LETTER OF CAPT. ARCHIBALD MONTGOMERY
Company E, 23rd MO Infantry
From Harrison County, MO
Written at Pittsburg Landing, TN April 10, 1862 (four days after the Battle of Shiloh)
"Our expected battle is over. It came off Sunday and Monday last, and a hard fought battle it was. It lasted two days and two nights, but we shipped them. Our regiment was led out on Sunday morning in front of the hottest part of the field. We fought till evening, when the Secesh overpowered out regiment and some others, and took them prisoners. They, however, took only a part of our regiment. There were some out of every company who made their escape. I escaped with about forty of my company, forty of my men being taken prisoners. I found only two of my men killed -- Riley Roberts and James K. Allen. The wounded are William Watkins, badly; Harrison Hanly, very badly; William Heath, slightly; J. P. Rupe and William Lowe, in the thighs. The names of some of my men captured are Lt Simms, Lt Brown, John Martin, T. Brown, William Burris, F. Cummins, W. Chapman, W. Daniel, J. Daniel, J. G. Daniel, T. Daniel, R. Gray, C. Howry, J. Harper, W. Lear, M. Millspaw, J. Miller, T. Murphy, J. Noah, J. Parkerson, F. M. Rice, W. Vincent, J. VanMeter, and R. Watson.
This has been a bloody battle. Our regiment lost twenty-six killed and sixty wounded, that we know of. Our colonel was killed and our major taken prisoner. I have command of the regiment. You see we are in a bad fix, and I can't tell what we will do or where we will go. The army is still burying the dead; the bodies lay over a space of four miles square. We went out today and buried our dead; seventeen in one pit."
The above is a portion of a letter written by Archibald Montgomery to his family back in Harrison County, Missouri. The remainder of the letter deals with family matters.
Capt Montgomery survived the war and returned to his home and family in Harrison County. He was born in Montgomery County, Indiana, on Jan 26, 1818. He had also served in the Mexican War with the rank of Captain. He married Elizabeth Martin on Dec 9, 1839, and the couple had six sons, one of which (Francis) also served in the 23rd Missouri. Archibald is listed in the 1850 Census of Harrison County, Misosuri. He resigned his commission and left the army in 1862 and his family moved to Oregon in 1864.
History of the 23rd MO and the Battle of Shiloh
23rd MO Volunteer Infantry Roster
Gen. Grant's Report
Gen. Sherman's Report
Gen. Prentiss' Report
23rd MO Volunteer Infantry (Union) Homepage - Another page on the 23rd by Maj. Rex Gooch
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