Shiloh AAR

[Dale Beasley]

Re: Shiloh AAR

I hope everyone had a good Easter.

Much has been said, and like the above post nothing else can be said. However, during Easter Lunch today my oldest son said..."and Maw Mere, we got on a River Boat in the middle of the night and got off at Shiloh, just like Grant did."

Before he goes off to college, I am vey happy he and I were able to share this one.

[Matt Woodburn]

Re: Shiloh AAR

Jon and All,

To answer what's next...that baby is being birthed right now. We know...Chickamauga, Longstreet's corp, a unit from the EAST for all of our eastern brothers, and more is coming. We'll announce it's arrival very soon.

[weed]

Re: Shiloh AAR

It was an amazing event. In my 39 years (Mainly with The Mudsills) I rate this in my top 5 Events Ever!

[Greg Barnett]

Re: Shiloh AAR

Eric, I couldn't agree more. The discipline was more than commendable. Those Confederates looked like real idiots and I think their leadership quickly realized it as well.

Shiloh AAR: I had the immense privledge of acting as 2nd Sgt. for Company A, and don't believe I have ever felt as proud, of being a part of something bigger than myself, ever. From Private to Capatin, every man did his duty completely as a soldier and it was amazing to watch. It lifted my soul seeing many close old friends and making many new ones.You are all forever, my brothers in arms, thank you!

It seems that all of the 15th Iowa right off the bat, began to function as though we were all part of something bigger.I have to think that the spirits of the Federals lost at Shiloh, came down from the graveyard,crossed that rock wall, and stepped off with us on Saturday morning. It felt too much like 1862 ( as I imagined) for that to not be the case . I think you will be hard pressed to ever recreate that feeling, on that kind of scale, in CW reenacting again.

There are so many moments, that I don't think I can type fast enough to list them all. But I can tell you, I spent almost half of my life as a professional bass player, playing and working with some of the biggest names in the buisness. But don't think I ever felt more like a "rock star" than I did marching with the 15th Iowa!

Thank you to Mr. Woodburn and crew for your vision and hard work, your accomplishment will go down in reenacting lore !

The only bad: * That our good friend Kiev Thomason ( Capt. of Co. A ) was not able to finish it out with us. I trust you are well.

* The other bad thing is, that there is no way I can properly described what I just went thru, to my wife.
She just keeps saying "Jesus calm down and have beer, you sound like you just got back from your first date "

Hey Greg & Robert, "That's all that matters"

Cheers,

"That's all that matters!"

What matters is quality folks doing a damn fine job. Thanks to all for the effort to do your best.
Thanks to Matt Woodburn for doing what he does. Excellence.

Best Regards,

[poilu1917]

Re: Shiloh AAR

Matt,
Glad to hear there is a "bun in the oven" so to speak... Thanks again for making it all possible!

[Pvt Schnapps]

AAR for Shiloh Adjunct

Please see attached, & enjoy...

[Matt Woodburn]

Re: AAR for Shiloh Adjunct

Nicely done! And thanks for all your work on documents for the event. Even though I saw none come my way as hoped, I'll rest with the thought that the men who found them put them to use as Gaetty's Papers rendering them useless to the enemy.

[Mtn.Guerilla]

Re: AAR for Shiloh Adjunct

That would make a great article. It's reminded me of memories I had yet to fully absorb. I did "confiscate" a letter, although I believe it was only from the Soldiers Aid Society (?) of Illinois. It's with my pass in my hatband.
Cheers,

[Eric Tipton]

Re: Shiloh AAR

Greetings All:

Rather than write an AAR or repeat the many congratulations (which are richly deserved), here is an account from V.V. Gibbon, Surgeon of the 15th Iowa. For those who were there, does this not sound eerily familiar? It is my opinion that Matt and everyone who planned this event could not have have tailored a better scenario for what actually happened in conjunction with a large mainstream event. This event could have stood on it's own as a scenario and would have been equally satisfying.

This was my "dream" scenario and now ranks as my favorite event since joining the hobby in 2002. It was a privilege to serve in the ranks of the 15th Iowa and an honor to serve with the men in Company "A". Thank you to Matt and the other members of the WIG planning committee who not only gave us the gift of this event, but also provided the authentic reenacting community with a shot in the arm just when we needed it. I don't think I have ever been prouder to serve with a group of men in the hobby. Thank you everyone, from the bottom of my heart.

Here is Gibbon's account:

FROM THE HISTORY OF THE 15TH REGIMENT - VV. II. GIBBON, Surgeon 15th Iowa Volunteers.
PAGES 103 - 112 (Click Here For Link To 15th Iowa Regimental)

On April 1, 1862, we left St. Louis on the steamer Minnehaha for Pittsburg Landing, and arrived there on the morning of April 6th. On our way up the Tennessee River we occasionally met boats coming down, and from some of them we heard that a great battle had been fought and that our troops had been victorious, and some of the officers and men were bitter in their denunciation of those who were responsible for the delay by which we had been deprived of our share of glory. They soon learned the battle had not been fought, and there was still ample time for them to fill themselves full of renown, an opportunity some of them failed to improve when the time arrived for its complete gratification.

At early dawn men and officers were stirring. Already could be heard distant musketry firing and an occasional boom of cannon, but it was supposed to be merely heavy skirmishing. In an hour the line of firing had greatly extended, and had become very heavy. The excitement grew about the landing. Men were hurrying to and fro; ammunition and supplies were rushed up the bluff; field officers, staff officers, orderlies, men dashing to and from the landing with an earnest and serious mien that betokened the imminence of a great occasion. The tide of the slightly wounded had already reached the landing. A great battle was on.

Dr. Davis showed great skill and energy in the organization of the hospital corps for field duty, and in a short time the medical and surgical supplies necessary for a primary depot in the field were packed and ready, and a sufficient hospital squad detailed as assistants. I requested permission from Dr. Davis to accompany this detail to the front. He told me to ask the Colonel, and said he would remain on the boat and attend to the men seriously wounded as they came in. The two Regiments, the l5th and 16th Iowa, were now drawn up on the bluff" awaiting orders.

About 8 A. M. General Grant arrived from Savannah, a landing twelve miles below Pittsburg. In a few moments he and several of his staff came up the bluff and engaged Colonel Reid in conversation, General Grant asking many questions about the Regiment, where it was from, its officers, arms, &c. They had been talking, perhaps, ten minutes, when one of General Grant's staff officers, Colonel Pride, I think it was, came in from the front and said, as I understood him, that General McClernand was hard pressed and wanted re-enforcements. General Grant waved his hand in our direction and said, "take these two Regiments out to him." I stepped up to Colonel Reid and asked if I could go with our Regiment. He did not seem to have a clear idea of what my duty was and turning to General Grant, who was still near, said, "My Assistant Surgeon Gibbon wants to know if he can go along?" General Grant glanced at me and replied, "he can go if he wants to." I was very much elated with this kindness of General Grant, but about two hours afterwards I doubt whether I appreciated it so highly.

The Regiments took arms and marched off with great spirit. It was pleasant to see the elastic step and enthusiastic manner of officers and men. We had not gone far before we met quite a column of wounded and stragglers drifting in toward the landing. Many of them told us their Regiments were "cut to pieces."
To some of the wounded I gave stimulants and temporary dressings and passed them on to the landing. One man I saw leaning against a tree some thirty yards from the road, his hat off, and his gun beside him. His countenance was ashen, and he seemed in great distress. I went up and spoke to him, but he did not answer; he was quite dead. He had got that far back and sat down to rest, and his life had oozed away from a gaping wound in his side.

After marching about two miles we entered an open field of about eighty acres. It was surrounded with high timber in which was a growth of underbrush as high as a man's head, which afforded excellent cover for an army. Our two Regiments were inarching by the flank across this field, when about the middle of it we were greeted with a tremendous infantry and artillery fire from front and flank. Our guide had blundered, and by some strange mishap we had been led between the divisions of our army and were thrown against the solid line of the enemy. Colonel Reid was soon dangerously wounded and borne from the field bleeding freely from a wound which at the moment was thought to be mortal. Lieutenant-Colonel Dewey, though in the battle, was in fact on the sick list, and unequal to the occasion. But Major Belknap, though severely wounded, was equal to the demands of this supreme moment of peril. He had inherited the military genius and high courage of his father, and nature had given him a fine figure and a magnificent voice for command. He rallied the Regiment with great ability and showed those military qualities which afterwards won him great distinction as a soldier and commanded the admiration and affection of officers and men.

My duties as a surgeon were now to begin in earnest. The ground seemed covered with dead and wounded. I had noticed a deep ravine to the rear and left of the Regiment, and directed the wounded to be carried there. It was probably fifty yards from the level of the field to the bottom of the ravine, which was grown up with heavy timber and underbrush as before described.

I found many wounded soldiers here who had drifted back into the shelter from the earlier fights of the morning. Some belonged to Ohio Regiments and others were from Indiana and Illinois. There was no surgeon there but myself, and I went to work to do the best I could. There were men wounded in almost every conceivable way. Some with a leg or an arm shot away, others shot through the lungs and dying slowly from shock and internal hemorrhage. Several were dreadfully torn and mangled bypieces of shells and had assumed that deadly ashen hue that immediately precedes dissolution. The pain and anguish depicted upon the countenance of these can never be erased from the memory of one who has ever seen them. As quickly as possible I organized my nurses and all others who were not hurt into a hospital squad and set them to giving temporary dressing to the slightly wounded, and administering stimulants and making them as comfortable as possible, while I attended to the more serious cases. Of course amputations were out of the question under the circumstances, but I cut out many bullets and gave morphine to many who were suffering greatly. Some drifted into the ravine from my own Regiment, who were so badly injured that they lived but a few moments. Adjutant Pomutz was assisted into the ravine dangerously wounded. The tremendous roar of the battle grew louder and nearer. Shot and shell went hissing and screaming over the ravine and occasionally falling into it. At last I could hear the commands of Regimental and Company Commanders with distinctness, but supposed them to be our troops, who had fallen back to the edge of the timber to form a new line and make a stand. The underbrush was so dense the troops could not be readily seen, and I was so intent upon assisting the wounded and organizing my field hospital that I failed to note that the Confederate line of battle was forming less than a hundred yards from us. I heard a soldier say, ''that is the rebel line of battle." Almost the next instant the ravine was swept with a cyclone of musketry, shot and shells, which cut the limbs of the trees; they fell in great profusion and did some injury to the men. One man, who was suffering from a gun-shot wound of the leg, had his bowels torn out by a piece of shell. It seemed strange that it did not kill him instantly, but he was perfectly conscious for fifteen minutes after, when, as I left him, I gave him a large dose of morphine, which I hope softened the pains of his dying moments.

The first volley had scarcely spent itself, when I was aroused to the seriousness of the situation by an irreverent remark of Adjutant Pomutz. His wound had been dressed, and I had directed him to lie down and be quiet, as I feared excessive hemorrhage. When the volley had passed over the ravine the Adjutant raised himself upon his arm, and, taking in the situation at a glance, remarked "this is a h—1 of a place for a hospital." I directed several men to assist the Adjutant out of the fire and to the boats if possible—where a few hours after I found him — but how he got there without getting more bullets through him I could never comprehend, as he must have made his escape through a veritable leaden hail. Many more of the wounded managed in some way to crawl through the brush and get to the rear through the northern end of the ravine, which was near the road and much better covered with brush and timber than the other end. This, however, was soon occupied by the Confederates, which made escape by that route impossible. It now began to look serious for the few of us who remained, for it was evident the enemy was nearly ready to charge down the ravine. To go up the hill directly opposite the enemy was not feasible, as there happened to be little covering of brush on the side toward the landing, and would have resulted in our being complimented with an undue share of the enemy's ammunition . Our ravine ran somewhat circuitously toward the east, and in about a quarter of a mile broadened out into a ten acre field which was grown up with oats. Near the mouth of this ravine was a tree covered with a dense matting of grapevine, which we succeeded in reaching without discovery, and into which we climbed and were perfectly concealed from the enemy, though we could see them plainly. But to remain there was to be captured in a few minutes. I proposed to the men that we should quietly get down to the lower limbs of the tree, and at a given signal from me we should all jump at once and run to the northeast across the open field, in full view of the Rebel line of battle, striking for a high point on the other side which was well covered with timber and brush, and which would afford concealment and protection. This little campaign was admirably executed, and while we were greeted with a heavy volley from the Rebel brigade which faced the field, we all got over without a scratch. When I was a boy I was considered a good runner, but I have never felt as satisfied with my speed as on this occasion. On this point of land we found four pieces of artillery that had just been abandoned and near them a few soldiers and an officer wearing a green sash, and as this denoted my branch of the service, I was curious to make his acquaintance, and soon recognized him as an old friend, Dr. Cornyne of St. Louis. He proposed that we should collect some of the men and work the battery. I told him I knew nothing about working the big guns, but he said he had been a member of an amateur artillery company at home, and he thought that with my help and that of the soldiers we could pick up, we might do some good work. We soon gathered together about twenty men and worked the battery for near half an hour, during which time two of the guns were disabled and one of the caissons exploded by the concentrated and splendid gunnery of the enemy. Dr. Cornyne was as brave a man as ever lived, and for his gallantry on this occasion, was made Colonel of the 10th Missouri Cavalry, and was complimented in general orders by Gen. Grant. His military career was brief, for soon after the organization of his regiment he was killed by one of his officers whom he had accused of cowardice.

The enemy charged upon our position and our little squad fell back in good order to the landing, where I took up the amputating knife, and in a few days did more surgery than falls to the lot of the average practitioner in a life-time. The boi'ts were now rapidly filling with wounded and dying soldiers. Col. Moore, of the 21st Missouri, Volunteers, was, I believe, the first commanding officer whose leg was amputated at Shiloh. He had been out on the picket line early in the morning and had been shot through one of his legs below the knee, badly crushing the bone and requiring amputation. Dr. Davis had him on the table ready for the operation, and I assisted him in taking off his leg. The Colonel swore roundly until he got under the influence of chloroform, and if I am not mistaken, his first words after he came from under its influence were of a very sulphurous character against those who had rebelled against the "best government on earth," The steamer Minnehaha was under the charge of Dr. Davis and myself, and all day and far into the night we were busily engaged in performing almost every operation known to military surgery. About midnight we were completely exhausted, and many of the sorely wounded men had fallen asleep. Many of the surgeons were sickened by their bloody work, and were unable to do more and had gone to sleep, haunted bv gory dreams and dreadful thoughts of the morrow. Our boat was passing backward and forward across the river carrying the advance of Buell's command. The roar of the battle had grown nearer and nearer. Our little army had fought for every inch of ground, but when night drew her sable curtain over the bloody scene our army was gathered in a short, but compact line near the landing. The men lay down on their arms in a drenching rain, and sought sleep and rest, but the surroundings were favorable to neither.

At daylight, April 7th, 1862, the ball opened furiously on both sides, and many shot and shell came whistling over the boats, reminding the surgeons that they were a little too near the line of battle to perform surgical operations with the steady nerves required in such delicate work. About 10 o'clock we heard a yell which seemed to shake the ground. It was a genuine "Yankee yell," and immediately after the firing grew more distant, and we knew the day was ours.

[VMurphy]

Re: AAR for Shiloh Adjunct

Michael, thank you for the great AAR. I was in Purdy, set up next to Elaine and we greatly enjoyed watching the movement of the soldiers that we could see from the edge of town.

Watching the 15th and the 16th Iowa gave me much pride. I live in SE Iowa and have studied these units for 20+ years. I wish I would have been able to set up and represent the ladies of the IOWA SANITARY COMMISSION that made numerous trips south with supplies for the units, even at Vicksburg, according to the documentation at the ISHS. Perhaps some day...

Thans again to all the fellas of these units and to Mr. Woodburn and others who helped in the organization.
I posted an image on our local newspaper FB page and many seem to be enjoying it...

Fond Regards
Vivian Murphy

[tsgalloway]

Re: Shiloh AAR

Some thoughts from this Idaho boy:

I am in decent shape and consider myself an athlete, but man was I exhausted from the event. It took me nearly a week to recover. In the moment, the lack of sleep, heat/humidity, lack of food, fatigue all sucked. Men in my company were snapping at each other. It was REAL. But in hindsight, it added to the realism of the event and made it that much better.

The paddle wheeler experience was awesome!

I had a CW moment during Saturday's battle. We were withdrawing through the trees and I heard gunfire all around. It was echoing, there was chaos and I just stopped and had to take it all in. In today's day and age, that's about as good as we are going to get in regards to connecting with those that came before.

Excellent event.

-Tristan Galloway
15th Iowa Co. I

[tsgalloway]

Re: Shiloh AAR

James,
You're awesome! Those feet are still probably sore...

Thank you to all who had a part in pulling this off. The minutiae and copious amounts of logistics work speaks volumes to the replies posted here so far.

Speaking of fun....can we do it again...can we...can we??? Let me heal my heels first though!!!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]38270[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]38271[/ATTACH]

[Ken Knopp]

Re: Shiloh AAR

Guys, for those interested.....I offer a few photos of the 15th Iowa/11 Ill Cav march to Shiloh and, of the 15th Iowa at the reencactment...on Flicker...FREE for the down load!.....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61908037@N02/

They are mixed in with mostly the cavalry/Infantry march from Corinth to Shiloh too but I wanted to make sure you 15th Iowa guys saw these. You fellas were magnificent! Very inspiring. Well done! Congratulations!

Ken R Knopp

https://www.confederatesaddles.com

[robwall1861]

Re: Shiloh AAR

GREAT pictures and reviews of the event...from someone who couldn't make it; I have enjoyed reading everything (including Mike's narrative that he posted as a .doc attachement).

Thanks again!

[fatocat]

Re: Shiloh AAR

You put the snapping in perspective; real emotions indeed. Thank you. Embrace the suck. That CW moment was cool!

Some thoughts from this Idaho boy:

I am in decent shape and consider myself an athlete, but man was I exhausted from the event. It took me nearly a week to recover. In the moment, the lack of sleep, heat/humidity, lack of food, fatigue all sucked. Men in my company were snapping at each other. It was REAL. But in hindsight, it added to the realism of the event and made it that much better.

The paddle wheeler experience was awesome!

I had a CW moment during Saturday's battle. We were withdrawing through the trees and I heard gunfire all around. It was echoing, there was chaos and I just stopped and had to take it all in. In today's day and age, that's about as good as we are going to get in regards to connecting with those that came before.

Excellent event.

-Tristan Galloway
15th Iowa Co. I