to witness the zeal and unselfish devotion of the people at that hour! It was manifested in gifts, in personal service and in the united demand upon the government to go steadily forward until rebellion should be destroyed! Money for the wounded was lavished like

water.

Governor Yates won anew the love of his constituency and the devoted gratitude of the soldier by his activity. He made his calls from the press and then in person saw to the care of the Illinois wounded, himself performing the menial offices of nurse. Returning to Springfield, he dispatched the Adjutant-General with arms and clothing, and again, hearing the wounded were still suffering, he took another corps of surgeons and supply of sanitary stores and ascended the Tennessee. As far and fast as possible his agents secured transportation for the wounded to their houses and to Northern hospitals.

"Major-General Halleck:

GENERAL GRANT'S REPORT.

"It becomes my duty again to report another battle fought between two great armies, one contending for the maintenance of the best government ever devised, the other for its destruction. It is pleasant to record the success of the army contending for the former principle.

Immediately

"On Sunday morning our pickets were driven in by the enemy. the five divisions stationed at this place were drawn up in line of battle, ready to meet them. The battle soon waxed warm on the left and center, varying at times to all parts of the line.

"The most continuous firing of musketry and artillery ever heard on the continent was kept up until nightfall, the enemy having forced the entire line to fall back nearly half way from their camps to the landing. At a late hour in the afternoon, a desperate effort was made by the enemy to turn our left, and get possession of the landing, transports, etc. This point was guarded by the gunboats Tyler and Lexington, Captains Gwinn and Shirk, U. S. N., commanding, four 29-pounder Parrott guns, and a battery of rifled guns. As there is a deep and impassable ravine for artillery or cavalry, and very difficult for infantry, at this point, no troops were stationed here except the necessary artillerists, and a small infantry force for their support. Just at this moment the advance of Major-General Buell's column (a part of the division of General Nelson) arrived, the two Generals named both being present. An advance was immediately made upon the point of attack, and the enemy soon driven back. In this repulse, much is due to the presence of the gunboats Tyler and Lexington, and their able commanders, Captains Gwinn and Shirk. "During the night, the divisions under Generals Crittenden and McCook arrived.

"Gen. Lew. Wallace, at Crump's Landing, six miles below, was ordered at an early hour in the morning to hold his division in readiness to move in any direction to which it might be ordered. At about 11 o'clock the order was delivered to move it up to Pittsburg, but owing to its being led by a circuitous route, did not arrive in time to take part in Sunday's action. During the night all was quiet, and feeling that a great moral advantage would be gained by becoming the attacking party, an advance was ordered as soon as day dawned. The result was a gradual repulse of the enemy at all points of the line, from morning until probably 5 o'clock in the afternoon, when it became evident the enemy was retreating.

"Before the close of the action, the advance of Gen. T. J. Wood's division arrived, in time to take part in the action. My force was too much fatigued from two days' hard fighting, and exposed in the open air to a drenching rain during the intervening night, to pursue immediately. Night closed in cloudy and with heavy rain, making the roads impracticable for artillery by the next morning. General Sherman, however, followed the enemy, finding that the main part of the army had retreated in good order. Hospitals of the enemy's wounded were found all along the road, as far as pursuit was made. Dead bodies of the enemy and many graves were also found. I enclose herewith the report of General Sherman, which will explain more fully the result of the pursuit. Of the part taken by each separate

command, I cannot take special notice in this report, but will do so more fully when reports of division commanders are handed in.

"General Buell, coming on the field with a distinct army, long under his command, and which did such efficient service, commanded by himself in person on the field, will be much better able to notice those of his command who particularly distinguished themselves, than I possibly can.

"I feel it a duty, however, to a gallant and able officer, Brigadier-General W. T. Sherman, to make a special mention. He not only was with his command during the entire of the two days' action, but displayed great judgment and skill in the management of his men. Although severely wounded in the hand the first day, his place was never vacant. He was again wounded, and had three horses killed under him.

“In making this mention of a gallant officer, no disparagement is intended to the other division commanders, Major-Generals John A. McClernand and Lew. Wallace, and Brigadier-Generals S. A. Hurlbut, B. M. Prentiss and W. H. L. Wallace, all of whom maintained their places with credit to themselves and the cause.

"Gen. Prentiss was taken prisoner in the first day's action, and Gen. W. H. L. Wallace severely, probably mortally, wounded. His Assistant Adjutant-General,

Captain William McMichael, is missing-probably taken prisoner.

"My personal staff are all deserving of particular mention, they having been engaged during the entire two days in carrying orders to every part of the field. It consists of Col. J. D. Webster, chief of Staff; Lieut.-Col. J. B. McPherson, chief engineer; assisted by Lieutenants W. L. B. Jenny and Wm. Kossac, Capt. J. A. Rawlings, A. A.-General, W. S. Hillyer, W. R. Rawley and C. B. Lagow, aids-de

camp, Col. G. G. Pride, volunteer aid, and Capt. J. P. Hawkins, chief commissary, who accompanied me upon the field.

"The medical department, under direction of Surgeon Hewitt, medical director, showed great energy in providing for the wounded, and in getting them from the field, regardless of danger.

"Col. Webster was placed in special charge of all the artillery, and was constantly upon the field. He displayed, as always heretofore, both skill and bravery. At least in one instance he was the means of placing an entire regiment in a position of doing most valuable service, and where it would not have been but for his exertions.

"Lieut.-Col. McPherson, attached to my staff as chief of engineers, deserves more than a passing notice for his activity and courage. The grounds beyond our camps

for miles have been reconnoitered by him, and plats carefully prepared under his supervision, giving accurate information of the nature of approaches to our lines. During the two days' battle he was constantly in the saddle, leading troops as they arrived to points where their services were required. During the engagement he had one horse shot under him.

"The country will have to mourn the loss of many brave men who fell at the battle of Pittsburg, or Shiloh, more properly. The exact loss in killed and wounded will be known in a day or two; at present I can only give it approximately at 1,500 killed and 3,500 wounded.

"The loss of artillery was great, many pieces being shots, and some losing all their horses and many men. less than two hundred horses killed.

disabled by the enemy's There were probably not

"The loss of the enemy, in killed and left upon the field, was greater than ours. In wounded, the estimate cannot be made, as many of them must have been sent to Corinth and other points. U. S. GRANT, Major-General."

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After his return from captivity General Prentiss published his official report which claims that all the ordinary and some extraordinary means were employed to guard against surprise. He says: "Saturday evening, pursuant to instructions, received when I was assigned to duty, the usual advanced guard was posted, and in view of information received from the commandant thereof, I sent forward five companies of the 21st Mo. Infantry, under command of Col. David Moore. I also, after consultation with Col. David Stuart, commanding a brigade of Gen. Sherman's division sent to the left one company of the 18th Wisconsin, under command of Capt. Fiske. At about 7 o'clock the same evening Col. Moore returned and reported some activity in front-an evident reconnoissance by cavalry.

"This information received, I proceeded to strengthen the guard stationed on the Corinth road, extending the picket to the front, a distance of a mile and a half, at the same time extending and doubling the lines of the grand guard.

"At 3 o'clock on the morning of Sunday, April sixth, Colonel David Moore with five companies of his infantry regiment, proceeded to the front and at break of day the advance pickets were driven in, whereupon Colonel Moore pushed forward and engaged the enemy's advance, commanded by General Hardee. At this stage a message was sent to my head-quarters calling for the balance of the 21st Mo. which was promptly sent forward."

It seems therefore that in addition to ordinary vigilance, extraordinary precaution had been employed, and at 3 o'clock, two hours and a half before the onset of the foe, a detachment of the 21st Mo. had been sent out to the front, which met and gallantly engaged the rebel advance.

Thus one by one disappear the adverse criticisms upon the Commanding Generals. They were not careless, or reckless. It is true the whole army might have been kept up and under arms on Saturday night; and then they might have moved out a few miles and met Johnston and Beauregard, and fought the battle on a different plan, but then the best military authorities recognize the right of a soldier to sleep occasionally, and consider the posting of a sufficient picket force as a competent security against surprise. What that force was, General Prentiss states in his report.

Barely in time for insertion at this point comes the annexed letter from Major-General W. T. Sherman, the hero of Atlanta and Savannah. It is written with all the benefit of his mature military experience and is entitled to great consideration. His authority relieves General Grant of no small amount of the criticism heaped upon him for the selection of the battle ground. It also, while giv ing the army under Buell all due credit, does not admit that Grant, without it, would have been defeated, but rather, as in the preceding pages, holds that the enemy had done his utmost and that Grant, instead of being defeated, was ready, on Monday morning, to assume the offensive, instead of going into the river.

GENERAL SHERMAN'S LETTER.

257

"HEAD-QUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

"Prof. Henry Coppee, Philadelphia :

"DEAR SIR:-In the June number of the United States Service Magazine I find a brief sketch of Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant, in which I see you are likely to perpetuate an error, which General Grant may not deem of sufficient importance to correct. To Gen. Buell's noble, able and gallant conduet you attribute the fact that the disaster of April 6th, at Pittsburg Landing, was retrieved and made the victory of the following day. As General Taylor is said, in his later days, to have doubted whether he was at the battle of Buena Vista at all, on account of the many things having transpired there, according to the historians, which he did not see, so I begin to doubt whether I was at the battle of Pittsburg Landing of modern description. But I was at the battles of April 6th and 7th, 1862. General Grant visited my division in person about 10 A. M., when the battle raged fiercest. I was then on the right. After some general conversation he remarked that I was doing right in stubbornly opposing the progress of the enemy; and, in answer to my inquiry as to cartridges, told me he had anticipated their want, and given orders accordingly; he then said his presence was more needed over at the left. About two in the afternoon of the 6th, the enemy materially slackened his attack on me, and about four in the afternoon I deliberately made a new line behind McArthur's drill field, placing batteries on chosen ground, repelling easily a cavalry attack, and watched the cautious appoach of the enemy's infantry, that never dislodged me there. I selected, that line in advance of a bridge across Snake creek, by which we had all day been expecting the approach of Lew. Wallace's division from Crump's Landing. About five in the evening, before the sun set, General Grant came again to me, and after hearing my report of matters, explained to me the situation of affairs on the left, which were not as favorable; still the enemy had failed to reach the landing of the boats. agreed that the enemy had expended the furore of his attack, and we estimated our loss, and approximated our then strength, including Lew. Wallace's fresh division, expected each minute. He then ordered me to get all things ready, and at daylight the next day to assume the offensive. That was before General Buell had arrived,

We