Battle of Shiloh

 (6 Apr 1862-7 Apr 1862) - A U.S. Civil War Battle fought between Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant,, and Confederate forces under Albert Sidney Johnston,. Known by both sides as the Battle of Shiloh. Grant's forces were reinforced by General Don Carlos Buell's, army on the second day. General Johnston was killed at the end of the first day and General P.G.T. Beauregard,, assumed command of the Confederate forces. The battle was fought near Pittsburg Landing and Shiloh Church in Hardin County, Tennessee and resulted in a Union victory with 23,746 overall casualties out of the 109,784 men engaged.

Major General Henry W. Halleck, sent Major Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Don Carlos Buell and their armies south to cut the Southern railroads lines in March 1862.

Grant disembarking his Army of the Tennessee at Pittsburg Landing and established a base of operations there with camps at a log church known as Shiloh Meeting House. Buell's Army of the Ohio marched overland from Nashville to meet up with Grant and then both would advance on the strategic railroad junction at Corinth, Mississippi.

General Johnston, in Corinth, planned a preemptive attack on Grant's army at Pittsburg Landing before Buell could join him. Johnston arrived below Pittsburg Landing late on 5 Apr 1862 and attacked Grant's camps at Shiloh Church at dawn the next day. Bitter fighting continued through the day and the Union lines fell back from Shiloh Church to the Peach Orchard, Water Oaks Pond and to an impenetrable oak thicket known as the Hornets' Nest. At midday the Confederate forces had become a bit confused and entangled and lost some momentum. While organizing an attack on the Union left, General Johnston was hit in the leg by a stray bullet and bled to death. General P.G.T. Beauregard took command of the Confederate army. Grant's forces withdrew to strong positions at Pittsburg Landing where they were protected by artillery and rugged terrain and held those positions until fighting ended at nightfall.

Overnight Buell's forces arrived and in the morning Grant attacked and forced Beauregard back to Shiloh Church. Beauregard then skillfully withdrew his outnumbered army back to Corinth and the battered Union army did not follow. The public was shocked at the casualty lists with 23,746 overall casualties out of the 109,784 men engaged.

Current Status
Part of Shiloh National Military Park, Hardin County, Tennessee.

See Also:
 * U.S. Civil War
 * U.S. Civil War Portal

Sources: Links:
 * Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields
 * Wikipedia - Battle of Shiloh
 * Civil War Trust - Shiloh]
 * History.com - Battle of Shiloh
 * NPS - Battle of Shiloh
 * Thomas Legion - Battle of Shiloh: Casualties