SHILOH REVIEWED.

521

Colonel Hildebrand, was present with him. The only body of troops besidesCockerill’s regiment having any recognized organization was the 13th Mis-souri , which belonged to another division. All the rest were squads orindividual stragglers. In all the official reports, not a regiment or part of aregiment is described as being with him at this juncture or for several hoursbefore. Of the 9 regiments that composed the 3 brigades under his imme-diate command at the church, only 5 rendered reports, and 3 of these werefrom Buckland’s brigade. The division did not exist except in the person ofits commander. Such is the story of the official reports. The number ofmen present could not have been large. Less than 1000, including Buck-land’s 2 regiments after they were found, would have told the number thatlay on their arms in Sherman’s ranks on Sunday night.

This explains the close relation of McClernand and Sherman during thelast five hours of Sunday, and the identity of their experiences. GeneralSherman has nothing to report of his own command distinctively. Every-thing is conjunctive and general as between McClernand and himself. “ Weheld this position, General McClernand and myself acting in perfect concert.”V General McClernand and I, on consultation, selected a new line.” “ We fellback as well as we could.” “ The enemy’s cavalry charged us, and was hand-somely repulsed.” General McClernand’s account of this incident has beenquoted 011 a preceding page. When Colonel Hildebrand lost his brigade, it isnot with General Sherman that he is identified, but with McClernand, onwhose staff he served part of the day. Hildebrand seems to have been active,but not under the direction of his division commander. “About 3 o’clock,”he says, “I assumed command of a regiment already formed of fragmentaryregiments. I marched in a north-western direction, where I aided a regimentof sharp-shooters in defeating the enemy in an attempt to flank our rear.”This movement was evidently made from McClernand’s and Sherman’s seventhposition, and the troops assisted were Birge’s sharp-shooters. General Sher-man makes no mention of this significant if not important occurrence. Hisright flank was threatened, and the regiment of sharp-shooters posted in thefield near McArthur’s headquarters met, and, in conjunction with Hildebrand’stemporary regiment, repelled the danger.

We have in the official reports a good clew to the condition of McClernand’sdivision also. It was in a far better state. It was shattered and worn, butit was represented by at least some recognized following of regiments andbrigades. One of the brigades had five hundred men, and another, the com-mander reports, was “merely nominal,” not long before McClernand took uphis seventh position. In the last collision, one of the brigades becameentirely separated from the division, and did not return to it until after thebattle. Fifteen hundred, exclusive of that brigade, would cover the numberof men that rested that night under McClernand’s colors.

Hurlbut’s division was in a somewhat better condition than either of theothers. Its loss in killed and wounded was greater than McClernand’s, butit had not, like the latter, been affected in its organization by oft-repeatedshocks sustained in a cramped and embarrassing position, and his command