The Battle of Shiloh (1862) was the bloodiest battle of American Civil War. It saw a surprise attack of Confederates
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the military land force of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, fighting against the United States forces. On February 28, 1861, the Provisional Confederate Congress established a provisional volunteer army and gave control over …
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, as many of the Cherokee had their territory alon…
What were the major events in the Battle of Shiloh?
Battle of Shiloh, also called Battle of Pittsburg Landing, (April 6–7, 1862), second great engagement of the American Civil War, fought in southwestern Tennessee, resulting in a victory for the North and in large casualties for both sides. In February, Union General Ulysses S. Grant had taken Fort Henry on the Tennessee River and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland.
What are some interesting facts about the Battle of Shiloh?
Interesting Facts About the Battle of Shiloh
- An Act of Compassion. The greatest blow in the Battle of Shiloh for the Confederacy was the lost of General Albert Johnston.
- It Almost Destroyed Grant. The heavy Union losses were blamed on General Ulysses S. ...
- A Famous Book. The author of the iconic novel Ben Hur also fought at the Battle of Shiloh. ...
- Living in Folklore. ...
What was an impact on the Battle of Shiloh?
The two-day battle of Shiloh, the costliest in American history up to that time, resulted in the defeat of the Confederate army and frustration of Johnston's plans to prevent the two Union armies in Tennessee from joining together. Union casualties were 13,047 (1,754 killed, 8,408 wounded, and 2,885 missing); Grant's army bore the brunt of the fighting over the two days, with casualties of 1,513 killed, 6,601 wounded, and 2,830 missing or captured.
What are facts about the Battle of Shiloh?
The first combat of Shiloh, Tennessee, commenced around 5 a.m., just as the ... John McClernand’s men combined to form a second line of defense. After an hour of fierce battle with Confederate reserves pushing forward and supplies of ammunition running ...
Why did the Battle of Shiloh happen?
The battle began when the Confederate Army launched a surprise attack on Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant (1822-85) in southwestern Tennessee. After initial successes, the Confederates were unable to hold their positions and were forced back, resulting in a Union victory.
Why did the Union won the Battle of Shiloh?
By nightfall, the Union had driven the Confederates back to Shiloh Church, recapturing grisly reminders of the previous days' battle such as the Hornets' Nest, the Peach Orchard, and Bloody Pond. The Confederates finally limped back to Corinth, thus giving a major victory to Grant. The cost of the victory was high.
What happened on the first day of the Battle of Shiloh?
April 6, 1862Battle of Shiloh / Start date
What are three facts about the Battle of Shiloh?
4 Things You May Not Know About the Battle of ShilohThe loss of General Albert Sidney Johnston struck a severe blow to the Confederate cause. ... Sherman's stock rose as Grant's fell after the Battle of Shiloh. ... One of Shiloh's most controversial generals went on to later fame as the author of “Ben Hur.”More items...•
What was the bloodiest Battle of the Civil War?
Battle of Antietam breaks out Beginning early on the morning of September 17, 1862, Confederate and Union troops in the Civil War clash near Maryland's Antietam Creek in the bloodiest single day in American military history.
Who died in the Battle of Shiloh?
Number of casualties at the Battle of Shiloh in the American Civil War in 1862CharacteristicUnionConfederacyArmy Size65,08544,968Total Casualties13,04710,669Killed1,7541,728Wounded8,4088,0121 more row
Why was the Battle of Shiloh so important to the Civil War?
The Battle of Shiloh's significance is that it was the Confederacy's best chance at holding off the Union army and keeping them out of Mississippi. The Confederacy also lost an important General in Albert Sydney Johnston. Though they suffered 13,000 casualties, this was an important victory for the Union.
What was the Battle of Shiloh for kids?
The Battle of Shiloh was fought from April 6 to 7, 1862, during the American Civil War. It ended in a Union victory. The conflict took place in Tennessee between the towns of Shiloh and Pittsburg Landing. It is also called the Battle of Pittsburg Landing.
How did the public react to the Battle of Shiloh?
The public reacted negatively to the bloody battle and, due to rumors that Grant was drunk, angrily in the North. Congress and papers loudly decried...
Why was the Battle of Shiloh significant quizlet?
Why was the Battle of Shiloh important? The Union made great progress by winning the Battle of Shiloh. It gave the Union army greater control of the Mississippi River valley.
Where was Shiloh fought?
southwestern TennesseeBattle of Shiloh, also called Battle of Pittsburg Landing, (April 6–7, 1862), second great engagement of the American Civil War, fought in southwestern Tennessee, resulting in a victory for the North and in large casualties for both sides.
Where was the Battle of Shiloh fought?
Hardin CountyBattle of Shiloh / LocationHardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831. The county seat is Savannah. Hardin County is located north of and along the borders of Mississippi and Alabama. Wikipedia
Who won the Battle of Shiloh?
UnionOn April 7, 1862, the Battle of Shiloh ended with a United States (Union) victory over Confederate forces in Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee.
Could the Confederates have won at Shiloh?
The myth that the Confederates would have certainly won the battle had Johnston lived is thus false. By 6 p.m., it is highly doubtful Shiloh could have been a Confederate victory even with Napoleon Bonaparte in command.
What strategies were used in the Battle of Shiloh?
Major Confrontation at Shiloh. Union and Confederate planning set up the major confrontation at Shiloh. ... Union Presence in the Western Confederacy. ... Disenchanted Ulysses S. ... Grant's Love for Family. ... Experimenting with Various Professions. ... The First Real Break. ... Finding a Way to Restore Confederate fortunes. ... Concentrating Forces.More items...•
How did the Union take New Orleans and why was it important victory?
1 Answer. The Union conquered New Orleans by naval actions. Farragut ran his ships past the Confederate forts and destroyed the Confederate navy forcing the surrender of the south most important port.
What was the impact of the defeat of the South at Shiloh?
The South’s defeat at Shiloh ended the Confederacy’s hopes of blocking the Union advance into Mississippi and doomed the Confederate military initiative in the West. With the loss of their commander, Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, in battle, Confederate morale plummeted.
What was the significance of the Battle of Shiloh?
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, allowed Union troops to penetrate the Confederate interior. The carnage was unprecedented, with the human toll being the greatest of any war on the American continent up to that date.
How many men did Johnston have to fight in the Battle of Pittsburg?
Anticipating a Federal move against Corinth, Johnston and his 44,000-man Army of Mississippi plan to smash Grant’s army at Pittsburg Landing before Buell can arrive with more Union troops. On April 3, Johnston places his troops in motion, but heavy rains delay his attack. By nightfall on April 5, his army is deployed for battle only four miles southwest of Pittsburg Landing, and pickets from both sides nervously exchange gunfire in the dense woods that evening.
What happened to General Johnston after the Union victory at Fort Henry?
After the Union victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February 1862, Confederate general Johnston withdrew from Kentucky and left much of the western and middle of Tennessee to the Federals.
What happened on April 6th?
April 6. At daybreak three corps of Confederate infantry storm out of the woods and sweep into the southernmost Federal camps, catching Grant’s men unprepared. Intense fighting centers around Shiloh Church as the Confederates sweep the Union line from that area.
Why was Grant vilified?
Grant, though victorious, was vilified in the press after being caught unprepared at Pittsburg Landing on April 6. Critics called for him to be dismissed, but Abraham Lincoln defended his general , declaring “I can’t spare this man, he fights.” Corinth fell to the Union by the end of May, allowing Grant to focus on gaining control of the Mississippi River.
What time did Beauregard order the second counterattack?
Grant’s army launches their attack at 6:00 a.m. Beauregard immediately orders a counterattack. The Confederates are ultimately compelled to fall back and regroup all along their line. Beauregard orders a second counterattack, which halts the Federals’ advance but ultimately ends in a stalemate.
What was the significance of the Battle of Shiloh?
By mid-February 1862, United States forces had won decisive victories in the West at Mill Springs, Kentucky, and Forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee. These successes opened the way for invasion up the Tennessee River to sever Confederate rail communications along the important Memphis & Charleston and Mobile & Ohio railroads.
Where did the Confederate troops fight in the Battle of Shiloh?
Throughout the morning, Confederate brigades slowly gained ground, forcing Grant's troops to give way, grudgingly, to fight a succession of defensive stands at Shiloh Church, the Peach Orchard, Water Oaks Pond, and within an impenetrable oak thicket battle survivors named the Hornets' Nest.
Who attacked Grant in the Battle of Pittsburg?
Overnight, reinforcements from Buell's army reached Pittsburg Landing. Beauregard, unaware Buell had arrived, planned to finish the destruction of Grant the next day. At dawn, April 7, however, it was Grant who attacked. Throughout the day, the combined Union armies, numbering over 54,500 men, hammered Beauregard's depleted ranks, now mustering barely 34,000 troops. Despite mounting desperate counterattacks, the exhausted Confederates could not stem the increasingly stronger Federal tide. Forced back to Shiloh Church, Beauregard skillfully withdrew his outnumbered command and returned to Corinth. The battered Federals did not press the pursuit. The battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing, was over. It had cost both sides a combined total of 23,746 men killed, wounded, or missing, and ultimate control of Corinth’s railroad junction remained in doubt.
Who attacked Grant on April 7th?
Beauregard, unaware Buell had arrived, planned to finish the destruction of Grant the next day. At dawn, April 7, however, it was Grant who attacked. Throughout the day, the combined Union armies, numbering over 54,500 men, hammered Beauregard's depleted ranks, now mustering barely 34,000 troops.
What happened on April 6th?
At daybreak, Sunday, April 6, the Confederates stormed out of the woods and assailed the forward Federal camps around Shiloh Church. Grant and his nearly 40,000 men present for duty were equally surprised by the onslaught. The Federals soon rallied, however, and bitter fighting consumed “Shiloh Hill.” Throughout the morning, Confederate brigades slowly gained ground, forcing Grant's troops to give way, grudgingly, to fight a succession of defensive stands at Shiloh Church, the Peach Orchard, Water Oaks Pond, and within an impenetrable oak thicket battle survivors named the Hornets' Nest.
How many men were in the Battle of Shiloh?
Map of the Battle of Shiloh, April 7, 1862. On Monday morning, April 7, the combined Union armies numbered 45,000 men. The Confederates had suffered as many as 8,500 casualties the first day and their commanders reported no more than 20,000 effectives due to stragglers and deserters.
What were the problems with the Confederate march?
Furthermore, many Confederate troops failed to maintain proper noise discipline as the army prepared for the attack. Positioned only a few miles from the Union Army, the rebel soldiers routinely played their bugles, pounded their drums, and even discharged their muskets hunting for game. As a result, Johnston's second in command, P. G. T. Beauregard, feared that the element of surprise had been lost and recommended withdrawing to Corinth, believing that by the time the battle commenced, they would be facing an enemy "entrenched up to the eyes". He was also concerned about the lack of rations, fearing that if the army got into prolonged engagement, their meager remaining food supplies would not be able to sustain them. But Johnston once more refused to consider retreat.
How many men did Beauregard leave behind?
He withdrew beyond Shiloh Church, leaving 5,000 men under Breckinridge as a covering force, and massed Confederate batteries at the church and on the ridge south of Shiloh Branch. Confederate forces kept the Union men in position on the Corinth Road until 5 p.m., then began an orderly withdrawal southwest to Corinth. The exhausted Union soldiers did not pursue much farther than the original Sherman and Prentiss encampments. Lew Wallace's division crossed Shiloh Branch and advanced nearly 2 miles (3.2 km), but received no support from other units and was recalled. They returned to Sherman's camps at dark. The battle was over.
What was the name of the battle that was fought in 1862?
e. Federal Penetration up the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. Fort Henry. Fort Donelson. Shiloh. Corinth. The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was an early battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee.
Why was Grant bayoneted in the tents?
Reporters, many far from the battle, spread the story that Grant had been drunk, falsely alleging that this had resulted in many of his men being bayoneted in their tents because of a lack of defensive preparedness. Despite the Union victory, Grant's reputation suffered in Northern public opinion. Many credited Buell with taking control of the broken Union forces and leading them to victory on April 7. Calls for Grant's removal overwhelmed the White House. President Lincoln replied with one of his most famous quotations about Grant: "I can't spare this man; he fights." Although all of the Union division commanders fought well, Sherman emerged as an immediate hero after Grant and Halleck commended him especially. His steadfastness under fire and amid chaos atoned for his previous melancholy and his defensive lapses preceding the battle. Army officers that were with Grant gave a starkly different account of his capacity, and performance, than those of enterprising newspaper reporters far away from Grant during the battle. One such officer, Colonel William R. Rowley, answering a letter of inquiry about allegations aimed at Grant, maintained:
Where did Grant order Wallace to move his troops?
On the morning of April 6, around 8:00 or 8:30 a.m., Grant's flagship stopped alongside Wallace's boat moored at Crump's Landing and gave orders for the 3rd Division to be held ready to move in any direction. Wallace concentrated his troops at Stoney Lonesome, although his westernmost brigade remained at Adamsville. He then waited for further orders, which arrived between 11 and 11:30 a.m. Grant ordered Wallace to move his unit up to join the Union right, a move that would have been in support of Sherman's 5th Division, which was encamped around Shiloh Church when the battle began. The written orders, transcribed from verbal orders that Grant gave to an aide, were lost during the battle and controversy remains over their wording. Wallace maintained that he was not ordered to Pittsburg Landing, which was to the left rear of the army, or told which road to use. Grant later claimed that he ordered Wallace to Pittsburg Landing by way of the River Road (also called the Hamburg–Savannah Road).
How many divisions were there in the Battle of Bethel?
The portion of Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell 's Army of the Ohio that was engaged in the battle consisted of four divisions: 2nd Division (Brig. Gen. Alexander M. McCook ): 3 brigades.
Overview
Aftermath
In his memoirs, Grant intimated that
The battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburg landing, has been perhaps less understood, or to state the case more accurately, more persistently misunderstood, than any other engagement between National and Confederate troops during the entire rebellion. Correct reports of the battle have been published, notably by Sherma…
Background and plans
After the beginning of the American Civil War, the Confederacy sought to defend the Mississippi River valley, the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and the Cumberland Gap, all of which provided invasion routes into the center of the Confederacy. The neutral state of Kentucky initially provided a buffer for the Confederacy in the region as it controlled the territor…
Opposing forces and initial movements
The Army of the Tennessee of 44,895 men consisted of six divisions:
• 1st Division (Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand): 3 brigades
• 2nd Division (Brig. Gen. W. H. L. Wallace): 3 brigades
• 3rd Division (Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace): 3 brigades
Battle, April 6 (first day: Confederate assault)
Before 6 a.m. on Sunday, April 6, Johnston's army was deployed for battle, straddling the Corinth Road. The army had spent the entire night making a camp in order of battle within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the Union camp near Sherman's headquarters at Shiloh Church. Despite several contacts, a few minor skirmishes with Union forces, and the failure of the army to maintain proper no…
Battle, April 7 (second day: Union counterattack)
On Monday morning, April 7, the combined Union armies numbered 45,000 men. The Confederates had suffered as many as 8,500 casualties the first day and their commanders reported no more than 20,000 effectives due to stragglers and deserters. (Buell disputed that figure after the war, stating that there were 28,000). The Confederates had withdrawn south into Prentiss's and Sherman'…
Fallen Timbers, April 8
On April 8, Grant sent Sherman south along the Corinth Road on a reconnaissance in force to confirm that the Confederates had retreated, or if they were regrouping to resume their attacks. Grant's army lacked the large organized cavalry units that would have been better suited for reconnaissance and vigorous pursuit of a retreating enemy. Sherman marched with two infantry brigades from his division, along with two battalions of cavalry, and met Brig. Gen. Thomas J. W…
Battlefield preservation
Shiloh's importance as a Civil War battle, coupled with the lack of widespread agricultural or industrial development in the battle area after the war, led to its development as one of the first five battlefields restored by the federal government in the 1890s, when the Shiloh National Military Park was established under the administration of the War Department; the National Park Service took …