Simmons' land; thence East
with the old line 117 poles to a
stake with white oak and black oak
pointers; thence North 48 poles to a
stake with DODlar. sassafras anrl mul
berry pointers; thence West 111
poies to a stake, with black walnut
and beech pointers; thence South 48
poles to the beginning, containing
70 acres more or less, and being the
same land conveyed by G. W.. Davis
to J. ' D. Rainwater on January 21,
18S5, and which is recorded in Book
3-X, page 183 of the Register's of
five for Obion County, Tennessee.
Paid above described Interpol in Hnf1
land will be sold subject to the home
stead ana aower interest of Mrs. L.
C. Rainwater. 2
This the 5th day of April, 1922.
J. W. CHERRY, Sheriff.
E. H. Lannom, Att'y for Plaintiff.