Mann’s Battery, Company C, 1st Missouri Light Artillery at Shiloh

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Mann’s Battery, Company C, 1st​ Missouri Light Artillery was heavily engaged on both days of the Battle of Shiloh. Armed with 2 6-pounder smoothbores and 2 12-pounder howitzers, the performance of this battery was such that General Hurlbut praised it in his official report cited below. The unit was camped about 300 yards east of Cloud Field on the Brown's Landing Road and upon hearing the sounds of battle, Lieutenant Brotzman ordered the battery to move forward to just south of the Hamburg-Purdy Road between Larkin Bell's and Sarah Bell's field.
Regards
David

Reports of Brig. Gen. Stephen A. Hurlbut, U. S. Army, Commanding Fourth Division, Army of the Tennessee.
Hdqrs. Fourth Division, Army of West Tennessee,
April 12, 1862.

During all this time Mann’s battery maintained its fire steadily, effectively, and with great rapidity, under the excellent handling of Lieut. E. Brotzmann. (excerpt Page 204)

My own thanks have been personally tendered on the field of battle to First Lieut. E. Brotzmann, commanding Mann’s battery, and to his command. This battery fought both days under my personal inspection. It was always ready, effective in execution, changing position promptly when required, and officers, men, and horses steady in action. Having lost one piece on Sunday, it was easy to distinguish the fire of this battery throughout Monday; in position first on General McClernand’s right, then on his center, then on the left, they everywhere fulfilled their duty. I specially recommend this officer for promotion Captain Mann, of this battery, was unable to be in action. (excerpt Page 207)
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730160&view=1up&seq=225

This is the first location of Manns' Battery and the terrain at the time was much more open
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Enclosed below is Lieutenant Brotzmann's official report.
Regards
David
Report of Lieut. Edward Brotzmann, Mann’s Battery, Missouri Light
Artillery.
Sir: I have the honor to report to you that on the 6th day of April, at about half past 7 o’clock a. m., I heard a continuous fire of infantry and artillery on the right wing of our army, and in consequence thereof I ordered the battery to be ready to move as quick as possible. About ten minutes after this order was given by me I received the order by your adjutant, Captain Long, to move on to the front line as soon as the battery was ready. This order was executed by me a few minutes afterwards, and I followed the main road and took position about 1 1/2 miles distant from the headquarters of the Fourth Division, near a few log houses, where a Zouave regiment was encamped, which already had left their camp. Here I discovered the enemy at a distance of about 1,100 yards, in the woods. After having fired a few rounds of solid shot and shell on the enemy I was ordered back to take position in an open field on the right. The enemy planted a battery of six pieces at the outskirts of the woods opposite my battery. As soon as I noticed the enemy’s battery I commenced firing. After a heavy firing of about twenty minutes from both sides the enemy did not respond to our fire any longer, and fell back. This moment I used to supply the limbers of my pieces with ammunition from the caissons. During this action I lost one lieutenant, Edward Schuster, who was wounded severely in the left arm by a piece of shell, and 4 men—1 killed and 3 severely wounded—also 8 horses. I sent the bugler back to the camp for 6 horses, with drivers, for replacing the loss.
As soon as I got the supply of horses and drivers, which were taken from the field forge, the enemy’s battery reopened their fire at us again, and I took a position in the same field where I was before, a little more to the left. After firing for some time at the enemy’s battery, Lieut. Wandelin Meyer, of my battery, was wounded in the head by the explosion of an enemy’s shell, so that from this time I was the only commissioned officer in command of the battery. I then received an order to move farther to the left, near the log houses, and to silence the enemy’s battery. The advantage of this movement was that I could open my fire at the flank of the enemy’s battery, which received a heavy loss by my firing, as I noticed the enemy’s infantry advancing through the woods on my left at a distance of about 500 yards, which compelled me to change my front to the left and to open fire with canister at the enemy’s infantry. Being at that time in a cross-fire, the artillery from the right and the infantry from the front, I sustained a heavy loss of men and horses, and I only retired when our infantry retreated. Two wheel-horses of the second piece were wounded severely, and also the middle driver, which compelled me to leave that piece, a 6-pounder gun, behind; also two caissons, but without ammunition, on which partially the horses were killed and taken to replace the disabled horses on the pieces, were left at this place, so that from this time my battery consisted of three pieces and two caissons. I then retired (being nearly out of ammunition) to the main road, and having a supply of reserve ammunition at the camp, I sent the two caissons back to get it. Our forces were retiring then continually, and I had no alternative but to retire with them.
In retiring through a slough one of the two caissons, on which the number of horses was already reduced to four, had to be abandoned, in consequence of the enemy’s cavalry pressing closely upon us and the ground not being favorable to open fire on them. Afterward I took position in line with the heavy guns where the last stand of our troops was made, expending mostly all my ammunition which I had on hand, and receiving then the order from General Hurlbut to retire with the battery to get a fresh supply of ammunition, which I did by pressing a wagon and taking the necessary ammunition from the steamer Rocket. In overlooking the battery I found that the loss of wounded and killed on this day was 2 lieutenants, 12 men, and about 30 horses. The number of rounds of ammunition expended this day is about 190 each piece; total, 760 rounds. -
On Monday morning, hearing heavy firing on the right of our army, I moved on with the battery to that direction, when I was ordered by one of the aides of General Hurlbut to take position on a hill where two of our batteries were already firing at two of the enemy’s batteries, and commenced firing at them, silencing the enemy’s battery after about fifteen minutes. Having only one caisson, so that I could carry only a small amount of ammunition, I was compelled to retire a few hundred yards and to send back my first sergeant for getting a supply of ammunition, which he did. After having packed said ammunition I advanced again to the open field close to our infantry, who were having a heavy skirmish with the enemy in the woods, but the ground being not favorable to come in with the battery without injuring our own men, I was ordered to remain inactive, waiting for an opportunity. About fifteen minutes afterwards I was ordered to the left on the edge of an open field, when I came in battery and commenced firing at the enemy.
Being again out of ammunition I had retired to get a supply again, which was sent already to my battery from the steamer Rocket. It was pretty late in the afternoon and the firing had mostly ceased, when I reported to Captain Long for orders, who ordered me to go to camp. During this day 3 men of my battery were severely bruised by the overturning of one gun-carriage. The amount of ammunition expended this day was about 120 rounds each piece; having only three pieces, it makes a total of about 360 rounds. The whole amount yesterday was 760. Total amount expended during the whole action about 1,120 rounds.
The total loss of the battery during the whole action is 2 lieutenants wounded, 3 men killed and 12 men wounded, 34 horses, 7 sets of lead and 4 sets of wheel harness for two horses, 6 cavalry sabers, 2 revolvers, 39 horse blankets, 2 riding saddles, and 1 wheel. Many of the drivers lost their baggage when their horses were killed, and the baggage was packed in the valise on their horses.
The conduct of the officers and men under my command was admirable during the two days’ fighting, and all the men have done their duty as well as ever it can be expected from a brave soldier.
Most respectfully, your obedient servant,
E. BROTZMANN,
First Lieutenant, Comdg. Mann’s Battery, Missouri Vols.
General Stephen A. Hurlbut,
Commanding Fourth Division.

(Page 246-248)
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730160&view=1up&seq=225
This the last position on Sunday, April 6, of Mann's Battery along Grant's last line
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hey david is there any effort possibly now or in the future too cut back some of this undergrowth and saplings to make the landscape the way it was back when????
 
Thanks for more images from the battlefield. I don't know why- Shiloh's may not look hugely different from some others but it seems so haunting. Not ' haunted ', haunting, like the kind of place where you whisper and don't know why.
 
@farmerjohn as far as I know the Park has been attempting, successfully in my opinion, to restore the land to how it looked in 1862. The problem I believe is that in 1862 there were mature trees with high canopies which restricted the amout of light on the forrest floor, this coupled with the free ranging of deer, swine, cattle and other domestic stock that restricated the amount of undergrowth. There were areas that had thickets such as the eastern end of Duncan Field that had a large undergrowth that restricted the assaults of Colonel Randall Gibson's 1st Brigade upon the Hornet's Nest on the 1st day for example.
I believe the best person to address this issue is @TomP, a ranger at the Corinth Civil War Interprative Center, and a member of this Forum to answer your question. He is far more qualified to answer your question than I am. If he does not respond to this post, he does work the weekends, just establish a Conversation with him and he will be sure to respond.
I hope I have been of some assistance
 
On Monday, April 7th, Mann's Battery was shifted to Jone's Field (far right flank of the Union Army) where they assisted in driving the Confederates from field and back to Corinth.
Regards
David
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@farmerjohn as far as I know the Park has been attempting, successfully in my opinion, to restore the land to how it looked in 1862. The problem I believe is that in 1862 there were mature trees with high canopies which restricted the amout of light on the forrest floor, this coupled with the free ranging of deer, swine, cattle and other domestic stock that restricated the amount of undergrowth. There were areas that had thickets such as the eastern end of Duncan Field that had a large undergrowth that restricted the assaults of Colonel Randall Gibson's 1st Brigade upon the Hornet's Nest on the 1st day for example.
I believe the best person to address this issue is @TomP, a ranger at the Corinth Civil War Interprative Center, and a member of this Forum to answer your question. He is far more qualified to answer your question than I am. If he does not respond to this post, he does work the weekends, just establish a Conversation with him and he will be sure to respond.
I hope I have been of some assistance
thank you!!!
 
hey david is there any effort possibly now or in the future too cut back some of this undergrowth and saplings to make the landscape the way it was back when????
There are a few areas on the park where we maintain the "open timber" as it was in the 1860's. It would cost an absolute fortune to restore the whole of the wooded areas to open timber. As David said, back in the day the farmers kept their fields fenced to keep the livestock out, not in. The hogs and cattle ate up everything green on the forest floor and as high as they could reach. Also, in the weeks before the battle, Grant had five divisions camped on the field and they were burning up every bit of wood found on the ground and were cutting down young trees as well. There were a lot of campfires.
The last time the park looked like it did back in the day was during the Great Depression. As part of the New Deal, two CCC camps were established on the park as well as a WPA camp. Several work crews of fifty men each, would grid out the acreage and they cut down every dead tree and hauled out all of the dead wood. Brush was cut down and taken off and burned. This was a program to get men working again. Aside from this work they built a new visitor center (the one we use today), several houses for employees (I used to live in one), built an enormous number of erosion control dams and culverts, and built concrete roadways.
I would hesitate to even estimate what it would cost to return the park to that condition and then maintain it.
Tom
 
Tom great explantion of the difficulties the Park faces in attempting to return the battlefield to its 1862 appearance. I am especially pleased that you mentioned the effect of all the 40,000 Union troops living in the filed prior to the battle. Myu personal opinion is the Park Service and the Rangers do an outstanding job in maintaing the Park as well as they do in these days of uncertain budgets and underfunding.
Regards
David
 
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