14th Illinois at Shiloh

[Ole Miss]

14th Illinois Regimental Marker posted for a special Lady!
Regards
David

 

[Ole Miss]

14th Illinois Regimental Marker
Regards
David

 

[Ole Miss]

14th Illinois Grave Section at Shiloh National Cemetery.
Regards
David

 

[Ole Miss]

14th Illinois Grave Section at Shiloh National Cemetery.
Regards
David

 

[Ole Miss]

Unknown Illinois and Ohio soldiers
Regards
David

 

[Ole Miss]

Location of Burial Trench of the 14th Illinois
Regards
David

 

[Ole Miss]

Location of Burial Trench of the 14th Illinois
Regards
David

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Oh. Good. Heavens. This sounds ridiculous, believe me, I know but got tears in my eyes. He's there. Sam. Never been to Shiloh and it's frustrating- can NOT express how grateful I am. Something about seeing ' him ', where it all happened - reduced me to tears, wish it were possible to put my finger on why.

" With a friend I have just performed the last sad duties of the burial ". Marker must have been lost- Sam is now among the 14th's unknowns.

It's JPK's brother, Sam, 14th Illinois, Co. B, second son to die- James, JPK, perished later at Gettysburg. Calvin died in Van Lew's home in Richmond, 1861- political prisoner captured when going out to see NY troops at Bull Run. Typhoid- Van Lew dragged him home from Liggon's, talked Todd into the release. 3 more brothers were in uniform, Lewis, Clark, Charles.

Thing is, not much research had to be done. The war shattered and splintered the family. Grew up knowing who was lost, not because anyone was still fighting the war, because my great grandmother lived it. Mom's grandmother b. DC 1863. Brother William, Mom's great grandfather, ran a public house across from the Capitol, was a family center during the war. William never recovered from the losses. Had hotels and public houses all his life, just became terribly mild and withdrawn. Like I said, knew these people, kinda, before becoming interested in the war. Who we were, like all the furniture you're so familiar with you can walk around the house in the dark.

Law student, in brother Calvin's office, wife, baby- a mason. None of the 3 were brought home to Penn Yan. Unknown at Shiloh, JPK same, Gettysburg, Calvin in the Van Lew plot at Richmond.

Ole Miss, wait until Mom sees these. She'll cry, for real. Really grateful, how kind in you!

 

[Ole Miss]

Hope they are tears of joy and relief seeing he rests in Honored Glory with other young heroes.
Regards
David

 

[Cavalry Charger]

May he rest in peace.

Somehow, it feels like someone has just given you a giant hug, Annie, and I wish I could give you one, too.

David, some people might say this is just some anonymous site on the internet. I think you proved them wrong again today.

Blessings to all.

 

[Ole Miss]

Thank you ma'am but was my pleasure and I would do the same for others.
Regards
David

 

[Pat Young]

Hope they are tears of joy and relief seeing he rests in Honored Glory with other young heroes.
Regards
David

Very kind of you to do this.

 

[Ole Miss]

Simply forwarding the courtesy I received from you last fall! I would do the same for others who do not have the opportunity to visit Shiloh, all they need do is ask and I would be delighted to assist if possible.
Regards
David

 

[Ole Miss]

These photos show the area where the 14th was initally in action on Sunday morning for about 90 minutes. @JPK Huson 1863 this would have been where Sam fell just yards from the Burial Trench of the 14th.
Regards
David
Just West of the monument is Woolf Field where the Confederates would have coming from the Shiloh Church area, the left, as well as the Union right flank held by Sherman's Division. Water Oaks Pond is to the left of the picture.

Just beyond this small scope of woods, facing Southeast is Review Field where the 14th was deployed with its left anchored and with the right flank extending left into Woolf Field towards Water Oaks Pond. This scrub brush and trees were not here at the time of the battle

This photo is looking East from the monument with the 14th's line extending along the left side of the road. The 14th Illinois Burial Trench is about 50 yards to left of the large Oak

In the center background is the Burial Trench marker of the 14th Illinois. The scrub growth of trees was not here at the time of the battle

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

That flattened me, thanks so much for the photos! As always, my 88 year old mother will want to see them. It's funny as in odd. By her generation the war was still ' there ', as in somewhat fresh. Her grandmother was born in 1863 across the street from the Capitol building in DC, her father Sam's brother. 2 other uncles were lost in that war, more were in uniform. Shattered the family. For Mom's generation it wasn't history, like it is now. It's kind of something they touched growing up.

It wasn't until reading of the shambles after Gettysburg I was able to get an idea what on earth it has to have been like burying the dead, much less having the ability to keep track of single man. Here's one of the reports. Sam's buddy wrote to the family sayig he'd buried him on the battlefield- can't imagine how frequently a family received a letter exactly like that.

 

[Ole Miss]

Ironically enough Stanley's regiment, the 6th Arkansas, attacked toward the Union regiments arrayed in Review Field which included the 14th Illinois. In the confusion of battle it is impossible to know how close the the 6th and 14th were or if they acutally met but they were within a couple of hundred yards apart fir sure.
If you have a map of Shiloh, look at the intersection of the Hamburg-Purdy Road and the Sherman Road and see the area just to the right along the H-P Roady which is where the 14th fought for 90 minutes on that Bloody Sunday morning 158+ years ago.
I listed a couple of tours for you below that might be of interest
Regards
David

 

[Ole Miss]

@JPK Huson 1863 I realize you have mentioned that you have encountered difficulties in following the actions of the 14th​ Illinois. If you will go to the map listed below I believe you will be able to follow the 14th​.

If you will look at left center above Beauregard you will see the rectangle marked Shaver at the right of the Confederate line at Review Filed. Above this line the Federal brigades are listed. Veatch's brigade, above Woolf Field, was shifted to the left side of the field and some parts into Review Field. It was in this area that I posted the photos in previous posts that Sam received his fatal wound.

I hope this map will be of assistance to you and your mother in seeing the flow of battle.
Regards
David

https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/civil_war_series/22/images/fig34.pdf

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

@JPK Huson 1863 I realize you have mentioned that you have encountered difficulties in following the actions of the 14th​ Illinois. If you will go to the map listed below I believe you will be able to follow the 14th​.

If you will look at left center above Beauregard you will see the rectangle marked Shaver at the right of the Confederate line at Review Filed. Above this line the Federal brigades are listed. Veatch's brigade, above Woolf Field, was shifted to the left side of the field and some parts into Review Field. It was in this area that I posted the photos in previous posts that Sam received his fatal wound.

I hope this map will be of assistance to you and your mother in seeing the flow of battle.
Regards
David

https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/civil_war_series/22/images/fig34.pdf

Had a laptop fizzle, little behind but great to find this waiting when I got back ( with a very confusing old Windows 8 ).

Yes and thanks- had something fuzzy and entirely different in my head. That can be hard to shift although this explanation is a ton simpler and puts pieces together ( finally ) that eluded me. Worst map-head ever on the planet plus the letter his buddy sent home definitely got us off on the wrong track. Thanks for the videos- Mom DOES have an excellent map-head, have a feeling she'll only require ONE watch-through!