The Eve of Battle
"I would fight them if they were a million!"- General Albert Sidney Johnston
Saturday, April 5, 1862. My second Great Grandfather John Henry Coker and my third great uncle Albert Coker were doubtless exhausted and beyond weary as the long winding serpent of men came to a stop in the road. After a brief halt, the corps began to file off to the left and right by brigades going into a massive line of men, each brigade beside the other, that by some accounts stretched nearly three miles across the entire front of the Confederate Army. The halt in their movements must have been welcomed and mixed with anxiety as their brigade began to take up positions along the Corinth and Bark road north of Monterey. Just over a mile away lay the outer perimeter of the Union camps in the area of Shiloh Methodist Church near Pittsburgh Landing on the Tennessee River. The boys had been under arms and in marching order for close to 60 hours. Even at the tender age of 18, that kind of exertion takes a physical toll. Add to that the less than ideal weather, ankle deep mud, and swollen streams and it’s easy to imagine that John Henry and Albert might have had their martial enthusiasm dampened a bit. Still, they were young and I’m sure caught up in the excitement of the moment as well as the fear of the unknown.
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Confusion and Delay
General Albert Sidney Johnston had planned to attack the Union army at dawn today, April 5th. As such, Major General William Hardee’s Corps along with the rest of the army stood on the streets of Corinth before dawn on Thursday, April 3rd. They were to be ready to march out by 6:00 A.M. Just after sunrise on that day, the Adjutant General Colonel Thomas Jordan was summoned by Beauregard to assist other staff officers in producing detailed orders for the coming movement. General Beauregard had been up all night, lying in bed making sketches that were to be converted in to maps the various commands were to use to guide them to their destination. Called away to breakfast, Colonel Jordan met General Johnston walking from his headquarters at Rose Cottage up the street toward the McGlathery home, also known as the Fish Pond House due to a large copper cistern perched atop its roof, in which General Beauregard had his headquarters. The two men spoke briefly in which Jordan informed Johnston he would return soon. Pausing just long enough at his designated area mess for a quick bite of breakfast, Jordan hurried back to Beauregard’s headquarters in which he discovered the number of attendees had grown. Into the house came more officers of staffs and eventually the corps commanders themselves, Polk, Hardee, and Bragg. The order to march was given orally by General Beauregard himself to the conference of generals which all acknowledged and agreed on the course of action they were about to undertake. All understood the lateness of the hour and the grave seriousness of the campaign they were embarking upon. Should they meet the enemy and be victorious, the untold blessings of such a victory were sure to be manifold and far reaching. The Union’s western forces would be hurled back beyond the Ohio and the Mississippi Valley would be saved. The Union’s eastern forces now massing for a move against Richmond would surely halt its campaign to rethink its strategy after suffering such a setback in the Deep South. On the other hand, should the enemy gain the victory, the consequences could be devastating and just as far reaching. Beauregard's previous warning, “If defeated at Corinth, we lose the Mississippi Valley and probably our cause” would ring like Old Testament prophecy and haunt the South till the end of the war. For General P. G. T. Beauregard, the Army of the Mississippi must win the coming battle to save the critical railroad junction at Corinth. For General Albert Sidney Johnston, the army must win the coming campaign to restore a line of defense for the entire upper South and position him to retake Tennessee and Kentucky. For the young Confederacy, their very cause was at stake. The Army of the Mississippi must win. There was simply no alternative.
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After receiving their verbal instructions, one by one the McGlathery home began to empty of cloaked and caped officers as each exited the door, mounted their horses, and road off to their various commands. According to Colonel Jordan who was present at the meeting, these oral orders were done explicitly “so that they might not wait for receipt of the written orders, which would be in all proper hands before night. Accordingly, these explanations were carefully made, and the corps commanders went away with distinct instructions to begin the movement at midday, as prescribed in the written orders subsequently issued.” Jordan goes on to say that before noon, “the streets and all approaches to the railway station, as well as the roads leading from Corinth, were densely packed with troops, wagons, and field-batteries ready for the march” yet no movement was made. As a result of this inaction, the late afternoon saw General Hardee himself seeking out General Beauregard to personally make the general aware that Polk’s Corps was blocking the line of march. An aide-de-camp sent by Beauregard to Polk inquiring as to the delay was shocked to learn Polk was awaiting written orders. To the general staff this was inexplicable as all had been present at the early morning council and explicitly been told not to await written orders. They were to move at noon on the direct command of General Beauregard which they received at the council. Additionally, once movement began, General Bragg’s Corps moved with “inexplicable tardiness” which, together with Polk’s misjudgment, caused the army to arrive at their destination a full twenty-four hours later than intended.
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Approach to Shiloh
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John Henry and Albert were in Company G of Major Aaron B. Hardcastle’s 3rd Mississippi Battalion assigned to Brigadier General S.A.M. Wood’s Brigade which was part of Hardee’s Corps. The delayed movement resulted in Hardee’s Corps not marching out till late afternoon led by Brigadier General Patrick Cleburne’s Brigade closely followed by Wood. John Henry and Albert’s unit marched through the middle of Corinth passing sites that must have been familiar to them by now. Up the muddy streets, past places like the Tishomingo Hotel, the Corinth Hotel, McDougal & Brothers Mercantile, the Cross City Restaurant, and a host of other small shops and dwellings as well as the stately homes where Confederate commanders held their headquarters. Though, to my knowledge, John Henry and Albert had not fired a shot in anger yet and most likely hadn’t even seen a Yankee, to be so young they had experienced much. They had journeyed 100 miles from home to enlist in the army at Grenada, made troop movements by train to New Orleans, mustered into the defense force of that city, travelled back north to Corinth where their battalion was incorporated into the Army of the Mississippi now poised to strike a major blow to their adversary in Tennessee. All must have been quite an adventure and a series of first experiences for the Coker boys. By now they had become veterans at the routine of marching so the delays and frustrations were probably regarded as business as usual.
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It was 3:00 P.M., nine hours since falling in and three hours behind schedule, on April 3rd before Wood’s brigade began their move out of Corinth under a steady rain. Second in marching order of Hardee’s Corps, they travelled northeast on Ridge Road. Major General Braxton Bragg’s Corps was to be second in line of battle and marched out of Corinth on the eastern route parallel to Hardee on the main Corinth Road which ran through the little village of Monterrey where Beauregard intended for the army to consolidate. The poor road conditions caused frequent delays and made it impossible to order the army at that location in time for an April 4th attack. Hardee’s Corps didn’t make Monterey till after midnight having fallen behind Bragg. To correct their placement Hardee pushed beyond the village and stopped on the north side of Monterey where finally John Henry and Albert were allowed to rest as their brigade stopped for several hours. Experiencing only periodic breaks in the weather, rain had fallen since leaving Corinth on Thursday afternoon. Now as Hardee’s column finally came to a halt, the men stood in a drenching rain that came down in torrents. It is possible that tornados passed near their location as several eyewitness accounts described the volatile weather producing severe lightning and thunder, with the rain being displaced by considerable hail at times. One Tennessee soldier stated that as the men marched by they were “wading, stumbling and plunging through water a foot deep”. Despite the poor weather conditions, the men were relieved at the rest they were finally being afforded by yet another delay as corps commanders sought to regain order among the entangled commands; a difficult task in the darkness made even more so by the torrential rain.
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The rest didn’t last long though as Cleburne’s brigade late Friday afternoon of the 4th, began skirmishing with Union cavalry scouts. As a result, Wood’s brigade was thrown into line of battle with Hardcastle’s battalion supporting the artillery. The exchange, at times sharp, yielded up a few prisoners after which the Union cavalry withdrew. So once again there must have been a general sense of relief mixed with disappointment. Hardcastle held his position till 2:00 A.M. when they were recalled to Hardee’s main column on the Corinth Road. Here they remained until resuming the last leg of their march sometime in the early morning hours of the 5th which brought them within earshot of the Union Army.
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Beauregard arrived with his staff in the late afternoon and found Johnston already occupying a local house near the Michie farm. The general was agitated as he could hear the skirmishing forward of their position and voiced his concern to Johnston reiterating that the army was under strict orders to discharge no muskets and absolutely no artillery, both of which had now occurred, nor were they to build any fires in forward positions. Everything depended on surprise. The two spoke on the situation, the delays, the weather, the element of surprise or lack of, and then parted as Beauregard retired to his tent to make last minute preparations for the coming attack. As the rains continued and passing storms produced hail, Johnston, taking advantage of a rare pause in the weather, stepped outside to take a brief look at the skies. Summoning Lieutenant George W. Baylor, Johnston stated, “Lieutenant, I wish you to go to General Beauregard and ask him if we had better not postpone the attack until Sunday, on account of the rain”. Delivering the message, Baylor brought back Beauregard’s response, “We’d better attack at daylight” to which Johnston agreed. The attack would occur at daylight on Saturday, April 5th.
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Council of War
As Hardee’s III Corps moved into position at the head of the Confederate Army, Bragg's II Corps, Polk’s I Corps, and the Reserve Corps under Brigadier General John C. Breckinridge, were all to follow in that order. Now within a mile of the outskirts of Brigadier General William Tecumseh Sherman’s 5th Division, Hardee’s Corps formed line of battle just across the junction of the main Corinth and Bark Roads. Brigadier General S.A.M. Wood formed up second brigade from the left directly behind a clearing known as Wood Field. Their left was anchored to Brigadier General Patrick Cleburne’s right while the right of the brigade rested on Corinth Road.
A last minute council of war is held near Monterey, Tennessee on the night of April 5, 1862. Beauregard had become concerned that the element of surprise had been lost. After weighing all objectives, Johnston said, "I would fight them if they were a million!" The stage was set for the bloodiest battle yet in American history.
As the day dawned it was apparent that the remaining corps were coming into line at a much slower pace than necessary. There was more scattered skirmishing between Confederate and Union Cavalry but the order to attack never came. It was then late afternoon of the 5th of April when the remaining units of the Army of the Mississippi finally maneuvered into position so as to deploy into order of battle behind Hardee’s Corps. The entire Confederate Army, nearly 45,000 men, was now approximately a mile from the outer positions of the Union Army. Amazingly, the Union Army had no knowledge of what lay just beyond the tree line surrounding their encampment.
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What began as a plan to attack the Army of the Tennessee on Friday, April 4th at daylight, had by necessity given way to a planned attack at first light on Saturday, April 5th. Neither plan came to fruition. Hardee’s Corps, whose place in the order of battle was at the front, had for some reason been assigned the longer route to Monterey. Bragg, whose corps was to be second in line, had been assigned the shorter route. Even though Bragg moved at a frustratingly slow pace, the choice of routes placed Bragg at Monterey before Hardee. This created a tangled mess as Bragg’s various commands had to be moved out of the way in order to let Hardee pass to the front. Additionally Bragg’s Corps was the largest corps in the Army which made the logistical difficulty even more challenging given the shortness of time. This further delay began to weigh on Beauregard as he felt the element of surprise had been lost. Back in the rear of Bragg’s Corps, towards evening the general officers converged around a fire on the side of the road for a last minute council of war. The skies were clearing and it promised to be a cold night. The impromptu meeting began to assemble by the warmth of the fire. Some seated, others standing, the entire Southern high command in the Western Theatre was present. Johnston, Beauregard, Hardee, Bragg, Polk, and Breckenridge with a host of staff officers milling about were all there. As Polk arrived he and Beauregard got into a heated argument with Beauregard blaming Polk for the delays the army had experienced. Polk blamed Bragg for not forming his battle line as soon as Hardee had passed through to the front. Johnston was startled when Beauregard, previously a strong advocate and the driving force for the planned battle, abruptly expressed his concern that the element of surprise had been lost, that the army was short on provisions due to the constant delays, and that the army should return to Corinth. Due to Hardee’s skirmishing on the previous afternoon, Beauregard felt surely the enemy knew of their presence and exclaimed; “Now they will be entrenched up to their eyes!” Johnston replied, “A retreat will never do.” Johnston inquired of Breckenridge as to the condition of his men. Then he turned to Polk and asked his opinion, to which Polk replied, “We ought to attack.” Johnston paused a moment then stated abruptly, “Gentlemen, we shall attack at daylight tomorrow.” Turning from the assembly, walking with his brother-in-law, Assistant Adjutant General, Colonel William Preston he said, “I would fight them if they were a million. They can present no greater front between these two creeks than we can; and the more men they crowd in there, the worse we can make it for them. Polk is a true soldier and a friend.”
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In Wood’s Field
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In the late afternoon to early evening of Saturday, April 5th, the Army of the Mississippi was finally in position. Hardee’s Corps, composed of Cleburne's, Wood's, Shaver's, and Gladden's Brigades, occupied the front. They had been specifically placed in that order as they had the most experience at maneuvering, were well drilled and admirably equipped. Bragg’s Corps was next in line. It was larger and was also well drilled but was not as experienced in battlefield maneuver. Most of their training had been in Camps of Instruction on the Gulf Coast. Still, Bragg was a drill master and harsh disciplinarian and with those qualities created a body of men proficient in the manual of arms and military organization. Polk’s Corps was third from the front and was arrayed in a compact Napoleonic attack column for rapid movement. These men were gaining veteran status and had actually experienced action in Kentucky handing Grant his first defeat at Belmont, Missouri five months earlier. They would move forward in support of the first two corps ready to exploit any opportunity that presented itself. It was also thought; since this was not their first action, they would be steady and bolster the resolve of the first two lines should the fight become hotly contested. Lastly Breckenridge’s Corps would provide the reserve element necessary to any army in battle. They could be called on to push through an opening in the enemy line or held in reserve to protect the army should it need to disengage and withdraw off the field.
Hardee had his corps evenly divided astride the Corinth Road just behind where it intersected with a local farm lane. On the northwest side of the road were the brigades of Cleburne and Wood. On the southeast side of the road were were the brigades of Shaver and Gladden. Final dispositions in Hardees Corp’s were to “throw forward” a regiment from each brigade to act as skirmishers. These men would be the farthest most exposed positions in the army as their purpose was to be first contact with the enemy as the army advanced or the first line of defense should the enemy take the offensive first. Just in the edge of the tree line boarding the farm lane, Brigadier General Sterling Anderson Martin Wood’s Brigade lay just behind a clearing belonging to a local farmer, James Wood. About 400 yards to their left in the vicinity of where Cleburne's Brigade was, there was a large cotton gin on the outside of the fence to the west between Cleburne's men and the lane. To their front through the trees Wood’s men could see the barren field surrounded by a rail fence and occupied by a the farmer's home and several out buildings roughly 200 yards to their front. Just beyond lay another larger fenced expanse known as Fraley’s Field. Wood’s brigade consisted of the 27th Tennessee, 16th Alabama, 44th Tennessee, 9th Arkansas, the 8th Arkansas and, my great grandfather’s unit, Hardcastle’s 3rd Mississippi Battalion. As the general surveyed the field, he chose Colonel W. K. Patterson’s 8th Arkansas to take the place of honor to the front. Sometime late Saturday afternoon these men stepped out of the trees, filed around the home and outbuilding of James Wood, and went forward toward a gentle rise of ground in Wood’s field, and quietly deployed as skirmishers in a loose formation that covered the width of the field.
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John Henry and Albert huddled somewhere among the trees shivering as they were under strict orders to have no fires. As the sun went down the men would have dug into their knapsacks to pull out what was left, if anything, of the cooked rations they had taken on at Corinth. “Runners” would have collected empty canteens and headed for nearby springs or farmhouse wells in order to fill the empty vessels. No fires meant no coffee so water would have to do for now. Talk in a hushed tone could be heard in small groups of men passing the time. In the last shades of light someone here and there scribbled off a note to home. Officers made entries into Orderly Books while those more impressed with the singular historical solemnity of the moment wrote in their diaries. Filtered in among the scene would be soldiers picking the vent hole in the cap nipple on their rifle. If clogged by debris the rifle would often misfire. Certainly an event one would want to avoid on the morrow. Soldiers checked cartridge boxes for wet ammunition at the insistence of sergeants which was to be promptly discarded in lieu of fresh dry ones. To complete the scene those fortunate few who had dry socks among their belongings would have been changing them out, relieved that, though cold, the rain appeared to finally be gone. As John Henry and Albert played their role in such activity, word began to pass through their ranks to gather their belongings and “gear up” as they were being detailed from the main line.
General Albert Sidney Johnston had come up to Hardee’s Corps late Saturday afternoon. Johnston was an “old school” soldier and believed, like kings of old, that his place as head of the army was leading it from the front. Moving in and out among the men, he talked with them, constantly having to quiet their enthusiasm for their general. One of Johnston's aides, Major Hayden, remembered the general coaching the men on the coming work, "Look along your guns, and fire low" he told them; his calm professional demeanor reassuring them of the righteousness of their cause. As he inspected the last minute dispositions with Hardee, he enjoyed the happy reunion of one of his trusted friends, Major Aaron B. Hardcastle of the 3rd Mississippi Battalion. The men had served together before the war in California and their friendship had endured. Whether it was due to friendship or not is unknown but late in the day Johnston specifically requested Hardcastle’s battalion to replace the 8th Arkansas on the skirmish line. Upon receiving the order, Hardcastle complied and all of the sudden my great grandfather and great uncle found themselves in the most exposed position in the entire Army of the Mississippi. They were the tip of the spear.
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The clouds had disappeared and as the day turned to night the temperature began to drop. For the first time in days the humidity had dissipated and as a result sights, sounds, and smells were more discernable and travelled farther. The plains before them thinned by weeks of occupation, the woods were open enough for John Henry and Albert to observe what must have seemed an endless number of campfires. As they lay there watching , waiting, and wondering at what the coming day would bring, they could hear the sound of music as it rose above the trees. Several Confederate soldiers wrote in later years how distinctly they could hear the regimental bands of the Yankees as they played songs with which every man regardless of his allegiance could identify with. One Louisiana soldier remembered lying still in the darkness listening to ‘Home Sweet Home’ as the music drifted across the plains. As skirmishers, the men of the 3rd Mississippi Battalion would have had a “front row seat” to the musical performance being so near the Union camps. It’s doubtful if many or any men on the Confederate side slept that night. Whether they did or didn’t, here at this hour, at this place, they were left alone with their thoughts and wonderings of what tomorrow would bring. Eventually the music died off and there was only silence. The 20 mile march that began three days earlier had finally brought them to their destination. It was the hour of judgement, the eve of battle. Now in place, they waited.
