The Battle Begins

The Battle Begins. . Alerted by the Confederate shots fired on his patrol, Major James E. Powell slowly advanced his infantry to this point. His skirmish line entered Fraley Field just before dawn on April 6, 1862. The first soldiers wounded or killed that day fell here as Powell's men returned the musket volley they received from Major Aaron B. Hardcastle's Mississippi battalion. Hardcastle's battalion, part of the Confederate picket line, was positioned on the high ground in front of you where Fraley and Wood's fields meet., The evenly matched firefight in these fields and surrounding woods lasted about an hour before General Albert Sidney Johnston launched his attack, forcing Powell to retreat. The battle had begun. During the next 34 hours, nearly 24,000 men would be killed, wounded, or captured in the Battle of Shiloh., The enemy opened a heavy fire on us at a distance of about 200 yards, but most...passed over us. We returned the fire immediately and kept it up. , Major Aaron B. Hardcastle , 3rd Mississippi Battalion, (captions) , Major Aaron B. Hardcastle, .1 Hardcastle's and Powell's troops skirmish between 5:00 am and 6:00 am. , .2 Johnston's army starts the attack at 6:00 am. , .3 Powell retreats as the Confederate Army advances.