Continuing my look at the history of the regiments who played such a role of fiction in my novel, They Met at Shiloh, I take a look today at the 36th Indiana Volunteers, a three year regiment. Mustered into federal service on the 16th of September, 1861 under the command of Colonel William Grose, the regiment had what can be termed a fairly typical start in life. Writing 20 years after the war, Grose published an account of the regiment's participation in the war and leaving an account of the regiments and his own career in the western theater.
In my novel, a handful of survivors from the splintered 25th Missouri attach themselves to the 36th Indiana and continue the fight at Shiloh. Although this happenstance is fictional, it does to some degree describe the very real occurrence of many men at Shiloh who found themselves dethatched from their regiment and fought on with complete strangers. Civil war companies were extended families, and one can relate to being in the midst of strangers or rivals at sporting events to understand the psychology of feeling strength and courage in the midst of familiarity. It is easy to read about the thousands of fugitives who cowered under the embankment at Pittsburg Landing on the first day of the battle and wonder at the problem officers had in rounding these men up to go and fight. Many were alone or with one or two others that they knew closely and chose to keep to the safety of the river. Strange officers, strange men and no connections to either meant that soldiers did not take to being thrown together with others they did not know or trust to face combat. This is not a phenomenon of past warfare, stories of the ineffectiveness of the scattered D-Day parachute drops in Normandy tell of men fighting amongst strangers lost the finely honed edge they would have had if they were amidst their buddies. So, the men of the 25th Missouri find themselves added to a company of the 36th Indiana and with men who have not seen combat of this intensity before.
The 36th Indiana, after being mustered into service found themselves in Kentucky under the tutelage of brigade commander Jacob Ammen of the 24th Ohio and assigned to Buell's Army of the Ohio. Assigned to the 10th Brigade, 4th Division under General Nelson, the regiment did little but march and move camp until Buell moved on Nashville, Tennessee and the 6th Ohio and 36th Indiana being the first federal regiments to enter the city, with the addition of the 24th Ohio would become common brigade units with one another throughout the rest of the war, seeing common action at Shiloh, Stones River, Chickamauga, and Nashville to name a few. As I have noted in this blog, it was not uncommon for units to be shuffled around and brigade organizations to be created and broken apart depending on the need.
On the 28th of March, 1862, Buell's army begins to work its way along the Tennessee river to make its juncture with Grant's army at Pittsburg Landing. The 10th brigade would encamp at Savannah, Tennessee on April 5th, an easy day's march 8 miles from Grant. It would be here that, on Sunday April 6th, they would begin their march not knowing that Grant had been attacked. The 10th Brigade made the march in three hours after receiving orders around 1 pm to make their way parallel to the river and the 36th Indiana was ferried across by boat, marching up Pittsburg Landing by 4 pm just as the Confederates where making their last attempt to drive Grant into the Tennessee. In Grose' own words:
The Regiment was formed front to the southwest. Grant,
Buell and Nelson were all there between the Regiment and the house, standing in a group. About this time, 4 o'clock, King, of Company G, of Union county, had both legs torn off, and a scout, or some attache of General Grant's command, had his head torn off and fell from his horse dead, close in front of the Regiment. These death scenes caused the men in the line near thereto to curve by a step or two back, but upon hearing the Colonel call out. ' Straighten up that line." it was as promptly done as though the Regiment had been on drill or dress parade. When the Regiment was aligned, General Buell stepped to the Colonel and asked if he was ready, The response being in the affirmative, the General then said, "Do you see that Battery (Captain Stone's) forward of the Regiment about one hundred and fifty yards upon an eminence, firing and falling back by alternate sections:'" "Yes." " Please move forward and sustain it if you can,'' said the General. The order was "Load"; then "Left oblique, march." This was the first time in battle for the 36th. As the Regiment ascended to the left of the Battery, then a little behind the summit, the enemy was advancing up on the other side in two lines. It was intended by the Colonel, at the proper time, as he could see, to give the command. "Fire at will, fire": but as soon as the opposing forces began to see each other they began the firing without command. After three or four rounds the enemy fell back, re-formed and came again. The 36th, in the interval, had time to prepare and be ready, As the enemy advanced the word went along the line, "Boys. fire low." As soon as the enemy was in sight the firing again commenced and after a few well-directed volleys the enemy again fell back. It was then dusk and firing ceased generally for the night. (chapter 3, pg 103-104 Story of the Marches, Battles and Incidents of the 36th Indiana Regiment by William Grose)
And that was the baptism of fire for this green regiment who played a part in stemming the confederate tide on the first day of battle. This is of course the attack by Confederate Colonel Chalmers brigade of Mississippi regiments as they closed in on the landing, marching parallel to the river and threatening to cut Grant off from the river landing.
