farrargirl
First Sergeant
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2017
“dead still lay about unburied—they are nearly all rebels. It is a pitiful sight. Some are so advanced in decay that the sight is loathsome in the extreme. The wounded are still being conveyed to the boats and sent down the river. So great was the number of wounded, and so little preparation made for the wounded previous to the battle, that a great many died before they could be cared for. On yesterday I was down at the landing for forage, and in passing by one of the hospitals, I counted ten or twelve dead rebels in one pile who had died of their wounds and were not yet buried. The way they bury is to dig a long ditch about three feet deep and then throw in as many as will cover the bottom, turning their faces downward, and put the dirt in again and turn away as if they had been paying the last offices of respect to a dog, instead of a human being.”......The 8th Independent Battery, Ohio Light Artillery though little used during the Battle of Shiloh, yet it was still valuable asset for the Union Army. The unit was unassigned but was placed at the extreme left flank of Grant's forces along the bluff of the Tennessee River where it assisted in repulsing the last Confederate effort on Sunday evening.
Listed below are 2 letters he wrote to his mother while stationed at Shiloh shortly after the bloody fight.
Regards
David
a)
...”As soon as it was known they were retreating I got ready three of the teams and started out upon the battle field to bring in the wounded. Such a sight I never want to witness again. Hundreds of the dead and wounded were lying around—some with arms, others with legs, and some their heads shot off. One poor fellow had the whole of his face, excepting his eyes, shot away. A great many died of their wounds before they could be conveyed to the Hospital, and others upon the way. The number is immense, and can only be counted by the thousands.”
b)
...Some of the dead still lay about unburied—they are nearly all rebels. It is a pitiful sight. Some are so advanced in decay that the sight is loathsome in the extreme. The wounded are still being conveyed to the boats and sent down the river. So great was the number of wounded, and so little preparation made for the wounded previous to the battle, that a great many died before they could be cared for. On yesterday I was down at the landing for forage, and in passing by one of the hospitals, I counted ten or twelve dead rebels in one pile who had died of their wounds and were not yet buried. The way they bury is to dig a long ditch about three feet deep and then throw in as many as will cover the bottom, turning their faces downward, and put the dirt in again and turn away as if they had been paying the last offices of respect to a dog, instead of a human being.
Source
Faces of War
Private Putnam, Eyewitness to Shiloh
Private James F. Putnam of the Eighth Independent Battery Ohio Light Artillery participated in the Battle of Shiloh on April 6-7, 1862. D...facesofthecivilwar.blogspot.com
a) April 11, 1862
b) April 14, 1862
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I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying your series on Shiloh. My son and I were there last Saturday. What well-laid out grounds and well-described markers the NPS has done on this unique battle.
I was not well versed in this battle, as it had few Alabama units that I was familiar with. In fact, I was SO not versed in this battle, that after having seen the magnificent National Cemetery there on the bluff, I then started looking for the Confederate one!!
I later figured that with what with 11,000 or so Confederate casualties, they surely must have re-interred some of them. But then, I saw “ The Trenches”..... 4 or 5 of them,right?
Here’s a few:
This one was quite a hike down in the woods but....worth it.
later, I saw another “burial ground”. I believe it was almost the entirely of the 6th Mississippi:
I began to come to my senses and understand the impossibility of creating a little cemetery for these dead Rebels. But then, back in my motel room, I was reading an old copy of the Savannah ( Tennessee ) newspaper,
and just wish someone could help me understand this correspondence:
What a commander! He has accomplished the burials of both armies together in one day!
I love the beauty and horror of that Shiloh battlefield. Will post my photos ( without a snarky commentary )
of all the beautiful scenes I saw there last week....