of the Tennessee river. It is in itself of little importance, being
close to Savannah, which is a flourishing post village of Hardin county,
situated on the eastern side of the river. The Landing is about one
hundred and twenty miles from Nashville; nearly one hundred miles from
Columbia, on the Nashville and Decatur railroad; by a turnpike road,
crossing the river at a ferry, about twenty-five miles from Corinth. The
country is very wild, the surface rising on both sides of the river in a
gradual ascent.
Savannah is the capital of Hardin county. Previous to the rebellion it
had been a place of considerable business note. The population in 1853
was only eight hundred, but it had been greatly increased. The area of
the county is about six hundred and fifty miles. The Tennessee river
flows through it, dividing it into nearly equal parts. The river is
navigable for steamboats through the entire county, which has a
population of over ten thousand persons, nine-tenths of whom are free.
General Grant proceeded at once to Savannah, where his headquarters were
established. The divisions of his army were sent gradually to Pittsburg,
and had not all arrived when the assault was made. No defences had been
erected, and the possibility of an attack from the Confederates had not
been for a moment entertained. On the 5th of April Buell left Nashville
and arrived at Savannah the same day. The division of his army under
Nelson was on the battle field on the sixth, at five P. M.
The Confederates had for some time intended to attack Grant before Buell
could join him, and on hearing of his near approach they hastened the
action, without waiting for their own reinforcements. This bold movement
was made just one day too late.
POSITION OF THE FEDERAL TROOPS.
Pittsburg Landing is simply a narrow ravine, down which a road passes to
the river bank, between high bluffs on either side. There is no town
whatever. Two log huts comprise all the signs of habitation visible.
Back from the river is a rolling country, cut up with numerous ravines,
partially under cultivation, but the greater portion is thickly wooded
with large patches of underbrush. From the Landing a road leads directly
to Corinth, twenty miles distant. A mile or two out, this road forks;
one branch is known as the lower Corinth road; the other, the Corinth
ridge road. A short distance out, another road curves off to the left,
crosses Lick Creek, and leads back to the river at Hamburg, some miles
up the stream. On the right, two separate roads lead off to Purdy, and
another, a new one, runs across Snake Creek to Crump’s Landing on the
river below. Besides these, the whole country that composed the
battle-field was cut up with roads leading to different camps.
On and between these roads, at distances of from two to five miles from
Pittsburg Landing, lay several divisions of Major-General Grant’s army
on Sunday morning. The advance line was formed by three
divisions—Brigadier-General Sherman’s, Brigadier-General Prentiss’ and
Major-General McClernand’s. Between these and the Landing lay the forces
of Brigadier-General Hurlbut and Major-General Smith, who, being absent
from severe illness, left his command to Brigadier-General W. H. L.
Wallace.
The Union advance line, beginning at the extreme left, was thus
formed:—On the Hamburg road, just north of the crossing of Lick creek,
and under bluffs on the opposite bank that commanded the position, lay
Colonel D. Stuart’s brigade of General Sherman’s division. Some three or
four miles distant from this brigade, on the lower Corinth road, between
that and the road to Purdy, lay the remaining brigades of Sherman’s
division, McDowell’s forming the extreme right of the whole advance
line. Hildebrand’s came next to it, and Buckland’s following. Next to
Buckland’s brigade, though rather behind a portion of Sherman’s, lay
Major-General McClernand’s division, and between it and Stuart’s
brigade, already mentioned as forming the extreme left,
Brigadier-General Prentiss’ division completed the line.
Back of this line, within a mile of the Landing, lay Hurlbut’s division,
stretching across the Corinth road, with W. H. L. Wallace’s to his
right. Such was the position of the Union troops at Pittsburg Landing at
daybreak on Sunday morning. Major-General Lew. Wallace’s division
arrived at about half-past seven o’clock that day.
Nearly four miles intervened between the different parts of Sherman’s
division. McClernand’s lay partially behind Sherman, and there was a gap
between him and Prentiss, which the rebels did not fail speedily to
find. The extreme left was commanded by unguarded heights, easily
approached from Corinth.
The secession army was commanded by General Johnston; Beauregard was
second in command. The three army corps were led by Hardee, Polk, and
Bragg. Breckinridge commanded the reserve.
On the evening of Friday, April 4, there had been a preliminary skirmish
with the enemy’s advance. Rumors reached the Union camp that some
officers had been taken prisoners by a considerable rebel force, near
the lines, and that pickets had been firing. A brigade, the Seventieth,
Seventy-second and Forty-eighth Ohio regiments, was sent out to
ascertain the facts. They came upon a party of rebels, perhaps a
thousand strong, and after a sharp action drove them off, losing Major
Crocket, of the Seventy-second Ohio, and two lieutenants from the
Seventieth were taken prisoners. In return the Union party took sixteen
prisoners, and drove the rebels back to a battery which they had placed
undiscovered at no great distance from the Federal lines. General Lew.
Wallace’s troops, at Crump’s Landing, were ordered out under arms; they
marched to Adamsville, half way between the river and Purdy, to hold
position there and resist any attack in that direction. The long rainy
night passed drearily and uncomfortably, but no further hostile
demonstrations were made, and it was generally supposed that the affair
had been an ordinary picket fight, presaging nothing more. On Saturday
there was more skirmishing along the advanced lines.
The secession leaders at Corinth knew that they largely outnumbered
Grant, and that no measures had been taken to strengthen the position at
Pittsburg Landing; they knew equally well, that when Buell’s entire
Kentucky army was added to Grant’s forces, they could not possibly
expect to hold their important position at Corinth. Their only hope lay
in attacking Grant before Buell arrived, and defeating his troops in
detail.
During Friday and Saturday the enemy had marched out of Corinth, about
seventy thousand strong, in three lines of battle; the first and second
extending from Owl Creek on the left to Lick Creek on the right—a
distance of about three miles, supported by the third and the reserve.
The first line, under Major-General Hardee, was constituted of his
corps, augmented on his right by Gladden’s brigade, of Major-General
Bragg’s corps, deployed in line of battle, with their respective
artillery, following immediately by the main road to Pittsburg, and the
cavalry in rear of the wings. The second line, composed of the other
troop of Bragg’s corps, followed Hardee at a distance of five hundred
yards, in the same order as the first. The army corps under General Polk
followed the second line, at the distance of about eight hundred yards,
in lines of brigades, deployed with their batteries in rear of each
brigade, moving by the Pittsburg road, the left wing supported by
cavalry. The reserve, under Brigadier-General Breckinridge, followed
closely the third line, in the same order, its right wing supported by
cavalry.
THE BATTLE ON SUNDAY.
As if in beautiful contrast with the terrible scenes that were soon to
follow, the holy Sabbath-day which dawned on the sixth of April was one
of unusual loveliness. The soft spring sunshine lay upon the green
slopes, breaking up their delicate green with a thousand fleeting
shadows flung downward by the young leaves. A gentle, pleasant wind
shook the budding branches, and happy birds were singing their
love-tunes in the underbrush, a touching prelude to the stern battle
music that soon put them to flight. A few fleecy clouds wreathed
themselves along the serene blue of the sky, and floated idly over the
battle field, casting transparent shadows now in some green hollow, then
upon a hill slope, till the whole field smiled like an Eden—smiled even
after the cannon belched their thunders over it. While the morning dew
was yet on the grass, the enemy began pouring the fire and smoke of a
most deadly strife over this lovely scene.
The attack commenced so suddenly and with such bitter violence, that the
enemy’s artillery was brought to bear on the outer camps almost
simultaneously with the arrival of the pickets they had driven in.
The divisions of Sherman and Prentiss, composed in a great part of
inexperienced troops, were selected and compelled to meet the first
shock of the enemy’s onset. Much confusion and panic was occasioned by
the sudden and unexpected attack, from which neither corps was able
fully to recover during the day. Both commanders exerted themselves with
bravery and skill in the trying crisis, and were soon enabled to bring
the greater part of their troops into line of battle, and check the
advance of the Confederate forces, which were then devastating the
Federal camps.
It is impossible to describe the fearful scenes that followed the first
wild onset of the enemy. Many of the sick and wounded, and the more
tardy officers and men were shot in their tents and left for dead, lying
through the whole of this fearful struggle, gasping in their agony. On
Monday evening some of these poor fellows were found in the riddled
tents, scarcely able to ask for the drink for which they were perishing.
But the Union forces were not long held at this terrible disadvantage.
As the enemy advanced in force on Sherman’s centre, and a battery opened
fire in the woods, shelling the Federal camp, the Unionists were in a
condition to respond with emphasis. Taylor’s and Waterhouse’s batteries
met this first regular attack.
Under cover of their artillery, the rebel advance, by heavy battalions
of infantry, was made obliquely to the left, across the open field in
front of the Fifty-third Ohio, while solid columns came in, direct upon
Sherman’s front. Immediately the entire line opened fire, and the battle
became general. The enemy’s design was to left-flank Sherman. To this
end he flung himself with terrific force upon Prentiss. Directly the
sound of musketry and artillery announced that Prentiss was engaged, and
at nine A. M. he was falling back. About this time Appler’s regiment
broke, followed by Munger’s regiment, and the enemy pressed forward on
Waterhouse’s battery, exposed by the disordered retreat. The three
Illinois regiments in immediate support of this battery stood for some
time, but the enemy’s advance was so impetuous and his fire so terrific
that they began to waver. While the Forty-third Illinois was in the
thickest of the iron storm, Colonel Raith received a severe wound and
fell from his horse. This threw his regiment into some disorder, and the
enemy got possession of three guns of Waterhouse’s battery.
Although the left was thus turned, and the enemy pressing the whole
line, Colonels McDowell and Buckland held their ground until ten
o’clock, A. M., when the enemy had got his artillery to the rear of the
Union left flank, and some changes became absolutely necessary. Two
regiments of Hildebrand’s brigade—Appler’s and Munger’s—had already
disappeared to the rear, and Hildebrand’s own regiment was in disorder.
Taylor’s battery—still at Shiloh—received orders to fall back as far as
the Purdy and Hamburg road; and McDowell and Buckland were directed to
adopt that road as their new line. Behr’s battery at the cross-roads,
was ordered immediately to come into battery action right. As Captain
Behr gave the order, he was shot from his horse, when the drivers and
gunners fled in confusion, carrying off the caissons, and abandoning
five out of the six guns. The enemy pressed on after gaining this
battery, and the Unionists were again forced to choose a line of
defence. Hildebrand’s brigade had substantially disappeared from the
field, though he himself bravely remained. McDowell’s and Buckland’s
brigades still maintained their organizations, and joined McClernand’s
right, thus abandoning the original camps and line.
General Prentiss, too, brave, eager, and resolute to retrieve lost
ground, reformed his lines under the hot fire of the enemy, without a
choice of position, and in the full raking fire of the foe, hid in the
scrub oak jungles, which gave them secure covert. If his troops had
cowered at first, the remainder of his division held their position and
braved the galling fire it was impossible to return with the heroism of
old veterans. Hildebrand and McDowell were compelled to withdraw their
brigades from their camps to a ravine behind them, but they made a
gallant defence, while Buckland’s men fell back, and McClernand threw
forward his left, supporting them.
It is hardly to be wondered that the raw regiments broke under this
appalling fire, before which veteran troops were powerless to stand. Yet
it must be said that Hildebrand’s brigade gave way with unreasonable
panic. Colonel Hildebrand himself was cool and self-possessed as any man
that ever led a hostile force. He made a powerful effort to keep his
troops in place when he saw them giving way; but the power of a single
man is unavailing when panic seizes the masses. Still this brave hero
kept his individual regiment in force a full hour after Appler’s and
Munger’s regiments had retired from their proper field of action, and
thus a larger portion of his forces were scattered and drifted away from
the contest.
Prentiss still fought valiantly, but down on either flank came the enemy
in an overwhelming rush, and a wall of bayonets closed him in on either
side. It was an appalling situation. The enemy made vigorous use of his
advantage. They had driven two divisions from their camps and nearly
opened a passage to the river. Here it was, between nine and ten
o’clock, that McArthur’s brigade of W. H. L. Wallace’s division came up
to give assistance to Stuart’s brigade, of Sherman’s division, now in
imminent danger of being cut off. Mistaking the way, McArthur marched
far to the right, and instead of reaching Stuart, came in on the other
side of the rebels, now closely pushing Prentiss. His men at once opened
vigorously on the enemy, and for a time they seemed likely to save the
imperilled division. But coming unawares upon the enemy, their positions
were not well chosen, and the whole force was compelled to fall back
together.
HURLBUT’S DIVISION.
Hurlbut’s division, in reserve, saved the first repulse from proving an
absolute defeat, by offering a line behind which the discomfited
divisions of Sherman and Prentiss could reform, while his solid ranks
were a wall of steel against which the enemy could not prevail. The
General, in his report, says of their five hours’ service:
“Receiving from General Prentiss a pressing request for aid, I took
command in person of the first and third brigades, respectively
commanded by Colonel N. G. Williams, of the Third Iowa, and
Brigadier-General Lauman. The first brigade consisted of the Third Iowa,
Forty-first Illinois, Twenty-eighth Illinois and Thirty-second Illinois.
The third brigade was composed of the Thirty-first and Forty-fourth
Indiana, the Seventeenth and Twenty-fifth Kentucky.
“In addition, I took with me the first and second battalions of the
Fifth Ohio cavalry; Mann’s light battery of four pieces commanded by
first Lieutenant E. Brotzmann; Ross’ battery of the Second Michigan; and
Meyer’s battery of the Thirteenth Ohio.
“I formed my line of battle—the first brigade thrown to the front on the
southerly side of a large open field—the third brigade continuing the
line with an obtuse angle around the other side of the field, and
extending some distance into the brush and timber. Mann’s battery was
placed in the angle of the lines, Ross’ battery some distance to the
left, and the Thirteenth Ohio battery on the right, and somewhat
advanced in cover of the timber, so as to concentrate the fire upon the
open ground in front, and waited for the attack.”
At half-past seven o’clock, when Brigadier-General Sherman was attacked
in force and heavily upon his left, Colonel I. C. Veatch, commanding the
second brigade of General Hurlbut’s division, was ordered to proceed to
the left of General Sherman. This brigade, consisting of the
Twenty-fifth Indiana, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Forty-sixth Illinois,
was in march in ten minutes, arrived on General Sherman’s left and went
into action rapidly. In a few minutes they were in line of battle, and
moving forward to the attack. But the brigade had hardly left the camp
before it found the roads full of flying Unionists, and the route for
two miles was strewn with guns, knapsacks, and blankets. The front had
been completely surprised; nearly a whole division was scattered and
retreating in utter confusion, and the enemy in force was already a mile
within the Federal camps. The brigade, under command of Colonel Veatch,
was drawn up in line of battle in a skirt of timber, bordering a large
field, on the outer edge of which the Federal troops were engaging the
enemy. But the enemy pressed on in overwhelming force, and just as the
troops in front began to waver, they discovered that he had flanked
Veatch on the right and was rapidly advancing to attack the brigade on
the right and rear.
The Fifteenth Illinois was on the right, the Fourteenth Illinois in the
centre, and the Twenty-fifth Indiana on the left—the other regiment, the
Forty-sixth Illinois, by the rapid flanking of the enemy became detached
from the brigade, and was not with it again during the action. This
brought the first fire upon the Fifteenth Illinois, which stood it
nobly, but was soon overpowered; the Fourteenth followed with a like
result. In the mean time the troops in front and on the left were
completely routed by the enemy, and came pell mell through the Union
lines, causing some little confusion. Hardly had they passed through to
the rear before the enemy came rushing on, and the fire of musketry
became terrific. There was no resisting this fiery onset short of
annihilation; so with a few well-directed volleys the brigade left the
field. The loss was very heavy. All the field officers of the
Twenty-fifth Illinois were killed instantly; two lieutenants were killed
and three wounded.
M’CLERNAND’S DIVISION.
McClernand’s division lay a short distance in the rear, and with one
brigade stretching out to the left of Sherman’s line. Properly speaking,
merely from the location of the camp, he did not belong to the front
line. Two-thirds of his division were entirely behind Sherman. But as
the latter fell back, McClernand was compelled to bear the shock of
battle.
His division was composed as follows:—First brigade, Colonel Hare
commanding, Eighth and Eighteenth Illinois, Eleventh and Thirteenth
Iowa; Second brigade, Colonel C. C. Marsh commanding, Eleventh,
Twentieth, Forty-eighth and Forty-fifth Illinois, Colonels Ransom,
Marsh, Haynie and Smith (the latter was the “Lead Mine regiment”); Third
brigade, Colonel Raith commanding, Seventeenth, Twenty-ninth and
Forty-ninth Illinois, Lieutenant-Colonels Wood, Farrell and Pease, and
Forty-third Illinois, Colonel Marsh. Besides this fine show of
experienced troops, they had Schwartz’s, Dresser’s, McAllister’s and
Waterhouse’s batteries.
McClernand was at once in the hottest of the fight. As Buckner’s brigade
fell back, the protecting woods grew thinner and storms of grape swept
over them like the blasts of a tornado. Lieutenant-Colonel Canfield,
commanding the Seventy-second Ohio, was mortally wounded, and borne
dying from the field. Colonel Sullivan, of the Forty-eighth Ohio, was
wounded, but continued at the head of his men. Company officers fell in
numbers and were carried away from the field. The rebels, by a sudden
dash, had taken part of Waterhouse’s battery, which McClernand had sent
over. Behr’s battery, too, was taken, and Taylor’s Chicago Light
Artillery was terribly exposed, and compelled to retire with heavy loss.
As the troops gave way they came out from the open woods into old
fields, completely raked by the enemy’s fire. For them all was lost, and
away went Buckner’s and Hildebrand’s brigades, Ohioans and Illinoisans
together, to the rear and right.
McDowell’s brigade had fallen back less slowly than its two companions
of the same division. It was now left entirely alone. Having formed the
extreme right, it had no support there; its supporting brigades on the
left had gone; and through the space they had occupied the rebels were
pouring furiously. In imminent danger of being entirely cut off, they
fell back among the ravines that border Snake creek.
Sherman was indefatigable in collecting and reorganizing his men, and a
contest was kept up along portions of his new lines. The General bore
with him one token of the danger to which he had so recklessly exposed
himself—a musket ball through the hand. It was a miracle that he escaped
so slightly, for his courage had been conspicuous. He had dared death
fifty times since the attack was made on his raw division that memorable
Sunday morning.
Now the great force of the enemy fell on McClernand’s right. As Sherman
fell back, McClernand was compelled to bring in his brigades to protect
his left against the onset of the rebels, who, seeing how he had
weakened himself, hurled themselves against him with tremendous force. A
couple of new regiments, the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Iowa, were brought
up; but taking utterly raw troops on the field, under heavy fire, was
too severe a trial, and they gave way in confusion. Then the whole
division made a change of front, and faced along the Corinth road. Here
the batteries were placed in position, and till ten o’clock the rebels
were foiled in every attempt to gain the road.
But Sherman having now fallen back there was nothing to prevent the
enemy from coming in further out on the road, and turning McClernand’s
right. Prompt to seize the advantage, a rebel brigade dashed audaciously
through the abandoned camp of the division, pushing up the road in order
to come in above McClernand. Where Sherman had been, a battery of rifled
guns was turned upon them, hurling fearful slaughter in their midst and
driving them back.
But the enemy managed his reserves with great skill. A constant advance
of fresh regiments proved overwhelming, and the storm of death swept
many a brave Union officer away. Death after death was proclaimed,
disaster followed disaster with disheartening quickness.
This was about half-past ten A. M., at which time the enemy had made a
furious attack on General McClernand’s whole front. He struggled
determinedly; but finding him severely pressed, Sherman moved McDowell’s
brigade directly against the left flank of the enemy, forced him back
some distance, and then directed the men to avail themselves of every
cover—trees, fallen timber, and a wooded valley to the right. The
brigade held this position for four long hours, sometimes gaining and at
others losing ground, Generals McClernand and Sherman acting in perfect
concert, and struggling to maintain this line.
By eleven o’clock, many of the commanders of regiments had fallen, and
in some cases not a single field officer remained; yet the fighting
continued with desperate earnestness—the fearful contest on both sides
was for death or victory. The almost deafening sound of artillery, and
the rattle of the musketry, were all that could be heard. The men stood
and bravely delivered their fire, regardless of the thunders of
artillery and the storm of iron missiles that raked through them. Foot
by foot the ground was contested. The wounded fell in heaps on the
battle field. There was no easy transportation at hand, but such means
as the soldiers could invent were adopted, and their wounded comrades
carried to the rear. Many who were hurt fell back without help, while
others fought in the ranks until they were actually forced back by their
company officers.