“Poor George was layed low by a rebbel ball last sunday morning …”

Background information and commentary by Andrew Carroll: In the early days of the Civil War, the vast majority of Northerners and Southerners assumed that the conflict would be over relatively quickly. But after almost a year of fighting, many realized that the country might be in for a long, hard contest. Nothing, however, prepared the nation for the battle of Shiloh in early April 1862. Of the 100,000 Union and Confederate troops who clashed at Shiloh, named after a nearby Methodist meetinghouse, on April 6 and 7, a full quarter of them were either killed, wounded, or captured -- more casualties than in the Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War combined. Northerners and Southerners were stunned by the enormity of the carnage. Columbus Huddle, who barely survived the battle, wrote a grief-stricken letter to his father in Ohio about the loss of one soldier in particular. (It cannot be determined for certain, but George is believed to be either a relative -- possibly even his brother -- or a close friend of Columbus'.) The letter was written exactly 144 years ago to this day. It was published for the first time -- and in its entirety -- in WAR LETTERS.

April 10/6

Dear Father with sadness I sit down to write you a few lines to let you know that I am still liveing and well but with sorrow I will have to tell you that poor George was layed low by a rebbel ball last sunday morning

the rebbels attacked us on picket guard and drove us in by firing on us with a six pounder shells and then we fell back on the regiment and was attacked in the woods and George was killed the first fire by a musket ball passing through his left hip him and me was right together he in the front rank and me just behind him in the rear rank…

I did not think when he first fell that he was killed I thought that he was just shot through the leg but we had to retreat back a little distance and when I went back to see how bad he was hurt he was laying on his face dead … I went to him and layed him out strait as well as I could and I had to leave him till the next day when we brought him in and burried him as decent as we could which was pretty well only he had no coffin but he was put in a sepperate grave by himself…

I suppose there was two hundred or over killed and wounded in our regiment there was three killed as far as we have found out and eight wounded in our company Henry Miles that little corporal in our mess was one among the killed I came off pretty safe I did not get a wound but I had three bullet holes put through my blouse one through the sleave one through the pocket and one through the shoulder but as good providence ordained none of them wounded me

I was in the fight from Sunday Morning about sunup till Monday in the afternoon when the secesh run like turkeys then I passed over the battel field tongue cant describe the sight that I seen dead secesh and Union men all lying together some tore to pieces by cannon balls and shells but most of the secesh was shot in the head by our rifles as we could not fire without good aim

sunday about noon I was standing behind a tree the cannon balls and shells flying thick around and the secesh was about fifty yards from me when I looked out and saw a man holding the secesh Flag I took deliberate aime at his brest and fired the flag droped and the man too but the flag was not to the ground befor another one picked it up and befor I had time to load and fire they was so near onto me that I had to retreat back so I did not get a shot at him I did not fire a lot the whole two days with out good aim and I think I brought one every time for I was generly behind trees and had a good rest…

well I will have to stop writing about the battle for I suppose you will here sooner about it than you will get this letter only I think you will hear that it was one of the hardest fights that has ever been fought in America….

I do wish you would write I have written two letters and got no answers if you direct just like I tell you the letter will be sure to come for it cant help it…. I have sent two letters to America and received no answer yet

tell all the folks that I said I have been in one of the hardes battles that ever was fought in the new world but I never want to get in another one for it is not what it is cracked up to be to get in such a fight as that was although I will not run if I get in one for more gets shot in the back runing than those that stands up to the mark like men that is my motto anyhow poor George died like a soldier with his face to the foe poor George let his ashes sleep in the land of Tennessee for he is decently buried only he had no coffin but he was buried deepe so that he will never be disturbed…

please writ me a letter as you have not written to me since I have been in Tennessee so Good bye or from your son

Although it would have been inconceivable at the time that any single battle could produce more staggering losses in a mere two days, indeed, the worst was yet to come.

NEXT WEEK: A letter from an even more horrific battle.