Shiloh

As a result of the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson, Confederate Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, the commander in the area, was forced to fall back, giving up Kentucky and much of West and Middle Tennessee.

Johnston chose Corinth, Mississippi, a major transportation center, as the staging area for an offensive against Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee before the Army of the Ohio, under Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell, could join it.

The Confederate retrenchment was a surprise, although a pleasant one, to the Union forces, and it took Grant, with about 40,000 men, some time to mount a southern offensive, along the Tennessee River, toward Pittsburg Landing. Grant received orders to await Buell’s Army of the Ohio at Pittsburg Landing. Grant did not choose to fortify his position, rather, he set about drilling his men many of which were raw recruits.


Grant	Buell	A.Johnston	Beauregard
1822-1885	1818-1898	1803-1862	1819-1893

Johnston originally planned to attack Grant on April 4, but delays postponed it until the 6th. Attacking the Union troops at dawn on the 6th, the Confederates took the Union forces by surprise. It was not that Grant and his generals had no evidence of an impending attack it was that they chose to ignore it, at great cost. After one or two skirmishes the initial attack went through the camps of General Prentis throwing the Union forces back. The Confederates under Generals Polk, Hardee and Bragg with

Breckinridge in reserve attack the whole Union army across the Shiloh area. By 8.00 am although in disaray the Union line had made some determined stands which slowed the attack down. Brigadier Generals Sherman , on the right, and Prentiss on the left clung desperately to their ground while behind them Generals McClernand, Hurlbut and W.H.L.Wallace [the latter later died from wounds] formed battle lines to stem the tide. But the Confederate Army slowly pushed the Union soldiers back and in some cases routed them, mostly Prentiss's men who took the brunt of bayonet charges ordered by Johnston. General Sherman's regiment was still fighting stubbornly and he himself had four horses shot from under him. He appealed for help and McClernand moved up to plug the gap between Sherman and Prentiss. However the Confederates did not follow through on Prentiss's front for having not eaten for 24 hours they feasted on food in the camps they had taken, allowing Prentiss to regroup.

They established a battle line at the sunken road, known as the “Hornets Nest.” This was an old wagon road which was slightly sunken with use. It provided some cover and it was on high ground, fringed with concealing brush and a stout split rail fence. Much of it also commanded open fields to the front where attacking troops coming out of the thicket, further away, would have to cross to get to grips with the Union position.

Sherman and McClernand on the far right away from the Hornets Nest had their own troubles eventually withdrawing during the afternoon towards Pitsburgh Landing.

Indeed many of Prentis's troops took flight and ran as far back to Pittsburgh Landing leaving him with only about 1000 troops in the field. However as the Confederates paused Union General Hurlbut placed his troops to the left of Prentis's centre and General W.H.L. Wallace did the same on the right which connected with Sherman and McClernands Brigades on the far right. Thus the Battle Line was formed again. In the centre was the famous 5th Ohio Battery led by Captain Andrew Hickenlooper which over the course of the next seven hours had a devasting effect the Confederate charges.

Up until now the Confederate Army had swept all before it, albeit stiff resistence was given in some quarters. But now they lost the momentum. Grant had come up from Pittsburgh Landing and went to see Sherman and although the latter was worried General Grant seems to have been imperturable. As was Johnston who was acting almost as a Brigade Commander [and later would actually lead the initial charge against Peach Orchard ] but Beauregard, in effect commanding, was back at Shiloh Church from the main fighting.This left Confederate subordinate generals to control the fighting from moment to moment and as at Bull Run both sides had sent , or would send in troops piecemeal like lambs to the slaughter.

This is what now happened. Whilst the Union right flank was beginning to crumple in the afternoon, on the other hand Prentis with his artillery held the centre against the Confederate might for 7 hours. The first 2 hours of this was piecemeal and each side brought up its batteries which had a devasting effect with the Confederates charging across the open ground in front of of the sunken road and the Union soldiers learning to keep their heads and bodies flat against the sunken road for some protection.

The first charge was by Confederate Major General Cheatham with his small brigade. They formed two long lines and started across the open field. Union Colonel Shaw made his troops hold their fire until the confederates were 30 paces from the fence. At the right of Cheatham's line his troops were facing Brigadier General Lauman who also order his troops not to open fire until 100 yards. The effect was appalling and although the Confederates came within 10 yards of the line they were decimated.

Confederate General Bragg detirmined that the Hornets Nest would be crushed and now ordered Colonel Randall Gibson to charge forward and the latter, not realising what had happened to Cheatham in his attack, went forward marching across the open field , not able to see the enemy .[ Who were below the split rail in the sunken road , or in the scrub behind ].

Rifles and Cannon opened up from the Union side at point blank range. In particular canister and case shot [explosive shells filled with iron balls] cut swaths through the Confederate line. Gibson's men retreated under this barrage.

Bragg was furious that the attack had failed and blamed Gibson. [ He was accused of cowardice but this was not upheld and in 1864 at the age 31 he was promoted to general ].

Gibson was ordered to charge four more times and although they inflected heavy casulties and at one stage took the guns only to lose them again and be repulsed. The dead and dying from both sides lay where they fell and then to make the scene even more repugnant the undergrowth caught fire from the cannon cartridge flannel and many of those fallen alive were then burnt to death.

Those four charges shattered Colonel Gibson's Brigade and by 2.30pm the Confederate line was paused without any ground being taken for the bloody fighting.

Federal troops at the Hornets Nest amounted to about 4/5000 men whilst the Confederates had about 17000. But as mentioned before troops were sent in piecemeal at no more than 3700 at once. This failure to attack en masse was down to the Confederate commanders with Johnston acting like a small unit commander [see below] and Beauregard to far back to grasp what was needed.

General Johnston's attention had been caught by the Peach Orchard to the left of the Union line. At the rear of the Orchard was the continuation of the sunken road and to the fore Federal troops held a line.

Johnston wanted General Beckinridge to charge this line but when some of his troops refused to move Johnston rallied them and led the initial charge carrying these troops with him. This wild charge forced the Union troops back to the sunken road.

General Johnston was during this charge wounded in the leg which did not appear serious. His personal doctor was helping with the wounded on his orders and his aides did not see the seriousness of the wound [it had nicked an artery] and thus the hapless Johnston bled to death. A complete waste. A simple tourniquet would have almost certainly saved his life, it was just that this was not understood.

Confederate General Beauregard took command and although both the left and right flank of the Union line was withdrawing towards Pittsburg Landing he was detirmined that the Hornets Nest would fall.

There had been some 11/12 frontal assults on the Hornets Nest to no avail and now Confederate Brigadier General Ruggles brought up some 62 cannon in front of the Union line being held at the sunken road and the begginning of the end for General Prentis's men was on hand although they still held out until 5.30/6.00 pm.

The result was devastation on the centre Union line at the Hornets Nest with both flanks withdrawing to make a horseshoe. With attacks from left , right and centre the Union line began to retreat with the Hornets Nest increasing isolated and troops beginning to hear the sounds of fire from behind them.

General Prentis had done all that Grant had asked of him and held the sunken road for more than seven hours. With only about 2200 men still under his command he raised a white flag of surrender. Even then some individual units would not quit but by 6.00pm the Hornets Nest was no more and any romantic notion of war either side had had disappeared for ever.

Whilst Prentis held the Hornets Nest, General Grant had re-organised his troops in a line above Pittsburg Landing at right angles towards Owl Creek. Although these included fresh troops it also included those who had made an orderly retreat and some of those who had been routed over the long afternoon. The new line was strong but was strengthened further during the evening with the arrival of General Buell's troops.

The Confederates in the meantime had been slowed by the lack of food, exhustion and the neccessity of dealing with Prentis's surrendered troops. Across the front they slowly went back into the fight but although they started to attack Grants new line they were in effect repulsed and Beauregard ordered a withdrawal much to the disgust of General Bragg. But the truth was that Grant was now very strong and with Buell coming on the scene the talk of victory in the Confederate camp was to become hollow indeed during the following day.

Doring the whole battle on this day the Federal gunboats Tyler and Lexington had steamed up and down the Tennessee River giving support to Union Troops by shelling the Confederate positions.

By the next morning, the combined Federal forces numbered about 40,000, outnumbering Beauregard’s army of less than 30,000. Beauregard was unaware of the arrival of Buell’s army and launched a counterattack ,which at first seemed successful , and was in response to a two-mile advance by William Nelson’s division of Buell’s army at 6:00 am.

However Grant's Union troops stiffened and began forcing the Confederates back. With fresh troops against weary Confederate troops they re took the ground given up on the first day without much trouble until they reached Shiloh Church. [Union General Sherman's HQ early morning the day before].

Here Beauregard ordered a counterattack, which stopped the Union advance but did not break its battle line. At this point, Beauregard realized that he could not win and had suffered too many casualties.

At 3.30pm the Confederates started an orderly retreat , unit by unit although they did not go that far before falling out for food or just exhaustion. Had the Union forces followed up that day they may have been able to completely rout them. However Union forces were spent too and Grant recalled his troops back to their original camps that were now lay in ruin from the two days fighting.

On the 8th, Grant sent Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman, with two brigades, and Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Wood, with his division, in pursuit of Beauregard. They ran into the Rebel rearguard, commanded by Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest, at Fallen Timbers. Forrest’s aggressive tactics, although eventually contained, influenced the Union troops to return to Pittsburg Landing. Grant’s mastery of the Confederate forces continued; he had beaten them once again. The Confederates continued to fall back until launching their mid-August offensive.

The night of the 6/7April was a terrible affair on both sides. There had been no casaulties on a scale like this before and the dying and dead lay on the battlefield all night. There was no organised system on either side for seeking and treating wounded so they lay there dying of thirst and wounds. The sounds were pitiful and many wounded crawled and huddled together for warmth and comfort. Many of these were found in groups next day - dead.

Not knowing any other way the surgeons amputed arms and legs which over the course of time piled up high outside the operating tents . Gangrene was rife because of infection , the delay in the wounds being treated and because of the lack of sanitation. 8 out 10 amputees died within a few days. Dysentery and typhoid became epidemic.

The dead were buried roughly where they fell. In long trenches Confederate or Union.

UNION

TROOPS.......................... 51000

KILLED.............................. 1754

WOUNDED..........................8408

CAPTURED OR MISSING..2885

CONFEDERACY

TROOPS.......................... 40000

KILLED...............................1723

WOUNDED..........................8012

CAPTURED OR MISSING.....959

Note that the discrepancy over figures for Union troops appears to be because non-combattants numbered about 10000 and are not included. There are many descrepancies between various sources consulted of both Union and Confederate numbers.


Sunken Road,Hornets Nest looking south towards thicket	Peach Orchard on left Union Line adjacent to Hornets Nest