1. THE BATTLE OF SHILOH
Hardin County,
Tennessee
April 6-7,
1862
2. THE BEGINNING
The battle of Shiloh began around 6:00am on a beautiful, warm
Spring morning, on April 6 th . The flowers were in bloom, and the
Union soldiers under the command of U.S. Grant were awake
and eating breakfast. It was unknown to them at that time that
Confederate forces under the command of Albert Sidney
Johnston
3. THE BATTLE
The Battle of Shiloh was the bloodiest battle up to this point in
the Civil War. As the Union troops were waking up, they were
taken by surprise by Johnston’s forces. The purpose of this
surprise attack was to hopefully push the Union soldiers toward
Snake and Owl Creeks, where they could be destroyed. They
then wanted to take control of the Memphis & Charleston
Railroad, which was a vital supply line between the Mississippi
River Valley, Memphis, and Richmond. The Union troops had no
plan in place for strategy, and as such, many of them were
killed until they were able to organize themselves, and mount a
defense. It was then that General Grant arrived from Savannah,
TN, to tell them all they could do was wait for reinforcements.
4. THE HORNETS NEST
General Johnston did not live to see if his army would succeed
or not, as he was wounded and ultimately killed in that first day
of battle, leaving his second in command, P. G. P. Beauregard to
lead the attack. The Confederate troops were not able to push
the Union Soldiers towards the Snake and Owl Creeks, and
instead pushed them together, towards Pittsburg Landing,
nicknamed the Hornet’s Nest(“The Battle of Shiloh.” Sword,
Wiley). Here the Union Soldiers were able to hold their position
until reinforcements arrived, giving them the upper hand in the
battle.
5. THE BATTLE’S END
Soon after Union reinforcements arrived, Beauregard, unaware
that he was outnumbered by a force now about 40,000 in
number (“Shiloh” Koik , Mary G), was about to mount an attack
to finish the Union Soldiers. He was surprised when the
seemingly small force started attacking. They tried to mount a
defense, but continued to get pushed back, until their forces
were overcome, and those who were left alive, fled.
6. SUMMARY
The Union Forces were taken by surprise by Confederate forces
hoping to gain access to a critical railroad. With no strategy,
and no orders from General Grant, the Union forces were
seemingly defeated. Reinforcements arrived and helped them to
counterattack and defeat the Confederate force. The battle of
Shiloh lasted only two days, and amassed more than 23,000
casualties.
7. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BATTLE OF SHILOH
The victory of the Union in this battle led to the victory in
Vicksburg, which was crucial to the Federal strategy of capturing
the Mississippi River, which gave them access to everywhere it
led. Grant also learned a valuable lesson on preparedness.
8. WORKS CITED
Sword, Wiley. “The Battle of Shiloh.” civilwar.org. History
Chanel, n.d. Web. 06 Dec, 2013
Koik , Mary G,. ed. “Shiloh.” civilwar.org. History Chanel. Web.
06 Dec. 2013
