Diary of Alexander G. Downing; Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry

Friday, 18th—No news of importance.[1]

[1] While the battle of Shiloh was a Union victory, nevertheless it was dearly won and could easily have been a defeat. Even at that time the men in discussing it, pointed out some of the mistakes made by the Union forces. I wish to point out how the day at Shiloh was almost lost to the Union Army. In the first place, when the different commanders called out the troops under arms at 6 o’clock on Friday evening, April 4th, they kept them in line until midnight, when, since the immediate danger was past, they ordered them to return to their quarters. Then it was that a great mistake was made, for instead of sending the men back to camp, they should have been put to work, every man with shovel, pick or axe, digging trenches, throwing up breastworks and fortifying their camps. Thus by the morning of the 6th they would have had two or three lines of works. That this was not done must of course be charged to General Sherman. Each man behind the works would have been equal to five men in the open. General Prentiss’ men, protected in the old, sunken roadway, in making their attack upon us proved the worth of a man protected, to one out in the open. The mistake cost the Union army more than a thousand men, besides those captured.

In the second place, when the Union army was attacked on that Sunday morning, there were but four regiments in line of battle and ready for the assault of the Confederates. The officers did not succeed in forming a continuous line of battle until late in the day. Regiments and brigades would march to the front and form in line, but they were usually unsupported by troops on the right and left at the same time. This enabled the Confederates to come in on the flanks and the rear, thus compelling our forces to fall back or be captured. This continued till late in the afternoon, when Webster succeeded in forming a continuous line of artillery, supported by all arms. This, together with the arrival of Buell’s brigade, which formed a line on the left, saved the day to the Union cause for all time to come.—A. G. D.

Thursday, 17th—The day is fair. Had battalion drill again.

Wednesday, 16th—No news of importance. [1]

[1] There was much discussion among the men over the great battle we had just been through, the battle of Shiloh. The question why the Confederates lost the battle, I should answer as follows: First, they were four hours late in making the general attack on that Sunday morning. The Confederate generals, instead of sending some of their staff officers before daylight to spy out and report to the commanding general what they had seen (according to a report of H. C. Lockett of General Bragg’s staff), should have had their first line of battle at the Union picket line by that time, and then charging our pickets and coming in upon the first camps, they could have captured them before they could have dressed; then pushing on to the other commands, they could have put them to rout before they could have formed a line of battle. But their being so late In making the first attack gave our commanders time to form Into line. As it was, whenever the Confederates advanced our forces were in shape to fire volleys into them and easily throw them into confusion, thus making their advance slower and more irregular during the day.

In the second place, the Confederates starting four hours late in the morning made them more than six hours late in the afternoon, so in place of being ready to make their last charge of the day at 1 o’clock they did not make It until almost 7 o’clock In the evening. By that time it was too late, since the Union generals had formed a strong line of artillery, supported by all the infantry, who stood loyally by their colors. Then, just before the final charge, one brigade of Buell’s army had already arrived and formed in line, and the day was forever lost to the Confederates.—A. G. D.

Tuesday, 15th—There’s nothing of importance.

Monday, 14th—We had inspection of arms this forenoon. Most of the boys in our company picked up rifles from the battlefield and got better rifles than they had. But it makes it quite difficult for the quartermaster to supply the extra ammunition required for the different kinds of rifles. The weather is quite warm.

Sunday, 13th—It is clear and warm today. We had battalion drill again, twice today. Not more than two hundred of the regiment are fit for duty. Major Abercrombie, who drilled us, gave us a lecture about getting out to drill. He assured us that the battle we just had would be classed as a skirmish in comparison with what we would have to go through with before this war is over. The boys declared that if he called this battle a skirmish, they would like to know what he called a real battle.[1]

[1] Major Abercrombie’s words were quite true, as we found out later by experience.—A. G. D.

Saturday, 12th—It is still raining every hour and the floors of our tents are very wet.1 Our camp has become very muddy, which, with constant rain and the braying of mules day and night, makes it a very gloomy time.

Friday, 11th—It rained all day. Troops have been arriving by the thousands every day since Sunday.

Thursday, 10th—We are still burying the dead. The lieutenant of Company F was buried today. Nearly all of the dead have been buried now, but there are some of the wounded still dying. I was detailed with two others to bury three of the rebels’ dead. We went out about a half mile north of the camp to a stony knoll where one body lay, and worked all forenoon, the ground being so hard and stony, to dig even a shallow grave into which we rolled the body and covered it the best we could. In the afternoon we dug a double grave for two who had died of mortal wounds.