There was no hour during the day when there was not heavy firing and generally hard fighting at some point on the line, but seldom at all points at the same time.  It was a case of Southern dash against Northern pluck and endurance.  Three of the five divisions engaged on Sunday were entirely raw, and many of the men had only received their arms on the way from their States to the field.  Many of them had arrived but a day or two before and were hardly able to load their muskets according to the manual.  Their officers were equally ignorant of their duties.  Under these circumstances it is not astonishing that many of the regiments broke at the first fire.  In two cases, as I now remember, colonels led their regiments from the field on first hearing the whistle of the enemy’s bullets.  In these cases the colonels were constitutional cowards, unfit for any military position; but not so the officers and men led out of danger by them.  Better troops never went upon a battle-field than many of these, officers and men, afterwards proved themselves to be, who fled panic stricken at the first whistle of bullets and shell at Shiloh.

During the whole of Sunday I was continuously engaged in passing from one part of the field to another, giving directions to division commanders.  In thus moving along the line, however, I never deemed it important to stay long with Sherman.  Although his troops were then under fire for the first time, their commander, by his constant presence with them, inspired a confidence in officers and men that enabled them to render services on that bloody battle-field worthy of the best of veterans.  McClernand was next to Sherman, and the hardest fighting was in front of these two divisions.  McClernand told me on that day, the 6th, that he profited much by having so able a commander supporting him.  A casualty to Sherman that would have taken him from the field that day would have been a sad one for the troops engaged at Shiloh.  And how near we came to this!  On the 6th Sherman was shot twice, once in the hand, once in the shoulder, the ball cutting his coat and making a slight wound, and a third ball passed through his hat.  In addition to this he had several horses shot during the day.

The nature of this battle was such that cavalry could not be used in front; I therefore formed ours into line in rear, to stop stragglers—­of whom there were many.  When there would be enough of them to make a show, and after they had recovered from their fright, they would be sent to reinforce some part of the line which needed support, without regard to their companies, regiments or brigades.