Episode 17: CPL Leander Stillwell and the 61st Illinois at the Battle of Shiloh

At the Battle of Shiloh, on the morning of 6 April 1862, CPL Leader Stillwell and the 61st Illinois heard the first shots of the battle off to their right and managed to form alongside their brigade and the 6th Division before a brigade of Alabamans and Louisianan's emerged from the woodline and engage them just south of their camp.The Illinoisans engaged the advancing Confederates, but were eventually pushed out of their camps and retreated to a Union line held by BG W.H.L. Wallace's Second Division. This line became the focal point of several Confederate assaults, and thereafter was known as the Hornet's Nest.For the rest of the morning into the afternoon, CPL Stillwell and the 61st Illinois fought in the Hornet's Nest and the Peach Orchard, as well as provided support to a battery of artillery.Sources used for this episodeStillwell, Leander. The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War 1861-1865. 2nd ed. Kansas City: Franklin Hudson Publishing Company, 1920. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044051051464&seq=9.Scott, Robert N. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1884. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077730160&view=1up&seq=3.“61st Illinois Infantry Regiment History: Adjutant General’s Report.” Accessed 16 April, 2024. https://civilwar.illinoisgenweb.org/civilwar/history/061.html.