Cyrus R. Boyd on Shiloh

Cyrus Boyd was a twenty-four-year-old Iowa farmhand when he enlisted in the Fifteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry in October 1861. Like many white men at the beginning of the war, Boyd thought the fighting would be over fairly quickly and worried about missing the action. He recorded in his diary that “times are dull at home” and that his “patriotic duty” called him to enlist. Boyd spent a tedious winter in camp in Iowa before joining Union General Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee.

After the fall of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February 1862, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston fell back, giving up Kentucky and much of West and Middle Tennessee, before concentrating around Corinth, Mississippi, to protect the strategic railroad crossroads. Grant, moving his army by steamboat, disembarked at Pittsburg Landing, 22 miles northeast of Corinth, with orders to sever the railroads once reinforced by Union General Don Carlos Buell’s Army of the Ohio. General Johnston, intending to attack General Grant’s army before General Buell’s army arrived, surprised the forward Union camps around Shiloh Church on April 6, 1862. Confederate forces slowly gained ground over the course of the day, and Union forces retired to a strong position around Pittsburg Landing protected by artillery and ravines. Once reinforcements from General Buell’s army arrived overnight, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard, who had assumed command from after General Johnston’s mortal wounding, withdrew his army to Corinth. The battle was the bloodiest battle in American history at its time.

When the Fifteenth Iowa arrived at Pittsburgh Landing on the morning of the battle, Sergeant Boyd and his compatriots had not yet been tried by battle, having only received their rifles ten days previous. The following excerpt from Boyd’s diary—which he later edited for publication—describes his experience of the Battle of Shiloh.

For the excerpt, see Cyrus F. Boyd, "An Iowa Soldier 'Sees the Elephant' at Shiloh," in The Civil War and Reconstruction: A Documentary Collection, ed. William E. Gienapp (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001), 89-91; for the image, see Cyrus F. Boyd, The Civil War Diary of Cyrus F. Boyd, Fifteenth Iowa Infantry 1861-1863 (Millwood, NY: Kraus Reprint Co., 1977).

At 6 o’clock [on April 6, 1862] we arrived at a point known as “Pittsburgh Landing” on the West bank of the Tenn[essee] river… At 10 o’clock we are ordered ashore with all our equipments including 40 rounds of ammunition… When we had got into something like a line we were presented with several boxes of ammunition and each man ordered to fill up to the extent of 100 rounds…

The wounded men were by this time coming in freely and were being carried right through our ranks. And we could see hundreds of soldiers running through the woods… We started on the double quick in the direction of the heavy firing which was mostly of musketry… Thus we kept on for at least three miles meeting hundreds—yes thousands of men on the retreat who had thrown away their arms and were rushing toward the Landing—most of these were hatless and had nothing on them except their clothes… The woods were full of Infantry, cavalry, Artillery and all arms of the service were flying toward the River in countless numbers. Men yelled as they passed us “Don’t go out there” “You’ll catch hell” “We are all cut to pieces” “We are whipped”…

There was also Infantry officers with swords drawn and trying to head off the flying troops and make them halt. There was Cavalrymen galloping after men and threatening to shoot them if they did not stop. But I saw no one stop. But on we went facing all these discouraging circumstances to take our turn at failure to stop the Rebel tide which was coming in like a wave of the sea unresisted and irresistable.

Here we were a new Regt which had never until this morning heard an enemies gun fire thrown into this hell of battle—without warning. The hot sun and the dreadful load we had carried through three miles of dust and battle smoke had so exhausted us that there was no strength left in the men…

We came to the edge of a large field and as we crossed a little Ravine the bullets and a few shells passed over us making some of us dodge. Here we deployed by the right flank to come into line of battle but did not get that accomplished until we were out in the open field and in fair view of the enemy… Here I noticed the first man shot… He was close to us and sprang high in the air and gave one groan and fell dead. Our Company had to pass over him and each man as he came up seemed to hesitate and some made a motion to pick him up—but the officers sternly ordered them “forward.” The men all gave a cheer and rushed on in line of battle with bayonets fixed.

The enemy lay in ambush at the farther side of the field. We at first could not see them only the puffs of white smoke came from the thickets and brush and every log and tree. We reached some scattering trees… It was every man for himself. We knew nothing about orders or officers. Indeed the Companies now became all mixed up and without organization…

At last we could see the enemy and they were advancing around our left flank and the woods seemed alive with gray coats and their victorious cheer and unearthly yells and the concentrated fire which they had upon us caused somebody to give the order for retreat…

As we started down the Ravine a wounded rebel caught me by the leg as I was passing and looking up at me said My friend for God’s sake give me a drink of water. He had been shot about the head and was covered with blood to his feet. I at once thought of that command “If thine enemy thirst give him drink” and I halted and tried to get my canteen from under my accouterments—but I could not and pulled away from him and said “I have not time to help you”…

In the meantime … the enemies Cavalry came dashing around on our right flank … and followed us almost to the ravine where we made a temporary stand and with a few shots the Cav fell back. Here Jeff Hocket ran to me and said that my brother Scott had given out and was lying upon the ground some distance back. I ran to him and tried to get him upon his feet. But he said I should go on as he never could go any farther and that I had better save myself and let him go… I now took him by the nap of the neck and jerked him upon his feet and told him to come or I should help him with my boot. At this he stood up and I managed to work him along down the ravine and left him to rally on the hill…

Cavalrymen were riding in all directions with drawn sabers and revolvers threatening to shoot and “Cut mens heads off” if they did not stop and rally. Officers were coaxing praying and exhorting men for “God’s sake” to stop and all make a stand together. But in most cases their orders and appeals were not heard by these demoralized men who kept going like a flock of sheep. All the terrors of hell would not have stoped them until they got to the River. Hundreds lay in the woods on the ground completely overcome with the heat smoke and dust and fatigue… Riderless horses came thundering through the woods with empty saddles and artillery horses with caisons attached ran through the squads of men and striking trees caused the percussion shells to explode blowing horses caisons and everything around to atoms. Cannon balls were flying in all directions… Every indication seemed to point to a great and terrible defeat…

About 5 o’clock the enemy came on in solid masses for the final charge… We were massed upon the surrounding bluffs about the landing. General Grant and Genl Buell rode along the line and urged every man to stand firm … and pointed to the opposite side of the river where we could see a long line of blue coats far as the eye could reach—and that was Buells Army. This sight was all that saved Grants Army… As the smoke clears away we can see the enemy coming on in long dark lines and seem to spring out of the ground in countless thousands. This is to be the grand and final charge by which they hope to sweep us from the face of the earth or capture the entire army. This death like stillness is worse than murder.

Our Artillery opens with about 40 pieces (all we have left) then nothing more can be seen. The very earth trembles with the fearful explosions. The enemy charged to the very mouth of our cannon and hundreds of them fell—filled with whiskey and gun powder. The battle raged for the possession of this hill which we held. If we would have lost this all would have been lost. Every man seemed nerved beyond human strength to do his utmost and he did. Acres of dead and wounded told the fearful tale of sacrifice…

At dark we found ourselves crowded like a flock of sheep on the bluffs around the Landing just able to keep the Wolf at bay while the favoring night that settled down on friend and foe put an end to the fearful slaughter for the day a parallel to which this Continent had never before witnessed.

[Surveying the field the next day:] Farther on the dead and wounded became more numerous… I saw five dead Confederates all killed by one six pound solid shot—no doubt from one of our cannon. They had been behind a log and all in a row. The ball had raked them as they crouched behind the log… One of them had his head taken off. One had been struck at the right shoulder and his chest lay open. One had been cut in two at the bowels and nothing held the carcass together but the spine. One had been hit at the thighs and the legs were torn from the body. The fifth and last one was piled up into a mass of skull, arms, some toes and the remains of a butternut suit… I counted 26 dead battery horses on a few square rods of ground and the men were lying almost in heaps. Blue and gray sleep together. Oh my God! Can there be anything in the future that compensates for this slaughter? Only Thou knowest.

Around these batteries men have died at their posts beside the guns. Some are torn all to pieces leaving nothing but their heads or their boots. Pieces of clothing and strings of flesh hang on the limbs of the trees round them… The trees are just bursting into leaf and the little flowers are covering the ground—but their fragrance is lost in the pall of death which has settled down on this bloody field. “This is the valley and the shadow of death.”