CAMP SHILOH, TENN., April 24, 1862.
I have written several letters of late to you, to Willy and
your mother. Tell Theresa1 I thank her for hers, but writing is
painful to my hand and she must excuse me for a few days. At first the wound
gave me no pain, but I rode so much that when it began to inflame it got very
sore, and affected my fingers, and they are quite stiff. I had to resort to
poultice, but now simple bandage, and in a few days it will be well again. In
the small pain I have suffered I can feel for the thousands of poor fellows,
with all sorts of terrible wounds such as I have been compelled to witness; but
my time has been so absorbed by the care of the living that I could pay little
attention to the dead and wounded, but they have been well cared for. The only
difficulty is that hundreds and thousands tired of the war, and satisfied with
what they have seen, have taken advantage of slight wounds and gone home. As
usual the noisy clamorous ones, "spiling" for a fight have gone home
to tell of their terrible deeds and left others to bear the battles still to be
fought. How few know the dangers attending this war. The very men who were most
clamorous for fight were the first to run, and leave a few to stand the brunt
of Sunday. I knew this beforehand, and took it so easily that many wondered,
thinking me indifferent and nonchalant. I sent a copy of my map to your father,
and now enclose the rough notes of my official report, from which I think you
can trace my movements. All the troops south of the main Corinth road were
forced back to the river. I held my front line till 10 ¼ A. M., fell back to
the line of McClernand's camps, and fought there till near 4 P. M., and took up
a final position for night, back of McArthur's headquarters, at all times the
furthest out; on Monday advanced almost over the same ground and reached Shiloh
at 4 P. M.
The hue and cry against Grant about surprise is wrong. I was
not surprised and I was in advance. Prentiss was not covered by me, and I don't
believe he was surprised, although he is now a prisoner, cannot be heard. It is
outrageous for the cowardly newsmongers thus to defame men whose lives are
exposed. The real truth is, the private soldiers in battle leave their ranks,
run away and then raise these false issues. The political leaders dare not lay
the blame where it belongs. They, like the volunteer officers, are afraid of
the men, but I will speak the truth and I believe still there are honest men
enough to believe me. In the 362 dead, and 1,200 wounded of my division, there
was not a bayonet or knife wound, and the story of men being bayonetted in
their tents is a pure lie, and even admitting that officers and men had not
dressed at 7 ¾ A. M., I say they deserved it. Reveille is at 5 ½. They should have dressed then, and if they
were too lazy to get up and dress before 7 ¾ they deserved to be bayonetted;
but it is all a lie got up by the cowards who ran to the river and reported we
were surprised and all killed. By their false reports they may have prevented
success coming to us earlier than it did.
The enemy treated our wounded well and kindly. I sent Willy
a box of cannon balls and bullets which he must share with Tom. I would like to
see Willy's eyes when he sees the dread missiles. I know the enemy is still in
our front. They can surprise us tomorrow morning quite as well as they did us
that Sunday, but in attacking us they made a mistake. We must attack them on
their chosen ground. The next battle will be worse than the last, and, of
course, I don't expect to survive all that follow. This gives me little
trouble, but I do feel for the thousands that think another battle will end the
war. I hope the war won't end until those who caused the war, the politicians
and editors, are made to feel it. The scoundrels take good care of their hides,
run up after a fight and back again before there is a chance for another. . .
1 Mrs. Sherman’s sister.
SOURCE: M. A. DeWolfe Howe, Editor, Home Letters of
General Sherman, p. 223-5
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