memoirs of general william t. sherman-1-第65部分

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oke；　threw　away　their　muskets；　and　fled。　　The　ground　was　admirably　adapted　for　a　defense　of　infantry　against　cavalry；　being　miry　and　covered　with　fallen　timber。

As　the　regiment　of　infantry　broke；　Dickey's　Cavalry　began　to　discharge　their　carbines；　and　fell　into　disorder。　　I　instantly　sent　orders　to　the　rear　for　the　brigade　to　form　line　of　battle；　which　was　promptly　executed。　　The　broken　infantry　and　cavalry　rallied　on　this　line；　and；　as　the　enemy's　cavalry　came　to　it；　our　cavalry　in　turn　charged　and　drove　them　from　the　field。　　I　advanced　the　entire　brigade　over　the　same　ground　and　sent　Colonel　Dickey's　cavalry　a　mile　farther　on　the　road。　　On　examining　the　ground　which　had　been　occupied　by　the　Seventy…seventh　Ohio；　we　found　fifteen　of　our　men　dead　and　about　twenty…five　wounded。　　I　sent　for　wagons　and　had　all　the　wounded　carried　back　to　camp；　and　caused　the　dead　to　be　buried；　also　the　whole　rebel　camp　to　be　destroyed。

Here　we　found　much　ammunition　for　field…pieces；　which　was　destroyed；　also　two　caissons；　and　a　general　hospital；　with　about　two　hundred　and　eighty　Confederate　wounded；　and　about　fifty　of　our　own　wounded　men。　　Not　having　the　means　of　bringing　them　off；　Colonel　Dickey；　by　my　orders；　took　a　surrender；　signed　by　the　medical　director　（Lyle）　and　by　all　the　attending　surgeons；　and　a　pledge　to　report　themselves　to　you　as　prisoners　of　war；　also　a　pledge　that　our　wounded　should　be　carefully　attended　to；　and　surrendered　to　us　to…morrow　as　soon　as　ambulances　could　go　out。　　I　inclose　this　written　document；　and　request　that　you　cause　wagons　or　ambulances　for　our　wounded　to　be　sent　to…morrow；　and　that　wagons'　be　sent　to　bring　in　the　many　tents　belonging　to　us　which　are　pitched　along　the　road　for　four　miles　out。　　I　did　not　destroy　them；　because　I　knew　the　enemy　could　not　move　them。　　The　roads　are　very　bad；　and　are　strewed　with　abandoned　wagons；　ambulances；　and　limber…boxes。　　The　enemy　has　succeeded　in　carrying　off　the　guns；　but　has　crippled　his　batteries　by　abandoning　the　hind　limber…boxes　of　at　least　twenty　caissons。　　I　am　satisfied　the　enemy's　infantry　and　artillery　passed　Lick　Creek　this　morning；　traveling　all　of　last　night；　and　that　he　left　to　his　rear　all　his　cavalry；　which　has　protected　his　retreat；　but　signs　of　confusion　and　disorder　mark　the　whole　road。　　The　check　sustained　by　us　at　the　fallen　timber　delayed　our　advance；　so　that　night　came　upon　us　before　the　wounded　were　provided　for　and　the　dead　buried；　and　our　troops　being　fagged　out　by　three　days'　hard　fighting；　exposure；　and　privation；　I　ordered　them　back　to　their　camps；　where　they　now　are。

I　have　the　honor　to　be；　your　obedient　servant；

W。T。　SHERMAN　Brigadier…General　commanding　Division。


General　Grant　did　not　make　an　official　report　of　the　battle　of　Shiloh；　but　all　its　incidents　and　events　were　covered　by　the　reports　of　division　commanders　and　Subordinates。　　Probably　no　single　battle　of　the　war　gave　rise　to　such　wild　and　damaging　reports。　　It　was　publicly　asserted　at　the　North　that　our　army　was　taken　completely　by　surprise；　that　the　rebels　caught　us　in　our　tents；　bayoneted　the　men　in　their　beds；　that　General　Grant　was　drunk；　that　Buell's　opportune　arrival　saved　the　Army　of　the　Tennessee　from　utter　annihilation；　etc。　　These　reports　were　in　a　measure　sustained　by　the　published　opinions　of　Generals　Buell；　Nelson；　and　others；　who　had　reached　the　steamboat…landing　from　the　east；　just　before　nightfall　of　the　6th；　when　there　was　a　large　crowd　of　frightened；　stampeded　men；　who　clamored　and　declared　that　our　army　was　all　destroyed　and　beaten。　　Personally　I　saw　General　Grant；　who　with　his　staff　visited　me　about　10　a。m。　　of　the　6th；　when　we　were　desperately　engaged。　　But　we　had　checked　the　headlong　assault　of　our　enemy；　and　then　held　our　ground。　　This　gave　him　great　satisfaction；　and　he　told　me　that　things　did　not　look　as　well　over　on　the　left。　　He　also　told　me　that　on　his　way　up　from　Savannah　that　morning　he　had　stopped　at　Crump's　Landing；　and　had　ordered　Lew　Wallace's　division　to　cross　over　Snake　Creek；　so　as　to　come　up　on　my　right；　telling　me　to　look　out　for　him。　　He　came　again　just　before　dark；　and　described　the　last　assault　made　by　the　rebels　at　the　ravine；　near　the　steamboat…landing；　which　he　had　repelled　by　a　heavy　battery　collected　under　Colonel　J。　D。　Webster　and　other　officers；　and　he　was　convinced　that　the　battle　was　over　for　that　day。　　He　ordered　me　to　be　ready　to　assume　the　offensive　in　the　morning；　saying　that；　as　he　had　observed　at　Fort　Donelson　at　the　crisis　of　the　battle；　both　sides　seemed　defeated；　and　whoever　assumed　the　offensive　was　sure　to　win。　　General　Grant　also　explained　to　me　that　General　Buell　had　reached　the　bank　of　the　Tennessee　River　opposite　Pittsburg　Landing；　and　was　in　the　act　of　ferrying　his　troops　across　at　the　time　he　was　speaking　to　me。

About　half　an　hour　afterward　General　Buell　himself　rode　up　to　where　I　was；　accompanied　by　Colonels　Fry；　Michler；　and　others　of　his　staff。　　I　was　dismounted　at　the　time；　and　General　Buell　made　of　me　a　good　many　significant　inquiries　about　matters　and　things　generally。　　By　the　aid　of　a　manuscript　map　made　by　myself；　I　pointed　out　to　him　our　positions　as　they　had　been　in　the　morning；　and　our　then　positions；　I　also　explained　that　my　right　then　covered　the　bridge　over　Snake　Creek　by　which　we　had　all　day　been　expecting　Lew　Wallace；　that　McClernand　was　on　my　left；　Hurlbut　on　his　left；　and　so　on。　　But　Buell　said　he　had　come　up　from　the　landing；　and　had　not　seen　our　men；　of　whose　existence　in　fact　he　seemed　to　doubt。　　I　insisted　that　I　had　five　thousand　good　men　still　left　in　line；　and　thought　that　MeClernand　had　as　many　more；　and　that　with　what　was　left　of　Hurlbut's；　W。　H。　L。　Wallace's；　and　Prentiss's　divisions；　we　ought　to　have　eighteen　thousand　men　fit　for　battle。　　I　reckoned　that　ten　thousand　of　our　men　were　dead；　wounded；　or　prisoners；　and　that　the　enemy's　loss　could　not　be　mach　less。　　Buell　said　that　Nelson's；　MeCook's；　and　Crittendens　divisions　of　his　army；　containing　eighteen　thousand　men；　had　arrived　and　could　cross　over　in　the　night；　and　be　ready　for　the　next　day's　battle。　　I　argued　that　with　these　reenforcements　we　could　sweep　the　field。　　Buell　seemed　to　mistrust　us；　and　repeatedly　said　that　he　did　not　like　the　looks　of　things；　especially　about　the　boat…landing；and　I　really　feared　he　would　not　cross　over　his　army　that　night；　lest　he　should　become　involved　in　our　general　disaster。　　He　did　not；　of　course；　understand　the　shape　of　the　ground；　and　asked　me　for　the　use　of　my　map；　which　I　lent　him　on　the　promise　that　he　would　return　it。　　He　handed　it　to　Major　Michler　to　have　it　copied；　and　the　original　returned　to　me；　which　Michler　did　two　or　three　days　after　the　battle。　　Buell　did　cross　over　that　night；　and　the　next　day　we　assumed　the　offensive　and　swept　the　field；　thus　gaining　the　battle　decisively。　　Nevertheless；　the　controversy　was　started　and　kept　up；　mostly　to　the　personal　prejudice　of　General　Grant；　who　as　usual　maintained　an　imperturbable　silence。

After　the　battle；　a　constant　stream　of　civilian　surgeons；　and　sanitary　commission　agents；　men　and　women；　came　up　the　Tennessee　to　bring　relief　to　the　thousands　of　maimed　and　wounded　soldiers　for　whom　we　had　imperfect　means　of　shelter　and　care。　　These　people　caught　up　the　camp…stories；　which　on　their　return　home　they　retailed　through　their　local　papers；　usually　elevating　their　own　neighbors　into　heroes；　but　decrying　all　others：　Among　them　was　Lieutenant…Governor　Stanton；　of　Ohio；　who　published　in　Belfontaine；　Ohio；　a　most　abusive　article　about　General　Grant　and　his　subordinate　generals。　　As　General　Grant　did　not　and　would　not　take　up　the　cudgels；　I　did　so。　　My　letter　in　reply　to　Stanton；　dated　June　10；　1862；　was　published　in　the　Cincinnati　Commercial　soon　after　its　date。　　To　this　Lieutenant…Governor　Stanton　replied；　and　I　further　rejoined　in　a　letter　dated　July　12；　1862。　　These　letters　are　too　personal　to　be　revived。　　By　this　time　the　good　people　of　the　North　had　begun　to　have　their　eyes　opened；　and　to　give　us　in　the　field　more　faith　and　support。　　Stanton　was　never　again　elected　to　any　public　office；　and　was　commonly　spoken　of　as　〃the　late　Mr。　Stanton。〃　　He　is　now　dead；　and　I　doubt　not　in　life　he　often　regretted　his　mistake　in　attempting　to　gain　popular　fame　by　abusing　the　army…leaders；　then　as　now　an　easy　and　favorite　mode　of　gaining　notoriety；　if　not　popularity。　　Of　course；　subsequent　events　gave　General　Grant　and　most　of　the　other　actors　in　that　battle　their　appropriate　place　in　history；　but　the　danger　of　sudden　popular　clamors　is　well　illustrated　by　this　case。

Tho　battle　of　Shiloh；　or　Pittsburg　Landing；　was　one　of　the　most　fiercely　contested　of　the　war。　　On　the　morning　of　April　6；　1862；　the　five　divisions　of　McClernand；　Prentiss；　Hurlbut；　W。　H。　L。　Wallace；　and　Sherman；　aggregated　about　thirty…two　thousand　men。　　We　had　no　intrenchments　of　any　sort；　on　the　theory　that　as　soon　as　Buell　arrived　we　would　march　to　Corinth　to　attack　the　enemy。　　The　rebel　army；　commanded　by　General　Albert　Sidney　Johnston；　was；　according　to　their　own　reports　and　admissions；　forty…five　thousand　strong；　had　the　momentum　of　attack；　and　beyond　all　question　fought　skillfully　from　early　morning　till　about　2　a。m。；　when　their　commander…in…chief　was　killed　by　a　Mini…ball　in　the　calf　o