A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ONE OF THE GREATEST AND MOST SANGUINARY BATTLES
OF THE CIVIL WAR--TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE--GALLANT ACTION OF THE FIRST
MINNESOTA BATTERY--DEATH OF CAPT. W.H. ACKER.
The battle of Pittsburg Landing on the 6th and 7th of April, 1862, was
one of the most terrific of the many great battles of the great Civil
war. It has been likened to the battle of Waterloo. Napoleon sought to
destroy the army of Wellington before a junction could be made with
Blucher. Johnston and Beauregard undertook to annihilate the Army of
the Tennessee, under Gen. Grant, before the Army of the Cumberland,
under Buell, could come to his assistance. At the second battle of
Bull Run Gen. Pope claimed that Porter was within sound of his guns,
yet he remained inactive. At Pittsburg Landing it was claimed by
military men that Gen. Buell could have made a junction with Grant
twenty-four hours sooner and thereby saved a terrible loss of life had
he chosen to do so. Both generals were subsequently suspended from
their commands and charges of disloyalty were made against them by
many newspapers in the North. Gen. Porter was tried by court-martial
and dismissed from the service. Many years after this decision was
revoked by congress and the stigma of disloyalty removed from his
name. Gen. Buell was tried by court-martial, but the findings of the
court were never made public. Gen. Grant did not think Gen. Buell
was guilty of the charges against him, and when he became
commander-in-chief of the army in 1864 endeavored to have him restored
to his command, but the war department did not seem inclined to do so.
About two weeks before the battle of Pittsburg Landing Gen. Grant
was suspended from the command of the Army of the Tennessee by Gen.
Halleck, but owing to some delay in the transmission of the order, an
order came from headquarters restoring him to his command before he
knew that he had been suspended. Gen. Grant's success at Fort Henry
and Fort Donelson made his superiors jealous of his popularity. He was
ordered arrested by Gen. McClellan, but the order was held up by the
war department until Gen. Grant could be heard from. The reason for
his arrest was that he went to Nashville to consult with Buell without
permission of the commanding general. Dispatches sent to Grant for
information concerning his command was never delivered to him, but
were delivered over to the rebel authorities by a rebel telegraph
operator, who shortly afterward joined the Confederate forces.
Many years after the war Gen. Badeau, one of Grant's staff officers,
was in search of information for his "History of Grant's Military
Campaigns," and he unearthed in the archives of the war department the
full correspondence between Halleck, McClellan and the secretary of
war, and it was not until then that Gen. Grant learned the full extent
of the absurd accusations made against him.
After the battle of Pittsburg Landing Gen. Halleck assumed personal
command of all the forces at that point and Gen. Grant was placed
second in command, which meant that he had no command at all. This
was very distasteful to Gen. Grant and he would have resigned his
commission and returned to St. Louis but for the interposition of his
friend, Gen. W.T. Sherman. Gen. Grant had packed up his belongings
and was about to depart when Gen. Sherman met him at his tent and
persuaded him to refrain. In a short time Halleck was ordered to
Washington and Grant was made commander of the Department of West
Tennessee, with headquarters at Memphis. Gen. Grant's subsequent
career proved the wisdom of Sherman's entreaty.
When Gen. Halleck assumed command he constructed magnificent
fortifications, and they were a splendid monument to his engineering
skill, but they were never occupied. He was like the celebrated king
of France, who "with one hundred thousand men, marched up the hill and
then down again." Gen. Halleck had under his immediate command more
than one hundred thousand well equipped men, and the people of
the North looked to him to administer a crushing blow to the then
retreating enemy. The hour had arrived--the man had not.
"Flushed with the victory of Forts Henry and Donelson," said the
envious Halleck in a dispatch to the war department, previous to
the battle, "the army under Grant at Pittsburg Landing was more
demoralized than the Army of the Potomac after the disastrous defeat
of Bull Run."
Soon after the battle the venerable Gen. Scott predicted that the
war would soon be ended--that thereafter there would be nothing but
guerrilla warfare at interior points. Gen. Grant himself in his
memoirs says that had the victory at Pittsburg Landing been followed
up and the army been kept intact the battles at Stone River,
Chattanooga and Chickamauga would not have been necessary.
Probably the battle of Pittsburg Landing was the most misunderstood
and most misrepresented of any battle occurring during the war. It
was charged that Grant was drunk; that he was far away from the
battleground when the attack was made, and was wholly unprepared to
meet the terrible onslaught of the enemy in the earlier stages of the
encounter. Gen. Beauregard is said to have stated on the morning
of the battle that before sundown he would water his horses in the
Tennessee river or in hell. That the rebels did not succeed in
reaching the Tennessee was not from lack of dash and daring on their
part, but was on account of the sturdy resistance and heroism of their
adversaries. According to Gen. Grant's own account of the battle,
though suffering intense pain from a sprained ankle, he was in the
saddle from early morning till late at night, riding from division to
division, giving directions to their commanding officers regarding the
many changes in the disposition of their forces rendered necessary
by the progress of the battle. The firm resistance made by the force
under his command is sufficient refutation of the falsity of the
charges made against him. Misunderstanding of orders, want of
co-operation of subordinates as well as superiors, and rawness of
recruits were said to have been responsible for the terrible slaughter
of the Union forces on the first day of the battle.
* * * * *
The battle of Pittsburg Landing is sometimes called the battle of
Shiloh, some of the hardest lighting having been done in the vicinity
of an old log church called the Church of Shiloh, about three miles
from the landing.
The battle ground traversed by the opposing forces occupied a
semi-circle of about three and a half miles from the town of
Pittsburg, the Union forces being stationed in the form of a
semi-circle, the right resting on a point north of Crump's Landing,
the center being directly in front of the road to Corinth, and the
left extending to the river in the direction of Harrisburg--a small
place north of Pittsburg Landing. At about 2 o'clock on Sunday
morning, Col. Peabody of Prentiss' division, fearing that everything
was not right, dispatched a body of 400 men beyond the camp for the
purpose of looking after any body of men which might be lurking in
that direction. This step was wisely taken, for a half a mile advance
showed a heavy force approaching, who fired upon them with great
slaughter. This force taken by surprise, was compelled to retreat,
which they did in good order under a galling fire. At 6 o'clock the
fire had become general along the entire front, the enemy having
driven in the pickets of Gen. Sherman's division and had fallen with
vengeance upon three Ohio regiments of raw recruits, who knew nothing
of the approach of the enemy until they were within their midst. The
slaughter on the first approach of the enemy was very severe, scores
falling at every discharge of rebel guns. It soon became apparent that
the rebel forces were approaching in overwhelming numbers and there
was nothing left for them to do but retreat, which was done with
considerable disorder, both officers and men losing every particle of
their baggage, which fell into rebel hands.
At 8:30 o'clock the fight had become general, the second line of
divisions having received the advance in good order and made every
preparation for a suitable reception of the foe. At this time many
thousand stragglers, many of whom had never before heard the sound
of musketry, turned their backs to the enemy, and neither threats or
persuasion could induce them to turn back. The timely arrival of Gen.
Grant, who had hastened up from Savannah, led to the adoption of
measures that put a stop to this uncalled-for flight from the battle
ground. A strong guard was placed across the thoroughfare, with orders
to hault every soldier whose face was turned toward the river, and
thus a general stampede was prevented. At 10 o'clock the entire line
on both sides was engaged in one of the most terrible battles ever
known in this country. The roar of the cannon and musketry was without
intermission from the main center to a point extending halfway down
the left wing. The great struggle was most upon the forces which had
fallen back on Sherman's position. By 11 o'clock quite a number of the
commanders of regiments had fallen, and in some instances not a single
field officer remained; yet the fighting continued with an earnestness
that plainly showed that the contest on both sides was for death or
victory. The almost deafening sound of artillery and the rattle of
musketry was all that could be heard as the men stood silently and
delivered their fire, evidently bent on the work of destruction which
knew no bounds. Foot by foot the ground was contested, a single narrow
strip of open land dividing the opponents. Many who were maimed fell
back without help, while others still fought in the ranks until they
were actually forced back by their company officers. Finding it
impossible to drive back the center of our column, at 12 o'clock the
enemy slackened fire upon it and made a most vigorous effort on our
left wing, endeavoring to drive it to the river bank at a point about
a mile and a half above Pittsburg Landing. With the demonstration of
the enemy upon the left wing it was soon seen that all their fury was
being poured out upon it, with a determination that it should give
way. For about two hours a sheet of fire blazed both columns, the
rattle of musketry making a most deafening noise. For about an hour it
was feared that the enemy would succeed in driving our forces to the
river bank, the rebels at times being plainly seen by those on the
main landing below. While the conflict raged the hottest in this
quarter the gunboat Tyler passed slowly up the river to a point
directly opposite the enemy and poured in a broadside from her immense
guns. The shells went tearing and crashing through the woods, felling
trees in their course and spreading havoc wherever they fell. The
explosions were fearful, the shells falling far inland, and they
struck terror to the rebel force. Foiled in this attempt, they now
made another attack on the center and fought like tigers. They found
our lines well prepared and in full expectation of their coming. Every
man was at his post and all willing to bring the contest to a definite
conclusion. In hourly expectation of the arrival of reinforcements,
under Generals Nelson and Thomas of Buell's army, they made every
effort to rout our forces before the reinforcements could reach the
battle ground. They were, however, fighting against a wall of steel.
Volley answered volley and for a time the battle of the morning was
re-enacted on the same ground and with the same vigor on both sides.
At 5 o'clock there was a short cessation in the firing of the enemy,
their lines falling back on the center for about half a mile. They
again wheeled and suddenly threw their entire force upon the left
wing, determined to make the final struggle of the day in that
quarter. The gunboat Lexington in the meantime had arrived from
Savannah, and after sending a message to Gen. Grant to ascertain in
which direction the enemy was from the river, the Lexington and Tyler
took a position about half a mile above the river landing, and poured
their shells up a deep ravine reaching to the river on the right.
Their shots were thick and fast and told with telling effect. In the
meantime Gen. Lew Wallace, who had taken a circuitous route from
Crump's Landing, appeared suddenly on the left wing of the rebels. In
face of this combination the enemy felt that their bold effort was for
the day a failure and as night was about at hand, they slowly fell
back, fighting as they went, until they reached an advantageous
position, somewhat in the rear, yet occupying the main road to
Corinth. The gunboats continued to send their shells after them until
they were far beyond reach. This ended the engagement for the day.
Throughout the day the rebels evidently had fought with the Napoleonic
idea of massing their entire force on weak points of the enemy, with
the intention of braking through their lines, creating a panic and
cutting off retreat.
The first day's battle, though resulting in a terrible loss of Union
troops, was in reality a severe disappointment to the rebel leaders.
They fully expected, with their overwhelming force to annihilate
Grant's army, cross the Tennessee river and administer the same
punishment to Buell, and then march on through Tennessee, Kentucky and
into Ohio. They had conceived a very bold movement, but utterly failed
to execute it.
Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, commander of the Confederate forces,
was killed in the first day's battle, being shot while attempting to
induce a brigade of unwilling Confederates to make a charge on the
enemy.
Gen. Buell was at Columbia, Tenn., on the 19th of March with a veteran
force of 40,000 men, and it required nineteen days for him to reach
the Tennessee river, eighty-five miles distant, marching less than
five miles a day, notwithstanding the fact that he had been ordered to
make a junction with Grant's forces as soon as possible, and was well
informed of the urgency of the situation.
During the night steamers were engaged in carrying the troops of
Nelson's division across the river. As soon as the boats reached the
shore the troops immediately left, and, without music, took their way
to the advance of the left wing of the Union forces. They had come up
double quick from Savannah, and as they were regarded as veterans, the
greatest confidence was soon manifest as to the successful termination
of the battle. With the first hours of daylight it was evident that
the enemy had also been strongly reinforced, for, notwithstanding they
must have known of the arrival of new Union troops, they were first to
open the ball, which they did with considerable alacrity. The attacks
that began came from the main Corinth road, a point to which they
seemed strongly attached, and which at no time did they leave
unprotected. Within half an hour from the first firing in the morning
the contest then again spread in either direction, and both the main
and left wings were not so anxious to fight their way to the river
bank as on the previous day, having a slight experience of what they
might expect if again brought under the powerful guns of the Tyler and
Lexington. They were not, however, lacking in activity, and they
were met by our reinforced troops with an energy that they did not
anticipate. At 9 o'clock the sound of the artillery and musketry fully
equaled that of the day before. It now became evident that the rebels
were avoiding our extreme left wing, and were endeavoring to find a
weak point in our line by which they could turn our force and thus
create a panic. They left one point but to return to it immediately,
and then as suddenly would direct an assault upon a division where
they imagined they would not be expected. The fire of the united
forces was as steady as clockwork, and it soon became evident that
the enemy considered the task they had undertaken a hopeless one.
Notwithstanding continued repulses, the rebels up to 11 o'clock had
given no evidence of retiring from the field. Their firing had been as
rapid and vigorous at times as during the most terrible hours of
the previous day. Generals Grant, Buell, Nelson and Crittenden were
present everywhere directing the movements on our part for a new
strike against the foe. Gen. Lew Wallace's division on the right had
been strongly reinforced, and suddenly both wings of our army were
turned upon the enemy, with the intention of driving the immense body
into an extensive ravine. At the same time a powerful battery had been
stationed upon an open field, and they poured volley after volley into
the rebel ranks and with the most telling effect. At 11:30 o'clock the
roar of battle almost shook the earth, as the Union guns were being
fired with all the energy that the prospect of ultimate victory
inspired. The fire from the enemy was not so vigorous and they began
to evince a desire to withdraw. They fought as they slowly moved back,
keeping up their fire from their artillery and musketry, apparently
disclaiming any notion that they thought of retreating. As they
retreated they went in excellent order, halting at every advantageous
point and delivering their fire with considerable effect. At noon it
was settled beyond dispute that the rebels were retreating. They were
making but little fire, and were heading their center column for
Corinth. From all divisions of our lines they were closely pursued,
a galling fire being kept up on their rear, which they returned at
intervals with little or no effect. From Sunday morning until Monday
noon not less than three thousand cavalry had remained seated In their
saddles on the hilltop overlooking the river, patiently awaiting the
time when an order should come for them to pursue the flying enemy.
That time had now arrived and a courier from Gen. Grant had scarcely
delivered his message before the entire body was in motion. The wild
tumult of the excited riders presented a picture seldom witnessed on a
battlefield. Gen. Grant himself led the charge.
* * * * *
Gen. Grant, in his memoirs, summarizes the results of the two days'
fighting as follows: "I rode forward several miles the day of the
battle and found that the enemy had dropped nearly all of their
provisions and other luggage in order to enable them to get off with
their guns. An immediate pursuit would have resulted in the capture
of a considerable number of prisoners and probably some guns...." The
effective strength of the Union forces on the morning of the 6th was
33,000 men. Lew Wallace brought 5,000 more after nightfall. Beauregard
reported the rebel strength at 40,955. Excluding the troops who fled,
there was not with us at any time during the day more than 25,000 men
in line. Our loss in the two days' fighting was 1,754 killed, 8,408
wounded and 2,885 missing. Beauregard reported a total loss of 10,699,
of whom 1,728 were killed, 8,012 wounded and 957 missing.
On the first day of the battle Gen. Prentiss, during a change of
position of the Union forces, became detached from the rest of the
troops, and was taken prisoner, together with 2,200 of his men. Gen.
W.H.L. Wallace, division commander, was killed in the early part of
the struggle.
The hardest fighting during the first day was done in front of the
divisions of Sherman and McClernand. "A casualty to Sherman," says
Gen. Grant, "that would have taken him from the field that day would
have been a sad one for the Union troops engaged at Shiloh. And how
near we came to this! On the 6th Sherman was shot twice, once in the
hand, once in the shoulder, the ball cutting his coat and making a
slight wound, and a third ball passed through his hat. In addition to
this he had several horses shot during the day."
During the second day of the battle Gen. Grant, Col. McPherson and
Maj. Hawkins got beyond the left of our troops. There did not appear
to be an enemy in sight, but suddenly a battery opened on them from
the edge of the woods. They made a hasty retreat and when they were
at a safe distance halted to take an account of the damage. In a few
moments Col. McPherson's horse dropped dead, having been shot just
back of the saddle. A ball had passed through Maj. Hawkins' hat and a
ball had struck the metal of Gen. Grant's sword, breaking it nearly
off.
On the first day of the battle about 6,000 fresh recruits who had
never before heard the sound of musketry, fled on the approach of the
enemy. They hid themselves on the river bank behind the bluff, and
neither command nor persuasion could induce them to move. When Gen.
Buell discovered them on his arrival he threatened to fire on them,
but it had no effect. Gen. Grant says that afterward those same men
proved to be some of the best soldiers in the service.
Gen. Grant, in his report, says he was prepared with the
reinforcements of Gen. Lew Wallace's division of 5,000 men to assume
the offensive on the second day of the battle, and thought he could
have driven the rebels back to their fortified position at Corinth
without the aid of Buell's army.
* * * * *
At banquet hall, regimental reunion or campfire, whenever mention is
made of the glorious record of Minnesota volunteers in the great Civil
war, seldom, if ever, is the First Minnesota battery given credit
for its share in the long struggle. Probably very few of the present
residents of Minnesota are aware that such an organization existed.
This battery was one of the finest organizations that left the state
during the great crisis. It was in the terrible battle of Pittsburg
Landing, the siege of Vicksburg, in front of Atlanta and in the great
march from Atlanta to the sea, and in every position in which they
were placed they not only covered themselves with glory, but they were
an honor and credit to the state that sent them. The First Minnesota
battery, light artillery, was organized at Fort Snelling in the fall
of 1861, and Emil Munch was made its first captain. Shortly after
being mustered in they were ordered to St. Louis, where they received
their accoutrements, and from there they were ordered to Pittsburg
Landing, arriving at the latter place late in February, 1862. The day
before the battle, they were transferred to Prentiss' division of
Grant's army. On Sunday morning, April 6, the battery was brought out
bright and early, preparing for inspection. About 7 o'clock great
commotion was heard at headquarters, and the battery was ordered to be
ready to march at a moment's notice. In about ten minutes they were
ordered to the front, the rebels having opened fire on the Union
forces. In a very short time rebel bullets commenced to come thick and
fast, and one of their number was killed and three others wounded. It
soon became evident that the rebels were in great force in front
of the battery, and orders were issued for them to choose another
position. At about 11 o'clock the battery formed in a new position
on an elevated piece of ground, and whenever the rebels undertook to
cross the field in front of them the artillery raked them down with
frightful slaughter. Several times the rebels placed batteries In the
timber at the farther end of the field, but in each instance the
guns of the First battery dislodged them before they could get into
position. For hours the rebels vainly endeavored to break the lines
of the Union forces, but in every instance they were repulsed with
frightful loss, the canister mowing them down at close range. About 5
o'clock the rebels succeeded in flanking Gen. Prentiss and took part
of his force prisoners. The battery was immediately withdrawn to an
elevation near the Tennessee river, and it was not long before firing
again commenced and kept up for half an hour, the ground fairly
shaking from the continuous firing on both sides of the line. At
about 6 o'clock the firing ceased, and the rebels withdrew to a safe
distance from the landing. The casualties of the day were three killed
and six wounded, two of the latter dying shortly afterward. The fight
at what was known as the "hornet's nest" was most terrific, and had
not the First battery held out so heroically and valiantly the rebels
would have succeeded in forcing a retreat of the Union lines to a
point dangerously near the Tennessee river. Capt. Munch's horse
received a bullet In his head and fell, and the captain himself
received a wound in the thigh, disabling him from further service
during the battle. After Capt. Munch was wounded Lieut. Pfaender took
command of the battery, and he had a horse shot from under him during
the day. On the morning of April 7, Gen. Buell having arrived, the
battery was held in reserve and did not participate in the battle
that day. The First battery was the only organization from Minnesota
engaged in the battle, and their conduct in the fiercest of the
struggle, and in changing position in face of fire from the whole
rebel line, was such as to receive the warmest commendation from the
commanding officer. It was the first battle in which they had taken
part, and as they had only received their guns and horses a few weeks
before, they had not had much opportunity for drill work. Their
terrible execution at critical times convinced the rebels that they
had met a foe worthy of their steel.
* * * * *
Among the many thousands left dead and dying on the blood-stained
field of Pittsburg Landing there was one name that was very dear in
the hearts of the patriotic people of St. Paul,--a name that was as
dear to the people of St. Paul as was the memory of the immortal
Ellsworth to the people of Chicago. Capt. William Henry Acker, while
marching at the head of his company, with uplifted sword and with
voice and action urging on his comrades to the thickest of the fray,
was pierced in the forehead by a rebel bullet and fell dead upon the
ill-fated field.
Before going into action Capt. Acker was advised by his comrades not
to wear his full uniform, as he was sure to be a target for rebel
bullets, but the captain is said to have replied that if he had to die
he would die with his harness on. Soon after forming his command into
line, and when they had advanced only a few yards, he was singled out
by a rebel sharpshooter and instantly killed--the only man in the.
company to receive fatal injuries. "Loved, almost adored, by the
company," says one of them, writing of the sad event, "Capt. Acker's
fall cast a deep shadow of gloom over his command." It was but for
a moment. With a last look at their dead commander, and with the
watchword 'this for our captain,' volley after volley from their guns
carried death into the ranks of his murderers. From that moment but
one feeling seemed to possess his still living comrades--that of
revenge for the death of their captain. How terribly they carried out
that purpose the number of rebel slain piled around the vicinity of
his body fearfully attest.
The announcement of the death of Capt. Acker was a very severe blow to
his relatives and many friends in this city. No event thus far in the
history of the Rebellion had brought to our doors such a realizing
sense of the sad realities of the terrible havoc wrought upon the
battlefield. A noble life had been sacrificed in the cause of
freedom--one more name had been added to the long death roll of the
nation's heroes.
Capt. Acker was born a soldier--brave, able, popular and
courteous--and had he lived would undoubtedly been placed high in rank
long before the close of the rebellion. No person ever went to the
front in whom the citizens of St. Paul had more hope for a brilliant
future. He was born in New York State in 1833, and was twenty-eight
years of age at the time of his death. He came to St. Paul in 1854 and
commenced the study of law in the office of his brother-in-law, Hon.
Edmund Rice. He did not remain long in the law business, however, but
soon changed to a position in the Bank of Minnesota, which had just
been established by ex-Gov. Marshall. For some time he was captain of
the Pioneer Guards, a company which he was instrumental in forming,
and which was the finest military organization in the West at
that time. In 1860 he was chosen commander of the Wide-Awakes, a
marching-club, devoted to the promotion of the candidacy of Abraham
Lincoln, and many of the men he so patiently drilled during that
exciting campaign became officers in the volunteer service in that
great struggle that soon followed. Little did the captain imagine at
that time that the success of the man whose cause he espoused would so
soon be the means of his untimely death. At the breaking out of the
war Capt. Acker was adjutant general of the State of Minnesota, but he
thought he would be of more use to his country in active service and
resigned that position and organized a company for the First Minnesota
regiment, of which he was made captain. At the first battle of Bull
Run he was wounded, and for his gallant action was made captain in
the Seventeenth United States Regulars, an organization that had
been recently created by act of congress. The Sixteenth regiment was
attached to Buell's army, and participated in the second day's battle,
and Cat. Acker was one of the first to fall on that terrible day,
being shot in the identical spot in the forehead where he was wounded
at the first battle of Bull Run. As soon as the news was received in
St. Paul of the captain's death his father, Hon. Henry Acker, left for
Pittsburg Landing, hoping to be able to recover the remains of his
martyred son and bring the body back to St. Paul. His body was easily
found, his burial place having been carefully marked by members of the
Second Minnesota who arrived on the battleground a short time after
the battle. When the remains arrived in St. Paul they were met at
the steamboat landing by a large number of citizens and escorted to
Masonic hall, where they rested till the time of the funeral. The
funeral obsequies were held at St. Paul's church on Sunday, May 4,
1862, and were attended by the largest concourse of citizens that
had ever attended a funeral in St. Paul, many being present from
Minneapolis, St. Anthony and Stillwater. The respect shown to the
memory of Capt. Acker was universal, and of a character which fully
demonstrated the high esteem in which he was held by the people of St.
Paul.
When the first Grand Army post was formed in St. Paul a name
commemorative of one of Minnesota's fallen heroes was desired for the
organization. Out of the long list of martyrs Minnesota gave to the
cause of the Union no name seemed more appropriate than that of the
heroic Capt. Acker, and it was unanimously decided that the first
association of Civil war veterans in this city should be known as
Acker post.