Shiloh Shame

HeroPrentiss

Cadet
Joined
Jul 11, 2020
I was enjoying the Shiloh videos despite the inaccuracies in them. Then I came to this one. My great-great-grandfather fought with the 58th Illinois in Duncan Field and was taken prisoner at the end of the day. Like other men who fought in the Sunken Road/Hornets' Nest he was proud to have fought beside General Prentiss and considered him a hero.

It was stunning to watch the three of them stand on hallowed ground and desecrate it in front of Peabody's mortuary monument and gleefully declare that Prentiss was not a hero but a villain. I had not seen before such virulent hatred of Prentiss as displayed here by men who should know better.

For those of you who approach the history of Shiloh battle and park with an unprejudiced mind (a favorite phrase of David Wilson Reed) I introduce William A. Morton, the brother of Major General Charles Morton, brother of John Morton and brother of Mark Morton who served as an aide to Colonel Everett Peabody. All four of these brothers were in the 25th Missouri and survived the war to live long lives. Charles was sixteen years old at Shiloh; afterwards attended West Point; and stayed in the service until forced to retire. He wrote a couple papers of his experience at Shiloh. William was an older brother who was a sergeant. The Morton's brother-in-law also served in the 25th Missouri and they found his body near that of Colonel Peabody's once they regained their shattered camp.

Charles Morton hosted annual Shiloh dinners where the guests would gather and reminiscence about the most memorable day of their lives; April 6, 1862.

After the 1908 dinner William Morton wrote an article for the HAMILTONIAN. In it he wrote who they blamed for the lack of recognition Colonel Everett Peabody received after the battle.

"I have often wondered why historians have not given Colonel Peabody the credit which newspaper correspondents and army officers accorded him immediately after the battle, when the facts were fresh in memory."

William Morton, who was there, blamed the historians. He never blamed Prentiss. The historians did it and based on what we witness here in this video it seems like a pretty good call.

William broached the subject of Powell's early morning patrol.

"Why Col. Peabody took the steps he did, without reporting to Prentiss, is a mystery. It could not have been on account of ignorance nor lack of respect to a superior officer, for he was a man of fine intelligence and was ever courteous to both inferior and superior officers, besides every inch a soldier."

What could be more disrespectful to Colonel Peabody than to use his mortuary monument, with Peabody's name framed in the background, as the participants falsely declare Peabody's superior officer to be a liar and a villain and then, later in the video, declare him even more of a villain. Such disrespect to Colonel Peabody to assume he would condone, or encourage, such a thing.

Since Colonel Peabody cannot do so. I will speak for him and the men of the 25th Missouri to the American Battlefield Trust and its representatives:

"Get the hell out of our camp! And stay out!! We don't want you here!!!

<iframe width="709" height="399" src="
" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

"Any man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled to. Less than that no man shall have."
Teddy Roosevelt
July 4, 1903

I noticed that those of us who do believe Prentiss is one of the heroes of Shiloh are subjected to ad hominem attack and described with disdain and derisively dismissed as falling into a trap. But you cannot dismiss us that easily. Facts are stubborn. They shouldn't have done that. I am not intimidated by these guys. My research is backed up by men who were there. They don't know what I've got in my files.

A couple points: Observe that Mr. Hills states emphatically that Prentiss did not mention Peabody in his after-action report and that Prentiss threw a dead Peabody under the bus. But facts are stubborn things. Prentiss did indeed mention Peabody in his after-action report. He could not give details of what Peabody had done because he did not know. The last time he saw him was when he told Peabody he would hold him responsible for bringing on the engagement. Most times a division commander has the benefit of reports from his brigade commanders to assist him in preparing a report but Peabody didn't make a report. If Major James E. Powell made a report that was published in the Official Records as claimed it came up from underneath the ground.

Prentiss was not aware Peabody had sent out Powell's patrol at 3 a. m. and he never took credit for it. If there is a liar in this story it isn't Prentiss.

Prentiss did not write the history of the Hornets' Nest leaving out Peabody. The story of the heroics of Peabody was published by John Gilmary Shea in a book, The American Nation, which was printed in 1862, possibly while Prentiss was still a prisoner down South. The entire story was also published by Shea in 1872 in a children's book; A Child's History of the United States, Vol. III., page 81-91. It was also published in a book in 1867 by William Swinton titled The Twelve Decisive Battles of the War. In 1867 the Peabody's story is told in Harvard Memorial Biographies. The Philadelphia Inquirer had a reporter in Peabody's camp and his story was published in the April 18, 1862 issue. The Chicago Evening Journal noted that Peabody sent out the patrol in its April 12, 1862 issue.

"And you ought to take very great care when you are about to praise or blame any man, that you speak correctly." – Plato

Dr. Mackowski appeared on camera to set up Mr. Hills with an opportunity to make another slam at Prentiss with a totally inept question that didn't make any sense. Shiloh has more than one hero. There's room for plenty. Peabody is identified as a hero for what he did at the opening of the battle. Prentiss is considered a hero for what he did in defending his camps; holding the Hornets' Nest and Sunken Road; and fighting a "last stand" for an hour, or so, with the entire Confederate army while Grant is strengthening his "last line." It is not a question of Prentiss instead of Peabody. It looks like the makers of this video were working with a script. This video probably impresses those who are not deeply immersed in the history of Shiloh and they will make glowing remarks in the comments section. There are over 5000 views and 400 thumbs up. But I am deeply immersed in the history of Shiloh and this video sucks.

Without taking any credit away from Peabody it should be noted that the true, driving force, behind the early morning patrol was Major James E. Powell. For all you Shiloh revisionists who falsely claim that Powell's patrol was against Prentiss's orders and unauthorized here is the statement of a man who was there.

Wm. J. Hahn, 1st Lt., Co. H., 25th Missouri wrote on April 12, 1914 – "With the assistance of Colonel Everitt Peabody commanding the 1st Brigade of the 6th Division, Major Powell finally got General Prentiss's permission to reconnoiter Sunday morning, but under no circumstances to bring on a general engagement. Major Powell explained these points to me at 10 P.M. Saturday, April 5th and directed me to visit every tent of Co. H and instruct the men to be fully dressed and be ready to march at 3 A.M. Sunday, April 6th……If ever a man deserved a monument it is our brave Major Powell….."

There are several versions of what was said between Prentiss and Peabody the morning of April 6, 1862. This one shows that, while Prentiss was angry and would hold Peabody responsible, he showed respect to Peabody and ordered him forward with his best regiment. Basically he told Peabody--you created this problem now go fix it. F. E. Peabody was Colonel Peabody's nephew and he was attempting to discover what happened the morning his uncle fell in battle.

F. C. Nichols, senior Captain of the 25th Missouri at Shiloh, to F. E. Peabody, Feb. 27, 1902. "At early morn before breakfast the line of Battle was formed, with the right of Brigade resting on the right of our regimental color line. My company was on the right of Brigade. A few minutes after the line was formed, General Prentiss rode up near Colonel Peabody, who was mounted and in front of my company, about the center of the first platoon and said to him, "Colonel Peabody, I hold you responsible for bringing on this fight." Saluting, Colonel Peabody said: 'If I brought on the fight I am able to lead the van.' General Prentiss ordered him to take his best regiment….the next words I heard were: 25th Missouri forward.'"

In response to Mr. Adelman's enthusiastic implication that the villain Prentiss walked on the grave of William Hervey (it is not Harvey) Lamm Wallace in order to steal credit from him there is no evidence to back that up and is an injustice to Prentiss. Mr. Adelman declared Prentiss a villain but it is obvious he doesn't even know anything about him. When speaking of Shiloh, Prentiss always gave credit to Wallace. Prentiss and WHL Wallace fought in the same Illinois regiment in the Mexican War. Prentiss was the captain of the company while Wallace was a lieutenant. Wallace wrote to some friends on September 23, 1846: "Our Company is now commanded by Captain Prentiss, the late Adjutant, and the best officer in the two regiments." That is the story that should be told about Prentiss and WHL Wallace. They fought together in the Mexican War and fate brought them together to defend the Sunken Road at Shiloh. They were friends and respected each other.

Instead we get Mr. Adelman wanting to heap more villainy upon Prentiss by claiming he threw Wallace under the bus too. What are the odds that Mr. Adelman even knows of the Mexican War relationship between Prentiss and Wallace? Also, a well-known Shiloh historian wrote "Prentiss gave Wallace full credit for his actions," in his after-action report. (Timothy B. Smith. Rethinking Shiloh. Page 78). The idea that Prentiss threw Wallace under the bus is nothing more but Shiloh revisionist nonsense. Mr. Adelman spouts another falsehood about Prentiss on hallowed ground.

In video no. 16 of this series Mr. Adelman whines how if he says something negative about someone he is accused of hating the person. Let's see. – You are standing on hallowed ground. You've accepted Mr. Hills description of Prentiss as a villain but you want people to believe Prentiss is even a greater villain than Mr. Hills thinks he is (how that could be possible, I don't know). To do that you concoct a totally vile scenario that even Tim Smith has written in a book isn't true. But you do it anyway. You do it because you do not expect to be called out on it because very few people will know that the scenario you are gloating about is not true. You did it because you hate Prentiss and you want everybody who watches this video to hate him too. By the way; when you stand on hallow ground and tell falsehoods about a man who fought there that is called desecration and you should stop it.

The American Battlefield Trust states their mission is to preserve, educate and inspire. Well, they inspired me all right. They inspired me to start this thread.

On December 27, 1894 the United States Congress passed "an act to establish a national military park at the battlefield of Shiloh.

"The Shiloh National Military Park was established by act of Congress in order that the armies of the southwest may have the history of one of their memorable battles preserved on the ground where they fought. It is the desire of the commission having this work in charge that this history shall be complete, impartial, and correct, so that when the monuments of granite and bronze shall have been erected their inscriptions shall publish to the world nothing but the truth."

That includes General Prentiss and the men (North and South) who fought in the Hornets' Nest and Sunken Road. The Shiloh National Military Park and the American Battlefield Trust should reread why the park was established and adhere to it.

This video is an injustice to General Benjamin Mayberry Prentiss and the men who fought with him, and against him, in the Sunken Road/Hornets' Nest and consider him a hero.

I would rather take the word of a soldier from the 18th Missouri who actually fought all day with Prentiss as to whether Prentiss was a hero or not. Rather than Shiloh revisionists who make things up to craft a false narrative about Prentiss more than 150 years after the battle.

In 1890 James Price, Capt. of Company K, 18th Missouri applied for a pension and requested an affidavit from Jesse Abel as a witness to Price's service. The two men fought with Prentiss in the Hornets' Nest at Shiloh. It was that experience Abel wrote about in the affidavit dated July 3, 1890.

"I was a corporal in Company K, 18 Mo. Volunteer Infantry at the time of the battle of Shiloh. Jas. A. Price was the Captain of that company. Toward evening of the 6th of April 1862, the day of the battle I was with Capt. Price when hero (emphasis by me) Genl Prentiss rode by and told Capt. Price that if he ever expected to get out of his position he must get out within five minutes, as the enemy were then on both flanks and in our rear. Genl Prentiss rode on and in less than five minutes was made a prisoner. After considerable persuasion Capt. Price was induced to leave his position and attempt to escape through the rebel forces which were fast closing around us. The Captain and myself and fifteen others were all of our company together at this time. 12 of us (illegible) that escaped capture, and in fact nearly all of Gen. Prentiss command that escaped. No braver man ever looked into the muzzles of Rebel muskets than Capt. James A. Price. I was with him in the times that tried mens souls and I know whereof I speak."
Jesse A. Abel

After over twenty-eight years Abel remembered Prentiss riding amongst the men encouraging them to get out. To Jesse Abel, Capt. James Price and my great-great grandfather, Benjamin Prentiss is a hero, and they were there.

Prentiss and the men who fought with him and the Shiloh National Military Park deserve better than this.

Not content to just slander Prentiss in front of Peabody's monument; David Wilson Reed gets a dose too.

Everyone should note that Mr. Adelman was more than willing to criticize Shiloh's first historian but didn't even know his name. His name was David Wilson Reed and he was with the 12th Iowa in the Hornets' Nest where he was wounded. He is known as the "Father of Shiloh National Military Park" and was entrusted by the Shiloh Military Park Commission to produce a truthful history of the battle to honor all the men who fought here. In order for the Shiloh revisionists to craft their false narrative they are willing to disparage the work of Reed by claiming he violated his trust by producing a history of the battle which emphasizes the area of the battlefield in which he fought. Reed would be appalled at the injustice heaped on him. One would think that before you slander someone you would at least know his name.

"Truth once crushed to earth shall rise again." William Cullen Bryant

The video ended on a light note when Mr. Hills stated "the first guy who gets it wrong everybody foot notes it."

No better example of this phenomenon can be found than in the recently published (2019) Attack at Daylight and Whip Them. The book is part of The Emerging Civil War Series of which Dr. Mackowski is the editor. Wiley Sword did it wrong in his book, Bloody Shiloh, around fifty years ago and the same mistakes slandering Prentiss are repeated in the book Dr. Mackowski edited.

Shame on these guys. What a disappointment.

PS. The American Battlefield Trust's Shiloh Animated Map produced by Shiloh revisionists sucks too.
 
I was enjoying the Shiloh videos despite the inaccuracies in them. Then I came to this one. My great-great-grandfather fought with the 58th Illinois in Duncan Field and was taken prisoner at the end of the day. Like other men who fought in the Sunken Road/Hornets' Nest he was proud to have fought beside General Prentiss and considered him a hero.

It was stunning to watch the three of them stand on hallowed ground and desecrate it in front of Peabody's mortuary monument and gleefully declare that Prentiss was not a hero but a villain. I had not seen before such virulent hatred of Prentiss as displayed here by men who should know better.

For those of you who approach the history of Shiloh battle and park with an unprejudiced mind (a favorite phrase of David Wilson Reed) I introduce William A. Morton, the brother of Major General Charles Morton, brother of John Morton and brother of Mark Morton who served as an aide to Colonel Everett Peabody. All four of these brothers were in the 25th Missouri and survived the war to live long lives. Charles was sixteen years old at Shiloh; afterwards attended West Point; and stayed in the service until forced to retire. He wrote a couple papers of his experience at Shiloh. William was an older brother who was a sergeant. The Morton's brother-in-law also served in the 25th Missouri and they found his body near that of Colonel Peabody's once they regained their shattered camp.

Charles Morton hosted annual Shiloh dinners where the guests would gather and reminiscence about the most memorable day of their lives; April 6, 1862.

After the 1908 dinner William Morton wrote an article for the HAMILTONIAN. In it he wrote who they blamed for the lack of recognition Colonel Everett Peabody received after the battle.

"I have often wondered why historians have not given Colonel Peabody the credit which newspaper correspondents and army officers accorded him immediately after the battle, when the facts were fresh in memory."

William Morton, who was there, blamed the historians. He never blamed Prentiss. The historians did it and based on what we witness here in this video it seems like a pretty good call.

William broached the subject of Powell's early morning patrol.

"Why Col. Peabody took the steps he did, without reporting to Prentiss, is a mystery. It could not have been on account of ignorance nor lack of respect to a superior officer, for he was a man of fine intelligence and was ever courteous to both inferior and superior officers, besides every inch a soldier."

What could be more disrespectful to Colonel Peabody than to use his mortuary monument, with Peabody's name framed in the background, as the participants falsely declare Peabody's superior officer to be a liar and a villain and then, later in the video, declare him even more of a villain. Such disrespect to Colonel Peabody to assume he would condone, or encourage, such a thing.

Since Colonel Peabody cannot do so. I will speak for him and the men of the 25th Missouri to the American Battlefield Trust and its representatives:

"Get the hell out of our camp! And stay out!! We don't want you here!!!

<iframe width="709" height="399" src="
" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

"Any man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled to. Less than that no man shall have."
Teddy Roosevelt
July 4, 1903

I noticed that those of us who do believe Prentiss is one of the heroes of Shiloh are subjected to ad hominem attack and described with disdain and derisively dismissed as falling into a trap. But you cannot dismiss us that easily. Facts are stubborn. They shouldn't have done that. I am not intimidated by these guys. My research is backed up by men who were there. They don't know what I've got in my files.

A couple points: Observe that Mr. Hills states emphatically that Prentiss did not mention Peabody in his after-action report and that Prentiss threw a dead Peabody under the bus. But facts are stubborn things. Prentiss did indeed mention Peabody in his after-action report. He could not give details of what Peabody had done because he did not know. The last time he saw him was when he told Peabody he would hold him responsible for bringing on the engagement. Most times a division commander has the benefit of reports from his brigade commanders to assist him in preparing a report but Peabody didn't make a report. If Major James E. Powell made a report that was published in the Official Records as claimed it came up from underneath the ground.

Prentiss was not aware Peabody had sent out Powell's patrol at 3 a. m. and he never took credit for it. If there is a liar in this story it isn't Prentiss.

Prentiss did not write the history of the Hornets' Nest leaving out Peabody. The story of the heroics of Peabody was published by John Gilmary Shea in a book, The American Nation, which was printed in 1862, possibly while Prentiss was still a prisoner down South. The entire story was also published by Shea in 1872 in a children's book; A Child's History of the United States, Vol. III., page 81-91. It was also published in a book in 1867 by William Swinton titled The Twelve Decisive Battles of the War. In 1867 the Peabody's story is told in Harvard Memorial Biographies. The Philadelphia Inquirer had a reporter in Peabody's camp and his story was published in the April 18, 1862 issue. The Chicago Evening Journal noted that Peabody sent out the patrol in its April 12, 1862 issue.

"And you ought to take very great care when you are about to praise or blame any man, that you speak correctly." – Plato

Dr. Mackowski appeared on camera to set up Mr. Hills with an opportunity to make another slam at Prentiss with a totally inept question that didn't make any sense. Shiloh has more than one hero. There's room for plenty. Peabody is identified as a hero for what he did at the opening of the battle. Prentiss is considered a hero for what he did in defending his camps; holding the Hornets' Nest and Sunken Road; and fighting a "last stand" for an hour, or so, with the entire Confederate army while Grant is strengthening his "last line." It is not a question of Prentiss instead of Peabody. It looks like the makers of this video were working with a script. This video probably impresses those who are not deeply immersed in the history of Shiloh and they will make glowing remarks in the comments section. There are over 5000 views and 400 thumbs up. But I am deeply immersed in the history of Shiloh and this video sucks.

Without taking any credit away from Peabody it should be noted that the true, driving force, behind the early morning patrol was Major James E. Powell. For all you Shiloh revisionists who falsely claim that Powell's patrol was against Prentiss's orders and unauthorized here is the statement of a man who was there.

Wm. J. Hahn, 1st Lt., Co. H., 25th Missouri wrote on April 12, 1914 – "With the assistance of Colonel Everitt Peabody commanding the 1st Brigade of the 6th Division, Major Powell finally got General Prentiss's permission to reconnoiter Sunday morning, but under no circumstances to bring on a general engagement. Major Powell explained these points to me at 10 P.M. Saturday, April 5th and directed me to visit every tent of Co. H and instruct the men to be fully dressed and be ready to march at 3 A.M. Sunday, April 6th……If ever a man deserved a monument it is our brave Major Powell….."

There are several versions of what was said between Prentiss and Peabody the morning of April 6, 1862. This one shows that, while Prentiss was angry and would hold Peabody responsible, he showed respect to Peabody and ordered him forward with his best regiment. Basically he told Peabody--you created this problem now go fix it. F. E. Peabody was Colonel Peabody's nephew and he was attempting to discover what happened the morning his uncle fell in battle.

F. C. Nichols, senior Captain of the 25th Missouri at Shiloh, to F. E. Peabody, Feb. 27, 1902. "At early morn before breakfast the line of Battle was formed, with the right of Brigade resting on the right of our regimental color line. My company was on the right of Brigade. A few minutes after the line was formed, General Prentiss rode up near Colonel Peabody, who was mounted and in front of my company, about the center of the first platoon and said to him, "Colonel Peabody, I hold you responsible for bringing on this fight." Saluting, Colonel Peabody said: 'If I brought on the fight I am able to lead the van.' General Prentiss ordered him to take his best regiment….the next words I heard were: 25th Missouri forward.'"

In response to Mr. Adelman's enthusiastic implication that the villain Prentiss walked on the grave of William Hervey (it is not Harvey) Lamm Wallace in order to steal credit from him there is no evidence to back that up and is an injustice to Prentiss. Mr. Adelman declared Prentiss a villain but it is obvious he doesn't even know anything about him. When speaking of Shiloh, Prentiss always gave credit to Wallace. Prentiss and WHL Wallace fought in the same Illinois regiment in the Mexican War. Prentiss was the captain of the company while Wallace was a lieutenant. Wallace wrote to some friends on September 23, 1846: "Our Company is now commanded by Captain Prentiss, the late Adjutant, and the best officer in the two regiments." That is the story that should be told about Prentiss and WHL Wallace. They fought together in the Mexican War and fate brought them together to defend the Sunken Road at Shiloh. They were friends and respected each other.

Instead we get Mr. Adelman wanting to heap more villainy upon Prentiss by claiming he threw Wallace under the bus too. What are the odds that Mr. Adelman even knows of the Mexican War relationship between Prentiss and Wallace? Also, a well-known Shiloh historian wrote "Prentiss gave Wallace full credit for his actions," in his after-action report. (Timothy B. Smith. Rethinking Shiloh. Page 78). The idea that Prentiss threw Wallace under the bus is nothing more but Shiloh revisionist nonsense. Mr. Adelman spouts another falsehood about Prentiss on hallowed ground.

In video no. 16 of this series Mr. Adelman whines how if he says something negative about someone he is accused of hating the person. Let's see. – You are standing on hallowed ground. You've accepted Mr. Hills description of Prentiss as a villain but you want people to believe Prentiss is even a greater villain than Mr. Hills thinks he is (how that could be possible, I don't know). To do that you concoct a totally vile scenario that even Tim Smith has written in a book isn't true. But you do it anyway. You do it because you do not expect to be called out on it because very few people will know that the scenario you are gloating about is not true. You did it because you hate Prentiss and you want everybody who watches this video to hate him too. By the way; when you stand on hallow ground and tell falsehoods about a man who fought there that is called desecration and you should stop it.

The American Battlefield Trust states their mission is to preserve, educate and inspire. Well, they inspired me all right. They inspired me to start this thread.

On December 27, 1894 the United States Congress passed "an act to establish a national military park at the battlefield of Shiloh.

"The Shiloh National Military Park was established by act of Congress in order that the armies of the southwest may have the history of one of their memorable battles preserved on the ground where they fought. It is the desire of the commission having this work in charge that this history shall be complete, impartial, and correct, so that when the monuments of granite and bronze shall have been erected their inscriptions shall publish to the world nothing but the truth."

That includes General Prentiss and the men (North and South) who fought in the Hornets' Nest and Sunken Road. The Shiloh National Military Park and the American Battlefield Trust should reread why the park was established and adhere to it.

This video is an injustice to General Benjamin Mayberry Prentiss and the men who fought with him, and against him, in the Sunken Road/Hornets' Nest and consider him a hero.

I would rather take the word of a soldier from the 18th Missouri who actually fought all day with Prentiss as to whether Prentiss was a hero or not. Rather than Shiloh revisionists who make things up to craft a false narrative about Prentiss more than 150 years after the battle.

In 1890 James Price, Capt. of Company K, 18th Missouri applied for a pension and requested an affidavit from Jesse Abel as a witness to Price's service. The two men fought with Prentiss in the Hornets' Nest at Shiloh. It was that experience Abel wrote about in the affidavit dated July 3, 1890.

"I was a corporal in Company K, 18 Mo. Volunteer Infantry at the time of the battle of Shiloh. Jas. A. Price was the Captain of that company. Toward evening of the 6th of April 1862, the day of the battle I was with Capt. Price when hero (emphasis by me) Genl Prentiss rode by and told Capt. Price that if he ever expected to get out of his position he must get out within five minutes, as the enemy were then on both flanks and in our rear. Genl Prentiss rode on and in less than five minutes was made a prisoner. After considerable persuasion Capt. Price was induced to leave his position and attempt to escape through the rebel forces which were fast closing around us. The Captain and myself and fifteen others were all of our company together at this time. 12 of us (illegible) that escaped capture, and in fact nearly all of Gen. Prentiss command that escaped. No braver man ever looked into the muzzles of Rebel muskets than Capt. James A. Price. I was with him in the times that tried mens souls and I know whereof I speak."
Jesse A. Abel

After over twenty-eight years Abel remembered Prentiss riding amongst the men encouraging them to get out. To Jesse Abel, Capt. James Price and my great-great grandfather, Benjamin Prentiss is a hero, and they were there.

Prentiss and the men who fought with him and the Shiloh National Military Park deserve better than this.

Not content to just slander Prentiss in front of Peabody's monument; David Wilson Reed gets a dose too.

Everyone should note that Mr. Adelman was more than willing to criticize Shiloh's first historian but didn't even know his name. His name was David Wilson Reed and he was with the 12th Iowa in the Hornets' Nest where he was wounded. He is known as the "Father of Shiloh National Military Park" and was entrusted by the Shiloh Military Park Commission to produce a truthful history of the battle to honor all the men who fought here. In order for the Shiloh revisionists to craft their false narrative they are willing to disparage the work of Reed by claiming he violated his trust by producing a history of the battle which emphasizes the area of the battlefield in which he fought. Reed would be appalled at the injustice heaped on him. One would think that before you slander someone you would at least know his name.

"Truth once crushed to earth shall rise again." William Cullen Bryant

The video ended on a light note when Mr. Hills stated "the first guy who gets it wrong everybody foot notes it."

No better example of this phenomenon can be found than in the recently published (2019) Attack at Daylight and Whip Them. The book is part of The Emerging Civil War Series of which Dr. Mackowski is the editor. Wiley Sword did it wrong in his book, Bloody Shiloh, around fifty years ago and the same mistakes slandering Prentiss are repeated in the book Dr. Mackowski edited.

Shame on these guys. What a disappointment.

PS. The American Battlefield Trust's Shiloh Animated Map produced by Shiloh revisionists sucks too.
This is over the top, with all due respect. You can make your points without converting them into a personal attack on these historians - some of whom you have named but also others who you have not named and who have been deeply involved in what you label "Shiloh revisionism". They have done that based on facts and evidence, not on some bizarre "hatred" of Prentiss. I know a few of them and the personal attack on them is farcical. Reed, by the way, pushed a story about the Hornet's Nest that has been refuted in several respects based on close examination of the sources, of the ground, and of artifacts. He wasn't some infallible "God of All Things Shiloh". He was a veteran whose unit (12th Iowa) was involved in the defeat and ultimate surrender and he had a vested interest in his version of the "story" to offset the perception of his unit's "shame" in the 19th century. Like all veterans, he also was limited to what he and his colleagues could actually observe and by the usual flaws that accompany anyone's "memory" of events that occurred decades earlier.
 
I apologize as I have just reread your article and realized the afore mentioned video was in the bed of your post.
I am going to watch the video then respond in more detail to your interesting post.
Regards
David
 
My first response is that you are entirely wrong about General Parker Hills comments as you stated in your post:

"desecrate it in front of Peabody's mortuary monument and gleefully declare that Prentiss was not a hero but a villain. I had not seen before such virulent hatred of Prentiss as displayed here by men who should know better."

Having had the good fortune to have met the General and listen to his description of Grant's Vicksburg campaign, I know he knows his stuff! General Hills has spent decades serving his country and has brought his military expertise to many Civil War battles and campaigns. I don't believe he has any personal ill will towards General Prentiss and is expressing his informed opinion.

I am listing a site below which covers General Hill's efforts to share the Civil War with others.
Regards
David

 
I was enjoying the Shiloh videos despite the inaccuracies in them. Then I came to this one. My great-great-grandfather fought with the 58th Illinois in Duncan Field and was taken prisoner at the end of the day. Like other men who fought in the Sunken Road/Hornets' Nest he was proud to have fought beside General Prentiss and considered him a hero.

It was stunning to watch the three of them stand on hallowed ground and desecrate it in front of Peabody's mortuary monument and gleefully declare that Prentiss was not a hero but a villain. I had not seen before such virulent hatred of Prentiss as displayed here by men who should know better.

For those of you who approach the history of Shiloh battle and park with an unprejudiced mind (a favorite phrase of David Wilson Reed) I introduce William A. Morton, the brother of Major General Charles Morton, brother of John Morton and brother of Mark Morton who served as an aide to Colonel Everett Peabody. All four of these brothers were in the 25th Missouri and survived the war to live long lives. Charles was sixteen years old at Shiloh; afterwards attended West Point; and stayed in the service until forced to retire. He wrote a couple papers of his experience at Shiloh. William was an older brother who was a sergeant. The Morton's brother-in-law also served in the 25th Missouri and they found his body near that of Colonel Peabody's once they regained their shattered camp.

Charles Morton hosted annual Shiloh dinners where the guests would gather and reminiscence about the most memorable day of their lives; April 6, 1862.

After the 1908 dinner William Morton wrote an article for the HAMILTONIAN. In it he wrote who they blamed for the lack of recognition Colonel Everett Peabody received after the battle.

"I have often wondered why historians have not given Colonel Peabody the credit which newspaper correspondents and army officers accorded him immediately after the battle, when the facts were fresh in memory."

William Morton, who was there, blamed the historians. He never blamed Prentiss. The historians did it and based on what we witness here in this video it seems like a pretty good call.

William broached the subject of Powell's early morning patrol.

"Why Col. Peabody took the steps he did, without reporting to Prentiss, is a mystery. It could not have been on account of ignorance nor lack of respect to a superior officer, for he was a man of fine intelligence and was ever courteous to both inferior and superior officers, besides every inch a soldier."

What could be more disrespectful to Colonel Peabody than to use his mortuary monument, with Peabody's name framed in the background, as the participants falsely declare Peabody's superior officer to be a liar and a villain and then, later in the video, declare him even more of a villain. Such disrespect to Colonel Peabody to assume he would condone, or encourage, such a thing.

Since Colonel Peabody cannot do so. I will speak for him and the men of the 25th Missouri to the American Battlefield Trust and its representatives:

"Get the hell out of our camp! And stay out!! We don't want you here!!!

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"Any man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled to. Less than that no man shall have."
Teddy Roosevelt
July 4, 1903

I noticed that those of us who do believe Prentiss is one of the heroes of Shiloh are subjected to ad hominem attack and described with disdain and derisively dismissed as falling into a trap. But you cannot dismiss us that easily. Facts are stubborn. They shouldn't have done that. I am not intimidated by these guys. My research is backed up by men who were there. They don't know what I've got in my files.

A couple points: Observe that Mr. Hills states emphatically that Prentiss did not mention Peabody in his after-action report and that Prentiss threw a dead Peabody under the bus. But facts are stubborn things. Prentiss did indeed mention Peabody in his after-action report. He could not give details of what Peabody had done because he did not know. The last time he saw him was when he told Peabody he would hold him responsible for bringing on the engagement. Most times a division commander has the benefit of reports from his brigade commanders to assist him in preparing a report but Peabody didn't make a report. If Major James E. Powell made a report that was published in the Official Records as claimed it came up from underneath the ground.

Prentiss was not aware Peabody had sent out Powell's patrol at 3 a. m. and he never took credit for it. If there is a liar in this story it isn't Prentiss.

Prentiss did not write the history of the Hornets' Nest leaving out Peabody. The story of the heroics of Peabody was published by John Gilmary Shea in a book, The American Nation, which was printed in 1862, possibly while Prentiss was still a prisoner down South. The entire story was also published by Shea in 1872 in a children's book; A Child's History of the United States, Vol. III., page 81-91. It was also published in a book in 1867 by William Swinton titled The Twelve Decisive Battles of the War. In 1867 the Peabody's story is told in Harvard Memorial Biographies. The Philadelphia Inquirer had a reporter in Peabody's camp and his story was published in the April 18, 1862 issue. The Chicago Evening Journal noted that Peabody sent out the patrol in its April 12, 1862 issue.

"And you ought to take very great care when you are about to praise or blame any man, that you speak correctly." – Plato

Dr. Mackowski appeared on camera to set up Mr. Hills with an opportunity to make another slam at Prentiss with a totally inept question that didn't make any sense. Shiloh has more than one hero. There's room for plenty. Peabody is identified as a hero for what he did at the opening of the battle. Prentiss is considered a hero for what he did in defending his camps; holding the Hornets' Nest and Sunken Road; and fighting a "last stand" for an hour, or so, with the entire Confederate army while Grant is strengthening his "last line." It is not a question of Prentiss instead of Peabody. It looks like the makers of this video were working with a script. This video probably impresses those who are not deeply immersed in the history of Shiloh and they will make glowing remarks in the comments section. There are over 5000 views and 400 thumbs up. But I am deeply immersed in the history of Shiloh and this video sucks.

Without taking any credit away from Peabody it should be noted that the true, driving force, behind the early morning patrol was Major James E. Powell. For all you Shiloh revisionists who falsely claim that Powell's patrol was against Prentiss's orders and unauthorized here is the statement of a man who was there.

Wm. J. Hahn, 1st Lt., Co. H., 25th Missouri wrote on April 12, 1914 – "With the assistance of Colonel Everitt Peabody commanding the 1st Brigade of the 6th Division, Major Powell finally got General Prentiss's permission to reconnoiter Sunday morning, but under no circumstances to bring on a general engagement. Major Powell explained these points to me at 10 P.M. Saturday, April 5th and directed me to visit every tent of Co. H and instruct the men to be fully dressed and be ready to march at 3 A.M. Sunday, April 6th……If ever a man deserved a monument it is our brave Major Powell….."

There are several versions of what was said between Prentiss and Peabody the morning of April 6, 1862. This one shows that, while Prentiss was angry and would hold Peabody responsible, he showed respect to Peabody and ordered him forward with his best regiment. Basically he told Peabody--you created this problem now go fix it. F. E. Peabody was Colonel Peabody's nephew and he was attempting to discover what happened the morning his uncle fell in battle.

F. C. Nichols, senior Captain of the 25th Missouri at Shiloh, to F. E. Peabody, Feb. 27, 1902. "At early morn before breakfast the line of Battle was formed, with the right of Brigade resting on the right of our regimental color line. My company was on the right of Brigade. A few minutes after the line was formed, General Prentiss rode up near Colonel Peabody, who was mounted and in front of my company, about the center of the first platoon and said to him, "Colonel Peabody, I hold you responsible for bringing on this fight." Saluting, Colonel Peabody said: 'If I brought on the fight I am able to lead the van.' General Prentiss ordered him to take his best regiment….the next words I heard were: 25th Missouri forward.'"

In response to Mr. Adelman's enthusiastic implication that the villain Prentiss walked on the grave of William Hervey (it is not Harvey) Lamm Wallace in order to steal credit from him there is no evidence to back that up and is an injustice to Prentiss. Mr. Adelman declared Prentiss a villain but it is obvious he doesn't even know anything about him. When speaking of Shiloh, Prentiss always gave credit to Wallace. Prentiss and WHL Wallace fought in the same Illinois regiment in the Mexican War. Prentiss was the captain of the company while Wallace was a lieutenant. Wallace wrote to some friends on September 23, 1846: "Our Company is now commanded by Captain Prentiss, the late Adjutant, and the best officer in the two regiments." That is the story that should be told about Prentiss and WHL Wallace. They fought together in the Mexican War and fate brought them together to defend the Sunken Road at Shiloh. They were friends and respected each other.

Instead we get Mr. Adelman wanting to heap more villainy upon Prentiss by claiming he threw Wallace under the bus too. What are the odds that Mr. Adelman even knows of the Mexican War relationship between Prentiss and Wallace? Also, a well-known Shiloh historian wrote "Prentiss gave Wallace full credit for his actions," in his after-action report. (Timothy B. Smith. Rethinking Shiloh. Page 78). The idea that Prentiss threw Wallace under the bus is nothing more but Shiloh revisionist nonsense. Mr. Adelman spouts another falsehood about Prentiss on hallowed ground.

In video no. 16 of this series Mr. Adelman whines how if he says something negative about someone he is accused of hating the person. Let's see. – You are standing on hallowed ground. You've accepted Mr. Hills description of Prentiss as a villain but you want people to believe Prentiss is even a greater villain than Mr. Hills thinks he is (how that could be possible, I don't know). To do that you concoct a totally vile scenario that even Tim Smith has written in a book isn't true. But you do it anyway. You do it because you do not expect to be called out on it because very few people will know that the scenario you are gloating about is not true. You did it because you hate Prentiss and you want everybody who watches this video to hate him too. By the way; when you stand on hallow ground and tell falsehoods about a man who fought there that is called desecration and you should stop it.

The American Battlefield Trust states their mission is to preserve, educate and inspire. Well, they inspired me all right. They inspired me to start this thread.

On December 27, 1894 the United States Congress passed "an act to establish a national military park at the battlefield of Shiloh.

"The Shiloh National Military Park was established by act of Congress in order that the armies of the southwest may have the history of one of their memorable battles preserved on the ground where they fought. It is the desire of the commission having this work in charge that this history shall be complete, impartial, and correct, so that when the monuments of granite and bronze shall have been erected their inscriptions shall publish to the world nothing but the truth."

That includes General Prentiss and the men (North and South) who fought in the Hornets' Nest and Sunken Road. The Shiloh National Military Park and the American Battlefield Trust should reread why the park was established and adhere to it.

This video is an injustice to General Benjamin Mayberry Prentiss and the men who fought with him, and against him, in the Sunken Road/Hornets' Nest and consider him a hero.

I would rather take the word of a soldier from the 18th Missouri who actually fought all day with Prentiss as to whether Prentiss was a hero or not. Rather than Shiloh revisionists who make things up to craft a false narrative about Prentiss more than 150 years after the battle.

In 1890 James Price, Capt. of Company K, 18th Missouri applied for a pension and requested an affidavit from Jesse Abel as a witness to Price's service. The two men fought with Prentiss in the Hornets' Nest at Shiloh. It was that experience Abel wrote about in the affidavit dated July 3, 1890.

"I was a corporal in Company K, 18 Mo. Volunteer Infantry at the time of the battle of Shiloh. Jas. A. Price was the Captain of that company. Toward evening of the 6th of April 1862, the day of the battle I was with Capt. Price when hero (emphasis by me) Genl Prentiss rode by and told Capt. Price that if he ever expected to get out of his position he must get out within five minutes, as the enemy were then on both flanks and in our rear. Genl Prentiss rode on and in less than five minutes was made a prisoner. After considerable persuasion Capt. Price was induced to leave his position and attempt to escape through the rebel forces which were fast closing around us. The Captain and myself and fifteen others were all of our company together at this time. 12 of us (illegible) that escaped capture, and in fact nearly all of Gen. Prentiss command that escaped. No braver man ever looked into the muzzles of Rebel muskets than Capt. James A. Price. I was with him in the times that tried mens souls and I know whereof I speak."
Jesse A. Abel

After over twenty-eight years Abel remembered Prentiss riding amongst the men encouraging them to get out. To Jesse Abel, Capt. James Price and my great-great grandfather, Benjamin Prentiss is a hero, and they were there.

Prentiss and the men who fought with him and the Shiloh National Military Park deserve better than this.

Not content to just slander Prentiss in front of Peabody's monument; David Wilson Reed gets a dose too.

Everyone should note that Mr. Adelman was more than willing to criticize Shiloh's first historian but didn't even know his name. His name was David Wilson Reed and he was with the 12th Iowa in the Hornets' Nest where he was wounded. He is known as the "Father of Shiloh National Military Park" and was entrusted by the Shiloh Military Park Commission to produce a truthful history of the battle to honor all the men who fought here. In order for the Shiloh revisionists to craft their false narrative they are willing to disparage the work of Reed by claiming he violated his trust by producing a history of the battle which emphasizes the area of the battlefield in which he fought. Reed would be appalled at the injustice heaped on him. One would think that before you slander someone you would at least know his name.

"Truth once crushed to earth shall rise again." William Cullen Bryant

The video ended on a light note when Mr. Hills stated "the first guy who gets it wrong everybody foot notes it."

No better example of this phenomenon can be found than in the recently published (2019) Attack at Daylight and Whip Them. The book is part of The Emerging Civil War Series of which Dr. Mackowski is the editor. Wiley Sword did it wrong in his book, Bloody Shiloh, around fifty years ago and the same mistakes slandering Prentiss are repeated in the book Dr. Mackowski edited.

Shame on these guys. What a disappointment.

PS. The American Battlefield Trust's Shiloh Animated Map produced by Shiloh revisionists sucks too.

I am no expert on Shiloh.

Firstly, I note that you identify Brigadier-General Benjamin Prentiss as your great-great grandfather and appreciate the vehemency expressed.

Some general points I extracted for myself from the contents of your presentation:

. historians (unless they were there) tend to put their own interpretations on past events;

. there is an element of truth in the adage, 'history is written by winners and the survivors';

. it appears that both Prentiss and Peabody acted reasonably, notwithstanding what was said or not
said between them, and that both these men can be viewed as heroes at Shiloh;

. the use of the word 'villain' in the video might be too strong a term to apply here in this situation.

To conclude, I quote an overall comment made by James Lee McDonough on the performance of Prentiss at Shiloh in 'Shiloh – in Hell before Night', at page 48,

…"Prentiss would find himself in the hottest of the fighting at Shiloh, and in spite of the earlier pettiness, would prove
to be one of the best soldiers in the Union army"…
 
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I would first like to state I have nothing but respect for anyone who has served in the military especially combat veterans. Secondly I have no personal animosity against any individual, irregardless of which side they fought on, but I am interested in the truth. Thirdly I had no family members as far as I know who fought at Shiloh though my known kin did serve in the Confederacy.

To accurately study the opinion of @HeroPrentiss that Prentiss was unfairly accused of stealing another man's honor we must first General Prentiss' Official Report which is posted below. Specifically did Prentiss mention Colonel Peabody in his report. As highlighted below, Peabody was mentioned as the OP claimed. I will let the reader decide for themselves after reading the Official Report if Peabody was slighted.
Regards
David



"Report of Brig. Gen. B. M. Prentiss, U. S. Army, commanding Sixth
Division.
Quincy, III., November 17, 1862.

Colonel : Upon my return from captivity in the hands of the public enemy I have the honor to submit my report of the part taken in the battle of the 6th of April last, near Pittsburg Landing, by the Sixth Division, Army of West Tennessee, the command of which had been assigned to me. I have the honor to transmit field return of the force which was subjected to my control, as it appeared upon the morning of the engagement, the same being marked. A.^

Saturday evening, pursuant to instructions received when I was assigned to duty with the Army of West Tennessee, the usual advance guard was posted, and in view of information received from the commandant thereof, I sent forward five companies of the Twenty-fifth Missouri and five companies of the Twenty-first Missouri Infantry, under command of Col. David Moore, Twenty-first Missouri. I also, after consultation with Col. David Stuart, commanding a brigade of General Sherman's division, sent to the left one company of the Eighteenth Wisconsin Infantry, under command of Captain Fisk.

At about 7 o'clock the same evening Colonel Moore returned, reporting some activity in the front—an evident reconnaissance by cavalry. This information received, I proceeded to strengthen the guard stationed on the Corinth road, extending the picket lines to the front a distance of a mile and a half, at the same time extending and doubling the lines of the grand guard.

At 3 o'clock on the morning of Sunday, April 6, Col. David Moore, Twenty-first Missouri, with five companies of his infantry regiment, proceeded to the front, and at break of day the advance pickets were driven in, whereupon Colonel Moore pushed forward and engaged the enemy's advance, commanded by General Hardee. At this stage a messenger was sent to my headquarters, calling for the balance of the Twenty-first Missouri, which was promptly sent forward. This information received, I at once ordered the entire force into line, and the remaining regiments of the First Brigade, commanded by Col. Everett Peabody, consisting of the Twenty-fifth Missouri, Sixteenth Wisconsin, and Twelfth Michigan Infantry, were advanced well to the front. I forthwith at this juncture communicated the fact of the attack in force to Major-General Smith and Brig. Gen. S. A. Hurlbut.

Shortly before 6 o'clock, Col. David Moore having been severely wounded, his regiment commenced falling back, reaching our front line at about 6 o'clock, the enemy being close upon his rear. Hereupon the entire force, excepting only the Sixteenth Iowa, which had been sent to the field the day previous without ammunition, and the cavalry, which was held in readiness to the rear, was advanced to the extreme front, and thrown out alternately to the right and left.

Shortly after 6 o'clock the entire line was under fire, receiving the assault made by the entire force of the enemy, advancing in three columns simultaneously upon our left, center, and right. This position was held until the enemy had passed our right flank, this movement being effected by reason of the falling back of some regiment to our right not belonging to the division.

Perceiving the enemy was flanking me, I ordered the division to retire in line of battle to the color line of our encampment, at the same time communicating to Generals Smith and Hurlbut the fact of the falling-back, and asking for reenforcements.

Being again assailed, in position described, by an overwhelming force, and not being able longer to hold the ground against the enemy, I ordered the division to fall back to the line occupied by General Hurlbut, and at 9.05 a. m. reformed to the right of General Hurlbut, and to the left of Brig. Gen. W.H. L. Wallace, who I found in command of the division assigned to Major-General Smith. At this point the Twenty-third Missouri Infantry, commanded by Colonel Tindall, which had just disembarked from a transport, and had been ordered to report to me as a part of the Sixth Division, joined me. This regiment I immediately assigned to position on the left. My battery (Fifth Ohio) was posted to the right on the road.

At about 10 o'clock my line was again assailed, and finding my command greatly reduced by reason of casualties and because of the falling back of many of the men to the river, they being panic-stricken—a majority of them having now for the first time been exposed to fire—I communicated with General W. H. L. Wallace, who sent to my assistance the Eighth Iowa Infantry, commanded by Col. J. L. Geddes.

After having once driven the enemy back from this position Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant appeared upon the field. I exhibited to him the disposition of my entire force, which disposition received his commendation, and I received my final orders, which were to maintain that position at all hazards. This position I did maintain until 4 o'clock p. m., when General Hurlbut, being overpowered, was forced to retire. I was then compelled to change front with the Twenty-third Missouri, Twenty-first Missouri, Eighteenth Wisconsin, Eighteenth Missouri, and part of the Twelfth Michigan, occupying a portion of the ground vacated by General Hurlbut. I was in constant communication with Generals Hurlbut and Wallace during the day, and both of them were aware of the importance of holding our position until night.

When the gallant Hurlbut was forced to retire General Wallace and myself consulted, and agreed to hold our positions at all hazards, believing that we could thus save the army from destruction; we having been now informed for the first time that all others had fallen back to the vicinity of the river. A few minutes after General W. H. L. Wallace received the wound of which he shortly afterwards died. Upon the fall of General Wallace, his division, excepting the Eighth Iowa, Colonel Geddes, acting with me, and the Fourteenth Iowa, Colonel Shaw; Twelfth Iowa, Colonel Woods, and Fifty-eighth Illinois, Colonel Lynch, retired from the field.

Perceiving that I was about to be surrounded, and having dispatched my aide, Lieut. Edwin Moore, for reenforcements, I determined to assail the enemy, which had passed between me and the river, charging upon him with my entire force. I found him advancing in mass, completely encircling my command, and nothing was left but to harass him and retard his progress so long as might be possible. This I did until 5.30 p. m., when, finding that further resistance must result in the slaughter of every man in the command, I had to yield the fight. The enemy succeeded in capturing myself and 2,200 rank and file, many of them being wounded.

Col. Madison Miller, Eighteenth Missouri Infantry, was during the day in command of a brigade, and was among those taken prisoner. He acted during the day with distinguished courage, coolness, and ability. Upon Col. J. L. Geddes, Eighth Iowa, the same praise can be partly bestowed. He and his regiment stood unflicthing up to the work the entire portion of the day during which he acted under my orders. Col. J. S. Alban and his lieutenant-colonel, Beall, of the Eighteenth Wisconsin, were, until they were wounded, ever to the front, encouraging their command. Col. Jacob Fry, of the Sixty-first Illinois, with an undrilled regiment fresh in the service, kept his men well forward under every assault until the third line was formed, when he became detached, and fought under General Hurlbut. Colonel Shaw, of the Fourteenth Iowa, behaved with great coolness, disposed his men sharply at every command, and maintained his front unbroken through several fierce attacks. Colonel Tindall, Lieutenant-Colonel Morton, and Major McCullough, of the Twenty-third Missouri, are entitled to high meed of praise for gallant conduct.

It is difficult to discriminate among so many gallant men as surrounded me when we were forced to yield to the overpowering strength of the enemy. Their bravery under the hottest fire is testified to by the devotion with which they stood forward against fearful odds to contend for the cause they were engaged in. To the officers and men who thus held to the last their undaunted front too much praise cannot be given.
Captain McMichael, assistant adjutant-general, attached to the division commanded by General Wallace, joined me upon the field when his gallant leader fell. He is entitled to special mention for his conduct while so serving. Col. David Moore is entitled to special mention.

Capt. A. Hickenlooper, of the Fifth Ohio Battery, by his gallant conduct, commended himself to general praise.
My staff consisted of but three officers. Brigade Surg. S. W. Everett was killed early in the engagement, gallantly cheering the Eighteenth Missouri Regiment to the contest. Lieut. Edwin Moore, aide-de-camp, during the entire battle, was by my side, unless when detached upon the dangerous service of his office. Capt. Henry Binmore, assistant adjutant-general, was with me, performing his duty to my great satisfaction, until, being exhausted, I compelled him to leave the field.
I have the honor to be, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

B. M. PRENTISS, Brigadier-General, U. S. Volunteers.*"



^Official Records of the Rebellion
Series 1, Volume X, Part 1

Page 112
Present for Duty
Officers 245, Enlisted 5,218, Aggregate 5,463

*Official Records of the Rebellion
Series 1, Volume X, Part 1

Pages 277-280
 
I would first like to state I have nothing but respect for anyone who has served in the military especially combat veterans. Secondly I have no personal animosity against any individual, irregardless of which side they fought on, but I am interested in the truth. Thirdly I had no family members as far as I know who fought at Shiloh though my known kin did serve in the Confederacy.

To accurately study the opinion of @HeroPrentiss that Prentiss was unfairly accused of stealing another man's honor we must first General Prentiss' Official Report which is posted below. Specifically did Prentiss mention Colonel Peabody in his report. As highlighted below, Peabody was mentioned as the OP claimed. I will let the reader decide for themselves after reading the Official Report if Peabody was slighted.
Regards
David



"Report of Brig. Gen. B. M. Prentiss, U. S. Army, commanding Sixth
Division.
Quincy, III., November 17, 1862.

Colonel : Upon my return from captivity in the hands of the public enemy I have the honor to submit my report of the part taken in the battle of the 6th of April last, near Pittsburg Landing, by the Sixth Division, Army of West Tennessee, the command of which had been assigned to me. I have the honor to transmit field return of the force which was subjected to my control, as it appeared upon the morning of the engagement, the same being marked. A.^

Saturday evening, pursuant to instructions received when I was assigned to duty with the Army of West Tennessee, the usual advance guard was posted, and in view of information received from the commandant thereof, I sent forward five companies of the Twenty-fifth Missouri and five companies of the Twenty-first Missouri Infantry, under command of Col. David Moore, Twenty-first Missouri. I also, after consultation with Col. David Stuart, commanding a brigade of General Sherman's division, sent to the left one company of the Eighteenth Wisconsin Infantry, under command of Captain Fisk.

At about 7 o'clock the same evening Colonel Moore returned, reporting some activity in the front—an evident reconnaissance by cavalry. This information received, I proceeded to strengthen the guard stationed on the Corinth road, extending the picket lines to the front a distance of a mile and a half, at the same time extending and doubling the lines of the grand guard.

At 3 o'clock on the morning of Sunday, April 6, Col. David Moore, Twenty-first Missouri, with five companies of his infantry regiment, proceeded to the front, and at break of day the advance pickets were driven in, whereupon Colonel Moore pushed forward and engaged the enemy's advance, commanded by General Hardee. At this stage a messenger was sent to my headquarters, calling for the balance of the Twenty-first Missouri, which was promptly sent forward. This information received, I at once ordered the entire force into line, and the remaining regiments of the First Brigade, commanded by Col. Everett Peabody, consisting of the Twenty-fifth Missouri, Sixteenth Wisconsin, and Twelfth Michigan Infantry, were advanced well to the front. I forthwith at this juncture communicated the fact of the attack in force to Major-General Smith and Brig. Gen. S. A. Hurlbut.

Shortly before 6 o'clock, Col. David Moore having been severely wounded, his regiment commenced falling back, reaching our front line at about 6 o'clock, the enemy being close upon his rear. Hereupon the entire force, excepting only the Sixteenth Iowa, which had been sent to the field the day previous without ammunition, and the cavalry, which was held in readiness to the rear, was advanced to the extreme front, and thrown out alternately to the right and left.

Shortly after 6 o'clock the entire line was under fire, receiving the assault made by the entire force of the enemy, advancing in three columns simultaneously upon our left, center, and right. This position was held until the enemy had passed our right flank, this movement being effected by reason of the falling back of some regiment to our right not belonging to the division.

Perceiving the enemy was flanking me, I ordered the division to retire in line of battle to the color line of our encampment, at the same time communicating to Generals Smith and Hurlbut the fact of the falling-back, and asking for reenforcements.

Being again assailed, in position described, by an overwhelming force, and not being able longer to hold the ground against the enemy, I ordered the division to fall back to the line occupied by General Hurlbut, and at 9.05 a. m. reformed to the right of General Hurlbut, and to the left of Brig. Gen. W.H. L. Wallace, who I found in command of the division assigned to Major-General Smith. At this point the Twenty-third Missouri Infantry, commanded by Colonel Tindall, which had just disembarked from a transport, and had been ordered to report to me as a part of the Sixth Division, joined me. This regiment I immediately assigned to position on the left. My battery (Fifth Ohio) was posted to the right on the road.

At about 10 o'clock my line was again assailed, and finding my command greatly reduced by reason of casualties and because of the falling back of many of the men to the river, they being panic-stricken—a majority of them having now for the first time been exposed to fire—I communicated with General W. H. L. Wallace, who sent to my assistance the Eighth Iowa Infantry, commanded by Col. J. L. Geddes.

After having once driven the enemy back from this position Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant appeared upon the field. I exhibited to him the disposition of my entire force, which disposition received his commendation, and I received my final orders, which were to maintain that position at all hazards. This position I did maintain until 4 o'clock p. m., when General Hurlbut, being overpowered, was forced to retire. I was then compelled to change front with the Twenty-third Missouri, Twenty-first Missouri, Eighteenth Wisconsin, Eighteenth Missouri, and part of the Twelfth Michigan, occupying a portion of the ground vacated by General Hurlbut. I was in constant communication with Generals Hurlbut and Wallace during the day, and both of them were aware of the importance of holding our position until night.

When the gallant Hurlbut was forced to retire General Wallace and myself consulted, and agreed to hold our positions at all hazards, believing that we could thus save the army from destruction; we having been now informed for the first time that all others had fallen back to the vicinity of the river. A few minutes after General W. H. L. Wallace received the wound of which he shortly afterwards died. Upon the fall of General Wallace, his division, excepting the Eighth Iowa, Colonel Geddes, acting with me, and the Fourteenth Iowa, Colonel Shaw; Twelfth Iowa, Colonel Woods, and Fifty-eighth Illinois, Colonel Lynch, retired from the field.

Perceiving that I was about to be surrounded, and having dispatched my aide, Lieut. Edwin Moore, for reenforcements, I determined to assail the enemy, which had passed between me and the river, charging upon him with my entire force. I found him advancing in mass, completely encircling my command, and nothing was left but to harass him and retard his progress so long as might be possible. This I did until 5.30 p. m., when, finding that further resistance must result in the slaughter of every man in the command, I had to yield the fight. The enemy succeeded in capturing myself and 2,200 rank and file, many of them being wounded.

Col. Madison Miller, Eighteenth Missouri Infantry, was during the day in command of a brigade, and was among those taken prisoner. He acted during the day with distinguished courage, coolness, and ability. Upon Col. J. L. Geddes, Eighth Iowa, the same praise can be partly bestowed. He and his regiment stood unflicthing up to the work the entire portion of the day during which he acted under my orders. Col. J. S. Alban and his lieutenant-colonel, Beall, of the Eighteenth Wisconsin, were, until they were wounded, ever to the front, encouraging their command. Col. Jacob Fry, of the Sixty-first Illinois, with an undrilled regiment fresh in the service, kept his men well forward under every assault until the third line was formed, when he became detached, and fought under General Hurlbut. Colonel Shaw, of the Fourteenth Iowa, behaved with great coolness, disposed his men sharply at every command, and maintained his front unbroken through several fierce attacks. Colonel Tindall, Lieutenant-Colonel Morton, and Major McCullough, of the Twenty-third Missouri, are entitled to high meed of praise for gallant conduct.

It is difficult to discriminate among so many gallant men as surrounded me when we were forced to yield to the overpowering strength of the enemy. Their bravery under the hottest fire is testified to by the devotion with which they stood forward against fearful odds to contend for the cause they were engaged in. To the officers and men who thus held to the last their undaunted front too much praise cannot be given.
Captain McMichael, assistant adjutant-general, attached to the division commanded by General Wallace, joined me upon the field when his gallant leader fell. He is entitled to special mention for his conduct while so serving. Col. David Moore is entitled to special mention.

Capt. A. Hickenlooper, of the Fifth Ohio Battery, by his gallant conduct, commended himself to general praise.
My staff consisted of but three officers. Brigade Surg. S. W. Everett was killed early in the engagement, gallantly cheering the Eighteenth Missouri Regiment to the contest. Lieut. Edwin Moore, aide-de-camp, during the entire battle, was by my side, unless when detached upon the dangerous service of his office. Capt. Henry Binmore, assistant adjutant-general, was with me, performing his duty to my great satisfaction, until, being exhausted, I compelled him to leave the field.
I have the honor to be, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

B. M. PRENTISS, Brigadier-General, U. S. Volunteers.*"



^Official Records of the Rebellion
Series 1, Volume X, Part 1

Page 112
Present for Duty
Officers 245, Enlisted 5,218, Aggregate 5,463

*Official Records of the Rebellion
Series 1, Volume X, Part 1

Pages 277-280

Agree. No slight of Peabody evident in this Report.

Thanks for digging out this information.
 
I always trust 1st​ hand accounts to be of great interest while allowing for bias. The reader must decide for themselves what rings true. In interest of presenting more information regarding Prentiss and Peabody I found this publication of great interest with as the opening paragraph states

"the part taken by the Twenty-fifth Missouri in the battle of Shiloh has never been correctly written;"

This post contains excerpts from Lieutenant James M. Newhard's An Illustrated History of the Missouri Engineer and the 25th Infantry Regiments. I always trust 1st​ hand accounts to be of great interest while allowing for bias. The reader must decide for themselves what rings true.

I took the liberty of highlighting parts of interest to me.
Regards
David

...Captain Schmidt; Company H, Captain Dill, and Company E, Captain Evans, we went out before day- light on Sunday morning, April 6th, under command of our noble little Major Powell. We quietly passed through our single line of pickets a short distance in front of our camp guard, drove in Johnston's pickets, and fell onto his whole army about a mile and a half from our camp. They had laid on their arms during the night, ready to attack us first in the morning.

"We sounded their reveille by opening up fire on them, and it was not many minutes before that whole army of 65,000 men were in motion and the ' woods were full of them.' We stood long- enough for most of the men to use up their forty rounds of ammunition, which, with the hot volleys they turned loose on us, gave good and convincing warning to our slumbering army to 'fall in' on short notice.

...Even our skeptical General Prentiss shook himself out of his blankets when he heard the racket, and was shortly convinced that Colonel Peabody was right
when he said the evening- before that he believed Johnston was moving on us and would likely attack in the morning, which at that time Prentiss would not listen to.

..."Colonel Peabodv, being so firm in this belief, did not go to sleep at all that night, and after mature deliberation decided to do as above stated — attack, and thus give the alarm to those in our rear, so that they could turn out and make some resistance to the overwhelming force, and not be captured or attacked in their quarters. This move seemed to be the only way to convince General Prentiss that there was an army between us and Corinth

..." General Prentiss commanded our Division and Colonel Peabody our Brigade — Sixth Division, First Brigade.

..."Our Regiment and Division were badly handled from the start. Colonel Peabody was killed when our first line was broken, and we were driven back through our camp.'

(Colonel Paebody) ..."entitled to, as it is beyond the question of a doubt that the action he took that morning in opening fight and giving the alarm to the troops in the rear in time to prepare for the attack, was what enabled our army to make the resistance it did, and hold out until Buell and Nelson came to the relief.'

"All this he did on his own responsibility General Grant was still at Headquarters at Savannah, and General Prentiss could not be convinced or made to believe as Peabody did, nor could he be persuaded to make any preparations for an attack."


Lieutenant James M. Newhard
An Illustrated History of the Missouri Engineer and the 25th Infantry Regiments
Lieutenant James M. Newhard, 1889
Pages 124-129
 
I always trust 1st​ hand accounts to be of great interest while allowing for bias. The reader must decide for themselves what rings true. In interest of presenting more information regarding Prentiss and Peabody I found this publication of great interest with as the opening paragraph states

"the part taken by the Twenty-fifth Missouri in the battle of Shiloh has never been correctly written;"

This post contains excerpts from Lieutenant James M. Newhard's An Illustrated History of the Missouri Engineer and the 25th Infantry Regiments. I always trust 1st​ hand accounts to be of great interest while allowing for bias. The reader must decide for themselves what rings true.

I took the liberty of highlighting parts of interest to me.
Regards
David

...Captain Schmidt; Company H, Captain Dill, and Company E, Captain Evans, we went out before day- light on Sunday morning, April 6th, under command of our noble little Major Powell. We quietly passed through our single line of pickets a short distance in front of our camp guard, drove in Johnston's pickets, and fell onto his whole army about a mile and a half from our camp. They had laid on their arms during the night, ready to attack us first in the morning.

"We sounded their reveille by opening up fire on them, and it was not many minutes before that whole army of 65,000 men were in motion and the ' woods were full of them.' We stood long- enough for most of the men to use up their forty rounds of ammunition, which, with the hot volleys they turned loose on us, gave good and convincing warning to our slumbering army to 'fall in' on short notice.

...Even our skeptical General Prentiss shook himself out of his blankets when he heard the racket, and was shortly convinced that Colonel Peabody was right
when he said the evening- before that he believed Johnston was moving on us and would likely attack in the morning, which at that time Prentiss would not listen to.

..."Colonel Peabodv, being so firm in this belief, did not go to sleep at all that night, and after mature deliberation decided to do as above stated — attack, and thus give the alarm to those in our rear, so that they could turn out and make some resistance to the overwhelming force, and not be captured or attacked in their quarters. This move seemed to be the only way to convince General Prentiss that there was an army between us and Corinth

..." General Prentiss commanded our Division and Colonel Peabody our Brigade — Sixth Division, First Brigade.

..."Our Regiment and Division were badly handled from the start. Colonel Peabody was killed when our first line was broken, and we were driven back through our camp.'

(Colonel Paebody) ..."entitled to, as it is beyond the question of a doubt that the action he took that morning in opening fight and giving the alarm to the troops in the rear in time to prepare for the attack, was what enabled our army to make the resistance it did, and hold out until Buell and Nelson came to the relief.'

"All this he did on his own responsibility General Grant was still at Headquarters at Savannah, and General Prentiss could not be convinced or made to believe as Peabody did, nor could he be persuaded to make any preparations for an attack."


Lieutenant James M. Newhard
An Illustrated History of the Missouri Engineer and the 25th Infantry Regiments
Lieutenant James M. Newhard, 1889
Pages 124-129

Agree. Firsthand and contemporary accounts tend to be more reliable.

Yes, the fact is, 'everyone is biased'.

The truth seeking process for me involves:
1. gathering the various information;
2. adjudging what sources are credible;
3. discerning any common threads or patterns (from the information); &
4. making an interpretation.

Thanks for the extra knowledge - an informative firsthand account.
 
In all fairness to @HeroPrentiss who obviously has studied Benjamin Prentiss the man and the soldier, I am compelled to share articles and sources that support the General.

Here is a short well thought out article in defense of Prentiss. Regardless of his actions dealing with Peabody, Prentiss was a brave man whole was dealt a very poor hand. His division did not come into existance until March 26, 1862 by Special Order Number 36. He had the very essence of "green" troops.
Regards
David

"Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mayberry Prentiss of Quincy commanded the 6th Division of Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee as a brigadier general at the battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862.

Prentiss' division consisted of two brigades totaling approximately 5,400 men at the southwest corner of what became a 20-square-mile Shiloh battlefield. The first brigade was commanded by Col. Everett Peabody and the second brigade by Col. Madison Miller.

On the morning of April 6, the Confederate army was poised to launch a surprise attack on Union forces. Prentiss' new division was camped closest to the enemy.

Confederate cavalry had harassed Union pickets on April 4 and 5, resulting in alarms cascading through Union camps. Prentiss responded by adding pickets and sending patrols to the front. The patrols were looking for enemy cavalry, and the Union commanders had no suspicion that the 44,000-man Confederate Army of the Mississippi was ready to strike.

The patrols were from the camps of Peabody's brigade because they were nearest the Rebel battle line. On April 5, Prentiss ordered Col. David Moore to lead three companies from the 21st Missouri on a patrol that left camp about 4 a.m. and returned about 7 p.m. Evidence of Rebel cavalry was found.

Peabody, unbeknownst to Prentiss, ordered Maj. James E. Powell to take a patrol at 3 a.m. and advance past the pickets. Powell found the Rebel picket line in Fraley field at 4:55 a.m. and the battle of Shiloh was on. Powell's patrol gave at least two hours of warning for the Union army and prevented a total surprise. Union divisions formed battle lines in front of their camps and slowed the Rebel attack.

As Powell's patrol retreated, Peabody ordered to reinforce the patrol with five companies of the 21st Missouri. Moore sent word to Prentiss to forward the remaining five companies of the 21st Missouri because the Rebels were out there and he would "lick them."

Prentiss complied and rode into Peabody's camp as Peabody was forming the 25th Missouri to also aid the patrol. Orders were to avoid a general engagement, and when Prentiss saw that two regiments were heading to the front, he accosted Peabody with the charge that he would hold Peabody personally responsible for bringing on an engagement.

William Sherman's division on the western side of the battlefield was struck about an hour after Prentiss.' Requests for assistance were sent to the divisions of John McClernand, Stephan Hurlbut and William H.L. Wallace. Prentiss defended his two camps until about 9 a.m. when a retreat was ordered. Prentiss' division disintegrated, but Prentiss rallied about 500 men to stand with him in the Hornet's Nest along the Sunken Road where they were joined with 575 men of the 23rd Missouri. Peabody and Powell were counted among the slain.

Prentiss held the Hornet's Nest for seven hours against repeated Rebel assaults. Then, as the Union flanks fell back, Prentiss and Wallace tried to hold the center and fought on for another hour with a "final stand." Wallace was mortally wounded, and Prentiss was captured.

The first published reports of the battle falsely maligned Prentiss and the men captured with him as cowards for having surrendered in the morning rather than in the evening. This injustice was repeated in many histories and stuck in the public's memory for nearly 20 years, during which time Prentiss remained silent because he knew what he and his men had done, and the critics were not worthy of a response.

The tide turned with the publication of Confederate Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston's biography written by his son in 1879. Johnston had led the Confederate army and died in the battle.

The book christened the area where Wallace and Prentiss held the line as the Hornets' Nest.

Over the next 20 years Prentiss spoke of the battle and the role he and his men played in it. With the founding of the Shiloh National Military Park in 1895, the story of the Hornet's Nest became lore, and Prentiss died in 1901 with the sobriquet of the "Hero of Shiloh."

But it is déjà vu for Prentiss. Shiloh revisionist historians now claim that Prentiss exaggerated his role at Shiloh and stole glory from Wallace and Peabody.

Some claim Prentiss took credit for sending the army-saving 3 a.m. patrol when it was Peabody who did it. Others claim it was Wallace who defended the Hornets' Nest and that Prentiss was inconsequential but talked himself up to being the "Hero of Shiloh."

These claims do not stand up to scrutiny, but they have taken root in some circles to the point that recently published Shiloh works by revisionists contain statements against Prentiss that are not true.

Prentiss is accused of lying about his role at Shiloh in order to line his pockets.

Shiloh revisionism commenced in the early 1970s and continues. It is time to challenge revisionists to defend their statements and prove their allegations against Prentiss. Competent research will show that the truth lies with Prentiss"


Source:Gen. Prentiss: Quincy's slandered Hero of Shiloh by Susie Mclue
The Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County July 10, 2016
 
That's an informative summary.

It reminds me how some postwar historians and press writers try to put their own spins and interpretations on chosen subjects (or targets) to distort situations.

There is a real skill needed, when investigating the past long ago, to sift through the often conflicting and competing views and decide which ones are credible.
 
As an extension on Prentiss.

It was Prentiss who later had the foresight and resolve to prepare and conduct a successful defense of Helena. This was accomplished against an enemy force almost double in size (although it was led by an incompetent, in Holmes).
 
Hank:
Susie DeClue? I am missing this one.

I honestly believe that Prentiss and Peabody had issues before the battle. They were 2 Alpha Males who had great difficulties submitting to authority. This aspect of Prentiss's personality was shown by his insistence of sending out patrols despite being order by Prentiss not to.

I am of the opinion that by 5:30 pm when Prentiss surrendered, he knew of Peabody's actions and behavior. There were too many survivors of Peabody's brigade to have informed him of what had happened before Prentiss arrived at the front from his camp.

Prentiss was captured, knew Peabody was dead, continually getting information about the battle till his release in October 1862. He wrote his report in November so I believe he ignored Peabody out of frustration and anger.

I don't want to speculate on this thread so this why I am writing this small epistle.
Regards
David

PS I don't know of or about Gary Adleman so I have opinion
 
Have you ever been to Shiloh and seen the terrain?
Regards
David
 
This is over the top, with all due respect. You can make your points without converting them into a personal attack on these historians - some of whom you have named but also others who you have not named and who have been deeply involved in what you label "Shiloh revisionism". They have done that based on facts and evidence, not on some bizarre "hatred" of Prentiss. I know a few of them and the personal attack on them is farcical. Reed, by the way, pushed a story about the Hornet's Nest that has been refuted in several respects based on close examination of the sources, of the ground, and of artifacts. He wasn't some infallible "God of All Things Shiloh". He was a veteran whose unit (12th Iowa) was involved in the defeat and ultimate surrender and he had a vested interest in his version of the "story" to offset the perception of his unit's "shame" in the 19th century. Like all veterans, he also was limited to what he and his colleagues could actually observe and by the usual flaws that accompany anyone's "memory" of events that occurred decades earlier.
This comment confuses me a bit. How can there be any "shame" in Prentiss' command for ultimately surrendering? I am not necessarily saying that you believe that, as I don't see how anyone looks at it could, but I am just inquiring.

One can make the argument that maybe he could have pulled the remainder of his command back further as the situation continued to deteriorate, but by the time in which they surrendered what were they supposed to do? They were running absolutely desperately low on ammunition, had taken beyond horrendous casualties, had been completely overwhelmed and the time had passed in which the command could be pulled back further. I full-well understand that they were under orders to hold at "all hazards," but by the point in which the command surrendered, again, what was there left to do? I mean, what was left finally surrendered around 5:30 P.M.! The defense was extraordinarily heroic. Also, Tim Smith definitely comes down, rightly, on the side of it having been a truly remarkable stand in his study. How there could even be another side, I am not entirely sure, but he definitely comes down that way. Also, Prentiss himself was widely proclaimed to be a hero in the aftermath of Shiloh.

Also, the stand was integral, vital really, to the overall defense. So, this comment does confuse me a little bit that way.
 
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"The battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburg landing, has been perhaps less understood, or, to state the case more accurately, more persistently misunderstood, than any other engagement between National and Confederate troops during the entire rebellion. Correct reports of the battle have been published, notably by Sherman, Badeau and, in a speech before a meeting of veterans, by General Prentiss; but all of these appeared long subsequent to the close of the rebellion and after public opinion had been most erroneously formed.

I myself made no report to General Halleck, further than was contained in a letter, written immediately after the battle informing him that an engagement had been fought and announcing the result. A few days afterwards General Halleck moved his headquarters to Pittsburg landing and assumed command of the troops in the field. Although next to him in rank, and nominally in command of my old district and army, I was ignored as much as if I had been at the most distant point of territory within my jurisdiction; and although I was in command of all the troops engaged at Shiloh I was not permitted to see one of the reports of General Buell or his subordinates in that battle, until they were published by the War Department long after the event. For this reason I never made a full official report of this engagement."

-
U.S. Grant, Memoirs, Chapter XXV

My "interpretation" of this is that Grant himself couldn't sort out the BS and punted. If he couldn't figure it out, we won't, either.

Really interesting thread, though.
 
This is over the top, with all due respect. You can make your points without converting them into a personal attack on these historians - some of whom you have named but also others who you have not named and who have been deeply involved in what you label "Shiloh revisionism". They have done that based on facts and evidence, not on some bizarre "hatred" of Prentiss. I know a few of them and the personal attack on them is farcical. Reed, by the way, pushed a story about the Hornet's Nest that has been refuted in several respects based on close examination of the sources, of the ground, and of artifacts. He wasn't some infallible "God of All Things Shiloh". He was a veteran whose unit (12th Iowa) was involved in the defeat and ultimate surrender and he had a vested interest in his version of the "story" to offset the perception of his unit's "shame" in the 19th century. Like all veterans, he also was limited to what he and his colleagues could actually observe and by the usual flaws that accompany anyone's "memory" of events that occurred decades earlier.
I am genuinely interested in your take here. Would you mind elaborating a bit?
 

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