And an Appreciation of General U. S. Grant By Wilbur F. Crummer of the 45th Regt., Ill. Vols. With Illustrations Published 1915 By E. C. CRUMMER & CO. Oak Park, Ill. Copyright 1915 By W. F. CRUMMER Yours truly Wilbur F. Crummer...

In this year of 1915, when the sounds of battle and strife come wafted to us across the sea from Europe, the younger generation are asking questions of the Veterans of the Civil War about their experiences in battle. Formerly I lived in Galena, Ill., and having been personally acquainted with, and a neighbor of General U. S. Grant, and one of the “Boys in Blue” who followed him in the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Vicksburg, I deem it my privilege to add my mite to the history that cluste

“Say, Will, did you see that one as it crossed the line just now?” “No, Jim; how can a feller see anything this dark night?” “Well, he ran right by me, and I think he was as big as our dog, Rover, at home. Isn’t it a beastly shame that orders are so strict about shooting while on guard? I’d like to have shot that fellow for sure.” “Never mind, Jim; you’ll have enough of shooting before this war is over, I’m thinking, for I feel it in my bones that Gen. Grant is getting ready to start something i

With the fall of Fort Henry, we started toward Fort Donelson. The roads were muddy and the country hilly, making the marching hard work. About 3 o’clock p. m. of February 12, 1862, the distant booming of cannon told us all too plainly that we were near the enemy, and we were urged to greater speed. When within two miles of the fort a group of officers passed us, among them Gen. Grant, Gen. W. H. L. Wallace, Col. Oglesby and others. We were ordered to unsling knapsacks and leave them in company p

That night, as the boys lay in line of battle, they discussed the doings of the day. “Say, Will, how did you feel to be in battle today?” “Well, Jim, the greatest strain was waiting in line of battle, either for an advance or to receive the enemy’s charge when I could do nothing, and hearing the booming of cannon and rattle of musketry in other parts of the battle field, I felt as though my heart was in my mouth, and there came a desire to run for a place of safety; but after we got into action,

We remained in Fort Donelson for a little over two weeks. The weather was miserably wet, cold and disagreeable all the time, and the boys wondered why we didn’t move on, and were getting impatient. “Say, Will, how long do you think we are going to stay in this miserable old hole?” “I don’t know, Jim; but I’ll bet you a hard tack that we will be marching within three days.” “You seem to be so cocksure, I wonder if Gen. Grant has told you anything.” “No, Jim,” said Will, “he hasn’t told me anythin

One position after another was taken, and from each we were driven, or had to fall back for fear of being flanked. The third position our brigade took was on the brow of a small hill, where we held the enemy at bay for two hours, at one time charging and driving them for a quarter of a mile, then falling back for lack of support on our right. A Confederate officer has said of Shiloh: “The Confederate assaults were made by rapid charges along the line. They were repeatedly checked and often repul

In the evening of April 6 a few of Gen. Buell’s troops had arrived and were placed in position. During the night the boats brought the balance of Buell’s army across the Tennessee River and they were in line of battle ere the break of day. Volumes have been written about the battle of Shiloh. Some think Buell’s army saved us. Of course, they helped to win the second day’s battle; still there is nothing to prove that Gen. Grant’s army would not have won without their assistance on the next day. L

Before leaving my story of the battle of Shiloh, it will interest the reader to peruse the following account of a visit of some of the participants in the battle, just 47 years after. The National Association of the Survivors of the Battle of Shiloh held their annual reunion on the battle field of Shiloh, April 6 and 7, 1909. Sixty-six veterans, with their wives and sons and daughters, boarded the steamer “Santillo” at St. Louis, Mo., April 2, 1909, and started for Pittsburg Landing, Tenn. On th

A half of a century has passed since the memorable Vicksburg campaign of the Civil War began in the year 1863. It was my lot to take part in the Vicksburg campaign, and, in giving some reminiscences of that siege, I must speak from the standpoint of a soldier of the 45th Illinois Regiment, Gen. Logan’s division in Gen. McPherson’s 17th Army Corps, being a part of Gen. Grant’s army. Before taking you to the actual siege we must carry you with the army from Milliken’s Bend on the Louisiana shore a

On May 16, 1863, at Champion Hill, the enemy was encountered, strongly stationed, on a series of ridges or hills, naturally well adapted for defensive purposes. Here we met Gen. Pemberton’s army of over 40,000 men coming out of the entrenched position in the city to make mince meat of Grant’s army. The battle opened early in the forenoon and raged for half a day, in which only 15,000 soldiers, or a portion of Grant’s army, was engaged. It was one of the hard-fought battles of the war and one of

The duels between the sharpshooters of the two armies were fierce and deadly. All of us like heroes. There were many heroes beside the great Generals. Here is one from the ranks. John Battle Harrison was wounded at Shiloh and again at Champion Hills. When told by the surgeon to go to the hospital, he refused and remained fighting in the ranks with a wound that would have taken hundreds of others to the hospital. This brave soldier was killed in one of the sharpshooter duels. Our company was on d

Let us go back to the “White House” and Fort Hill in our front. The Shirley or White House was not far from Fort Hill, and being on a hill overlooked much of the field of operations, and was the frequent resort of Gen. Grant and other commanders during the siege. Several officers and men were shot in this house. A Lieutenant of Battery L went to Colonel Maltby of the 45th Illinois (whose camp was along the “White House”) and asked permission to use a room in the house for making out the battery

The army was without tents, yet very comfortable. They were encamped along the steep hillside, mostly sheltered from the enemy’s shot. A place was dug against the hill, and in many cases, into it, forming a sort of cave. Poles were put up and covered with oil cloths, blankets or cane rods, of which an abundant supply was near at hand. For fuel, the farm fences were laid under contribution, in some cases being hauled for two or three miles. The work of slaughter and destruction went on day and ni

The trite saying of Gen. Sherman that “war is hell” cannot be fully appreciated by the people of this generation; only those who have been through the horrors of war on the battle field and in the hospitals, can fully realize the horrors of war. Let me tell you how one brave man of my company lost his life through the most reckless foolishness. One day during the siege he succeeded in procuring some whisky from some unknown source and drank enough of it to make him half drunk. While in this cond

At the request of Captain W. T. Rigby, Chairman of the National Military Park Commission of Vicksburg, to visit that place for the purpose of locating the positions held by my regiment during the siege in 1863, I did visit Vicksburg, Miss., in August, 1902. I found the weather very hot, 99 degrees in the shade. However, it was not as hot as it was when we were in that “crater” at Fort Hill, years ago. The people of Vicksburg greeted me with a glad hand. The contrast of long ago was striking. Abo

My closing chapter will be about our great commander, General Ulysses S. Grant, giving a few personal incidents of his life. Orators, authors and statesmen have spoken and written of the great General so much it would seem as though there was nothing more could be said. However, as one who followed him through numerous battles during the Civil War, and who, at the close of the war, became a resident of Galena, Ill., and became personally acquainted with, and attended the same church as the Gener