USA > Pennsylvania > York County > Shiloh > The Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania at Shiloh. History of the regiment. The battle of Shiloh > Part 23
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Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment.
About five o'clock Ammen's brigade of Nelson's division of the Army of the Ohio reached the field, the Thirty-sixth Indiana taking position near the left in support of Stone's battery. Two gunboats, the Tyler and Lexington, were at the mouth of Dill Branch, just above the landing.
After the capture of Prentiss an attempt was made to re- organize the Confederate forces for an attack upon the Union line in position near the landing. Generals Chalmers and Jackson and Colonel Trabue moved their commands to the right down the ridge south of Dill Branch until they came under fire of the Union batteries and gunboats, which silenced Gage's battery, the only one with the command. Trabue sheltered his command on the south side of the ridge, while Chalmers and Jackson moved into the valley of Dill Branch and pressed skirmishers forward to the brow of the hill on the north side of the valley, but their exhausted men, many of them without ammunition, could not be urged to a charge upon the batteries before them. Colonel Deas, commanding a remnant of Gladden's brigade, formed with two hundred and twenty-four men in the ravine on Jackson's left, and Ander- son formed at the head of the ravine, where he remained ten or fifteen minutes, then he retired beyond range of the floating guns. Colonel Lindsay, First Mississippi cavalry, charged upon and captured Ross' battery, as it was withdrawing from position near Hurlbut's headquarters, and then with thirty or forty men crossed the head of Dill Branch and attempted to charge another battery, but finding himself in the presence of an infantry force "managed to get back under the hill with- out damage." This cavalry and the skirmishers from Chal- mer's and Jackson's brigades were the only Confederate troops that came under musketry fire after the Prentiss and Wallace surrender.
In the meantime General Bragg made an effort to get troops into position on the left of Pittsburg road. but before ar- rangements were completed night came on and General Beau- regard ordered all the troops withdrawn. The Confederate troops sought bivouacs on the field, some occupying captured Union camps and some returning to their bivouac of Saturday night. General Beauregard remained near Shiloh Church. General Polk retired to his Saturday night camp. General
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275
The Battle of Shiloh.
Bragg was with Beauregard near the church, occupying Gen- eral Sherman's headquarters camp. General Hardee and Gen- eral Withers encamped with Colonel Martin in Peabody's camp. Trabue occupied camps of the Sixth Iowa and Forty- sixth Ohio. Pond's brigade alone of the infantry troops re- mained in line of battle confronting the Union line.
The Union troops bivouacked on their line of battle, ex- tending from Pittsburg Landing to Snake creek bridge, where the Third division arrived after dark, occupying the line from McArthur's headquarters to the lowlands of the creek. Thir- teen hours the battle had raged over all parts of the field with- out a moment's cessation. The Union army had been steadily forced back on both flanks. The camps of all but the Second division had been captured, and position after position surrendered after the most persistent fighting and with great loss of life on both sides. Many regiments, and brigades even, of both armies had been shattered and had lost their organization. Detachments of soldiers and parts of companies and regiments were scattered over the field, some doubtless seeking in vain for their com- mands; many caring for dead and wounded comrades; others exhausted with the long conflict and content to seek rest and refreshment at any place that promised relief from the ter- rors of the battle. The fierceness of the fighting on Sunday is shown by the losses sustained by some of the organizations engaged. The Ninth Illinois lost 366 out of 617. The Sixth Mississippi lost 300 out of 425. Cleburne's brigade lost 1,013 out of 2,700, and the brigade was otherwise depleted until he had but S00 men in line Sunday night. He continued in the fight on Monday until he had only 58 men in line, and these he sent to the rear for ammunition.
Gladden's brigade was reduced to 224. The Fifty-fifth Illi- nois lost 275 out of 657. The Twenty-eighth Illinois lost 245 out of 642. The Sixth Iowa had 52 killed outright. The Third Iowa lost 33 per cent. of those engaged. The Twelfth Iowa lost in killed, wounded, and prisoners 98 per cent. of the present for duty. Only 10 returned to camp and they were stretcher bearers. . These are but samples; many other regiments lost in about the same proportion. The loss of officers was especially heavy; out of five Union division com-
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Seventy-serenth Pennsylvania Regiment.
manders one was killed, one wounded, and one captured; out of fifteen brigade commanders nine were on the list of casualties, and out of sixty-one infantry regimental command ers on the field 33 were killed, wounded or missing, making a loss on Sunday of 45 out of $1 commanders of divisions, brigades and regiments. The Confederate army lost its com- mander-in-chief, killed; two corps commanders wounded; three out of five of its division commanders wounded; four of its brigade commanders killed or wounded, and 20 out of 78 of its regimental commanders killed or wounded. With such losses, the constant shifting of positions, and the length of time engaged. it is not a matter to cause surprise that the Confederate army was reduced, as General Beauregard claims, to less than 20,000 men in line, and that these were so exhausted that they sought their bivouacs with little re- gard to battle lines, and that both armies lay down in the rain to sleep as best they could with very little thought, by either, of any danger of attack during the night.
A few years later, with the experience that came from ser- vice, neither Confederate nor Union soldiers would have thought of rest. much as they needed it. until a complete line of defense had been built for protection against the attacks of the morrow.
But this art of war had not yet been learned, neither army knew the possibility of building entrenchments until they had been regularly laid out by engineers and the plans approved at headquarters.
We find at Shiloh that with threeexceptions no breastworks were prepared by either side on Sunday night. Of these ex- ceptions a Union battery near the landing was protected by a few sacks of corn piled up in front of the guns; some Con- federate regiment arranged the fallen timber in front of Marsh's brigade camp into a sort of defensive work that served a good purpose the next day; and Lieutenant Nispel. Company E. Second Illinois Light Artillery. dug a trench in front of his guns, making a slight earthwork, which may yet be seen, just at the right of the position occupied by the siege guns. He alone of all the officers on the field thought to use the spade, which was so soon !o become an important weapon of war.
U. S. - ARMY OF THE OHIO.
KIRK'S (5TH) BRIGADE, 34THILL., 30TH IND., 29TH IND., 77TH PENNSYLVANIA, MCCOOK'S (22) DIVISION.
THIS BRIGADE, WITH ITS REGIMENTS IN ORDER FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AS ABOVE, FORMED HERE AT 8 A.M. APRIL 7, .1862, IN RESERVE. IT FOLLOWED ROUSSEAU'S BRIGADE TO WOOLF FIELD WHERE IT BECALIE ENGAGED IN THE FRONT LINE
PRINT. JULIUS BIEN & CO. NEW YORK
SHILOH.
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277
The Battle of Shiloh.
During Sunday night the remainder of General Nelson's division and General Crittenden's division of the Army of the - Ohio arrived upon the field, and early Monday morning the Union forces were put in motion to renew the battle. General Crittenden's right rested on the Corinth road, General Nel- son, to his left, extending the line across Hamburg road. About 1,000 men* from the Army of the Tennessee, extended the line to the overflowed land of the Tennessee. Two bri- gades of General McCook's arriving on the field about six o'clock formed on Crittenden's right, Rousseau's brigade in front line and Kirk's in reserve. At McCook's right was Hurlbut, then McClernand, then Sherman, then Lew. Wallace, whose right rested on the swamps of Owl creek. The Army of the Ohio formed with one regiment of each brigade in re- serve, and with Boyle's brigade of Crittenden's division as re- serve for the whole. The remnant of W. H. L. Wallace's di- vision, under command of Colonel Tuttle, was also in reserve behind General Crittenden.
The early and determined advance of the Union army soon convinced General Beauregard that fresh troops had arrived. He, however, made his disposition as rapidly as possible to meet the advance by sending General Hardee to his right, General Bragg to his left, General Polk to left center. and General Breckinridge to right center with orders to each to put the Confederate troops into line of battle without regard to their original organizations. These officers hurried their staff officers to all parts of the field and soon formed a line. Hardee had Chalmers on the right in Stuart's camps; next to him was Colonel Wheeler in command of Jackson's old bri- gade; then Colonel Preston Smith with remnants of B. R. Johnson's brigade; Colonel Maney with Stephens' brigade. Then came Stewart, Cleburne, Statham and Martin under Breckinridge. Trabue, across the main Corinth road, just west of Duncan's, with Anderson and Gibson to his left under Polk. Then Wood. Russel and Pond under Bragg, finishing the line to Owl creek. Very few brigades were intact. the different regiments were hurried into line from their bivouacs and placed under the command of the nearest bri-
*10 W. R., 295 and 228 (Colonel Grose.says 15th Illinois, but must be in error.
¡General Rousseau's brigade arrived at daylight. General MeCook with part of Kirk's brigade at 3 A. M., the rest of Kirk's brigade arrived before 7 A. M.
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Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment.
gade officer, and were then detached and sent from one part of the field to another as they were needed to re-inforce threatened points, until it is impossible to follow movements or determine just where each regiment was engaged.
Monday's battle opened by the advance of General Lew. Wallace's division on the Union right, attacking Pond's bri- gade in IIare's brigade camp, and was continued on that dank by a left wheel of Wallace, extending his right until he had gained the Confederate left flank. Nelson's division com- menced his advance at daylight and soon developed the Con- federate line of battle behind the peach orchard. He then waited for Crittenden and McCook to get into position, and then commenced the attack upon Hardee, in which he was soon joined by all the troops on the field. The fighting seems to have been most stubborn in the center, where Hazen, Crit- tenden and McCook were contending with the forces under Polk and Breckinridge upon the same ground where W. H. L. Wallace and Prentiss fought on Sunday.
The 20,000 fresh troops in the Union army made the contest an unequal one, and though stubbornly contested for a time, at about two o'clock General Beauregard ordered the with- drawal of his army. To secure the withdrawal he placed Col- onel Looney, of the Thirty-eighth Tennessee with his regi- ment, augmented by detachments from other regiments, at Shiloh Church, directed him to charge the Union center. In this charge Colonel Looney passed Sherman's headquarters and pressed the Union line back to the Purdy road; at the same time General Beauregard sent -batteries across Shiloh Branch and placed them in battery on the high ground be- yond. With these arrangements, Beauregard, at 4 o'clock, safely crossed Shiloh Branch with his army and placed his rear guard under Breckinridge in line upon the ground oc- cupied by his army on Saturday night. The Confederate army retired leisurely to Corinth, while the Union army returned to the camps that it had occupied before the battle.
General Beauregard, in his Century "war-book" article, page 64, in speaking of "The second day's fighting at Shiloh," says:
Our widely scattered forces, which it had been impossible to organize in the night after the late hour at which they were drawn out of action, were gathered in hand for the exigency as quickly as possible.
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The Battle of Shiloh.
Generals Bragg. Hardee, and Breckinridge hurried to their assigned positions-Hardee now to the extreme right, where were Chalmers' and Jackson's brigade of Bragg's corps; General Bragg to the left, where were assembled fragments of his own troops, as also of Clark's division, Polk's corps, with Trabue's brigade; Breckinridge was on the left of IIardee. This left a space to be occupied by General Polk, who, during the night had gone with Cheatham's division back nearly to Hardee's position on the night of April 5. But just at the critical time, to my great pleasure, General Polk came upon the field with that essential division.
By 7 o'clock the night before all of Nelson's division had been thrown across the Tennessee, and during the night had been put in position between
Grant's discouraged forces and our own. * After exchanging some shots with Forrest's cavalry, Nelson's division was confronted with a composite force embracing Chalmer's brigade, Moore's Texas regiment, with other parts of Withers's division; also the Crescent regiment of New Orleans and the Twenty-sixth Alabama, supported by well-posted batteries, and so stoutly was Nelson received that his division had to recede some- what. Advancing again, however, about 8 o'clock, now re-inforced by Hazen's brigade, it was our turn to retire with the loss of a battery. But rallying and taking the offensive. somewhat re-inforced, the Confederates were able to recover their lost ground and guns inflicting a sharp loss on Hazen's brigade, that narrowly escaped capture. Ammen's brigade was also seriously pressed and must have been turned but for the opportune arrival of Terrill's regular battery of McCook's division.
In the meantime Crittenden's division became involved in the battle. but was successfully kept at bay for several hours by the forces under Hardee and Brackinridge, until it was re-inforced by two brigades of McCook's division, which had been added to the attacking force on the field after the battle had been joined. #
By 1 o'clock General Bragg's forces on our left, necessarily weakened by the withdrawal of a part of his troops to re-inforce our right and center. had become so seriously pressed that he had called for aid. Some remnants of Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee regiments were gathered up and sent to support him as best they might, and went with them personally. General Bragg now taking the offensive, pressed his adversary back. This was about 2 o'clock. My headquarters were still at Shiloh Church.
The odds of fresh troops alone were now too great to justify the pro- longation of the conflict. So. directing Adjutant General Jordan to select at once a proper position in our near rear, and there establish a covering force, including artillery, I dispatched my staff with orders to the several corps commanders to prepare to retire from the field. first making a show. however, at different points of resuming the offensive. These orders were executed, I may say. with no small skill, and the Confederate army began to retire at 2.30 P. M. without apparently the least perception on the part of the enemy that such a movement was going on.
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Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment.
The losses of the two days' battle are summed up as follows:
Killed.
Wounded.
Missing.
Total.
General' Grant's five divisions,
1,472
6,350
2, 826
10,648
Gen. Lew Wallace's division,
41
251
4
296
Total Army of the Tennessee,
1,513
6,601
2,830
10,944
Army of the Ohio,
241
1,807
55
2,103
Grand total, Union Army,
1,754
8,408
2,885
13,047
Confederate Army,
1,728
8,012
959
10,699
Total loss at Shiloh,
3,483
16,420
3,844
23,746
This gives a Confederate loss of twenty-four and one-third per cent. of those present for duty, and a loss in the five divi- sions of Grant's army present for duty Sunday of twenty-six and three-fourths per cent.
It is impossible to give losses of each day separately except as to general officers and regimental commanders. These are reported by name, and it is found that casualties among the officers of these grades are as follows:
In the five divisions of Grant's army, loss on Sunday, 45
In the same divisions, loss on Monday, 2
In Lew Wallace's division, loss on Monday, 0 In the Army of the Ohio, loss on Monday, 3
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Total loss general officers and regimental commanders, Sunday and Monday, 50
In Confederate Army, casualties to officers of like grade, on Sunday were,
30
In Confederate Army, Monday, 14
Total loss of general officers and regimental commanders, Con- federate Army, 41
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If nothing else was determined by the battle of Shiloh this fact was demonstrated: That the American soldier from the North or South, could be depended upon to do his whole duty in any emergency. If there had been previous to that time. by soldiers of either army, a feeling of contempt for his op-
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The Battle of Shiloh.
281
ponent or a suspicion that he was lacking in true soldierly qualities, this battle disabused his mind of all such thoughts, and ever after, if he heard expressions of such sentiments from others, his complete answer was "you were not at Shiloh."
No general pursuit of the Confederates was made. The orders of General Halleck forbade pursuit," so the Confed- erates were allowed to retire to Corinth while the Union army occupied itself in burying the dead and caring for the wounded until General Halleck arrived, and assuming command, in- augurated the "advance upon Corinth," in which the most con- spicuons and leading part was played by the spade.
In answer to an inquiry made by the Secretary of War, General Halleck said :;
The newspaper accounts that our divisions were surprised are utterly false. Every division had notice of the enemy's approach hours before the. battle commenced.
Later, in transmitting a map to the Secretary, he said:+
The impression, which at one time seemed to have been received by the Department, that our forces were surprised in the morning of the 6th, is entirely erroneous. I am satisfied from a patient and careful .inquiry and investigation that all our troops were notified of the enemy's approach some time before the battle commenced.
DETAILED MOVEMENTS OF ORGANIZATIONS.
THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE.
On the 6th day of April, 1862, the Army of the Tennessee was encamped on the west bank of the Tennessee river; the First, Second. Fourth. Fifth and Sixth divisions at Pittsburg Landing. with 39,830 officers and men present for dnty; the Third division at Crump's Landing, with 7,564 officers and men present for duty.
General Grant's headquarters was at Savannah, Tenn .. where he was awaiting the arrival of General Buell. While
*11 War Records, pp. 97, 101.
110 War Records, p. 99.
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Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment.
at breakfast early Sunday morning, AApril 6, General Grant heard heavy firing at Pittsburg Landing, and leaving orders for General Nelson to move his division up the east bank of the river to Pittsburg, General Grant and staff repaired to the battlefield, where he arrived at about eight A.M. He visited each of his divisions at the front, and finding that the attack was by a large force of the enemy, he sent an order for his Third division to hasten to the field and a request to General Buell for reinforcements. The Army of the Tennessee was gradually driven back until at sunset it occupied a position extending from the landing to Snake Creek Bridge. In this position it repulsed an attack made by the Confederates at six o'clock P. M.
General Grant passed the night in bivouac with his troops, without shelter, and early next morning, re-inforced by his Third division and by General Buell with three divisions of the Army of the Ohio, he renewed the battle, and at four P. M. had regained possession of the entire field.
FIRST DIVISION.
(McClernand's.)
This division, composed of three brigades of infantry, four batteries of artillery, one battalion and two companies of cavalry, was ordered from Savannah to Pittsburg. March 20. 1862, and went into. camp across the main Corinth road about one-half mile east of Shiloh Church. On Sunday morning. April 6. 1862, the division formed for battle with its Third brigade thrown forward to support Sherman's left; its First and Second brigades along the Corinth road; McAllister's bat- tery at the northwest corner of the Review field; Burrow's battery at center of Second brigade; Dresser's battery at Water Oaks Pond; Schwartz's battery. first to Sherman's right, then at the crossroads. The division was attacked at about nine A. M. and was driven from its position along the Corinth road at about eleven A. M. with the loss of Burrow's battery, one gun of McAllister's battery, and one gun of Schwartz's battery. It made its next stand at right angles to the center of its Second brigade camp, where Dresser's battery lost four guns. The division then retired to its fourth
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The Battle of Shiloh.
line, in the camp of its First brigade, where it rallied and in a countercharge drove the Confederates back and recovered the whole of the camp of the Second Brigade and McCler- nand's headquarters, and captured Cobb's Kentucky battery at twelve M. It held this advance but a short time, when it was driven slowly back until at two P. M. it was again in the field of its First Brigade camp. where it held its fifth line until two thirty P. M. It then retired across Tilghman creek to its sixth line, at "Cavalry Field." where at four thirty P. M. it repulsed a charge made by Pond's brigade and Wharton's cavalry, and then retired to the Hamburg and Savannah road, where, with its left thrown back, it bivouacked Sunday night.
It advanced Monday morning over the same ground where it fought on Sunday, and at four P. M. re-occupied its camps on the field.
First Brigade.
(Hare's.)
This brigade of four regiments, forming the right of the First division, was encamped in Jones Field. It moved from its camp at about eight A. M .. April 6, 1862. by the left flank and formed in line of battle on the ridge between the Review field and the Corinth road. its left in edge of Duncan Field, in the following order from left to right: Eighth Illinois, Eigh- teenth Illinois. Thirteenth Iowa. The Eleventh Iowa, de- tached from the brigade, formed still farther to the right, sup- porting Dresser's battery at the Water Oaks Pond.
In this position the three left regiments were attacked about ten A. M. by Shaver's brigade of Hardee's corps, and at eleven A. M. were driven back across the Corinth road, the left behind the north side of Duncan Field. This position was held until McClernand advanced and recovered his camp at noon. These regiments then retired with the division the Thirteenth Towa participating in the repulse of Wharton's cavalry on sixth line at four thirty. Here Colonel Hare was wounded, and Colonel M. M. Crocker. Thirteenth Iowa. took command of the brigade and conducted the three regiments to bivouac near the Fourteenth Towa camp. The Eleventh Iowa. in support of Dresser's battery. fell back to the third and 19
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Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment.
fourth lines with its division, and in the rally and recovery of camps it captured a standard from the enemy, and in con- junction with the Eleventh and Twentieth Illinois captured Cobb's battery. The regiment then fell back and at night was still supporting the two remaining guns of Dresser's battery, in position at the left of the siege guns.
On Monday this brigade was attached to Tuttle's command, which served as reserve for General Crittenden's division, Army of the Ohio. until about three P. M., when it was or- dered to the front and charged the enemy southwest of Re- view field, the Eighth and Eighteenth Illinois each capturing one gun from the enemy.
Second Brigade.
(Marsh's.)
This brigade of four regiments was encamped, with its left in Woolf Field, in the following order of regiments from left to right: Forty-fifth Illinois, Forty-eighth Illinois, Twentieth Illinois, Eleventh Illinois. It formed line of battle on its parade ground Sunday morning, April 6, 1862, and at about eight A. M. moved out, first to the front, but immediately afterwards to the left, and formed along the Corinth road, its left at the northwest corner of the Review field, its right near the crossroads, Burrow's battery at the center.
In this position the brigade was fiercely attacked by Wood's brigade of Hardee's corps and Stewart's brigade of Polk's corps. It withstood the attack from about ten A. M. to eleven A. M., when it fell back about seven hundred yards and re-formed at right angles to the center of its camp. It held this position for a short time and then fell back to Jones Field, where it rallied and in conjunction with other troops recaptured its camp at about noon. In this advance the Twentieth and Eleventh Illinois, assisted by the Eleventh Iowa, captured Cobb's Confederate battery. The brigade re- tained possession of parts of its camp for about two hours, re- tiring slowly to Jones Field, where it was engaged until two thirty P. M., when it fell back to Hamburg and Savannah road. where its three left regiments united with the Third brigade and bivouacked Sunday night. just south of MeArthur's head-
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