Official Reports of the Battle Of Shiloh: No. 67 - Capt. John Williams, 6th Iowa Infantry

No. 67.

Report of Capt. John Williams, Sixth Iowa Infantry.

HEADQUARTERS SIXTH IOWA INFANTRY,

Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., April 10, 1862.

COLONEL. Having assumed command of the regiment by your order, I have the honor to make the following official report of the Sixth Iowa Infantry during the recent engagement:

On Sunday morning, when the attack was made on General Grant's center, the regiment was immediately brought into line of battle, and was then moved about 50 yards to the front along the edge of the woods. Company I was thrown out as skirmishers, and Companies E and G were moved to the left and front of our line to support a battery just placed there. We were in this position for more than two hours, when we were ordered to fall back to the rear of our camp on the Purdy road.

The battle at this time was raging fiercely in the center and extending gradually to the right. The line was slowly yielding to a vastly superior force, and it now became evident that we must change our position or be entirely cut off from the rest of the army. The regiment then marched by the left flank about 600 yards; crossed an open field about 150 yards wide; took a position in the edge of the woods, and formed a new line of battle, which was again succeeded by another line nearly perpendicular to the former, the right resting close to the Purdy road.

It was here Lieutenants Halliday and Grimes were wounded and carried from the field, thus preventing them from distinguishing themselves, as they undoubtedly would have done had they been spared to take part in the desperate and severe struggle that soon ensued. It was here that Companies D and K, on picket duty at Owl Creek, joined the regiment by a circuitous route, the enemy having already got between them and the regiment.

The regiment did not remain here long, however, but moved by the left flank in an easterly direction about half a mile, over a broken and open field, and again entered the woods. A new line was formed, and the regiment moved forward to meet the advancing foe. The line of battle –at this time diagonal to the enemy's – was immediately changed to front them, and it was here that the regiment withstood a shower of leaden hail and bullets which now was pouring in upon it with deadly effect. Notwithstanding a vastly superior force and with no support, the regiment gallantly maintained this position for more than two hours, and when it became apparent that no succor was coming to it, and after the enemy had already turned our right flank and began pouring a galling cross-fire upon it, the regiment was ordered to retire. It fell back in good order and was assigned to the support of batteries near the river. At this stage of the battle I was wounded and carried from the field. From authentic sources I learn, however, that the regiment, under Captain Walden, remained at the batteries all night.

The next day the regiment was not formed as a regiment, but a detachment, under Lieutenants Minton and Allison, was connected to an Illinois regiment, and the major portion, under Captain Walden, voluntarily joined Colonel Garfield's command, and participated in the engagement throughout the day until the enemy fled in great confusion.

In regard to the bravery, coolness, and intrepidity of both officers and men too much cannot be said. Where all did so well to particularize would seem invidious; suffice it to say the officers, with one or two exceptions, are deserving the highest praise. The men were at all times cool and as free from fear or confusion as if they were on dress-parade.

The list of casualties, which I append below, fully attests the severity of the contest.

The following is the number of killed, wounded, and missing in the two days’ engagement :*

Killed	64
Wounded	100
Missing	47
Total	211

Total number engaged less than 650.

I have the honor to be, yours, respectfully,

 JOHN WILLIAMS,

 Captain, Commanding Regiment.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume X (Serial No. 10), Part I, pages 256-7

Traveling Correspondence

ON BOARD TRANSPORT NEBRASKA,
CAIRO, April 18, 1862

EDITOR GAZETTE:– Having arrived here at noon to-day from St. Louis, I immediately began to make arrangements to move down the river to the “Pope’s” territory, and had begun to think it somewhat doubtful about securing a passage that way, owing to the scarcity of boats about here and the uncertainty of getting a pass form the commanding General here; when all at once my doubts were dispelled by the giant steamer Nebraska, of Memphis, heaving to from up the river and on her way down to New Madrid; wherever it might be. In less than one hour after I landed here, I was on board her with my passage secured and ready for exploit. The water is entirely too high here to make it interesting to write anything adescriptive [sic] about Cairo or its surroundings, but suffice it to say that in the way of mud and that of the most disagreeable quality and the different style of odors, that about here, certainly places this city far ahead of its illustrious predecessor on the banks of the muddy Nile.

The river here is from ten to fifteen feet above the level of the city, and in some places along the levee it looks as if a foot and a half more rise would flood the city, and the water seaps through now so fast that the pump engine has to run day and night to keep it off the sidewalks. As for the barracks over at Fort Holt and Bird’s Point, the tops of them are just visible. – One of the old Mayors of St. Louis, who has lived there for the last thirteen years told your correspondent that this is the first time he ever saw the Mississippi so high in April.

Ever since I left St. Louis I have had painful evidence of the late terrible conflict at Pittsburg. On our way down last night our boat tied up during a storm beside the John J. Roe, on which were some two or three hundred of the poor mangled fellows. I soon found some of the 6th Iowa [boys], and was not a little surprised to find among them my old friend, Lieut. Jo. Halladay, of Burlington, badly wounded in the thigh, and several other Burlington boys. Here at Cairo, about every fifth solder we meet is limping on a crutch or carrying his arm in a sling.

This evening, at the St. Charles Hotel, I had a very interesting talk with Dr. Edwards of Dubuque, surgeon of the Iowa 3d. He had just come down from the battle ground, having left there last evening. He relates a great many incidents about the great battle. He was glowing in his praises of the valor and heroic bravery of the officers of the Iowa regiments and their men, that were in his division. He speaks especially height of Lt. Col. Add. Sanders, who, he says, was always in the hottest part of the fight. While the Dr. was performing an operation, he heard some one coming in the room gaily singing “Old Bob Ridley,” and on looking around he saw Capt. Littler with his shattered arm, who remarked to the Dr. with inimitable sang froid, that he wanted his arm taken off instantly. The Dr. dressed it, and says if he could have had a chance to attend it he could have saved it.

10 P. M. – There has been an entire change in the programme since writing the foregoing, caused by the appearance of Gen. Pope and staff on board the Crescent City, which has just steamed up at our side. He is on his way up the Tennessee to join Gen. Halleck. His whole command are on their way up the river, and already four or five transports loaded with troops are lying around us. I have just been aboard the Crescent City and had a first view of the man who is so good at playing the bag game with all it variations. Our boat, loaded with commissary stores, will start in one hour, with the fleet, for Gen. Halleck’s army, and my destination, instead of being Memphis via No. 10, New Madrid and Fort Pillow, will be Memphis via Gen. Halleck’s army and Corinth, and it is not probable that we will reach there before you receive to or more communications from your correspondent,

GAMBIER.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Friday Morning, April 25, 1862, p. 2

The Itasca came up Sunday morning . . .

. . . bringing several wounded. Capt. Abe Wilkin and Lieut. Halliday came on her; also Captain Moore of Bloomfield. They are at the Wilkin House. Neither of them is dangerously, altho’ all are severely wounded. Capt. Moore is shot through both legs. Captain Wilkin through the arm and Lieut. Halliday in the thigh. Lieut. H. was a prisoner with the rebels one day – says there are a few among the secessionists who are intelligent and gentlemanly, but the great body of the rank and file are awful hard, the less that is said about them the better. While he lay upon the field Beauregard was pointed out to him by a wounded rebel. He saw Dr. Edelin and Dr. Pendleton, both belonging to the rebel Cavalry.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April, 26, 1862