of the staff, under your personal direction and supervision, collected all the guns of three or four batteries along the position referred to, on the crest of the hills overlooking the field, and when I returned to rejoin you, after an unsuccessful attempt to forward the men referred to, I found the enemy, being unable to withstand the destructive cannonade which you had directed against them, had fallen back rapidly through the field over the hills beyond, where, finding themselves cut off by portions of our division, and being threatened on the flank by General Polk, they threw down their arms.
I have no doubt, had they been reasonably reinforced when they had checked our advancing troops, they could certainly have broken our lines had not you concentrated all the artillery you could obtain at that point, which was weakest. Even then I feared serious demonstrations would be made before sufficient infantry could be obtained to support the artillery, which alone was then stemming the tide hurled against us. No one who observed the effects of that firing could but be argeeably surprised at its result.
I have the honor to remain, respectfully, your obedient servant,
L. D. Sandidge, C. S. A.,
Official:
R. M. Hooe, A. A. G.
Letter from Colonel S. S. Heard.
To Captain Hooe, A. A. G., Columbus, Mississippi:
Captain—In reply to your communication of 31st January, 1863, concerning the effect our artillery had in forcing Prentice's division to fall back in a direction which compelled his ultimate surrender at the battle of Shiloh, on the 6th of April, 1862, and as to whom I conceive to be the controlling genius at that point on that occasion.
With those who participated at that point there can certainly be but one opinion, and as long as I remained in the service I never heard but one opinion expressed.
Between twelve and one o'clock on Sunday, we had carried all the enemy's encampments except Prentice's. At this time, however, the enemy made a desperate stand, two hundred or three hundred paces east of the last encampment and about north of the open space known to us as the enemy's parade ground. For two hours our success at that point appeared doubtful. I was ordered by General Ruggles immediately to bring up the artillery. When I reported the artillery, the General ordered it into position two hundred or three hundred paces lower down the ridge, northeast of the parade ground. Our guns opened upon the enemy with great success from that position, which created great confusion in the
