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Narrative of the western theatre in the American Civil War, 1880s
15_Narrative Page 15
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Opened the engagement on the morning of the 6th. According to the best of Confederate authorities they held them at by for one hour then fell back on the main line of the division. It has been charged that Prentiss men were in their beds and that some of them were actually captured & bayoneted in their tents if that is so it was sick and disabled that could not get in line of battle or walk to the rear. Let Prentiss speak for Himself. {newspaper clipping} I had been admonished on the Friday evening before the battle of Shiloh that an enemy of some force was in our front. On the evening of Saturday, before the sun had set, the details were made and the order given throughout my division to advance the pickets and strengthen them. I sent to the front Col. Moore with five of his companies. On my left two companies of the 18th Wis. were advanced one mile to the front. In the center one company of the 61st Ill. and one company of the 18th Mo. were sent forward as extra pickets with instructions to see if they could capture some of the marauders in our front. Early Sunday morning I had heard the musketry firing of hot skirmishing in our front, when an Orderly came galloping into camp. "General, the compliments of Col. Moore. He requests me to say to you that he has met the enemy. Send him his other five companies, and he will lick them." I sent him the other five companies of his regiment. The long roll was immediately beaten and the division was put in line of battle. The right brigade, under Col. Peabody, was sent to the front to support Moore. The battle began to rage with fury. The entire division was sent to the front one quarter of a mile in advance of the encampment. In a few moments the enemy were in sight. We battled to the best of our ability. After two hours and a half of terrible struggling upon that field the troops on my left began to give way, and the enemy poured in between us, and we were gradually forced back for about one-fourth of a mile back of our encampments. A wornout road proved an excellent defense of natural rifle-pits, in which my men, all from the country, took position." But turn to {newspaper clipping} Series 1, Vol. 10, Union and Confederate Reports," published by order of Congress, containing the Confederate official reports of the battle, in which every Captain of Artillery, every officer in command of a regiment, every brigade and division commander, as well as the two corps commanders who were in the advance, state that when they got within sight of our camps on Sunday morning they advanced "under a deadly fire of shell, grape and musketry?"
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Opened the engagement on the morning of the 6th. According to the best of Confederate authorities they held them at by for one hour then fell back on the main line of the division. It has been charged that Prentiss men were in their beds and that some of them were actually captured & bayoneted in their tents if that is so it was sick and disabled that could not get in line of battle or walk to the rear. Let Prentiss speak for Himself. {newspaper clipping} I had been admonished on the Friday evening before the battle of Shiloh that an enemy of some force was in our front. On the evening of Saturday, before the sun had set, the details were made and the order given throughout my division to advance the pickets and strengthen them. I sent to the front Col. Moore with five of his companies. On my left two companies of the 18th Wis. were advanced one mile to the front. In the center one company of the 61st Ill. and one company of the 18th Mo. were sent forward as extra pickets with instructions to see if they could capture some of the marauders in our front. Early Sunday morning I had heard the musketry firing of hot skirmishing in our front, when an Orderly came galloping into camp. "General, the compliments of Col. Moore. He requests me to say to you that he has met the enemy. Send him his other five companies, and he will lick them." I sent him the other five companies of his regiment. The long roll was immediately beaten and the division was put in line of battle. The right brigade, under Col. Peabody, was sent to the front to support Moore. The battle began to rage with fury. The entire division was sent to the front one quarter of a mile in advance of the encampment. In a few moments the enemy were in sight. We battled to the best of our ability. After two hours and a half of terrible struggling upon that field the troops on my left began to give way, and the enemy poured in between us, and we were gradually forced back for about one-fourth of a mile back of our encampments. A wornout road proved an excellent defense of natural rifle-pits, in which my men, all from the country, took position." But turn to {newspaper clipping} Series 1, Vol. 10, Union and Confederate Reports," published by order of Congress, containing the Confederate official reports of the battle, in which every Captain of Artillery, every officer in command of a regiment, every brigade and division commander, as well as the two corps commanders who were in the advance, state that when they got within sight of our camps on Sunday morning they advanced "under a deadly fire of shell, grape and musketry?"
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