My Days and Nights on the Battle-FieldCoffin, Charles Carleton
History
My Days and Nights on the Battle-Field
Coffin, Charles Carleton
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns
The shouts ring through the forest. The wounded lift their weary heads,
behold the advancing line, and weep tears of joy. The steamers cast off
their fastenings. The great wheels plash the gurgling water. They move
to the other side. The panting soldiers of the army of the Ohio rush on
board. The steamer settles to the guards with her precious cargo of
human life; recrosses the river in safety. The line of blue winds up the
bank. It is Nelson's division. McCook's and Crittenden's divisions are
at Savannah. Lewis Wallace's division from Crump's Landing is filing in
upon the right, in front of Sherman and McClernand. There will be four
fresh divisions on Monday morning. The army is safe. Buell will not be
pushed back to the Ohio. Recognition will not come from France and
England in consequence of the great Rebel victory at Shiloh.
Through the night the shells from the gunboats crashed along the Rebel
lines. So destructive was the fire, that Beauregard was obliged to fall
back from the position he had won by such a sacrifice of life. There was
activity at the Landing. The steamers went to Savannah, took on board
McCook's and Crittenden's divisions of Buell's army, and transported
them to Pittsburg. Few words were spoken as they marched up the hill in
the darkness, with the thousands of wounded on either hand, but there
were many silent thanksgivings that they had come. The wearied soldiers
lay down in battle line to broken sleep, with their loaded guns beside
them. The sentinels stood, like statues, in silence on the borders of
that valley of death, watching and waiting for the morning.
The battle-cloud hung like a pall above the forest. The gloom and
darkness deepened. The stars, which had looked calmly down from the
depths of heaven, withdrew from the scene. A horrible scene! for the
exploding shells had set the forest on fire. The flames consumed the
withered leaves and twigs of the thickets, and crept up to the helpless
wounded, to friend and foe alike. There was no hand but God's to save
them. He heard their cries and groans. The rain came, extinguishing the
flames. It drenched the men in arms, waiting for daybreak to come to
renew the strife, but there were hundreds of wounded, parched with
fever, restless with pain, who thanked God for the rain.
MONDAY.
Beauregard laid his plans to begin the attack at daybreak. Grant and
Buell resolved to do the same,--not to stand upon the defensive, but to
astonish Beauregard by advancing. Nelson's division was placed on the
left, nearest the river, Crittenden's next, McCook's beyond, and Lewis
Wallace on the extreme right,--all fresh troops,--with Grant's other
divisions, which had made such a stubborn resistance, in reserve.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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