One of the greatest battles of the War Between the States erupted near the banks of the
Tennessee River
at Shiloh,
Tennessee. Following the battles of Ft. Henry and Donelson, Union General Ulysses S.
Grant
moved his troops south
along the river to Pittsburg landing for training and field exercises. Many of his
men
were raw recruits.
Grant did not fortify his position.
Following the losses of Ft. Henry and Donelson Confederate forces under the command of
General
Sidney Johnston
established a new line that covered the Memphis to Charleston Railroad. Johnston
concentrated his
forces near Corinth, Mississippi in hopes of engaging Grant's army before it could be
reinforced.
Johnston began marching from Corinth on On April 2, 1862 towards the suspected location
of the Union
forces. By the evening of the 5th, Johnston was prepared to attack. Grant
wired his superior,
General H.W. Halleck,
with slight suspicion of attack. Halleck ordered Grant to stay at Shiloh and await
reinforcements from
General Beull. It was believed that the nearest Confederate
forces were at
Corinth.
The following morning, April 6, 1862, Johnston launched his attack. The Union forces
were quickly
driven back to the
north and east. They found themselves rapidly approaching the Tennessee River
to the east and Owl
Creek to the north. However, the Union troops finally established a line at a area
know
as "the sunken
road". Confederate forces launched eleven attacks against the position, but the
line would
not break. The
area became known as the "Hornets Nest" because of the intensity of gun fire and
grazing
of bullets.
Finally the southern troops brought sixty-two artillery pieces to bear on the Hornets
Nest, many at
point blank
range. After holding the position foe six hours, the Union forces surrendered.
Fighting also occurred near the Hornets Nest on a peach orchard. General Johnston
personally led the
final Confederate
assault. He emerged with clothes torn from grazzing bullets. He was moved to a
nearby
tree where it was
discovered that he had been shot in the back of the leg. He refused medical
attention and
bled to death even
though a tounique would have saved his life.
Union Gunboat
Image from National Archives and Records Administation
General
Buell arrived with Union reinforcements the evening of the 6th. They arrived by
river under
the cover of fire from
theUnion gunboats Lexington and Tyler. The Federals had established a
line near
Pittsburg
Landing. The arrival of fresh troops and gunboats only stengthened this line.
By morning
the southern army was
outnumbered. The combined Union Army of the Tennessee and the Ohio numbered
65,000. The
Confederate Army of the Mississippi numbered 45,000.
General Beauregard, who took command after the death of Johnston, was aware of the
gunboats, but
unaware of Buell's
reiforcements. Bearegard attempted attacks on Pittsburg Landing with no success.
The Confederate Army
was forced to retreat to Corinth.
The final number of dead or missing was 23,746: 13,047 on the Union side and 10,699
on the Confederate
side.
Map of the Shilo
Battlefield - 1.16mb |
