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The Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh
April 6-7, 1862
The second major battle of The Civil War
April 6-7, 1862
The second major battle of The Civil War
Near the Tennessee River
The Union had just captured Forts Henry and Donelson in February
Those victories opened the way for General Ulyssess S Grant to head south into Tennessee
The Union:
General Grant had an army of 30,000 men marching south to face the Confederates
Don Carlos Buell had an even larger army, 50,000 men marching west to join Grant’s army
The Confederates:
General Albert T. Johnston had a troop of 45,000 men
He believed that his best chance of recapturing western Tennessee was to launch a surprise offensive against Grant as quickly as possible, before the other army could get there
Taken by Surprise
The morning of April 6th thousands of Confederate soldiers in gray charged out of the woods screaming their “rebel yell”
Grant was unaware of Johnston’s arrival, he had not set up lookouts to guard the army
Panic shot through Grant’s army
Many disorganized Union troops looked for places to hide rather than fight
For 12 hours the Confederates pounded the Federals, and by night time had captured the key position of Shiloh Chapel
Confederate General Johnston killed Johnston was shot in the leg, severing an
important artery He ignored it and bled to death on the
battlefield General Pierce GT Beauregard took over
Union Generals stand tall
WT Sherman regrouped and rallied his forces and continued to push back
Benjamin M Prentiss made a stand on a hill in the heart of Grant’s position
They called it “The Hornet’s Nest”
Exhausted Armies
By 7:00 the battlefields fell silent Both sides decided to rest and resume
conflict the next day Union General Buell’s division joined over
night to strengthen Union forces
The Second day
Union troop counterattacked the next morning Confederates quickly lost all the ground
they’d gained By the afternoon Confederate General
Beauregard ordered a retreat
The battle was one of the bloodiest of the war The south lost over 10,000 troops The north lost over 13,000 and narrowly
avoided defeat The Battle of Shiloh began the defeat of the
Southern cause in that region