528

SHILOH REVIEWED.

and especially the brigade of Colonel Stuart, which had been separated from the division allthe day before; and at the appointed time the division, or, rather, what remained of it, withthe 13th Missouri and other fragments, marched forward and reoccupied the ground on theextreme right of General McClernand’s camp, where we attracted the tire of a battery locatednear Colonel McDowell’s former headquarters. Here I remained patiently waiting for thesound of General Buell’s advance upon the main Corinth road. About 10 a. m. the heavyfiring in that direction and its steady approach satisfied me, and General Wallace being onour right flank with his well-conducted division, I led the head of my column to GeneralMcClernand’s right, formed line of battle, facing south, with Buckland’s brigade directlyacross the ridge, and Stuart’s brigade on its right in the woods, and thus advanced slowlyand steadily under a heavy fire of musketry and artillery.”

The contest thus inaugurated in and around McClernand’s camp involvedthe whole of Grant’s available force and McCook’s division of the Army ofthe Ohio, and continued with great violence from 10 until 4 o’clock. Thesignificant facts connected with it are, the narrowness of the space coveredby the interior divisions,—McClernand’s, Hurlbut’s, and Sherman’s,— thelapping over them by McCook, so as to form, in fact, a connection with thedivision of Wallace on the extreme right, and the decisive part ascribed toMcCook’s division in that part of the field in the reports of McClernand,Wallace , and Sherman. General McClernand says:

“ Here one of the severest conflicts ensued that occurred during the two days. We drove theenemy back ... to the edge of a field . . . where reserves came to his support. Our

position at this moment was most critical, and a repulse seemed inevitable; but fortunately theLouisville Legion, forming part of General Rousseau’s brigade, came up at my request andsuccored me. Extending and strengthening my line, this gallant body poured into the enemy’sranks one of the most terrible fires I ever witnessed. Thus breaking its [his] center, it [he]fell back in disorder, and thenceforth he was beaten at all points.”

Wallace mentions particularly an important service rendered to the leftof his division at a crisis in its operations, by one of McCook’s regiments.

Colonel McGinnis, of the 11th Indiana, whose regiment was on Wallace ’sextreme left, describes this incident as follows:

“At 2:30 o’clock I discovered that the Federal forces on our left were falling back and therebels advancing, and that they were nearly in rear of our left flank. I immediately notifiedyou [the brigade commander] of their position, changed front with our left wing, opened ourfire upon them, and sent to you for assistance. During this the most trying moment to us ofthe day, I received your order to fall back if it got too hot for us. . . . Fortunately and

much to our relief, at this critical moment the 32d Indiana , Colonel Willich, came up on ourleft, and with their assistance the advancing enemy was compelled to retire.”

General Sherman says:

“ We advanced until we reached the point where the Corinth road crosses the line of McCler-nand’s camp, and here I saw for the first time the well-ordered and compact columns of GeneralBuell’s Kentucky forces, whose soldierly movements at once gave confidence to our newer andless-disciplined forces. Here I saw Willich’s regiment advance upon a point of water-oaks andthicket, behind which I knew the enemy was in great strength, and enter it in beautiful style.Then arose the severest musketry fire I ever heard, which lasted some twenty minutes, whenthis splendid regiment had to fall back. This green point of timber is about five hundred yardseast of Shiloh Meeting House, and it was evident that here was to be the struggle. The enemycould be seen forming his lines to the south. . . . This was about 2 o’clock P. M. Willich ’sregiment had been repulsed, but a whole brigade of McCook’s division advanced beautifully,deployed, and entered this dreaded woods. . . . Rousseau’s brigade moved in splendid ordersteadily to the front, sweeping everything before it.”