FREE ESSAY ON SHILOH

SHILOH

After Shiloh the South would never smile again. Known originally as 
the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, The Battle of Shiloh was the bloodiest 
battle fought in North America up to that time. Pittsburg Landing was an area
from where the Yankees planned to attack the Confederates who had moved
from Fort Donelson to Corinth, Mississippi. The North was commanded by 
General Ulysses S. Grant and the South by General Albert Sydney Johnston. 
The Union army was taken by surprise the first day when the Confederate 
Army unexpectedly attacked, but after Union reinforcements arrived the 
fighting virtually ended in a tie. Lasting for two days, April 6 and 7 of 1862, 
casualties for both sides exceeded 20,000. The Battle of Shiloh was a 
message to both the North and South that the Civil War was for real.
General Grant was anxious to maintain the momentum of his victory at 
Fort Donelson. His army had moved up to a port on the Tennessee River 
called Pittsburg Landing in preparation for an attack on Corinth, Mississippi, 
where the Confederate troops were located. General Halleck, Western U.S. 
Army commander, had ordered Grant to stay put and wait for 
reinforcements. Grant had given command of the Pittsburg Landing 
encampment to General William T. Sherman while he waited at his camp in 
Savannah, Tennessee. 
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At Corinth, Confederate Generals Albert Sydney Johnston and P.G.T. 
Beauregard worked feverishly to ready the 40,000 plus troops there for an 
attack on the Union Army at Pittsburg Landing before U.S. Army General 
Buell and reinforcements could arrive from Nashville. The officers appointed 
as corps commanders for the South were Major General John Breckinridge, 
Major General William J. Hardee, Major General Braxton Bragg, and Major 
General Leonidas Polk. The South headed for Pittsburg Landing on April 4, 
1862 but because of several delays the attack was postponed until April 6. 
The Battle of Shiloh began early the morning of April 6. Johnston's 
men burst out of the woods so early that Union soldiers came out of their 
tents to fight. The Confederate army drove the Yankees back eight miles that 
day. One area that was especially troublesome for the South was nicknamed 
the Hornet's Nest and was commanded by Union General Prentiss. The area 
was a sunken road that Federal troops rallied behind and mowed down wave 
after wave of Rebel attackers until General Prentiss finally surrendered. The 
Hornet's Nest got its name from Southern soldiers who reported that the 
sound of bullets and mini-balls flying through the air sounded like hornets. 
Prentiss fought, as he states, until half-past five P.M., when finding that 
further resistance must result in the slaughter of every man in the command, I 
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had to yeild the fight. The enemy succeeded in capturing myself and two 
thousand two hundred rank and file, many of them being wounded (The 
Rebellion Record, 1865 p 258). 
Prentiss was captured along with 2200 Union troops. In an interview 
with General Beauregard after being captured, General Prentiss stated 
concerning the Union Army at Pittsburg I am afraid that all of our men will 
be taken (New Orleans, Times-Picayune, 1862). When a bystander asked 
him about General Buell he stated Buell is not coming here, and if any forces 
are on the way they must be very small. I know nothing of them (New 
Orleans, Times-Picayune, 1862). 
Both sides had suffered devastating losses and injuries. That evening 
soldiers from both armies wash their wounds in a small lake. The pond took 
on a red tint from the troops blood loss. From then on, it was known as 
Bloody Pond. 
The South suffered a terrible loss at 2:30 in the afternoon of April 6, 
1862. General Albert Sydney Johnston bled to death from a bullet wound to 
his leg. Beauregard sent a telegram to Jefferson Davis stating Loss on 
both sides heavy including our Commander in Chief, General A.S. Johnston 
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who fell gallantly leading his troops into the thickest of the fight (The Papers 
of Jefferson Davis, 1995, p 131). In a letter written to General Earl Van Dorn 
from Jefferson Davis, the president stated The report that General A.S. 
Johnston was killed sadly depresses me. Victory however great cannot cheer 
me in the face of such a loss. God grant it may not be true and he yet lives to 
sustain the cause for which he was willing to die (The Papers of Jefferson 
Davis, 1995, p 135). Jefferson Davis held Albert Sydney Johnston is such 
high esteem that he was known to say he would have gladly turned the 
presidency over to him if he had had the power and that he was the only 
man he could lean on with entire confidence (The Papers of Jefferson Davis, 
1995, p 132).
Since the succession of the South and the beginning of the War 
Between the States, both side were expecting one battle to decide the war. 
Reports to newspapers from Shiloh suggested the enormity and importance of 
the fight. The great battle to which the whole nation has so long been 
looking forward, begun this morning and has resulted in a complete victory 
(New Orleans, Times-Picayune, 1862). This report was accurate as far as the 
first day's fight was concerned. General P.G.T. Beauregard wrote to C.F.S. 
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President Jefferson Davis in agreement with the the Times-Picayune reporting 
that We this morning attacked the enemy in strong position in front of 
Pittsburg & after a Severe battle of ten hours, thanks be to the Almighty, 
gained a complete victory driving the enemy from every position (The 
Papers of Jefferson Davis, 1995, p 131). Both points of view show an 
overwhelming victory for the South during the first day's battle.
The second day at Shiloh was a different story. As anticipated from 
intelligence received at a late hour Sunday night, the enemy received strong 
reinforcements in the morning and about 7 o'clock renewed fighting (New 
Orleans, Times-Picayune, 1862). The Confederates held their own until 
reinforcements from General Buell reached Grant on the afternoon of April 7. 
It was now, however, only about one o'clock…and Buell's fresh men 
numbering 30,000 in all were still coming in. Gen. Beauregard knew there 
was a limit to human endurance…and after proper consideration, thought it 
wise to retire (New Orleans, Times-Picayune, 1862). The Confederate Army 
retreated to Corinth. The Union Army didn't follow them and was glad to see 
them go.
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After the Battle of Shiloh both sides reported that the war would be 
long and drawn out. When asked, after he was captured, if he thought Shiloh 
would lead to peace, General Prentiss stated Never, till the Union is 
restored. If we do not whip you with the men we have, we will bring more 
(New Orleans, Times-Picayune, 1862). Though the price of battle at Pittsburg 
Landing was high for both sides, it was only the beginning of the 
destructiveness that lay ahead. 
(6)
Bibliography
WORKS CITED
Primary Sources
Crist, Lynda Lasswell 1995. The Papers of Jefferson Davis.
Louisiana State University Press. Volume VIII.
Moore, Frank 1865. The Rebellion Record.
Arno Press. Volume XXII.
H.P. Special Correspondant, The Battle of Shiloh. April 11, 1862.
New Orleans The Times-Picayune. Volume XXVI Number 65.