Today on this date, 1862, the Civil War battle of Shiloh began. It took place in beautiful countryside in Tennessee, near a peach orchard and a small church. Maybe no battle has ever been fought in such a peaceful setting, yet
it shocked observers with its tremendous casualties, and awakened those who thought the war would be over within a short time. It was a taste of what was to come.

I take a personal interest in this because 2 of my great great grandpa's fought here. One was in his late 40's! He had enlisted within weeks of the first shots at Fort Sumter.

A monument to the 29th Indiana Volunteer Infantry was put up many years later in honor of these brave gentlemen--grandpa and his regiment. If you are ever down that way, check out this historic , hauntingly beautiful site to where few ever come--mostly deserted except by CW buffs and those who remember.

http://www.historynet.com/acw/blshiloh3/

Hi Rendova,im not American,and must admit its not a subject im familiar with.Could you tell me,was the Indiana Volunteers a Unoin r Confederate force.Thanks.Just curious.

Hi Paul,
Indiana was a Union or Federal state, tho there were many here with Confederate sympathies. Truly this was a war that divided our country, our individual states, and even families.
I have no Confed ancestors, tho my husband does....we're still friends, lol.

I see you're from Belfast. You may have heard of the Irish Brigade, the 69th New York , a regiment made up mostly of brave Irishmen who fought at many battles including First Manassas and Antietam.

Here's a link:

http://www.hauntedfieldmusic.com/IrishBrg.html

Here is my grandfathers grandfathers regiment. He was captured and at the end of the war he was paroled after taking an oath to never again take arms against the Union. He went in as a private but I don't know anything else. Someone said that granpa said his commanding officer ordered their surrender after fending off two Yankee attacks. He said, "No mater how many times we beat them, they just keep a coming and another victory and we will all be dead. This war is lost and I will not be responsible for another death on either side.

Forty-Sixth Alabama
Infantry Regiment

The Forty-sixth was organized at Loachapoka, in the spring of 1862. Shortly after, it was sent to east Tennessee, and had several casualties in the fight at Tazewell. The regiment was in the weary march into Kentucky, in Stevenson's division, but did no fighting. When the army returned to Tennessee, the Forty-sixth was placed in a brigade with the Twentieth, Twenty-third, Thirtieth, and Thirty-first Alabama, under Gen. Tracy. In December, with all of Stevenson's division, the regiment was sent to Mississippi. In the battle of Port Gibson, where its brigadier fell, the regiment suffered severely. A few days later it was engaged at Baker's Creek, where its casualties were numerous, and where half the regiment was captured, including the field officers. The remainder were besieged in Vicksburg, suffering severely, and were captured with the fortress. Re-orgnized at Demopolis, with Gen. Pettus in command of the brigade, the Forty-sixth rejoined the Army of Tennessee. It lost considerably at Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge, and made its winter quarters at Dalton. At Crow's Valley it was engaged, with several casualties. In the almost constant fighting from Dalton to Atlanta, the ranks of the Forty-sixth were thinned and at Jonesboro its list of casualties was large. Marching with Hood into Tennessee, it was one of the three regiments that made the brilliant fight at Columbia, where its loss was considerable. The Forty-sixth lost several killed and wounded at Nashville, and quite a number captured. It was the rear guard on the retreat, and the brigade was complimented by Gen. Hood in special orders for its services there. Transferred to North Carolina, the Forty-sixth was engaged at Kinston and Bentonville, with severe loss in the latter. Consolidated with the Twenty-third Alabama, with J. B. Bibb of Montgomery as colonel, (Col. Woods was transferred to the Nineteenth Alabama,) Osceola Kyle as lieutenant colonel, and J. T. Hester of Montgomery as major, the Forty-sixth was surrendered at Salisbury by Capt. Brewer, who had commanded it for two years.
Field and Staff

Colonels -- Mike L. Woods of Montgomery; captured at Baker's Creek.

Lieut. Colonels -- Osceola Kyle of Coosa; captured at Baker's Creek.

Majors -- James M. Handley of Randolph; captured at Baker's Creek.

Adjutants -- William S. Turner of Montgomery; resigned. Thomas Riggs of Dallas; killed at Baker's Creek. Lieut. House of Coosa, (acting,) killed at Vicksburg. A. J. Brooks of Coosa; wounded at Kennesa; Lient. George McFarland, (acting,) killed at Jonesboro.
Captains, and Counties from Which the Companies Came.

Coosa -- George E. Brewer; captured at Vicksburg.

Coosa -- J. R. Cross; captured at Vicksburg.

Macon -- John F. Baggett; resigned. John F. Spinks; killed on Hood's retreat.

Macon -- C. L. Croft; resigned.

Montgomery -- Jas. W. Powell; captured at Baker's Creek.

Pike -- J. C. McGuire; resigned. ... McCaskill; killed at Baker's Creek.

Randolph -- Leonidas Stephens; died in the service. John C. Wright.

Randolph -- C. A. Allen; resigned. Wm. J. Samford.

Henry -- ....Wilson; resigned. L. L. Croft.

Thanks folks.Its good that this war is so well documented,especially for people who may have lost some of their ancestors during it.Although it truely is the darkest time in American history.As an afterthought on something completly different.I may be related to Typhoid Mary,and will do some background research after the holidays,but i'l make a post on it then,HAPPY EASTER to you all.

Yes, lots of records remaining. However, many Rebel records lost--we do not know even what their total caualities were--prob close to 300,000 at least but that's just an educated guess--and too low.

Old-reb, very interesting about yr gg grandpa's regiment. I see they were at Vicksburg. I have a gg granpa there myself ( I have 5 total gg grandpas in the War). His name was William Manning Voorhis and served with the 83rd Ohio. He may have exhanged tobacco and food with some of the men in the 46th Alabama.

What a terrible war that was.

"Why are we fighting them? They are our brothers."
Union officer at Gettysburg

Thanks folks.Its good that this war is so well documented,especially for people who may have lost some of their ancestors during it.Although it truely is the darkest time in American history.As an afterthought on something completly different.I may be related to Typhoid Mary,and will do some background research after the holidays,but i'l make a post on it then,HAPPY EASTER to you all.

I do genealogy work part-time for a living paul. Let me know if you need any help!

What a terrible war that was.

"Why are we fighting them? They are our brothers."
Union officer at Gettysburg

I recall that after Lee surrendered that a yankee officer put his arm around a Southern officer and said, "Now we can be brothers again!" to which the rebel officer replied, "I ain't your brother and you can get your arm off my back". The North was happy about the end of the war but the losing side was not so happy to know that they had given so much and lost.

In the 1940's I was raised to hate the Yankee and black, but over the years I learned the error of hating people who can be great friends and neighbors.

I think the war was to cleans our Southern stubborn heads of wrong thinking. I know that we would never give up slavery withour a war. The slaves were our wealth, they worked the cotton farms and houses. You could send a slave to work for the Union and they would pay his salary directly to you, so if you sent out 20 slaves, you got 20 paychecks. Why would anyone give that up without a fight.

Now I see that if the South had of successfully broken off from the union that we would be a third world nation and sooner or later the slaves would rebel against us. At first I hated Martin Luther King but as I watched him on TV, I came to see the injustice of our segregation. In my own life I have been fanatically devoted to the South and now devoted to the Union of all the states. So my own body would have flown into the war on either side, it just depends on my mind set of the moment. That shows how important proper education of the youth is.

Due to my interest in this excellent thread by Rendova I looked up more about my grandpa's regiment, the forty-sixth Alabama regiment. Grandpa was quoted as saying that he was captured when the whole regiment surrendered. With the magic of google I have found the battle in which the forty-sixth alabama regiment was captured.

Now I understand what granpa's commander ment when he said this war was lost. He was cut off and surrounded. Hmm, a good time to surrender.


Report of Brig. Gen. Stephen D. Lee, C. S. Army, commanding Second Brigade
MAY 16, 1863.--Battle of Champion's Hill, or Baker's Creek, Miss.


As early as 10 o'clock in the morning it became evident that the enemy was in heavy force and determined on battle, as his skirmishers were bold and aggressive, and several divisions of his troops were visible in front of our left.
At about 2 p.m. he advanced in force on my center and left, but was handsomely repulsed by the Forty-sixth, Thirtieth, and Twenty-third Alabama Regiments, the last regiment, under the gallant Colonel [F. K.] Beck, having moved forward under a heavy fire and driven back a battery of the enemy which had been placed within 400 yards of our line.


With these re-enforcements the enemy were broken in some confusion, observing which Colonel Woods, Forty-sixth Alabama, made a most gallant charge with his regiment, moving up almost to his original position in the line of battle. Soon afterward Bowen's division, on my right, and Barton's brigade, on my left, having retreated, and the enemy having crossed the Edwards Depot road with at least three regiments, I ordered Col. D.C. Stith, of my staff, to recall the Thirtieth Alabama (Colonel Shelley) and the Forty-sixth Alabama (Colonel Woods) The order was delivered to Colonel Shelley, but the enemy having advanced very rapidly upon the right, the Forty-sixth Alabama could not be reached, and I regret to say that this excellent regiment, under its gallant field officers (Colonel Woods, Lieutenant-Colonel [O.] Kyle, and Major [James M.] HandIey), was captured.

Old-reb, that's very true about bad feelings continuing.

I recall reading what Grant said to his men after Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Grant's men cheered, but Grant told them to shut up, saying there was no need to glory in their defeat, that they had fought the good fight.

Personally I very much admire the bravery of the Confederate soldiers, and they certainly kicked the North's butt at Chancellorsville, where Lee split his army in 3 and won an astounding victory.... but, Stonewall Jackson died there and that may have been the beginning of the end for the South right there. I consider Jackson a tremendous and brave leader.

Here's a link to a very interesting website where you can check out yr ancestor's service records, if you have a name.

http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/

Old-reb,

Here's a link to a very interesting website where you can check out yr ancestor's service records, if you have a name.

http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/

Yea, I checked it out and learned that granpa went in as a private and left as a private. I had hoped he had risen throught the ranks to become a great leader but oh, well. My family is not a family of leaders but of laborers. At least he stayed in and served until ordered to surrender.

My kin were privates too, old-reb. One rose up to sergeant--Wm. Voorhis.
One was a waggoner, one was a musician, the others just foot soldiers.
They do all the dirty work!