6th Iowa Infantry

A history of the Iowa Sixth Infantry by Henry H. Wright (Circa 1923, Pages 76 thru 88)

THE BATTLE OF SHILOH

The locality and topography of the battlefield is very accurately described by General Hardee in his report of the battle made to the Confederate authorities, thus:

‘The Tennessee River runs nearly due north from above Lick Creek to the mouth of Owl Creek, which creeks, after flowing nearly parallel to each other, empty into the river about 4 miles apart. Pittsburg Landing is situated near the foot of the hills, and nearly midway between the mouths of the two creeks, on the west bank of the river. This bank of the Tennessee is a range of bold, wooded hills, bordering the streams closely, which as they recede from the river gradually diminish, the slopes falling away from a ridge on the south toward Like Creek and on the north toward Owl Creek. From Mickey’s 8 miles west from Pittsburg, rolling uplands, partially cultivated, interspersed with copes, thickets, and forests, with small fields, cultivated or abandoned, characterize the country from that point of the river.’

Colonel John Adair McDowell’s First Brigade of General William T. Sherman’s Fifth Division, embracing the 40^th Illinois, 46^th Ohio, and 6^th Iowa regiments, and the Morton Battery, Indiana Artillery, occupied the right of the Union lines at Owl Creek – The Sixth Iowa at the extreme right of the line. The brigade was alert during the night and before daylight, on Sunday morning, April 6^th, the reveille was sounded at brigade headquarters. The troops were then quietly formed in line on the parade grounds in front of the camps, the arms stacked and the men allowed to return to quarters for breakfast.

At the first break of day musketry firing was heard at about the same point on the Corinth road where the engagement had occurred on the Friday evening before. An intermittent musketry fire continued for half an hour and the sun arose in cheering brilliancy without a cloud in the sky, when the firing was increased and rapidly extended along the front in both directions from where it had commenced. The bugles sounded ‘attention’ and the men of the First Brigade quickly took their places in the line of their stacked guns, where they anxiously awaited developments. The long roll was beat in all the camps and the troops formed for action. The firing increased in volume and was plainly receding towards the camps to the left on the main Corinth road.

It was about 7 o’clock when the first cannon shot was fired by the enemy, which was quickly responded to by the Union batteries immediately in front of the Shiloh Church. The roar of battle steadily increased and it was plainly noticeable approaching nearer and nearer to the camps, until the loud cheering and battle yells of the enemy were distinctly heard, intermingled with the crashing volleys of musketry fire and in the thunder tones of the artillery, as the storm of battle broke and extended along the front of Prentiss’ and Sherman’s divisions.

Company D, Sixth Iowa (Captain Walden commanding), posted at the Owl Creek Bridge, guarding the approach to the right flank of the army on the Purdy road, had been wakeful and vigilant during the whole night. Outposts were

advanced beyond the creek and the wide swamp bordering it on the far side, with posts up and down the creek and to the left rear along a small branch, which had its source near the Shiloh Church and flowed down in front of the camps and emptied into Owl Creek a short distance above the bridge. The enemy made no attempt to reach the field of conflict by the Purdy road during the early morning, but did display a large force of infantry, cavalry, and artillery in the woods across the open field lying beyond the branch leading up in front of the camps. Lieutenant John L. Bashore, in charge of the picket posts along that portion of the line, opened a brisk fire on the marching columns and advance scouts of the enemy, without drawing the fire of their main columns.

Company I, Sixth Iowa (Captain Brydolf commanding), was sent to the front as skirmishers – deployed in front of the brigade camps, where they were engaged with the advance scouts of the enemy’s forces visible from the owl Creek bridge.

Company K, Sixth Iowa (Captain White commanding), was detached and joined Captain Walden at the Owl Creek post, and also one gun of Captain Behr’s Morton Battery was placed at the brow of the hill on the Purdy road as a support to the companies at the bridge. At about the same time, Lieutenant-Colonel Markoe Cummins (the only field officer with the regiment) moved the Sixth Iowa out in front of the parade ground to a position in the woods, where Company E (Captain Henry Saunders commanding), Company G (Captain John Williams commanding) and Company C (Lieutenant Robert Allison commanding), were designated to support one section of the Morton Battery, on a more distant elevation to the left and front. The 40^th Illinois was sent to the support of the brigade on the left, where it became hotly engaged. The Morton Battery opened fire on the moving masses of the enemy marching to the attack far out in front of the camps. The infantry and artillery had opened a brisk fire along the line to the left and the battle became general, as evidenced by the unremitting roll of musketry and artillery along the entire front.

Up to 10 o’clock McDowell’s brigade had not been seriously engaged, but was held in line of battle in sight and hearing of a most desperate conflict, amid the crash and roar of 200 pieces of artillery, a continuous roll of musketry, rising and falling as it was wafted by the warm spring-day breeze, like the distant roar of a great falls; the smoke of battle ascending into the clear sky high above the scene of conflict, where it spread out into a great could, obscuring the sun.

Between 9 and 10 o’clock, the 8 companies were assembled and formed with the other regiments of the brigade in the woods near the brigade headquarters, the Sixth Iowa forming on the left of the brigade. The Morton Battery was unlimbered for action, but Captain Fred Behr was almost immediately shot from his horse and five of his six guns fell into the hands of the enemy. It was painfully evident that the Union lines were being steadily pressed back at all

points and that the enemy was then between the brigade and the landing at the river.

Colonel McDowell moved his command by the left flank to the rear through the woods to a point where it received the first volley fire from the enemy, which was replied to with great spirit by the skirmishers. The remaining howitzer of the Morton Battery, which had been guarding the Owl creek Bridge, rejoined the brigade and with a few well directed rounds of canister, cleared the field to the left and front of the column, of the enemy’s scattered forces. It was during this engagement that Private James Mardis of Company F was killed. Lieutenant John T Grimes, also of Company F, was severely wounded and Lieutenant Joseph S Halliday of Company I was dangerously wounded and borne from the field.

The Sixth Iowa was again moved with the brigade through the woods, passing over an old field and into the woods beyond it, where Lieutenant-Colonel Cummins halted it, about faced the left wing and marched it back to the field fence, leaving the other four companies standing in line in the woods. Colonel McDowell, who was personally directing the maneuvers of the brigade, appeared and asked: "What does all this mean?" – to which Captain Calvin Minton (commanding Company F) replied: "It means, sir, that the Colonel is drunk." Colonel McDowell then ordered the Adjutant of the regiment, Lieutenant Thomas J. Ennis, to relieve the Colonel of his sword and thereby place him under arrest. Captain Daniel Iseminger, of Company B (the ranking officer), assumed command, the two wings were united, and the regiment resumed its place in the brigade.

It was at this point while the regiment was being reformed in the woods, at about the hour of 11:30 am, that Captain Walden and Captain White, with Companies D & K, rejoined it and took their places in the line. Captain Walden’s orders had been to hold the Owl Creek bridge until relieved or forced by the enemy to abandon the position. At about 10am when the position at brigade headquarters was being abandoned, Corporal George Albertson, of Company B, (clerk in the Adjutant-General’s office at the headquarters) was dispatched by Colonel McDowell with orders for Captain Walden, directing him to join the regiment with his command. To execute the orders, Corporal Albertson made a hurried trip on foot along the Purdy road, then gay with peach blossoms and the perfume of wild flowers scenting the air – mingled with rather lively notes of whistling bullets and screeching shells. Though completely exhausted he was well repaid for his gallant efforts by the welcome he received from the men who had ‘kept the bridge’, and were thus relieved from their perilous position.

The camps having been abandoned by the troops and occupied by the enemy – cutting off all hope of joining the regiment by that route, Captain Walden marched his command in good order, form the post and camp he had occupied with his company since the time the army arrived and went into camp, keeping under the lee of the bluff bordering on Owl Creek and following down its course

through mud and water, until the overflow in the swamp was an impassable barrier to farther progress. Then a reconnoitering party was sent over the high bluff where the regiment was found in the woods a short distance from the brow of the hill.

The position at Owl Creek was at once occupied by Colonel John A Wharton’s regiment of Texas Rangers. In his report of the battle, colonel Wharton said that he passed over the Owl Creek bridge with his regiment at 11am on Sunday morning, April 6, 1962. Being ordered to pursue the retreating force, he did so, but had not gone over 300 yards when the head of his column received a withering fire from a large force who lay in ambush, which ended the pursuit. Those Union soldiers who were sick and not able to march – and those who attempted to march and were overcome with exhaustion in the swamp – including Corporal Albertson, were captured by the Texas Rangers.

The Sixth Iowa in concert with the rest of the brigade and under the personal direction of colonel McDowell, moved by the left flank for a long distance through the woods and across small fields to a point where the brigade was formed in line of battle and the whole marched forward to a position – with the left flank of the regiment resting among the tents at the end of a large camp, the colors and center occupying the parade ground and a wagon road in front of the camp, while the right wing extended to the right on gently rising ground and slightly deflected to the rear, with the 46^th Ohio still extending to the right and rear, guarding the extreme right flank port of a battery on the left where it connected with the right of the general line then established in General McClernand’s camp.

It was by order of Colonel McDowell that Captain John Williams took command of the regiment while it was passing through the woods to the position taken at McClernand’s camp. Orders were given for Companies B and H to advance from the right of the regiment, under command of Captain Daniel Iseminger, and hold a slight ridge just in front of the line; Companies D and I, from the left of the line, to charge upon a battery about 300 yards to the front, which had opened a destructive fire of shot and shell, and the center companies to lie down and commence firing upon the enemy at the guns and the infantry columns forming and advancing in heavy force through the open woods to the front and right of the position.

These orders were all cheerfully and promptly executed and it was while engaged in that position of the movement assigned to him that Captain Iseminger received the mortal wound which caused his death where he fell on the battlefield. Companies D and I were led in the charge by Captain Walden and Captain Brydolf with great spirit and gallantry to the muzzles of the guns, when the enemy opened a galling cross-fire from the left front and pressed forward heavy lines of fresh troops in front, causing the companies to fall back to the line held by the regiment.

The battery renewed the fire with such destructive effect to the line that the same companies were again ordered to advance and silence the guns. It was while giving the order to his company to charge that Captain Brydolf exhibited the greatest energy and determination – inspiring his men to the highest tension of heroic effort. In the midst of a terrific canister and musketry fire his sword arm was struck and broken, and a second shot inflicted a serious and dangerous wound in the neck, after which he was borne from the field permanently disabled. Again finding the resistance of the enemy over-powering, the men, by order of Captain Walden, slowly and sullenly returned to their position in the line with the regiment and joined in the firing.

The companies holding the line where it crossed the open parade ground and wagon road, which led up to the enemy’s battery and his heavy lines of infantry then assailing the right flank of the Union line were in the storm center of the raging battle. For more than three hours a rapid destructive fire was maintained by the regiment from its position against the repeated assaults of the enemy made in great force and sustained by a most terrific artillery and musketry fire. The parade ground and wagon road clearing made an opening through the forest of large oaks, over which the battled raged with varying hope and despair for so many hours. Here Captain Henry Saunders, with his Company E as the color company of the regiment, kept the colors flying amid the storm of bullets, canister and bursting shells – until nearly one-half of his company was killed or disabled. It was in this maelstrom of battle that Captain Richard E. White was instantly killed by a cannon shot, while directing his company with great skill and cool courage.

While passing along the line, giving directions for firing, Colonel McDowell was thrown from his horse and seriously shocked. Being a large man and somewhat corpulent, he was unable to keep his seat while his horse was plunging through the thicket and across a ravine. He fell to the ground with great force and was seriously hurt. It was with difficulty that he arose to his feet and was conducted from the field. He did not command again during the battle.

General Sherman appeared along the line of battle frequently during the protracted engagement and personally gave directions to the regiment. It was by his order, delivered by him personally to the men and officers in the line, that they abandoned the position. At the moment the order was given to fall back, Captain John Williams was severely wounded by a rifle ball through the left thigh, and was borne from the field.

General Hardee describes this final onset of the enemy thus:

On my arrival in that quarter our forces were found hotly engaged with the lines of the enemy in front. Rapidly collecting four regiments under cover of a ravine, screening them from the view and fire of the enemy, I placed them in a position which outflanked their line. Availing myself of a critical moment when the enemy in front was much shaken, I ordered these regiments from the ravine, and hurled them against the right flank of their line, and it gave way in tumultuous rout. I ordered Colonel Wharton to charge their fleeing battalions. The command was obeyed with promptitude, but in the ardor of the charge the cavalry fell into an ambuscade and was repulsed with some loss. The gallant Wharton himself was wounded. Simultaneously Morgan dashed forward with his usual daring on their left, and drove the scattered remnants of their regiments from the field.

The battle fought by a portion of Sherman’s division during the afternoon, on the extreme right flank of the army was one of the most stubbornly contested engagements of that bloody field. A stand was maintained for four long hours against the furious assaults of the best troops in the Confederate army, led by General Hardee in person.

General Patrick R. Cleburne, commanding a brigade composed of the 6^th Mississippi, 15^th Arkansas, 2^nd, 5^th, 23^rd and 24^th Tennessee regiments, and two batteries of artillery, opened the battle in the morning in front of the Union right flank at Owl creek and was engaged constantly throughout the day on that part of the field.

The 15^th Arkansas, 23^rd, 24^th and 35^th Tennessee regiments, being the four regiments referred to by General Hardee, which were hurled against the Union flank, were led by general Cleburne. Colonel Robert P. Trabue’s Kentucky brigade, composed of the 4^th Alabama, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th Kentucky regiments, Morgan’s cavalry and two Kentucky batteries, participated in the engagement. In his full and comprehensive report of the battle the Colonel refers to this contest as follows:

I had only three regiments in line – the Fourth, Sixth, and Fifth Kentucky…I fought him…for an hour and a quarter, killing 400 or 500 of the Forty-sixth Ohio Infantry alone, as well as many of another Ohio regiment, a Missouri regiment, and some Iowa troops…It would be impossible to praise too highly the steadiness and valor of my troops in this engagement.

These two commands sustained the greatest loss in killed and wounded of any of the Confederate brigades engaged in the battle.

Colonel Benjamin J. Hill, commanding the 5^th Tennessee of Cleburne’s brigade, graphically described the operations against the Union right, in the following words:

I was then directed, as senior colonel, to take command of all the troops on my left by one of General Beauregard’s staff, which I did, and formed them in line of battle, to keep back their right wing. Thus, with two Louisiana regiments on the left of your {Cleburne’s) brigade, the Texas Rangers on the extreme left, on Owl Creek, a battery in our rear, the Louisiana cavalry as pickets, and the Fifteenth Arkansas…as skirmishers, we advanced at once, driving the extreme right of the enemy for at least a mile before us. They halted at their third encampment and gave us a stubborn fight…As far as my observation went, all the Tennessee troops fought well. So it was with the Arkansas troops, the Missssippi, Kentucy and Alabama troops on the left.

 Thus do the Confederates tell the story of the battle on the right flank of the Union army, on Sunday.

At 3pm General Grant inspected the lines on the extreme right and consulted with General McClernand and General Sherman. They hoped to maintain the position, but the prolonged contest of more than four hours, with a large force of infantry and cavalry swiftly advancing on the right flank and rear of the position, pouring in a destructive cross-fire – together with the fresh legions advancing, with loud yells in front, made the position held by McDowell’s brigade very critical, and those commanders then gave the orders to abandon the line.

General John A McClernand, in his report of the battle, referred to the engagement as follows: "In thus awarding honor to the meritorious it is but just to recognize the good conduct of the portion of General Sherman’s division participating in this protracted and desperate conflict." General Sherman said: "We held this position for four long hours, sometimes gaining and at other times losing ground."

A small creek lay in the rear and across the line of retreat, having its source in the center of the battlefield, running thence in a northerly direction and emptying into Snake Creek just above the military bridge on the wagon road leading from the Pittsburg Landing to the Crump’s Landing. The valley and slopes of this creek were thickly covered with a heavy growth of large trees and a perfect wilderness of brush and vines, in the passage of which all formation was destroyed, causing the first break and demoralization in the ranks of the regiment, during the day.

As the men emerged from the thickets on the high and open grouped beyond the hollow they were rallied around their officers, Captain Saunders and Captain Walden – the ranking officers remaining – formed the regiment in line with about 300 men present and took position in the new line then being established by General Sherman for his command. Captain Minton and Lieutenant Robert Allison had also collected 20 men, including Color-Sergeant Henry Roberts with the flag, and for the time, joined Colonel Joseph R. Cockerill with a fragment of his 70^th Ohio regiment.

It was at the insistence of Colonel JD Webster, Chief of Artillery, serving on the Staff of General Grant, that the regiment was moved to the immediate support of the heavy siege guns in the line near the landing, where it was in the fray at the last desperate onset of the army to carry the position. The artillery fire opened from the Union lines by the concentrated field batteries, siege guns, Parrott guns and the loud explosions of the big guns on the gun boats, was a most terrific cannonade, concussion of which caused the blood to burst from the nose and ears of men who were in the line supporting the guns. The hearing of a number of men in the Sixth Iowa was permanently injured, while supporting that battery.

General Grant’s presence on the field and along the line of batteries formed by Colonel Webster was conspicuous. It was in his report of the battle, dated April 9, 1862, that he complimented Colonel Webster for his services at that time, thus: "At least in one instance he was the means of placing an entire regiment in a position of doing most valuable service." He had referenced, undoubtedly, to the Sixth Iowa and its support of the battery in the line that was held, as Colonel Webster rode at the head of the column and placed the regiment in position in the line.

Contributed by

Back to the 6th's Home Page

(Send this page to a Friend)     ( Roster Photo's )

If you have any additional information that you would like to add to this page or other pages and share with

visitors of on this web site, please contact