Letter – Edgar Wilcox, 22 September 1863

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Letter written by Lieutenant Edgar “Ned” Wilcox of Company H, 3rd Battalion, 18th U.S. Infantry, to his sister Lottie, from Chattanooga, TN. Wilcox writes that he was involved in the “thickest” of fighting at Chickamauga. He describes the recent fighting, as well as the casualties suffered by his regiment. Wilcox’s regiment bivouacked after a retreat, and the next morning he awoke with a fever. Too exhausted to continue with his men, he sat under a tree until the Confederates began shelling, one of which injured his knee. He is writing this letter while stretched on the counter of an empty dry goods store that he found after the shell lamed him. He is determined to continue fighting the next day if able.

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Chattanooga Tenn. Tuesday

Evening 8 PM. Sept 22d 1862

Dear Lottie

I will write you a few lines to night though I do not know whether I can get them into any mail or if I do whether you will ever get them — We have been fighting now for three days very hard and I have been in the thickest of it but have providentially escaped without a scratch so far with the exception of a hit in the left knee with a spent shell yesterday P.M. which has lamed me considerable but did no further injury – All that troubles me is the fever & ague which I have had ever since Sat owing to exposure &c – Our Brigade went into the fight at sunrise Saturday morning the 19th & fought till dark & were repulsed three times with heavy loss – That night we were shelled heavily but we were so worn out we slept till 2 O.clock in the morning full force not over 500 yards from us and that the Balance of our Division had fallen back without letting us know any thing about it – you may perhaps imagine we fell back double quick and I can assure you we did – at day light Sunday morning were in line of battle again and I was ordered out with my comp. as skirmishers – about

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By 8 o.clock I had lost 6 or 7 men when the Rebs advanced in force & I fell back to the Reg. who were laying down under a little slope some 300 yds behind me. Here we fought them some 20 minutes but at a terrible loss as they flanked us & we were under a cross fire and we were obliged to fall back again – After this the fight became general for the rest of the day – The enemy charging & driving us and we in them charging & driving them – About noon I heard that Lee Brown was laying on the field where we opened the fight in the morning badly wounded and as I could not leave my comp. sent 4 men and a Sergt to carry him off, they told me he was wounded in 6 places the worst wound breaking his leg but that he was cheerful & did not think his wounds dangerous – At 4 P.M. the Rebs massed up on our left where were & completely overpowered us and we retreated precipitably and as our hospital and ambulances were capture I think Lee was also.

I wrote to Ria this morning that he was wounded but in good spirits & nothing more as I did not want to alarm her unnecessarily. On the retreat I got about 20 of our Brig. together & bivouaced about 12 that night – In the morning I waked up with a burning fever on me but hearing that the brig. or what was left of it was in camp 1/4 of a mile from us I sent them there in charge of a segt and laid down under a tree too much exhausted to go any further – There I staid

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until 4 P.M. when the Rebs commenced shelling the road & I concluded to “fall back” on Chattanooga (5 miles) but had not gone 20 yds before a shell burst just in front of me and bim a piece took me in the knee, but it was spent and only lamed me & I managed to get in here where I have been stretched on a counter in an empty drygoods store all day & where I am writing disconnectedly & hurriedly to night – Our Brig. has fallen back to the fortifications in the edge of town & there will probably be on the heavy fight tomorrow & if I am not really down sick I shall go again – Our Brig. now is all cut to pieces and numbers about 200 (200) men but they will fight to the last & you may bet I will be with them if I am able to stand up. – Can write no more to night –

Yours in Haste

Ned

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Edgar Norville Wilcox was born in Berkshire, MA. He was a civil engineer attending the University of Michigan when he enlisted as a private in the 7th OH Infantry at age 23 on June 19, 1861. He was discharged in December of 1861 and then joined the 18th US Regular Infantry on January 14, 1862. He was assigned as a private in Company B, 3rd Battalion. In May 1862 he was promoted to sergeant of Company H and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on June 11, 1863 (retroactive to February 19th). Wilcox was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on September 20, 1863. He was breveted Captain in September 1864 for Murfreesboro, Atlanta, and Jonesboro and after the war was officially promoted to Captain on January 22, 1867. He mustered out January 1, 1871 and lived in Oberlin, OH working in railroad construction. He died May 25, 1892.

Letter – George Rogers, 12 April 1862

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Letter written by Captain George Rogers of the 20th OH Infantry of Col. Charles Whittlesey’s 3^rd Brigade, to a friend from Camp Shiloh, TN. Rogers writes about the Battle of Shiloh, and describes encountering a Confederate battery supported by a brigade of Creoles [Orleans guards], who were led by General P.G.T. Beauregard himself. Rogers’ regiment, along with a small battery [Thurber’s Battery I, 1st Missouri Light Artillery], opened heavy fire on Confederate troops, forcing them to begin a retreat. He states his most vivid memory of the battle was of watching an officer shoot his wounded horse to put the animal out of its misery, weeping all the while. The regiment has just received orders to move up the river towards Corinth, and Rogers also mentions that General Halleck recently arrived at the camp.

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Camp Shilo, Tennessee

April 12th 1862

My Dear Friend =                  

  Since writing you last I have had the honor of engaging in the great battle which came off here on the 6^th & 7^th inst. As our division [Major General Lew Wallace’s 3^rd Division] did not arrive on the scene of action till late on Sunday night I am unable to give you any particulars concerning the disasters of that day’s fighting. The newspapers have informed you how completely the enemy routed our forces the first day – how they drove them almost to the very [???] edge, and how if they had enjoyed a few more hours of daylight the whole army under Gen. Grant should have been annihilated. Thanks to Providence, night came on just when our safety lay in darkness. Before the next morning our division of ten thousand came up from below and Buell was able to throw across

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the Tennessee [River] several brigades of fresh troops. Men who had put forth every effort to reach Savannah in time to engage in the fight they knew to be impending.

With the assistance of these reinforcements we were able to give events a different character to the engagement of Monday. I will not tire you with a detailed account of the movements of our division – of the movements of others I know know nothing – We were ordered to take position on our right flank and by keeping steady in the advance to turn the enemy’s left, an order which was executed in so skillfull a manner and with such eminent success as to receive from all parties the most enthusiastic praise. Our brigade was on the right of our division, and our regiment on the right of our brigade. Our maneuvering was made in a zig-zag line constantly bearing away to the left in order to menace the enemy’s rear. The line of march over which we passed was

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over five miles in extent – every foot of which in some part of our division front was stubbornly contested by the enemy. About three o’clock or perhaps a little sooner, our brigade came by a beautiful and rapid movement upon a heavy battery of the enemy’s, support- ed by a brigade of Creoles commanded by Beauregard in person, who – with flag in hand at the head of the brigade – was endeavoring to rally his forces for a final effort to retrieve his lost fortunes. Our regiment being in the advance moved quickly to the right and seemed to the enemy as if about to come upon his rear. To meet this danger the enemy changed the front of one of his regiments. Having advanced several rods into an open field on the opposite side of which was the enemy’s battery and reserves, we halted in order to draw

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his fire. Misconstruing the meaning of our halt, the rebels began to move toward us – seeing which we fell back to the edge of a woods for cover, and immediately opened a heavy fire, which in conjunction with our little battery which had just taken position on our left – soon caused the enemy to halt, then hesitate and eventually to make a precipitate retreat, carrying with them their battery of heavy guns. Our regiment pursued them as rapidly as the character of the ground would permit for about three miles farther – which was in addition to the five miles above alluded to – our skirmishers picking off the rear guard and picking up the stragglers, You will thus see that we had the honor of [silenceing?] the last gun of the enemy in the great battle of Shilo or Pittsburg. As our regiment was engaged in crumbling the enemy’s flank and menacing his lines of communications, the character of the engagement in front did not permit him to punish us as severely as we deserved. Our loss in killed and wounded amounts to about twenty – among the latter is Capt William Rogers of Co. A who was struck in the shoulder

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with a grape shot. He is now with his command. [???] men in my company were just nicked, scarcely enough hurt to be called hit – My men behaved most admirably and although in nearly every company in the regiment someone showed the pale feather, I was surprised to find my own an exception. The battle ground is very extensive and the number of forces engaged on both sides must have amounted to from one hundred and thirty five thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand. The enemy’s forces it variously stated by the prisoners at between seventy five and one hundred & twenty five thousand. On Sunday we must have had at least thirty five thousand perhaps 4 [???] = On Mondy sixty thousand men in the fight. I will not attempt to entertain you by descriptions of the horrors which the field presented during the fight, but especially afterwards

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it was but a reproduction of those scenes of which half of history is occupied in depicting – I can assure you of one thing, however, and that is those things don’t affect one very much while he is engaged in fighting. What moved me more than anything during the engagement was the effort of a field officer to dispatch the noble animal that had carried him safely across a great field, over which the fight was raging furiously. In crossing, the horse had received a shot in his lower jaw – the officer seeing the animal could not be saved, mounted his led horse, and riding several times around the wounded brute, discharged six balls from his pistol into the horse’s body – bringing him with the last shot, to the ground – the man the while weeping like a child. But in a moment the scene was changed – the tears were dried and that humane rider plunging his rowles into the side of his fresh horse, flew across

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the plains to welcome new dangers. That scene however remains the most vividly painted in my memory of all those I saw on that memorable day.

At present our division occupies the upper camps – and our regiment is bivouacked in the one [???] surprised by the enemy on Sunday morning. Orders have just been received for us to move up the river farther in the direction of Corinth. This looks very much as if we were to have the advance in the next move. I am also just informed John G. Stephenson, who was this morning detailed as Brigade Sergeant Major, that Gen Halleck arrived this morning. Anyhow, a major general’s salute was fired by the gunboats this morning.

I shall be glad to hear from you at any time and if I am not mistaken you owe me a couple of letters – please direct them to Savannah, Ten –

Miss Elza Russell

Mt Vernon OH

Yours Resp’ly,

Geo Rogers

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Captain George Rogers, of the 20^th OH Infantry, was 25 years old at the time of Shiloh. Having served as an ensign with the 4^th OH Infantry during McClellan’s 1861 West Virginia Campaign, Rogers later fought at Corinth and in Grant’s Central Mississippi Campaign before resigning as a captain in Feb. 1863. Rogers accepted a commission as lieutenant colonel of the 4^th USCT in September of 1863, and served through the remainder of the war. He was breveted colonel and brigadier general for war service, March 13, 1865.

Letter – Rufus King, 27 July 1862

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Letter written by Brigadier General Rufus King to Colonel George D. Ruggles, Chief of Staff of the Army of Virginia, from the division headquarters in Fredericksburg, VA. King is writing to report to the headquarters of Major General John Pope on the reconnaissance march of General John Gibbon’s troops towards Orange Court House. King writes that Gibbon has already returned to the camp, and has reported that the forces of Confederate generals Beverly H. Robertson, Richard S. Ewell, and Stonewall Jackson are located near Orange Court House and Liberty Mills. King states that the Confederates were expecting an attack from Warrenton or Madison Court House, rather than Fredericksburg.

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Division Head Quarters

                               Fredericksburg, July 27,‘62

                                     11 A.M.

Col. Geo. D. Ruggles

Chief of Staff, Army of Virginia

Washington, D.C.

             Sir

                  I telegraphed yesterday to Head Quarters the result, as far as ascertained, of our expedition in the direction of Orange Court House. The column bivouacked, last night, about 18 or 20 miles from here, and, early this morning, resumed its march for camp. The advance is now within a few miles of town. They have met with no casualties. I will transmit Gen. Gibbon’s detailed report of the movement, as soon as it is rendered.

              Gen. Gibbon himself   has this moment

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returned. He confirms substantially what I telegraphed, to wit: that Gen. Beverly H. Robertson, with two or three regiments of cavalry, is within a mile of Orange C. H.  Gen. Ewell, with a force of all arms, three miles beyond; and the rest of [Stonewall] Jackson’s forces stretched along for six miles towards Liberty Mills. The whole force is estimated at 25 to 30,000 men. They were anticipating an attack from the direction of Warrenton or Madison Court House, and did not expect an advance from this direction.

                                Very respectfully,

                                       Rufus King

                                          Brig. Gen. Cmdg.

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General Rufus King, was the Union general who organized the famous Black Hat or Iron Brigade. In July of 1862 Gen. McDowell told King to “use every effort and employ all the means in your power to obtain… reliable information of the enemy at Louisa Court House and Gordonsville [OR’s 1-12-3-498].” King chose John Gibbon, now commander of the “Black Hat” brigade, for this mission. Gibbon was told to “ascertain what Confederate forces are at Orange Court House and Gordonsville.” Gibbon’s troops consisted of a detachment from the Iron Brigade (2^nd, 6^th, 7^th Wisconsin Inf., Battery B, 4^th U.S. Artillery) and several other units from King’s division (3^rd Indiana Cavalry, and Co’s. A,C, 2^nd U.S. Sharpshooters).