lelliott19
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The Athens Post. (Athens, TN), April 25, 1862, page 2.
I ran across this period newspaper article reporting the capture of 'Senator Doolittle' of Wisconsin. The article seems to indicate that this 'Senator Doolittle' was captured on April 8th during the attack launched by Forrest's at Fallen Timbers. The incident was also reported in the Charleston Daily Courier, South Carolina, April 24, 1862, page 4. By May 15, 1862, Senator Doolittle was in Washington, DC, participating in the activities of Congress, so if he was taken prisoner, he must have been paroled quickly.
I have a few questions I hope some of our Shiloh experts can answer:
- Why would a Wisconsin Senator have been at Shiloh?
- Is this James R Doolittle the same as 'Senator Doolittle' who was reported captured?
- Did this actually happen? And if so, was Doolittle taken prisoner by Forrest's cavalry on April 8th during the Battle of Fallen Timbers? Or earlier during the Battle of Shiloh?
- Could the newspapers have been confused? If it actually happened, it seems like it would be mentioned.