SHILOH REHIEIVED.

524

dence establishes that General Grant had not determined upon or had notpromulgated a plan of action in the morning. Not an order was given or anote of preparation sounded for the struggle which, with or without hisassistance, was to begin at daybreak. To my certain knowledge, if wordsand actions were not wholly misleading, General Sherman, when I saw himon the night of the 6th, did not consider that any instructions had been givenfor battle, and if he had such instructions he did not obey them. His reportsustains the impression which I derived from our interview. “At daylighton Monday,” he says, “ I received General Grant’s orders to advance andrecapture our original camps.” Then only it was that he dispatched severalmembers of his staff to bring up all the men they could find. Is that theway in which General Sherman would have acquitted himself of the obliga-tion of orders received the day before to engage in battle ? I answer unhesi-tatingly, No ! The reports of the other division commanders are to the sameeffect. General McClernand says: “ Your [General Grant’s] order of themorning of the 7 th for a forward movement,” etc. The hour of the deliveryof this order is indicated approximately by the following passage in thereport of Colonel Marsh:

“ At daylight on Monday morning the men in line were supplied with some provisions.While this was being done firing opened on our right, afterwards ascertained to come from aportion of General Lew Wallace ’s command. Directly afterwards, firing commenced to ourleft and front, both artillery and musketry, supposed by me to be a portion of General Buell’scommand, who, I had been informed during the night, had taken position on our left and con-siderably in advance. I now received orders from General McClernand to throw out skirmish-ers and follow with my whole command.”

We must presume that General McClernand proceeded to the execution ofGeneral Grant’s order as soon as it was received, which must then have beenafter the commencement of the battle in front of Nelson.

General Hurlbut says: “ On Monday, about 8 a. m., my division was

formed in line close to the river-bank, and I obtained a few crackers for mymen. About 9 a. m. I was ordered by General Grant to move up to the sup-port of General McClernand.” Colonel Tuttle, commanding the Second Divi-sion, acted without any orders. He says: “ O11 Monday morning I collectedall of the division that could be found, and such other detached regiments asvolunteered to join me, and formed them in column by battalion closed inmass as a reserve for General Buell.” The action of General Lew Wallace was not the result of orders, but proceeded from his own motion on discover-ing the enemy in his front at daylight across Tillman’s Hollow. While thataction was in progress, General Grant came up and gave Wallace “the direc-tion of his attack.” Nelson had been in motion an hour, and was sharplyengaged before these orders were given.

General Grant’s official reports of the battle are in accord with the subor-dinate reports upon this question. In his first telegraphic announcement ofthe battle to General Halleck, he says :

“ Yesterday the rebels attacked us here with an overwhelming force, driving our troops infrom their advanced position to near the landing. General Wallace was immediately ordered up