In the evening of April 6 a few of Gen. Buell’s troops had arrived and were placed in position. During the night the boats brought the balance of Buell’s army across the Tennessee River and they were in line of battle ere the break of day.
Volumes have been written about the battle of Shiloh. Some think Buell’s army saved us. Of course, they helped to win the second day’s battle; still there is nothing to prove that Gen. Grant’s army would not have won without their assistance on the next day.
Let me quote what I wrote over fifty years ago, when it was fresh in my mind:
“Some think it was Buell’s army that saved the army of Gen. Grant from total destruction. I think otherwise, and my reason is this: we had been driven back so near the river that our lines were concentrated as before they were scattered. During the night Gen. Grant and his aides had perfected their line of battle, and Gen. Lew Wallace’s division had arrived from Crump’s Landing, and every man left in the line knew that to retreat another foot meant total annihilation, and the words: ‘We must whip them in the morning,’ were upon every man’s lips.”
The enemy was badly hurt, and Gen. Grant knew it and felt confident that victory must be ours on the morrow.
The morning light had scarcely come on the 7th of April when the roar of artillery announced the opening of the second day’s battle. The command, “Forward,” was given and the entire line moved forward. We were the aggressors today, and made the first attack.
Fighting continued steadily, the enemy yielding every foot with great reluctance, stubbornly holding their ground, until 12 o’clock, when a general charge was made, and the tide of battle was turned in favor of the Union forces. During this charge, Will fell to the ground, thinking he was shot through the leg, for it hurt so badly he couldn’t stand up; he pulled up his trousers to see where the minie-ball had struck him, to find that the ball had only grazed his shinbone, cutting a nice clean hole through his pants, but not bringing a drop of blood. Will was disgusted, that he should fall out with just a bruised shinbone, and jumping up he went limping after his company.
By 3 o’clock Gen. Beauregard, who was now in command of the Confederate forces, gave the order for a retreat. They kept up a fight to cover their retreat until night, but when darkness came we were in possession of our old camps, where we bivouacked, filled as they were with the dead of both armies. We had no difficulty in sleeping well, even though the silent dead lay all about us. The dead do not disturb us; it is the living we should be afraid of. We built fires and cooked our frugal meal, and, after eating, we gathered ’round the camp fire and recounted the deeds of valor done during the great battle, speaking kind words of our brave comrades who had fallen.
A few Sibley tents, torn and riddled by shot and shell, were all we had left. I lost my shirts, blankets, letters from home, my testament (mother’s gift) and a picture of the “girl I left behind me.” I was more indignant over the loss of my girl’s picture then I was over the other articles.
On Tuesday I was detailed with others to bury the dead lying within our camp and a distance of two hundred yards in advance. I had charge of digging the grave, if a trench over sixty feet long and four feet deep, can be called a grave.