Leaderboard

Of more importance to the Battle of Shiloh is the observation of General Bragg as to the condition of the Confederate Army concentrating in Corinth. Bragg was appalled at the supply situation and the discipline of the troops. He called them, "a mob" and not an Army. He was ordered to get them some training and to do his best to prepare them for Battle. Their weapons were inferior. They had plenty of cannons, but not enough trained crews to man them. A point to make for the Battle of Shiloh-- Johnston went in on a hope and a prayer that surprise and the bayonet would win the day. Braxton Bragg agreed with that after what he witnessed. Not saying the Southerners were not brave or worthy, just that they were thrown into Battle with little formal training and a lack of needed supplies-- Class A firearms one of them...

i wish the men that enlisted at savannah was accessable.i cant find it anywhere.. i wonder if his father ,phillip, survived the war he's death date is?? on find a grave. interesting .

The following two letters were written by 17 year old Private M. E. Wescott to his mother in Farmington, Wisconsin. Ebenezer and his school friend, Samuel McClements, decided one day to wag school, run away and join a Wisconsin regiment (and must have lied about their ages to enlist without parental permission.) Briefly at Camp Randall, the two lads were soon underway with their regiment, bound for St. Louis. But, while the rest of the regiment went into camp at Benton Barracks, Company E boarded the steamer Imperial, departed St. Louis end of March, and arrived at Pittsburg Landing about four days later. References: https://archive.org/details/civilwarletters100wesc/page/n2 Civil War Letters by M. Ebenezer Wescott https://archive.org/details/rosterofwisconsi02wisco/page/64 Roster of Wisconsin Regiments https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/dmr/id/15002/rec/3165 Daily Missouri Republican of 29 MAR 1862 reporting departure of steamer Imperial

17th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, aka "The Wisconsin Irish Brigade" The 17th Wisconsin, consisting of a majority of men with Irish Last names, began forming at the end of 1861. (One man who intended to join the regiment as Quartermaster with rank of Second Lieutenant was Thomas Reynolds; but there were prolonged delays, and an opportunity presented that caused Reynolds to transfer to the 16th Wisconsin and be rewarded with rank of Major.) On 15 March 1862 the 17th Regiment was mustered into service at Camp Randall… but immediately, there was a problem: the newly mustered soldiers believed they were entitled to pay for enlisting; and they refused to leave Camp Randall until that pay was received. Colonel Doran talked to his men; and then Governor Harvey talked to the men; and over the course of three days, convinced them that the money owing would be paid in St. Louis. Whiskey flowed freely, and it appears the 17th Wisconsin made its way to St. Louis in dribs and drabs: about 400 in the first group, then 150 in the second group, and the final “mutineers” (upon learning that Mulligan’s Regiment was on its way from Chicago “to deal with them”) gave up their struggle and boarded the cars for St. Louis. During the delayed departure, a barracks burned on March 19th, killing one private outright (and another soldier died of his injuries shortly afterwards.) It appears the first elements of the 17th Wisconsin began arriving at St. Louis on March 25th 1862. The men of Company E were on hand March 26th and were assigned detached duty from the straggling 17th Wisconsin on board the steamer, Imperial. The relatively new paddle steamer appears to have arrived at St. Louis on March 25 or 26, but Imperial did not leave until March 28th. And this “lingering about St. Louis” tends to indicate “special cargo” (either provisions, ammunition, beef cattle or mules or wagons.) The men of Company E (and possibly Company H, as well) stopped at Cairo; was manifested to stop at Paducah; and arrived at Pittsburg Landing before April 3rd. If the cargo was mules or beef cattle, those may have been unloaded at the holding pen at Metal Landing, just south of Fort Henry. Any other cargo was likely transported to Pittsburg Landing (and the men of the 17th Wisconsin, Company E (and possibly Company H) unloaded that cargo there. The Imperial departed, and is reported as having arrived at St. Louis by April 8th (only to depart again on April 9th for service back at Pittsburg Landing as Hospital Boat.) The men on detached service from the 17th Wisconsin are recorded as joining the Second Division (McArthur’s Brigade) and were likely present during the Battle of Shiloh. But there is no evidence of “how active” were the contributions provided by Companies E or H in the fight of April 6 or 7. First problem: there are no casualties recorded. Only Private Ebenezer Wescott’s letters indicate limited participation by “some men” of the 17th Wisconsin (possibly in conjunction with McArthur’s force, or perhaps attached to the 16th Wisconsin in vicinity of the Hornet’s Nest); and if so engaged, that 17th Wisconsin contribution was led by First Lieutenant James McDermott Roe. The Captain of Company E (John McGowan) disappeared during the Battle of Shiloh… as did a number of men of the Companies E and H (two from Co. E and five from Co. H are recorded as deserters at this time.) Captain McGowan eventually turned up, but he subsequently resigned his commission in July 1862, changed his name to McGourin, and lived quietly in Washington State until his death in 1900. Meanwhile, Colonel Doran and the bulk of his 17th Wisconsin arrived at St. Louis and went into camp at Benton Barracks until about 10 April 1862. Transported to Pittsburg Landing by middle of April, the Regiment joined the Sixth Division (BGen McKean) and Colonel Doran took command of the 1st Brigade (Peabody’s Brigade.) Attached to the 1st Brigade were the 16th Wisconsin, 17th Wisconsin, 21st Missouri and 25th Missouri. LtCol Adam Malloy took command of the 17th Wisconsin in Colonel Doran’s absence. And the Wisconsin Irish Brigade joined the Siege of Corinth. References: http://genealogytrails.com/wis/military/cw/17thWIInfReg.html 17th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry rosters and casualty records http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/quiner/id/18036/show/17678/rec/75 Quiner's Scrapbooks (pages 25 - 35) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50481045/john-mcgourin Captain John "McGowan" McGourin at find-a-grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43664851/james-mcdermott-roe Then- Lieutenant James McDermott Roe of Company E 17th Wisconsin who is credited by M. Ebenezer Wescott with "leading Company E at Battle of Shiloh." Roe was promoted to Captain, and was wounded at Vicksburg. When his term of service with the 17th Wisconsin expired, he joined the newly-organized 189th Ohio Infantry as Lieutenant Colonel.

Fifty years after the end of the Civil War, an astute author realized that the men who had made History, and their stories were in imminent danger of being lost forever. So, Mamie Yeary set out across Texas (and had manuscripts sent her) to record as many “average Johnnies” as possible. Their stories, brief and poignant, leave the reader “wishing for more” …which may be possible, because many kept diaries; and almost all wrote letters during the war. And, with a name (and combat unit designation) we now have a starting point… especially for the scores of Confederate Shiloh veterans who made these pages: https://archive.org/details/reminiscencesofbv1year/page/1 Reminiscences of the Boys in Gray (1912) by Mamie Yeary. https://archive.org/details/reminiscencesofb00year/page/n5 Reminiscences (Vol.2) [See pages 428 - 9 William Lee 6th Arkansas; pp.515 - 7 John Middleton 23rd Tennessee, for examples of what is available by searching for "Shiloh." Also, pp. 884 - 890 lists almost every skirmish and battle in Tennessee (and surrounding pages list almost every skirmish, action and battle in every State during the 1861 - 1865 War.)]

very interesting...many of whom were originally from tenn moved to tx after the war

Mona Thanks for having a look at the Mankato article IRT the Battle of Shiloh (but focusing on the performance of Munch's 1st Minnesota Battery.) The info concerning Munch and Pfaender and Peebles is quite good, and some of it was new to me. But the general background relating the Battle of Shiloh: at least eleven errors... Ouch!

well the council of war was at corinth/bark road but there is not a church there.and the wqriting leads the reader to believe the fedreal troops held their ground at the dawn battle but they were pushed behind their camp lines by the advancing confederate troops.will have to read the rest of this.

(From Battle of Shiloh on the Sandusky County Scrapbook website at http://www.sanduskey-county-scrapbook.net "Hd. Qrs Army of Tennessee Field of "Shiloh" April 30th 1862. My Dear Friend Clemmy, I have been trying ever since the receipt of your most welcome letter to find time to answer it and assure you, and the rest of my friends at the Springs that I am perfectly safe and well. The battle was indeed a terrible one, and on Sunday particularly a very desperate one for our cause as with 35,000 men we fought from about 7 o'clock in the morning until sunset against 75,000 of the best rebel troops led by their favorite Generals--But thanks to the bravery and energy with which our troops maintained their ground (with some exceptions) the rebels were prevented from breaking our lines or getting to the River thereby endangering our transports when night closed the contest. Sunday night we received reinforcements which placed us in something like an Equality in point of numbers with The Enemy & he was driven back some distance beyond where the fighting commenced Sunday morning, by four o'clock Monday afternoon. There have been so many misrepresentations in the newspapers about the Battle that I am perfectly disgusted. They all start out by assuming that we were perfectly surprised which is all a mistake. Time may correct the errors but it is all wrong for the newspapers and people generally away from the scene to condemn our Generals without knowing the facts. Public Confidence in them weakened, and aid and comfort given to the rebels. I was very sorry to lose my Horse, for he was a splendid animal & carried me through safely at Forts Henry & Donelson. He was shot through & through, the ball passing about three inches in rear of my legs. How I felt during the Battle I cannot pretend to say. The truth is I was so much occupied that I had not time to think of myself. Only once do I remember my thoughts & then I was sitting on my Horse talking to Gen'l Grant with my back in the direction from which the bullets were coming and thought it best to turn around so that if I was hit, I would not be hit in the back. My love to all Ever Your friend James"

Thanks to Manassas Belle for posting one of the very few available Letters from James Birdseye McPherson: an extraordinary man and gifted Union officer. I stumbled upon a recent video that acts as solid Biography of McPherson, and this looks to be a good place to post it. As we know, James Birdseye McPherson eventually rose to the rank of Major General and became one of U.S. Grant’s most trusted and most valuable officers, contributing mightily to the success at Vicksburg in 1863. Prior to Vicksburg, McPherson played a couple of interesting roles at Pittsburg Landing. But McPherson commenced his active Civil War career as Lieutenant Colonel, assigned to the Staff of Henry Halleck at St. Louis. Before the Campaign against Fort Henry, LtCol McPherson joined Brigadier General Grant’s embryonic army… and never left. McPherson rose to eventual command of the Army of the Tennessee (after Sherman, and before Logan, Howard, Logan.) The link below is to a c-span video discussing the Military Career of James B. McPherson, conducted by Steven E. Woodworth. The introduction is provided by a Civil War reenactor, playing the role of another Shiloh participant, Andrew Hickenlooper. And the most important segments of the video run from the 9 minute 30 second mark (McPherson joins Halleck at St. Louis) to the 28 minute mark (conclusion of Battle of Shiloh.) https://www.c-span.org/video/?320621-1/discussion-james-b-mcpherson-army-tennessee Presented at Clyde, Ohio July 2014 (150 years after death of McPherson.)

I think you are reaching on this one.

I think the burden of proof, in this case, would be on the one making the supposition. Not the one disagreeing. Otherwise, it is character assassination by conspiracy theory.