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All the women whose husbands have gone off to fight for the Union Army may wonder what he is doing while there? What is it like for him to be fighting on the battlefield? Well that’s where I come in, I would tell them that life isn’t exactly a picnic for their husbands, they are out fighting for a belief, and it’s not always easy. My focus is going to be what life was like in battle for the New Hampshire soldiers.

            We have been getting major support from other countries during this war, within the whole Union Army, 75% of them are USA born, the other 25% are from other countries such as Ireland and Germany. These men bring diversity to the forces, with their native songs and foods, and by just giving the battlefields a new look. But the field was an ugly place, men died very quickly. One anonymous man said,

            “Generals fight like nothing else, and don’t care if their soldiers fall like leaves!” and another man commented on the generals at war saying,

            “They’re like little school boys fighting.” This may sound inaccurate, knowing that so many of your loved ones may be “falling like leaves” but they’re fighting for what they think is right. Also, the hospitals have been doing a good job, housing as many men as possible, and as one hospital pointed out, more of our men have been injured instead of killed, leading us to believe that most men are still alive somewhere. But how would we know when they were killed? On the battlefield when they were about to die they couldn’t identify themselves like screaming out ‘hey, my name is…” and once they had died on the fields, not many people would know them, because not many people were actually friends, just comrades. What they would do is, the night before a battle, men would all get a piece of paper, then on it they would write their names’ on it and pin it to their backs, this way, if they were to be killed, their names would be remembered.

             As mentioned before, not many people would know each other’s name, so how would a sergeant, or lieutenant, or corporal know what to call someone? If they didn’t know their name then they couldn’t be, “hey you” because it doesn’t sound right. So what they developed is a name, that could be used generally throughout the Union army, so that they’d have a name for soldiers, so the name for any common, average soldier is Billy Yank. For instance, in the picture to the left, this is a group of  “Billy Yanks” just lounging around in camp. If they were in a battle, a lieutenant could run up and say, “Hey Billy Yank, follow me” and they’d know the lieutenant was talking to them, because they’re a common soldier. On the subject of Billy Yank, do you know what they would wear in battle? Because I think anybody could find a newfound respect for the men if they saw what they were wearing in battle, The men started with an under layer of drawers, which were cotton pants, this was optional. Then, they also had an under layer of a shirt, usually a long sleeved woolen type shirt. After that was a vest, usually brought from home to wear. On their head they would be fashioning a “Forge Cap” which is issued, pretty comfortable, and a good place to collect something found. As you can see, the Billy Yanks in the picture given are wearing their forge caps. Their top layer of a shirt is what they’d call a sack coat, which is pretty much a type of coat that’s durable, cheap and easy to make. But they were only allowed to wear the sack coats on field duty. For their pants the men of lower class sport trousers, which are made of wool, and as you can see how the man in the right of the picture above has done it, they usually are rolled up a big. Socks are also fairly important, men would be issued one pair of socks per year, and they’d usually wear them pulled over their rolled up pants, this would cause less much to get in next to their feet. Lastly men would be given ankle high shoes, commonly known as “brogans.” Which are shown in the graphic to the left. All of this clothing was worn while running around on a battlefield in the middle of July or August.

            But, you couldn’t always take any clothing that you saw, especially shoes, some men were known for selling people shoes that were no good for high prices. What would you do if you got some shoes, went into battle, and they fell apart? Well, one man made some shoes and sold them for a high price. But when the men came back and asked why his ‘high quality’ shoes had fallen apart while marching, his response was,

            “Foot soldiers? Those top notch shoes are made for the cavalry!” so make sure to go to someone that you know and trust for brogans.

The New Hampshire second regiment was a group for the Union army, it is important to narrow down what life was like by choosing one certain group and specifying it. Lieutenant Milan D. Spaulding led the second regiment; behind he was a Corporal David W. Colburn and Corporal Charles H. Streeter. And Also Sergeant John E. Richards, who was enlisted as a private, discharged four years later, then returned to the army and somehow was promoted to sergeant. The Second regiment is one that believes greatly in what they are fighting for, one man recalls the following,

            “The orders for a charge came and with a roar of defiance the second regiment screamed and went tearing down towards the enemy.” That was them starting a battle, but on the other side a soldier’s letter home read,

            “There was trouble halting the second regiment, their blood was up and wanted to keep going.” These are two positive things to hear; knowing that they’re hard fighters, but not all battles for our men our good. As an anonymous New Hampshire captain in war states after a disheartening loss of men,

            “I won’t make another assault, even if Jesus himself were to order it.”

Source - http://www.schistory.org/displays/CivilWar/Secessionville/battle.JPG

    If they were going into a battle that seems unlikely, how would they keep their spirits up? Life in battle can be rough and you have to cheer yourself up. One common cure to the harshness is to sing, as one common song goes, “When this cruel war is over. We’ll be happy and be gay! We’ll get drunk and we’ll get sober. If it takes three weeks and a day!”

Many prisoners have been taken during the horrible time that surrounds us, the drawing to the right shows a line of Confederate men who have been taken prisoner by our Union army. There is a lot of prisoners taken in the war, that is just how it goes, as General-in-Chief H.W. Halleck of New Hampshire says to one of his men,

"Any prisoners of war you may have will be turned over to General Marston, who is directed to show you his instructions.”

Bibliography

• Haynes, Martin. Second New Hampshire Regiment. Lakeport, NH: Higginson Book Company, 1896.
• Stanckak, John. The Visual Diction of the Civil War. New York: Dorling Kinderseley, 2000.
“Who was Billy Yank?” http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/other/other/acw_inf.htm#yank. Cited 15 February, 2005. 
• “Brogans” http://www.3gvi.org/ga3eqbrogans.html. Cited 19 February, 2005.
• “Life in Camp” http://www.umich.edu/~bhl/bhl/mhchome/cw/images/camplife.jpg Cited 19 February, 2005.
“Sketches in Tyme” http://stellar-one.com/free_clip_art/0004-personal_recollections_10th_paper--free_clip_art.htm.             Cited 19 February, 2005.
• Second Regiment New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry page -  See Primary Sources
• Battle engagements page -  See Primary Sources
• The Civil War - PBS Documentary by Ken Burns

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Words to Know to Help You Understand This Report:

Plasmodium: a protozoan genus

Protozoan: Any of a large group of single-celled, usually microscopic, eukaryotic organisms, such as amoebas, ciliates, flagellates, and porozoans.

Report

In May 1862 Charles Jones from Deerfield, New Hampshire caught malaria and got sick.  My job was to figure out where he was when he caught it.  I knew that he was under General Casey’s command. I also knew that the place where they were had many dead bodies of horses and soldiers. I came upon this information by reading a letter or journal entry that John H. Coles, who knew Charles Jones wrote. Below is they letter or journal entry:

Chills & fever by exposure in a malarial district:

“ We were encamped on the battlefield where Gen. Casey[?] was surprised May 1862.  A great many dead horses were burned and buried, also the bodies of many men on this field, which was low and damp. The only water we had for drinking and cooking was surface water obtained by digging a hole two or three feet deep. The soldier had an attack of chills & fever at the above mentioned place and later during the seven days retreat and during the month of July at Harrison’s Landing, Va. and the following month, August 1862, when the Regt. marched from Harrison’s Landing for Yorktown, Va., He was suffering severely with chills & fever. I know he continued to suffer with chills & fever up to about June 1863 while I was with the co. I was then detailed as a color guard and was not with the co and cannot remember much of his condition after that date. I have not seen this soldier but once since his discharge in 1864 and that was in June, 1884.”

A map of the battlefield
Source - http://www.peninsulacampaign.org/images/william.gif





A modern map of the Williamsburg area
Source - www.cs.wm.edu/cspages/ reaching/wmsbgmap.html

           Charles’ military uniform might have been something like this: Wool jacket that was dark blue, a slouch that is black( a civilian type hat), sky blue wool trousers( pants), a sky blue coat, a linen or wool or cotton shirt, a singled colored pair of wool socks, black-tarred haversack, canvas knapsacks (black), oval canteens fabric covered, black brogans or boats, brass was always polished.

Charles most likely slept in a canvas tent. When they were not in battle they might have been doing something like digging trenches, gathering wood, cooking, eating, finding water, building roads. Some of the food that was available usually was salted beef or pork, vegetables (usually beans), coffee, salt, vinegar, sugar, hardtack, and corn bread. Coffee was one of those things that the soldiers really liked and wanted but it was hard to make. Soldiers had to crush coffee beans in between to rocks or with the butts of there guns then they would mix it in with their water to make a very strong drink. During the soldiers off time there a lot guys drank, played cards or fought between each other and there was also lots of swearing. Most soldiers would do just about anything to get a cigar, news from home or sweets.

Facts about Malaria

             Plasmodium creates vector then lady mosquito’s protozoan forms in the gut then shifts to saliva glands. The Mosquitoes then lay their eggs by or on stagnant water and eventually larvae develop. Then when someone is bit by one of the larvae they would get malaria. If one person has malaria and gets bit then the mosquito goes and bites someone else the second person would also get malaria so you can see how this disease could travel pretty fast.

Once you have Malaria you get high fevers every other day or every few days. Sometimes it can seem like the flu and you will have body aches and a fever. For some people the infection period may last many years although not for all. Usually when the infected person gets closer to being over malaria, the fevers will begin to get better or go away. It is also possible that someone can be infected for many years but only show symptoms every now and then.

Bibliography

"Chills and Fever by Exposure in a Malarial Area" - Primary Source Material

Haynes, Martin, Second New Hampshire Regiment, 1896, Lakeport, Higginson Book Company

From Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia - "Battle of Williamsburg", http://en.wilkipedia.org/wiki/Battle of Williamsburg, cited Feb. 19, 2005

Dictionary.com - http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=plasmodium, cited Feb. 20, 2005

“E medicine Consumer Health”http://www.emedicinehealth.com/articles/13140-6.asp
Cited February 20, 2005

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           The Battle of Fredericksburg, an enormous example of the stupidity of the Union’s army’s commanders in the Civil War. It was a colossal waste of time, energy and human life.

            The Union army decided to march to Richmond, the Confederate capital, and try to end the Civil War. The path to get there went through The Rappahannock River, the town of Fredericksburg on the other side, and the hills surrounding Fredericksburg. Marching towards Fredericksburg the Union army made good time in getting there before Lee and his army could get to the town and start fortifying. Then the whole plan started to fall apart in front of their eyes. The Union army needed pontoon brigades to cross the river. The brigades were supposed to arrive one or two days after the army did. Instead it took them over 25 days more to get there. While they waited the Union army just camped by the river and set pickets to watch what the Confederates were doing. Also many Union and Confederate soldiers traded items with each other; coffee and tobacco were the main items they traded.

                Finally the pontoon brigades arrived and the army could cross the river. On Dec 11 Union engineers laid five pontoon bridges across the river while under fire from the Confederate army. The next day the bridges the army crossed the river into the town. The town was empty, all the people in it having left days ago. The union army streamed across the brigades for most of the day, Burnside, their commander, made no move to attack that day, instead the Northern army wasted that day by looting and plundering what was left of the town of Fredericksburg. Instead of wasting that day like Burnside did, Lee used the time well. Calling Jackson’s troops back from down the river where they had been watching for the Union advance Lee added more troops to his fortifications he had set up behind Fredericksburg.

Troop positions at Fredericksburg
Source  http://pbsvideodb.pbs.org/resources/civilwar/images/cwmap22.jpg

 On the morning of Dec 13^th Burnside issued the orders to attack the heavily fortified positions behind the town. At around 8:30 in the morning General Meade’s division, which had 4,500 men, headed straight for a line manned by Jackson’s troops. Marching right for a wooded hill Meade got close to it before a battery of cannons opened up into his division, killing many men. Union guns responded and the dual continued for about an hour. When it was over Meade ordered his men to fix bayonets and charge, aiming towards a small patch of woods. Charging it he found that it was empty, Jackson had left a 600 yard gap in his line and the Union troops had just found it.

General Ambrose Burnside
Source - http://www.civilwarphotos.net/files/images/384.jpg

They advanced a little then got pushed back, not before killing a Southern commander first though. Later that day Sumner’s troops started what would become useless, futile charge towards the hills. Marching out of the town in neat, blue lines the troops were decimated by the cannon that the Confederates had set up. They died by the hundreds as the marched towards the hills and fortifications. The Union troops encountered many obstacles on the march, at one point there was a canal ditch that was spanned only by three partly destroyed bridges. That bottleneck caused many troops to lose their lives as the army attempted to advance. Once they got across that they regrouped and formed shallow battle lines behind a bluff that protected them from the Confederates rifles and cannons. After that they ordered a final advance towards the Confederate’s lines. Past the bluff there was no protection from the fire and bullets the enemy hurled at them. They died. The survivors of the volleys either took cover behind small bumps in the ground or retreated to the canal.

            That attack was repeated many times, each time a division or brigade lost too many men and retreated another stepped up and did the same thing. Not one of them succeeded. Not a single soldier made it to the Confederate line. Within two hours three whole Union divisions had hurled themselves at the Confederates lines, 3,000 men had been lost.

The last assault came right before sunset, one last brigade flung itself at the Confederate fortifications, it met the same fate as the other attacks, it failed with a large number of men being lost.

            Charles Jones was not really involved in any of this though, he was left behind in the town to guard the bridges. Is unit was not involved in any of the frontal assaults on the Confederate lines, nor did it really see any Confederates during the whole battle. Charles and his unit just guarded the pontoon bridges back, which pretty much involved sitting around and sleeping since the Confederates weren’t too concerned about destroying the bridges. He probably sat there for most of the battle listening to the sounds of battle, the cannons firing and the volleys that were taking down so many troops. If any of the survivors of the attacks made it back to town and crossed back over the river he would have listened to their stories. Listening to them he would have gotten more and more worried that his unit would be thrown in the fray.

            When he was doing nothing else he might have played a game, maybe cards. He probably didn’t play cards though since most soldiers throw their cards away right before a battle s if they die they aren’t found with any “pastimes of sin” on them. He might have kept his cards though since he never really went into the main battle. The only fighting e might have seen was several small skirmishes that they saw with the Confederates around the town and when the army was retreating since his unit also acted as a rearguard, guarding the rest of the army as it retreated from the battlefield. For Charles this was mostly an uneventful battle. He didn’t really do much, as other units of the army charged forward into their deaths his unit stayed back, which is good for him otherwise he probably would have ended up dead like many others at the Battle of Fredericksburg.

            After the army retreated, his unit followed them. 

The aftermath at Fredericksburg
Source - http://www.archives.gov/research_room/research_topics/civil_war/images/civil_war_076.jpg

Bibliography

 

Davis, William C., The Battlefields of the Civil War, 1999, London, Salamander Books Ltd

Confederate Military History, 2003 ed., Chapter XX

“Civil War Genealogy”, http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nh/topic/civilwar/cwgen.htm, cited 10 February, 2005

“Battle of Fredericksburg”, http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/battle-fredericksburg.htm,
cited 10 February, 2005

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           My name is Jonathon Cate, and I am resident of Deerfield, NH. Today, I am starting on a journey to Pennsylvania. I am expecting that the Confederates and the Union armies will soon encounter in a battle, which will be remembered for many years. Some of you readers may think “He is crazy putting himself in this position!” To all of you who do not know me, I am known as an individual who challenges his fears. I have earned the reputation as a sharp shooter and am also an avid historian who loves to write. I believe the events, which I am about to witness, will someday be read in history books throughout the nation. I know many men from New Hampshire who have volunteered and joined the Union. One of these men is my neighbor and good friend Charles H. Jones. He is a volunteer from Company C, 2^nd regiment. I hope that I find him still alive, when I reach Pennsylvania. I am certain that the Union is preparing for a major battle.

            Today is June 24^th, 1863. I have been traveling for several weeks and have almost reached my destination. It has been reported that Robert E. Lee has led the Confederates across the Potomac River and is heading toward Pennsylvania; Mead has lead the Union army North of Washington. I sense that both sides are preparing for a sudden attack.

            Today is July 1^st and day one of the battle. I have not seen or ran into anyone who knows my friend Charles H. Jones. The Confederate troops are attacking the Union cavalry division on McPherson Ride. Robert E. Lee has decided to take the war north. His plan is to destroy the railroad bridge at Harrisburg. The Union realizes the importance of controlling Gettysburg because there are dozens of roads here. A lot of fighting has taken place today and the Confederates have driven the Union troops through the streets of Gettysburg to Cemetery Hill. I feel a massive assault is about to take place. They appear to be ten to fifteen thousand Confederates marching, in a one-mile open field. The Union army is taking advantage of this opportunity and firing at them from all directions. Our soldiers are using rifles, handguns, muzzleloaders and rifle muskets. The troops call muzzleloaders a “Springfield.” The Union forces are out-numbered but are managing to hold the Confederate army. Thousands of Union soldiers have been captured. My fear is that my good friend Charles H. Jones could be among the prisoners, or even dead. From what I have witnessed today, I have many mixed feelings about my friend Charles. The battle today was very bloody. There appears to be more Confederate causalities but still, many lives have been lost.

Source - http://www.lastsquare.com/PrintCatalog/CranstonPix/dhm1037.jpg

      Today is July 2^nd, 1863. I have a feeling that the attacks are going to become more aggressive. I still have not found my friend Charles. The Confederate and Union armies are placed about one mile apart located on two Parallel Ridges. The Union army has positioned themselves in a fishhook formation taking up Culp’s Hill and heading back towards Gettysburg and curving around toward Taneytown Rd. There have been many gunshots and heavy attacks today. The location referred to, as the “Peach Orchard” is the grounds where many valuable officers have lost their lives. The rocky area known as Devil’s Den, is located near “Little Round Top.” The Union was lucky enough to claim the unmanned hilltop, during today’s battle. It was very fortunate for the Union troops, that Lee had poor communications with his officers. If they had communicated well, they would have realized that they were only a few hundred yards from the Union’s supply trains. As I recapture the events of today, I am doubtful that my friend Charles has survived. I have seen so much horror today. There are thousands of dead soldiers, horses, and so much devastation surrounding me.

Source - http://www.allposters.com/IMAGES/OWP/2217C.jpg

            Today is July 3^rd and I am expecting the Confederates to attempt once again to gain control over the Union army. It is very hot today and due to the position of the Confederates, they are at a disadvantage. At approximately 1:00 PM, I started hearing the sounds of the Confederates firing canons. There must have been around 150-170 canons fired. The Union did not counter attack because they feared running out of ammunition. They wanted to conserve ammunition for the infantry attack, which they expected would follow. The Union was preparing for an infantry charge.

Source - http://www.55thvirginia.freeserve.co.uk/Battle%20of%20Gettysburg.jpg

            The Union was able to fool the Confederates into thinking that they had run out of ammunition and the confederates believed they now had the opportunity to advance to Cemetery Hill. Approximately 13,000 Confederates took part in this March only to be fired upon by the Union artillery. During this march, Lee lost more than one-third of his men and the Union losses were approximately one quarter.

            I now have no hope, that my good friend Charles has survived this massacre. I have asked soldiers everywhere about him. There has been so much havoc during the past three days. Everywhere I look, I see horror. Many soldiers and horses are wounded and thousands dead. The grounds are covered in blood as well as human remains. The smell of human deterioration surrounds me. It has been the most horrific experience of my life and one that I never wish to repeat.

Source - http://www.historicaldocuments.com/Gettysburg.jpg

        Today is July 5^th, 1863. The armies are now departing and so am I. I can only hope that when I return to Deerfield, NH, my good friend Charles and I will be able to reunite and share our stories of the battles. As we leave, we can see the impact the battles have left on these lands. Many churches, homes, and buildings are filled with several wounded soldiers. So many buildings have been destroyed along with fences and farmlands. There are no crops left and so much of the land is now burial grounds for the dead. I truly believe that it will take many years for the citizens of the territory to recover, and that some never will.

            It wasn’t until September 7th, 1863 that I was reunited with my good friend Charles. He did not look well, but I was surprised that he had actually survived the battle of Gettysburg. During our visit he informed me that he had been experiencing chills and fever for many months. It was apparent to me we shared many horrific memories of Gettysburg. Unfortunately I could see that the memories of this war had led my good friend to become an alcoholic. Later, I would learn that the alcohol would bring him to his death.

Bibliography

Books:

Cogswell, C. Elliott. History of Nottingham, Deerfield, & Northwood, 1878, Manchester, New Hampshire Publishing Company

Haynes, Martin, Second News Hampshire Regiment, 1896, Lakeport, Higginson Book Company

 

Books without an Author:

The Volume Library, 1996 ed., “Gettysburg”

 

Websites:

Barnett, Bertram, “The Civil War Soldier”, http://www.nps.gov/gett/soldierlife/webguns.htm, cited 11 February, 2005

“The Battle of Gettysburg”, http://www.en.wikipedia.org./wiki/battle_of_Gettyburg, cited 9 February, 2005

“The Battle of Gettysburg”, http://americancivilwar.com/getty.html, cited 9 February, 2005

“The Civil War in Its Third Year”, http://www.nps.gov/gett/getttour/main-ms.htm, cited 9 February, 2005

“The Turning Point of the Civil War”, http://www.gettysbg.com/battle.;shtml, cited 9 February, 2005

“The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863”, http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/gtburg.htm, cited 9 February, 2005

http://www.historicaldocuments.com/Gettysburg.jpg, cited 21 February, 2005

www.humnet.ucla.edu/.../ rapotter/panoram.htm, cited 21 February, 2005

www.lastsquare.com/.../ CranstonPix/dhm1037.jpg, cited 21 February, 2005

http://www.allposters.com/IMAGES/OWP/2217C.jpg, cited 21 February, 2005

http://www.55thvirginia.freeserve.co.uk/Battle%20of%20Gettysburg.jpg, cited 21 February, 2005

 

Primary Source Information Used

 

• Chills & Fever by exposure in a malarial district

 

• Second Regiment New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry

 

• State of New Hampshire County of Rockingham

 

• Certificate of Death

 

• Engagements

 

• Surgeon General’s Office

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Battle at Sarah Bell’s, Near Fair Oaks

            The battle, now officially called “Peach Orchard” took place on Sarah Bell’s farm. The peach trees were in full blossom and the grass never greener. The Battle began just minutes before two o’clock, yesterday afternoon. Confederates started their march down the previously owned federal Hamburg-Savannah Road at about 11 o’clock am. They had already captured several Union and Federal strong holds along the road prior to the orchard. The federal army led by General Sumner, all knew that they were coming their way and they had to protect more important strong holds such as Pittsburg Landing Road, and Owl Creek. Federal batteries from Rhode Island, New York, and New Hampshire stationed themselves at the highest and most protected slope in the peach orchard, in an attempt to make it harder to attack. Their objective was to stop the Confederates and send them back the other way. The Federalists were supplied with several cannons, rifles and pistols and what was thought to be more than enough ammo. The Confederates attacked with the “open field” strategy which means, attacking on horseback or on foot no cannons or large weapons involved. Their objective was simply to get to Pittsburg Landing. When the Confederate army had all arrived at the bottom of the peach orchard, there was a moment of silence. Then the battle began.

The Battle of the Peach Orchard at Shiloh
Source - http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/ihwt98273a.jpg

       The first charge through the peach orchard was lead by Confederate General Johnston and Colonel Beauregard. Their army charged, but they were driven back, with hardly any Federal casualties. A short while later the Confederates attacked again, this time gaining even more progress in casualties and also weakening the Federal defenses. But ounce again they were shot back down to their side of the field. General Johnston then ordered his army to stay there and try and weaken the Federal bunkers. He soon found that staying still was to the Falderal’s advantage, because they had cannons. Standing still with no protection made them a target. So they attacked again. This time individually, not in small groups thus making them harder to hit. They again weakened the Federal strong hold, but again were drawn back to their start. They sky went from a brilliant blue to a smoky gray from the amount of ammunition being used. Blossoms from the peach trees were being cut from their branches by stray bullets, it grew harder and harder to see. Yet General Johnston ordered another charge. This time losing few men but doing more damage. It looked as though they could take the orchard, when General Johnston was struck in the back of the leg with a stray bullet. Without a leader they were forced to turn back and regroup. Johnston was assisted in his walking back, by two men who, when in safety, laid him by a tree. Rather than calling a doctor, he had ordered the medics to care for his soldiers instead. His wound could have easily been fixed with a tourniquet but Johnston refused to be cared for. It was said that he bled to death at around 3:00 pm. He had been a good general.

       After he was disabled, Beauregard then assumed command. The Confederates stayed at the foot of the hill, for about another half an hour, but again were picked off by the federal cannons. So in one last attempt to make the Federals surrender, Colonel Beauregard led the final charge through the peach orchard.  It turned out that Confederate wave was unstoppable. They stormed up the hill shooting at anything in sight. Closer and closer they came to their destination. The Federals were overrun by the opposing army, and in conclusion they fell. The force had been too strong.  Some Federals fled, but most stayed with hope. But their hope did not last long. Soon after, nearly 2,200 federal soldiers still led by General Sumner, were forced to surrender to Beauregard at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Then the remains of the federal army fled to Pittsburg Landing to join 25,000 other soldiers to defend the road and other territories. Beauregard ordered his army to stay and clean up. Bodies were scattered everywhere, and they were covered in peach blossoms. It looked as though a fresh blanket of snow had covered the orchard. The one pond in the middle of the orchard was stained with blood but many men drank from it. There was nothing in the orchard that looked alive besides the remaining men. Nothing has yet been recorded on how many men died but there had been many.  Most of the bodies were burnt in a giant bon-fire last night, but some, along with General Johnston were buried, and given a proper death ceremony. Despite the loss of their leader, the Confederate army has recovered. They are now currently stationed at the peach orchard, waiting for their fellow comrades who were stalled by previous mini-battles prior to the orchard, and are on their way to meet them there. When they meet, they well probably press on, to try to add more territories to their favor.

The Pond At Shiloh
Source - http://frankmazuca.tripod.com/shiloh11.jpg

       The battle surrender was kind of a good thing for both the North and the South. In penalty of losing, the Federals had to hand over several Confederate prisoners, which was good for the confederates, and instead of winning and going the other way, the Federals fell back and joined their comrades at Pittsburg Landing, where it is said that there will be another battle soon. During the past few days, there have been several battles. Such as Skirmish at Fair Oaks, Skirmish near Fair Oaks, Oak Grove and Peach Orchard all in relatively the same area, are now officially part of the Battle of Shiloh. The Battle of Peach Orchard was a total of about two hours. It didn’t last very long, but during the battle, the most ammo was used out of all the battles in Shiloh, also the most deaths. Both sides suffered many casualties. The battle didn’t accomplish much either, but in a sense it was a battle that helped both sides. Until we have further report on the Civil War, this is the Virginia Times bringing you the latest news.

Source - http://valley.vcdh.virginia.edu/HIUS403/77pa/images/peach.jpg

Bibliography

Books

Martain H Haynes, Second NH Regiment

Year: (reprinted) 1998   Published by/in: Higginson Book Company, Salem, MA

Web

          http://www.geosites.com/Heartland/Acres1257/shiloh.html

            http://www.framingfox.com/thepjohpauls.html

John Strain,   “The Peach Orchard”

                        All sites found/first viewed on 2/12/05

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