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View Full Version : Good Morning...US narrowly avoids disaster at Shiloh



Okla-homey
4/7/2007, 07:54 AM
Note: this "Good Morning" installment is coming to you from the "Good Morning" satellite offices in Ardmore, OK

April 7, 1862 Battle of Shiloh concludes

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Surprised Feds defend as Rebs pour out of the morning mists on April 6 1862

On this day 145 years ago, two days of heavy fighting conclude near Pittsburgh Landing in western Tennessee. The results were mixed and both sides learned they must settle in for a long, hard war.

The Battle of Shiloh became a Union victory after the Confederate attack stalled on April 6, and fresh Federal troops drove the Confederates from the field on April 7.

The battle of Shiloh began when US Major General Ulysses S. Grant brought his army down the Tennessee River to a sleepy little little steamboat stop called Pittsburgh Landing where he and his forces disembarked in an effort to move on Corinth, Mississippi, 20 miles to the southwest.

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Ulysses Simpson "Sam" Grant

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Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River

Corinth MS was critical to the western Confederacy because it was an important supply center where shops, warehouses and craftsmen worked to build war materiel for rebel forces in the region we now call the mid-South (TN, MS and AR.)

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Movement of the combatants as they approach the Shiloh bloodbath.

Grant especially wanted Corinth because it was at the confluence of the existing railroad network and he knew whoever pwn3d Corinth would also control nearly all of western Tennessee.

Encamped in defense of Corinth, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston did not wait for Grant to attack. Johnston believed the best defense is a bold and aggressive offense. He marched his army toward Grant's force which had not yet moved from the vicinity of its debarkation point at Pittsburg Landing on the west bank of the Tennessee River.

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Considered the most capable Rebel general, Albert Sydney Johnston of Kentucky. He caught a bullet on April 6 as his force streamed forward driving the Federals back and died under a tree on the battlefield.

On the night of April 5, Johnston bedded his army down within two miles of Grant who mysteriously had not sent out any patrols to screen against just such a Confederate move.

Up before dawn, Johnston caught the Yanks with their pants down and slammed into them as they were preparing breakfast on the morning of April 6. Throughout the day, the Confederates drove the Federals back but could not break the Union lines before darkness halted the advance.

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The first day at Shiloh.

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Among Grant's subordinate commanders at Shiloh was a young Brigadier Lew Wallace. His performance was less than impressive but he would gain great fame after the war as author of the book "Ben-Hur"

Leading from the front, CS General Johnston was killed during the first day, so General Pierre G. T. Beauregard of Louisiana assumed command of the Confederate force.

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Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard. The Louisianan had been the victor at Bull Run the previous summer and was in overall command when Ft Sumter fell during the first battle of the war.

On the night of April 6, Grant was joined by the vanguard of one of his subordinate commanders. US General Don Carlos Buell's army which had just arrived at Pittsburg Landing after marching overland from the northeast in central Tennessee and was quickly disembarked from the transport vessels upon which they crossed the river and were hastily thrown into Grant's defensive line.

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Don Carlos Buell, his last-minute arrival snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for the embattled Grant whose force was on the ropes on the night of April 6.

Now with an advantage in terms of troop numbers, Grant counterattacked on the morning of April 7. The tired Confederates who hardly had any sleep during the night slowly retreated, but they inflicted frightful casualties on the Federals.

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Day two. April 7 1862

By nightfall, the Union had driven the Confederates back to Shiloh Church, recapturing such 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. Grant's and Buell's forces totaled about 62,000, of which 1,754 were killed, 8,408 were wounded, and 2,885 were captured or missing for a total of 13,047 casualties. Of 45,000 Confederates engaged, 1,723 were killed, 8,012 wounded, and 959 missing for a total of 10,694 casualties.

The 23,741 casualties were five times the number at the First Battle of Bull Run/Manassas in July 1861, and they were more than all of the war's major battles (Bull Run VA, Wilson's Creek MO, Fort Donelson TN, and Pea Ridge AR) to that date combined.

It was a sobering reminder to all in the Union and the Confederacy that the war would be long and costly. It also added to Grant's reputation as the only Federal military leader with a winning record.

The Federals recovered from their shock and near defeat at Shiloh and Corinth MS finally fell on May 30 1862.

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A short drive from Memphis, you can visit Shiloh National Military Park in Hardin County Tennessee.
linkage:
http://www.nps.gov/shil/

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Rogue
4/7/2007, 08:28 AM
Wow. When I read about battlefields now I wonder which ones had 2 different names. Some battlefields were called one name by the Yanks and another name by the Rebs.

Rogue
4/7/2007, 08:29 AM
Enjoy Easter weekend with your Mom, Homey.

royalfan5
4/7/2007, 08:54 AM
This reminds me that I need to pick up the sweet Civil War battlefields book I have when I swing by home on Sunday.

King Crimson
4/7/2007, 09:00 AM
the northern army is far from synonymous with "the US".

SoonerStormchaser
4/7/2007, 09:51 AM
Hey Homey, I'll give you $50 if you can print off that picture of Grant and make it look real!

TUSooner
4/7/2007, 12:56 PM
Happy Easter, Homey!

IIRC from my Louisiana history class at aeons ago, PGT Beauregard was a "liberal" in racial matters when he got involved with post-war Louisiana politics. I always respected him for that.

OUTromBoNado
4/7/2007, 02:14 PM
I've been to three Civil War battlefields: Pea Ridge, Wilson's Creek, and Chancellorsville. All very cool places. Anyone who lives in Oklahoma and is interested in Civil War history, I highly recommend taking the day and going up to Springfield or Bentonville and visiting those sites.

I think the network of trenches still visible at Chancellorsville stuck with me the most. I also found some musket balls on the ground (I left them there). The tour guide also showed us some rock walls that still had blood splatters on them. Very humbling experience.

12
4/7/2007, 03:04 PM
Can you imagine how many American's Shilohed their pants that day?

Very illustrative and informative lesson as usual, Col. Homey.

Rogue
4/7/2007, 03:05 PM
...I also found some musket balls on the ground (I left them there). ...Very humbling experience.

SPEK!:cool: