A request for proof reading

Joined
Jun 16, 2019
Good day everyone,

I am writing a short article and I am including a brief description of the actions of the 61st Illinois during the battle of Shilo. In my research, I have found many different views of what happened and where it happened. I think I have pieced together an accurate, but brief, review of the 61st actions on April 6th.

I find inaccurate history in articles and movies to be a gut wrenching thing and I do not want what I write to wrench anyone else's gut. But, being a student of the Revolutionary War, I am not confident of my knowledge and I would like to have this forum review what I have written and offer corrections where needed.

If this is not the proper place for this request, I understand.

Thank you,

Dave
 
Thank you! Beyond a general accuracy check, I have been unable to find the name of the hill where the 61st supported Richardson's battery or the area where they relieved a regiment at, what I think was, the Peach Orchard. Any help there would be greatly appreciated.

Here is the text. It has not been reviewed yet for grammar or sentence structure, my wife generally does that for my writing, but I think it is readable as it is written.

DAve
---------------------------

It was seven o`clock in the morning, Sunday, April 6th 1862. The men in Company F of the 61st Illinois Infantry had finished their breakfast and were attending to simple chores. Camp put to order, breakfast cleaned up, muskets brightened and polished. The morning was bright, quiet, and still until the soft “PUM” of artillery in the distance came to the camp. First a single shell, then two, then more. What followed was unmistakably the rattle of muskets as volleys were fired in the distance and the battle begun.

Within seconds, an officer on a hard rode horse arrived in a cloud of dust and declared “My God, this regiment not in line yet! They have been fighting on the right for an hour!” Within minutes, the men of the 61st had buckled on their cartridge belts and picking up their muskets, formed up. As the men marched across Spain field to the south of their camp, they formed into line on the colors, facing the woods at the south side of the field listening breathlessly as the sound of musket fire came ever closer. The battle of Shilo had begun and the 61st Illinois, armed with their new Austrian rifles, were as of yet unproven in battle.

The 61st had waited at the edge of Spain field for only a few minutes when the brown line of Rebels came into view on their right. The Regiment as a whole fired in order into the advancing troops that were now pressing hard on General Prentiss left flank. The 61st was quickly ordered to fall back to other side of the field they now fought on and did so in good order. From that new line at the edge of the woods, they fought hard for over an hour, holding back Confederate General Gladden’s Alabama Brigades now fighting from the line they had earlier abandoned.

When the line to their right began to give way, the 61st was again ordered to fall back, they were sent to support Richardson’s Battery of artillery on the east side of the Corinth road. Lying on a gentle slope to the rear of the cannons, they watched as the opposing forces engaged in ferocious fighting.

At 2 o’clock, the 61st was once again ordered to move. Taking their position on the left of General Hurlbut’s line, they relieved a tired regiment that had been holding well for over four hours at a place now well remembered as the Peach Orchard. There, at the last line of Federal troops, they fought until they had expended their ammunition and were in turn relieved by a fresh Regiment. Filling their cartridge boxes, the 61st returned to their former position supporting the battery of artillery. By late afternoon, the fighting lulled and a silence fell over the field of battle. The fighting had been hard, desperate, and relentless. But, the day was not over for the 61st Illinois.

During the lull in fighting, the 61st was yet again ordered to fall back. As they did, they realized that they were one of the last units to be recalled. All was quiet during the movement until a sudden and unexpected volley of firing came from behind and a rain of bullets began. The orderly movement to the rear became a rush and long lines of blue headed up the road as quickly as they could. Upon breaking into a field the 61st saw before them a long line of blue uniforms standing both sides of the Corinth road, extending out of sight to the left and the right. Those lines of blue, the full unbroken Federal line, had been falling back all day, but was still in the fight!

Taking their position behind the remains of Hurlbut’s Division, the 61st turned about and reformed, ready to fight once more. Once in place, they heard a tremendous roar, quickly followed by more in succession. The gunboats on the Tennessee river had joined the battle, and were presently shelling the ravines south of Pittsburg Landing, halting any pursuit by Johnson’s Army of the Mississippi. As the 61st stood there listening to the barrage, fresh new soldiers came up to the line. The 63rd Indiana, the advance guard of General Don Carlos Buell, had arrived to strengthen the Federal line on the left.

No more fighting would happen that day as Confederate General PT Beauregard believed General Buell and General Lew Wallace would not arrive to reinforce General Grant’s lines. Beauregard believed he had won the battle, and he broke off the fight. The morning would tell a different story as an overwhelming force of Federal troops retake the field and send the Army of the Mississippi back to Corinth.
 
Good article but these are a few grammatical problems I found.

“My God, this regiment not in line yet!

There seems to be missing a word here.

The Regiment as a whole fired in order into the advancing troops

I don't think "regiment" should be capitalized and it's inconsistent because it's not in the previous quote.

as an overwhelming force of Federal troops retake the field and send the Army of the Mississippi back to Corinth.

"Retake" should be retook since you don't want to switch tense.
 
Yep, it's a first draft and my editor corrects what I do not catch. Are the events historically correct?

DAve

It's hard to determine because you don't cite any sources. You don't have to use numbered citations and put a list at the end (although that would be good) but I think you should at least say "according to this account/book" multiple times in the article. It makes you seem more credible and it's helpful to people wanting to research it further.
 
Sources, which will be included in the article.

The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War 1861 – 1865 by Leander Stillwell (1920)
Illinois at Shilo – Report of the Shilo Battlefield Commission (1905)
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/shiloh-animated-map - American Battlefield Trust’s animated battlefield map of Shilo

Multiple sources are a concern of mine. I am certain there is a research term for the problem that worries me, but in short, it is that I might muddy the history by improperly mixing different accounts. i don't think I have, but...

DAve
 
Hello @yellowhousejake and welcome to CivilWarTalk - the best place on the internet for Civil War discussion. You've come to the right place to obtain assistance with your summary. I have a few suggestions that I hope will be helpful. First of all, the word Shiloh, in reference to the battle of Shiloh, has an "h" on the end. So instead of Shilo, it should be spelled Shiloh.
Confederate General Gladden’s Alabama Brigades
Brigadier General Adley H Gladden had 5 regiments and a battery of artillery in his one brigade. Gladden was mortally wounded but Im afraid dont know enough about the battle of Shiloh to know if he was wounded early on or if he was still in command at the time referenced in your article.
buckled on their cartridge belts
I may be mistaken, but I believe the members of the 61st Illinois would have been carrying their cartridges in a cartridge box that was worn suspended from a cross-body strap as illustrated in the reenactor pictured below. The cap pouch would have been worn on the belt I believe. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable about accouterments will come along and weigh in but I'd think that "cartridge belt" would be inappropriate terminology for the period. @captaindrew @johan_steele @Frederick14Va @MOBDEnut and others more knowledgeable will be able to tell you for sure and be able to provide a better explanation and perhaps images.
1567999645601.png

Image snipped from @MOBDEnut 's photo here https://civilwartalk.com/threads/ph...-blakeley-april-6th-2019.156844/#post-2025744
 
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To further what @lelliott19 said about cartridge boxes she is spot on. They wore a waist belt which carried the cap box, bayonet scabbard, and sometimes the cartridge box. The cartridge box could either be carried on a sling/strap or on the waist belt. The proper term for the set would be accoutrements but a simple "grabbed their gear" or something like that would be better and everyone would know what your talking about.
 
I am writing a short article and I am including a brief description of the actions of the 61st Illinois during the battle of Shiloh.
Welcome.
I worked as a technical writer for a few years so I've done a little editing. Now I'm finding it difficult to write an article without repeating the same verbs and adverbs. I would be glad to assist if possible.
 
Others have already mention the cartridge belts.

"armed with their new Austrian rifles"
Where the actual arms actually new? I would expect that they where rather old and used surplussed arms.
So I guess the point is that they where newly issued? or that they just received them?

"brown line of Rebels"
Where that specific csa unit wearing brown? (and not civilian clothing? or some colorful early war uniforms?)

"They were sent to support Richardson’s Battery of artillery"
IF the expected readers are people who know about the war, there is no reason to explain that the battery is "of artillery" They will know that a battery is not infantry or cavalry. If the expected readers are ordinary Americans... then likely a good idea to include it.

"supporting the battery of artillery "
No mater who the reader is, they now know that you are talking about artillery. So no need to repeat it.
 
Thank you! Beyond a general accuracy check, I have been unable to find the name of the hill where the 61st supported Richardson's battery or the area where they relieved a regiment at, what I think was, the Peach Orchard. Any help there would be greatly appreciated.

Here is the text. It has not been reviewed yet for grammar or sentence structure, my wife generally does that for my writing, but I think it is readable as it is written.

DAve
---------------------------

It was seven o`clock in the morning, Sunday, April 6th 1862. The men in Company F of the 61st Illinois Infantry had finished their breakfast and were attending to simple chores. Camp put to order, breakfast cleaned up, muskets brightened and polished. The morning was bright, quiet, and still until the soft “PUM” of artillery in the distance came to the camp. First a single shell, then two, then more. What followed was unmistakably the rattle of muskets as volleys were fired in the distance and the battle begun.

Within seconds, an officer on a hard rode horse arrived in a cloud of dust and declared “My God, this regiment not in line yet! They have been fighting on the right for an hour!” Within minutes, the men of the 61st had buckled on their cartridge belts and picking up their muskets, formed up. As the men marched across Spain field to the south of their camp, they formed into line on the colors, facing the woods at the south side of the field listening breathlessly as the sound of musket fire came ever closer. The battle of Shilo had begun and the 61st Illinois, armed with their new Austrian rifles, were as of yet unproven in battle.

The 61st had waited at the edge of Spain field for only a few minutes when the brown line of Rebels came into view on their right. The Regiment as a whole fired in order into the advancing troops that were now pressing hard on General Prentiss left flank. The 61st was quickly ordered to fall back to other side of the field they now fought on and did so in good order. From that new line at the edge of the woods, they fought hard for over an hour, holding back Confederate General Gladden’s Alabama Brigades now fighting from the line they had earlier abandoned.

When the line to their right began to give way, the 61st was again ordered to fall back, they were sent to support Richardson’s Battery of artillery on the east side of the Corinth road. Lying on a gentle slope to the rear of the cannons, they watched as the opposing forces engaged in ferocious fighting.

At 2 o’clock, the 61st was once again ordered to move. Taking their position on the left of General Hurlbut’s line, they relieved a tired regiment that had been holding well for over four hours at a place now well remembered as the Peach Orchard. There, at the last line of Federal troops, they fought until they had expended their ammunition and were in turn relieved by a fresh Regiment. Filling their cartridge boxes, the 61st returned to their former position supporting the battery of artillery. By late afternoon, the fighting lulled and a silence fell over the field of battle. The fighting had been hard, desperate, and relentless. But, the day was not over for the 61st Illinois.

During the lull in fighting, the 61st was yet again ordered to fall back. As they did, they realized that they were one of the last units to be recalled. All was quiet during the movement until a sudden and unexpected volley of firing came from behind and a rain of bullets began. The orderly movement to the rear became a rush and long lines of blue headed up the road as quickly as they could. Upon breaking into a field the 61st saw before them a long line of blue uniforms standing both sides of the Corinth road, extending out of sight to the left and the right. Those lines of blue, the full unbroken Federal line, had been falling back all day, but was still in the fight!

Taking their position behind the remains of Hurlbut’s Division, the 61st turned about and reformed, ready to fight once more. Once in place, they heard a tremendous roar, quickly followed by more in succession. The gunboats on the Tennessee river had joined the battle, and were presently shelling the ravines south of Pittsburg Landing, halting any pursuit by Johnson’s Army of the Mississippi. As the 61st stood there listening to the barrage, fresh new soldiers came up to the line. The 63rd Indiana, the advance guard of General Don Carlos Buell, had arrived to strengthen the Federal line on the left.

No more fighting would happen that day as Confederate General PT Beauregard believed General Buell and General Lew Wallace would not arrive to reinforce General Grant’s lines. Beauregard believed he had won the battle, and he broke off the fight. The morning would tell a different story as an overwhelming force of Federal troops retake the field and send the Army of the Mississippi back to Corinth.
Civil War soldiers did not have "Cartridge belts" - they had cartridge boxes, and most Union soldiers wore them on a sling, not on a belt. Also, they would probably have their muskets stacked, so they would have to break up the stacks to get them.
 
Sources, which will be included in the article.

The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War 1861 – 1865 by Leander Stillwell (1920)
Illinois at Shilo – Report of the Shilo Battlefield Commission (1905)
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/shiloh-animated-map - American Battlefield Trust’s animated battlefield map of Shilo

Multiple sources are a concern of mine. I am certain there is a research term for the problem that worries me, but in short, it is that I might muddy the history by improperly mixing different accounts. i don't think I have, but...

DAve

A source I'd recommend is this first-hand account of a member of the 61st Illinois Infantry: https://books.google.com/books?id=LBUVPQAACAAJ&dq="61st+Illinois+infantry"&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHtYCv66TjAhVYVs0KHWXFCGcQ6AEIKjAA

I haven't read it but it will probably give you a much more immediate and authoritative perspective on what happened than these tertiary online sources.
 
… Within seconds, an officer on a hard rode horse arrived in a cloud of dust and declared “My God, this regiment not in line yet! They have been fighting on the right for an hour!” Within minutes, the men of the 61st had buckled on their cartridge belts and picking up their muskets, formed up. As the men marched across Spain field to the south of their camp, they formed into line on the colors, facing the woods at the south side of the field listening breathlessly as the sound of musket fire came ever closer. The battle of Shilo had begun and the 61st Illinois, armed with their new Austrian rifles, were as of yet unproven in battle...
Others have already pointed out the spelling and cartridge belts, so I'll just add that there was NO dust - there had been torrential downpours the entire time the Federals had been encamped there, making a sea of mud and swollen creeks. Welcome to the forums!
 
… Taking their position behind the remains of Hurlbut’s Division, the 61st turned about and reformed, ready to fight once more. Once in place, they heard a tremendous roar, quickly followed by more in succession. The gunboats on the Tennessee river had joined the battle, and were presently shelling the ravines south of Pittsburg Landing, halting any pursuit by Johnson’s Army of the Mississippi. As the 61st stood there listening to the barrage, fresh new soldiers came up to the line. The 63rd Indiana, the advance guard of General Don Carlos Buell, had arrived to strengthen the Federal line on the left.

No more fighting would happen that day as Confederate General PT Beauregard believed General Buell and General Lew Wallace would not arrive to reinforce General Grant’s lines. Beauregard believed he had won the battle, and he broke off the fight. The morning would tell a different story as an overwhelming force of Federal troops retake the field and send the Army of the Mississippi back to Corinth.
The Confederate commander, until he was killed near the Hornet's Nest and replaced by P.G.T. Beauregard, was Albert Sidney Johnston. Union armies and departments were named for rivers, like Grant's Army of the Tennessee and Buell's Army of the Ohio; Confederate forces were named for states and other geographical areas like the later Army of Northern Virginia and Army of Tennessee- hence there should be NO "the" in Army of Mississippi.
 
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Although an edit would strengthen your article, I think what you're really looking for is a fact-checker, which is not the same as a proofreader. Proofreading is the last stage of editing and is done after an article is both edited and fact-checked.
 
I would check books by Larry Daniel and Edward O. Cunningham to see if there are anything of not that might help you. Cunningham's book was his doctorate dissertation but was never published and was basically forgotten until it was published by a park ranger at Shiloh. The dissertation was written in 1960s and since scholarship on the battle has changed, the editors added in new information as the footnotes.
 
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