From Fort Henry to Corinth

by M. F. Force

General Crittenden's division moved a little after five o'clock to Nelson's right. Colonel W.S. Smith's brigade connected with Nelson and continued his line. General J. T. Boyle's brigade was formed in rear of the left wing of Smith's brigade. A little after six o'clock McCook marched to the front with Rousseau's brigade, and formed on Crittenden's right, but facing to the west. The Fourteenth Wisconsin, assigned to Prentiss' division, not arriving at Pittsburg till Monday morning, reported to General Crittenden, and acted during the day as a part of Colonel Smith's brigade. General Buell describes the line thus formed as follows; "The force under my command occupied a line of about a mile and a half. In front of Nelson's division was an open field, partially screened toward his right by a skirt of woods, which extended beyond the enemy's line, with a thick undergrowth in front of the left brigade of Crittenden's division; then an open field in front of Crittenden's right and McCook's left, and in front of McCook's right woods again, with a dense undergrowth. The ground, nearly level in front of Nelson, formed a hollow in front of Crittenden, and fell into a small creek or ravine, which empties into Owl Creek, in front of McCook. What I afterward learned was the Hamburg road (which crosses Lick Creek a mile from its mouth) passed perpendicularly through the line of battle near Nelson's left. A short distance in rear of the enemy's left, on high, open ground, were the encampments of McClernand's and Sherman's divisions, which the enemy held." This line is almost identical with the line held by McArthur, Hurlbut, Prentiss, and Wallace, Sunday afternoon. Buell's cavalry was not brought up, and, from want of transportation, only three batteries—Bartlett's and Mendenhall's of Crittenden's division, and Terrill's of McCook's division. But these were served with remarkable efficiency.

When Crittenden took position, his skirmishers were advanced across the open field to the edge of the timber in front. This dense growth, called in the reports "chapparal" and "jungle," covered both slopes of a hollow, which was threaded by a rivulet with muddy borders, and was the scene of many a bloody repulse the day before, in the repeated assaults upon Prentiss. The skirmishers soon became engaged, and a battery concealed in woods on rising ground beyond, played upon the troops in line. The skirmishers retired to the line, but were sent back to their original position, while Bartlett's battery silenced the hostile battery, and, by accurate fire, compelled it several times to shift its position. A line of battle appearing in the timber preparing to charge, the skirmishers were called back, Bartlett swept the bushes with canister and shrapnell, Boyle's brigade charged into the brush, encountered the fire of the Confederate line at close quarters, replied, charged, and drove the enemy through the timber to an open field beyond. The enemy rapidly crossed the field and took position in woods on its farther side. A line of cavalry appearing at one end of the field, which was also commanded by the enemy's battery, Boyle withdrew his regiments to their original position. Bartlett's battery, aided by Mendenhall's, was in constant activity. The infantry, with intervening pauses of cessation, met and made charges into the chapparal. Mendenhall's battery, in the course of the day, expended five hundred and twenty-six rounds of ammunition, or about eighty-eight to the gun. Bartlett, by noon, had fired his entire supply, six hundred rounds, and took his battery to the landing to replenish. When he returned, the fighting had ceased. After an hour of quiet, a furious attack was made on Smith's brigade. The contest that ensued is described in Colonel Smith's report: "The enemy soon yielded, when a running fight commenced, which extended about a mile to our front, where we captured a battery and shot the horses and many of the cannoneers. Owing to the obstructed nature of the ground, the enthusiastic courage of the majority of our men, the laggard discharge of their duty by many, and the disgraceful cowardice of some, our line had been transformed into a column of attack, representing the various grades of courage, from reckless daring to ignominious fear. At the head of this column stood a few heroic men, not adequately supported, when the enemy returned to the attack with three fresh regiments in good order. We were driven back by these nearly to the first position occupied by our line, when we again rallied and moved forward toward the battery. Reaching a ravine to the right, and about six hundred paces from the battery, we halted and awaited the assistance of Mendenhall's battery, which was brought into action on a knoll within half a mile of the enemy's battery, which it immediately silenced. We then advanced and captured it the second time, and succeeded in holding it despite the efforts of the enemy to repulse us." This charge entirely shattered Cleburne's brigade, and it disappeared from the contest. This ended the battle in Crittenden's front, and Mendenhall's battery advanced and fired on the flank of the column, by that time retiring before McCook's division. The force which General Crittenden engaged was commanded by General Breckenridge, and consisted of one of Breckenridge's brigades—Statham's—aided by the brigades of Russell and A.P. Stewart, from Polk's corps. These two brigades constituted Clark's division, but General Clark having been wounded the previous day, the brigades were under Breckenridge's immediate command. To these was added Cleburne's brigade, reduced to one-third of its numbers. One-third was killed and wounded before Buckland's brigade, Sunday morning; one-third had straggled to the rear; the remaining third rallied to enter into Monday's battle.

In accordance with the direction of General Buell, McCook deployed Rousseau's brigade into line facing toward Shiloh Church. The Fifteenth Michigan, intended for Prentiss' division, being now without assignment, reported to McCook, and was by him attached for the day to Rousseau's brigade. General Beauregard still held his own position near the church, and as the line of inevitable retreat was by the road passing by the church, it was necessary that his force should hold this position to the last. It was a centre to which stragglers and fragments of commands had drifted during the night. Monday morning the greater part of Beauregard's army reported there, and, though much was despatched thence to other quarters, portions so despatched returned to take part in the final conflict. Pond's brigade, after its rapid retreat from Lewis Wallace's front, had a fatiguing march before finally settling into position. He says in his report: "I was ordered by General Ruggles to form on the extreme left and rest my left on Owl Creek. While proceeding to execute this order, I was ordered to move by the rear of the main line to support the extreme right of General Hardee's line. Having taken my position to support General Hardee's right, I was again ordered by General Beauregard to advance and occupy the crest of a ridge in the edge of an old field. My line was just formed in this position when General Polk ordered me forward to support his line. While moving to the support of General Polk, an order reached me from General Beauregard to report to him with my command at his headquarters." Ruggles' division and Cheatham's division, with one regiment of Clark's, were put on the Confederate left of Shiloh Church; Wood's brigade and Trabue's brigade to the right. Russell and A.P. Stewart were first sent to oppose Crittenden, but were afterward shifted toward the Confederate left, to McCook's front. The report of Colonel Thompson, Beauregard's aide-de-camp, to General Beauregard, states: "About 11.30 o'clock it was apparent that the enemy's main attack was on our left, and our forces began to yield to the vigor of his attack."

When Rousseau's brigade was formed, his right was in the air. McCook held it in place till Kirk's brigade arrived from Savannah, and occupied the time exploring the ground to his front and right. Kirk having arrived, McCook moved Rousseau's brigade across a ravine to a rising ground a few hundred yards in advance, and placed Kirk's brigade in reserve of Rousseau's right, to protect the exposed flank. A company of regulars (there were three battalions of regulars in Rousseau's command) was sent into the woods as skirmishers. In less than an hour the skirmishers were driven back and followed by the Fourth Kentucky Regiment and Fourth Alabama Battalion belonging to Trabue's brigade. After a fierce attack for twenty minutes, the assailants fell back before the rapid and well-directed fire of Rousseau's men and retired out of sight in the timber. Trabue's regiments rallied and quickly returned to the assault with greater vigor than before. The steady fire of Rousseau's men again drove them to retreat; Rousseau advanced into the timber, passed through it to an open field, when Trabue, who, with three regiments was engaged with McClernand, united the two portions of his brigade and charged furiously upon Rousseau. After a desperate struggle Trabue gave way; Rousseau captured two guns and repossessed McClernand's headquarters.

This advance drew Rousseau away from Crittenden, while it connected him with McClernand; exposed his left, while it covered his right. Colonel Willich, who had arrived with the Thirty-second Indiana, passed around to the left, and, with regiment in column doubled on the centre, charged upon the enemy in that quarter, drove him into the timber, then deploying in line opened fire. Willich became subject to so hot a fire—mainly, he reports, from the National troops—that he was compelled to retire. Dressing his lines he charged again. Observing undue excitement in his men, he halted the regiment, and in the midst of the battle exercised the men in the manual of arms. Having thus steadied them, he resumed the charge and again drove the enemy into the timber. Rousseau's command having exhausted their cartridges, Kirk's brigade took place in the line, while Rousseau, behind them, replenished from the supply which General McCook had already procured. Gibson's brigade having now arrived, was deployed, about two o'clock, on the left. The two armies were concentrating about Shiloh Church. Gibson's left flank being twice threatened and partially turned, the Forty-ninth Ohio twice, under fire, changed front to the rear on the right company with precision. Veatch's brigade, of Hurlbut's division, which had been acting in reserve, was moved forward by McCook and extended his left. The division being now sorely pressed by the enemy's artillery, Major Taylor, Sherman's chief of artillery, brought forward Bouton's battery and assigned part to each brigade. The section assigned to Gibson quickly silenced the batteries in his front. McCook was now connected with the forces to his right.

McClernand's command consisted—Monday morning—of the Forty-sixth Illinois, of Hurlbut's division, constituting his right; the Twentieth, Seventeenth, Forty-third, Forty-fifth, Forty-eighth, and Forty-ninth Illinois, of his own division, being his First and Second Brigades, and, on his left, the Fifty-third Ohio, of Sherman's division, and the Eighty-first Ohio, of W.H.L. Wallace's division. Except the two flanking regiments, the Forty-sixth Illinois and the Eighty-first Ohio, the regiments were extremely reduced. After firing had opened by Nelson and by Lewis Wallace, McClernand moved across the ravine of Brier Creek to the large open field, where his line was dressed; McAllister's battery was brought up and engaged a battery posted beyond, or in the proper front of, McClernand's First Brigade camp. Lewis Wallace's batteries beyond the timber to the northwest, and a battery with Sherman in the same direction, joined in the artillery combat. The Confederate battery becoming silent, McClernand moved forward and entered the camp of his First Brigade, being the northwestern extremity of his camp, without having encountered opposing infantry. It was discovered that a body of the enemy was advancing beyond the left of the line. McClernand moved by the flank to the left till the left regiments came to a field in rear of his camp, and charged across it against a battery and its supports on the farther side. The Fifty-third and Eighty-first Ohio recoiled, were ordered back, fell to the rear in some disorder, and the whole line retired. The Twenty-eighth Illinois was moved forward from Hurlbut's reserve and added to McClernand's left. The line again advanced, pushed the enemy back through McClernand's camp, where he made a stand, and McClernand was again compelled to yield. General McCook now extended his right by throwing forward the Louisville Legion. The two divisions connected, and the Twenty-eighth Illinois returned to the reserve.

Sherman, being ordered by General Grant early in the morning to advance and recapture his camps, sent his staff out to gather in the members of his command. Colonel Sullivan marched the Forty-eighth Ohio, at dawn, out from the reserve artillery, and Buckland's brigade was complete. Colonel Stuart was found near the landing with two regiments of his brigade, and a small detachment of the Third, the Seventy-first Ohio. The Thirteenth Missouri, temporarily attached to Sherman, which had become entangled with McClernand's command the previous afternoon, and bivouacked at night in his line, was regained. Portions of the Fifty-seventh and Seventy-seventh Ohio still adhered. Major Taylor, chief of artillery, brought Lieutenant Wood's battery. The column being formed, he marched by the flank toward the west to the bluffs of Owl Creek, and along them to an open field at the extreme right of McClernand's camp, and awaited the approach of McCook on the Corinth road. Hearing heavy firing in front of Rousseau, about ten o'clock, and observing it gradually gaining ground toward Shiloh Church, he moved the head of his column to General McClernand's right, formed line of battle, facing south, with Buckland next to McClernand and Stuart on his right, and advanced slowly and steadily under a heavy fire of musketry and artillery.

General Lewis Wallace discovered at dawn, on the bluff on the opposite side of Brier Creek, and just facing Thompson's battery, a hostile battery. The Twentieth Ohio discharging their rifles to clear them, were answered by a volley that disclosed the presence of a hostile line of battle. At the same time Pond's brigade and Ketchum's battery became aware of the fact that only the valley of Brier Creek separated them from troops that had arrived in the night. Colonel Pond was dismayed by the further discovery that he was nearly a mile in advance of his nearest support. After a short engagement he withdrew his infantry, leaving Wharton's regiment of mounted Texas Rangers to support the battery. After a sharp artillery duel, Ketchum drew off his battery, covered by the mounted regiment. General Grant directing Wallace to push his line of attack to the west, directly from the river, the division advanced, the brigades in echelon, the First to the front and left, the Third to the right and rear, sweeping the bluffs facing Snake Creek and Owl Creek, and coming out in the fields in rear of Sherman's camps. Wheeling the division to the left, he soon became hotly engaged, first Thompson's battery with another battery, then infantry with opposing infantry.

There was yet a gap between Sherman and Wallace, but the conflict now raged about Shiloh Church with a fury surpassing any portion of the battle of Sunday. McCook, with his well closed division, McClernand and Sherman with their attenuated but persistent commands, Wallace with his fresh and compact division, with the batteries of Bouton, McAllister, Wood, Thompson, and Thurber, formed a curved line concentrating upon the convex line comprised of part of Clark's division, Wood's brigade, Trabue's brigade, Cheatham's division, and Ruggles' division, with the batteries of Ketchum, Byrne, Bankhead, and others. McClernand, Sherman, and Wallace all speak with admiration of the splendid fighting of McCook's division. Ammunition was becoming exhausted. Buckland withdrew his regiments to fill their boxes. Stuart's brigade, now commanded by Colonel Kilby Smith, plunged forward to make up with renewed vigor for diminished numbers. Wallace's left flank was exposed. The Eleventh Indiana, changing front, faced the danger on its flank. The First Nebraska having used its last cartridge, the Seventy-sixth Ohio leaped to its place. Thompson's battery having expended its last round, Thurber's guns took their place so quickly that there was no intermission in the fire. The Twentieth Ohio, sent off to the right to meet a force springing up in that quarter, met with a sudden discharge at close range, dashed through a fringe of bushes, and drove a battery from the field beyond.

Wood's brigade, charging on Rousseau, was knocked to pieces and retired to the rear, where General Wood with the aid of cavalry gathered up 1,500 stragglers into an ineffective reserve. McCook pushed his line forward to Sherman's camp. The lines were pressed closer and the fire was hotter than ever. General Grant called two regiments, and in person led them in a charge in McCook's front, and broke the enemy's line. Endurance has its limits. The intense strain of two days was telling. Beauregard saw his men were beginning to flag; exhausted regiments were dropping out of line. It was now three o'clock. Two hours before, General Beauregard had sent word to his extreme right in Nelson's front, to retire slowly in alternate lines. Breckenridge, put in command of the movement, had drawn Statham's brigade from Crittenden's front. Beauregard was fighting to secure his retreat.