Okay, another one: “Beauregard’s Retreat from Shiloh.”

See the earlier post today: Civil War songs: "I’m a Good Old Rebel," but assuredly not like this.

Reader JF wrote: "I still treasure my copy, thank you. Doesn't Tony Randall merit a mention?"

He certainly does. The late actor Randall does the narration of “Beauregard’s Retreat from Shiloh,” and to reprise, it's from “Songs of the Civil War” (New World Records 80202), with liner notes by Charles Hamm; the series is The Recorded Anthology of American Music, produced by New World Records.

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Beauregard’s Retreat from Shiloh

The Battle of Shiloh took place when the Confederate army under General Albert Sidney Johnston attempted to prevent the North from occupying western Kentucky and seizing control of the Mississippi River, a vital communications line. In the early spring of 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant, moving up the Tennessee River with forty-five thousand Union troops to link up with General Don Carlos Buell and his twenty-five thousand men coming down from Nashville, camped around Shiloh Church, a country meeting house no more than twenty miles from the Confederate army camped at Corinth, Mississippi.

Johnston decided on a surprise attack before the two enemy forces linked up, and early on the morning of April 6 the Southerners struck, routing much of the Northern army. At first it seemed to be an overwhelming victory for the Rebels; but Grant finally succeeded in improvising a defense line, and Southern morale suffered when the popular General Johnston was mortally wounded. General Pierre G.T. Beauregard took command of the Confederate force. During the night, Buell arrived after a forced march with his men, and the second day was a reversal of the first, with the North recapturing all ground lost in the initial attack and forcing the enemy to withdraw to Corinth. The South had failed in its objective; the North had gained a morale-raising victory to offset defeats in Virginia and had found a winning general in Grant.

Casualties were high, some thirteen thousand for the North and ten thousand for the South. Most of the men on both sides were in their first major battle; one observer called it “a fight between mobs of armed boys.” Even in this most horrible of wars, Shiloh stands out as a nightmare. Most of the wounded lay all night on the battlefield unattended, drenched by a cold rain, crying for help or death. At the end of the second day, the Confederate wounded were hauled twenty miles over rough roads in wagons without springs to inadequate medical care in Corinth.

A Northern nurse, one of the first to reach the wounded on the battlefield, wrote, “The foul air from this mass of human beings at first made me giddy and sick. When we give the men anything, we kneel in blood and water. ”There was slaughter and heroism and panic; when Union General William Nelson arrived with his men during the first day’s battle, he found “cowering under the river bank...from 7,000 to 10,000 men frantic with fright and demoralized.”

The anonymously composed (with “a running accompaniment by Skedaddles”) Beauregard’s Retreat from Shiloh mostly ignores these human aspects of the battle in favor of objective, if caustically humorous, narration of the chief military events. It is an interesting mixture of two nineteenth- century types of composition.

As a battle piece, it continues a tradition dating back to the late eighteenth century. One of the most widely published piano pieces in America at the turn of the century and into the nineteenth was The Battle of Prague by the Czech-English composer Franz Kotzwara, who died in England in 1791. A descriptive, episodic work for piano, it features trumpet calls, patriotic airs, low bass rumbles in imitation of cannon fire, spirited passages for marching and attacking armies; each section bears a title or a description of what aspect of the battle is depicted in those measures.

James Hewitt wrote a similar Battle of Trenton in 1797, and battle pieces continued to be written and played well into the nineteenth century. An unusual feature of Beauregard’s Retreat is that in addition to descriptive comments for each section there is a narrative to be recited while the music is being played. It is thus also a melodrama, the technical term for vocal recitation against music.

Melodrama was sometimes used to good effect by nineteenth-century composers of art music (in Weber’s opera Der Freischíütz and Berlioz’ monodrama, Lelio, for example). And scattered throughout the nineteenth- century popular repertory are pieces for parlor recitation with piano accompaniment, which made it possible for people with training in dramatics or elocution, but no ability in music, to take part in home entertainment. Richard Strauss’s Enoch Arden is a survival of melodrama as late as the turn of the century.

(Beauregard’s March.) Beauregard marches from his entrenchments at Corinth. Beauregard expects to reach our lines in time to attack our Army on Saturday, April 5th, 1862. Beauregard’s men, however, are unused to marching. A severe rain storm, on the night of the 4th, drenches his troops in bivouac. Beauregard reaches the intersection of the roads from Pittsburgh—and Hamburg on Saturday evening.

(The Assembly.Word of Command! The Assembly call of the National Troops. To Arms! Drums! Response of the enemy in the distance. Drums!) (Prayer of the National Soldiers.) Previous to the fight, the National Troops offer up an Invocation to the God of Hosts for strength to defend the right, and scatter the enemies of the Union. (Forward Skirmishers by the right flank.)

(The Attack!) Beauregard drives in our pickets. Beauregard advances on the division of General Prentiss. The regiments of Prentiss’ division are taken prisoners. Beauregard falls on our advance lines. Our entire advanced lines, under Generals Sherman and McClernand, are driven in. Generals W. H. L. Wallace and Hurlburt gallantly defend the reserve line for nearly six hours. General Wallace is mortally wounded, and Beauregard’s forces occupy nearly all our camps. General Grant takes command. A. S. Johnston, the rebel commander, is killed. Beauregard comes within range of our gunboats. The Tyler and Lexington belch forth thunders with terrible effect while Colonel Webster places our guns in the best possible position for our protection. The National
troops perceive the advance guard of General Buell under General Nelson.The 6th Ohio cross the Tennessee and form in line of battle. Beauregard is told of the arrival of Generals Buell’s and Lew Wallace’s* divisions. Beauregard withdraws his forces for the night. During the night the fire from our gunboats compels Beauregard to fall back. Beauregard’s forces are dispirited. Our brave troops sleep on their arms amid the cries and groans of the wounded. The morning dawns, Monday, April 7th. Beauregard is attacked by Generals Nelson and Lew Wallace. Beauregard has drawn back, and we have resumed the positions we occupied on Sunday morning. Beauregard in full retreat to Corinth. Our cavalry pursue the retreating columns of the enemy until night prevents further progress. Beauregard enters Corinth with his beaten troops.

(Recall of Cavalry.) At the sound of the Recall, our gallant Cavalry give up the pursuit of Beauregard’s scattered forces. On nearing their former position at Shiloh, our Cavalry hear the Bands playing our National Melodies previous to the Tattoo. Tattoo in the distance. At Tattoo all lights and fires are extinguished and the men retire to their tents.

(Previous to retiring to their Tents, the troops sing Jefferson Davis’ Requiem to the tune of the New Dixie.)

(The New Dixie.) Beauregard and Jeff Davis having “died in the last ditch” are carried down the stream until they reach the ford of a dark river, where they make the acquaintance of Old Charon, an ancient Ferryman, from whom they beg a cup of the waters of Lethe to enable them to drown the remembrance of their inordinate pride and ambition. Charon—acting under instructions —declines their request, but rows them gently over the Styx and conducts them to his majesty King Pluto in whose “Old Dominion” it is hoped they will ever “be let alone” and never be tormented by the presence of a Hessian, Lincolnite, or Yankee. At all events, this being the place farthest removed from unity, is the proper one for the establishment of a Kingdom in which the Yankees leave Jeff and Co. alone in their glory.

*The author of Ben-Hur.

Note: The ability to recite poetry and dramatic texts effectively was a desirable social skill among educated people in mid-nineteenth century America. Young men and women often took instruction in elocution, learning proper diction, posture, and dramatic poses for various types of texts. Just as amateur singing reflected the styles of famous artists, so recitations given as part of home entertainment mirrored the styles of actors and orators of the time. By our standards, this style was stilted, unrealistic, often overly melodramatic.