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