To: Seti 1
When I went there 23 years ago to Shiloh to tour the place, the story was that Albert Sidney had been shot by a Union sharpshooter.
If Doug hangs at these TN and North Mississippi battlefields to the extent he claims, I'll take his word for it.
33 posted on
10/22/2002 2:11:32 PM PDT by
wardaddy
To: wardaddy
Isham Harris came back to Shiloh in the 1890's to identify the location where Albert Sidney Johnston died. He was in his eighties. He came to Shiloh after riding 20 miles via horseback from Corinth to identify the location to the first park historian. He was worn out and pointed out the location to the best of his knowledge. There are two rises from where the location of AS Johnstons' deathplace is marked. In the literature there are letters of the combatants noting the location of Harris and Johnston. In the definitive thesis about Shiloh, Cunningham does address this issue with no definitive answer. Battery A 1st Illinois Light Artillery Claims they shot Johnston. It would be a hard shot for a Yankee from the Peach Orchard or Union left to have hit him there. Besides, the Union soldiers were in disarray at that time and sharpshooters were unheard of in that location. I have been over the area with Sword, George Reaves (NPS historian 1983-1994) and Stacy Allen (Current Historian)and many others and most agree that it is most likely an errant Confederate bullet cost Johnston his life. Walk in an Northwest direction toward the Hornet's Nest from where Johnston died and note the two rises of the topagraphy. To the North of the location is the Union Left of the Hornet's Nest and there are two rises also. History is sometimes imperfect and one must look at the writer and study the information at hand to come to a conclusion. With one small bit of information the outcome or what has been written can be invalidated. It is just as likely for Johnston to have been killed by the Tennessee troops he had been rallying (why did a Army Commander even show himself anywhere near the front unless he had a death wish?)as it would have been a Union soldier.
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