Shiloh
Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee
April 6-7, 1862
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. He 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.
Johnston originally planned to attack Grant on April 4, but
delays postponed it until the 6th. Attacking the Union troops on
the morning of the 6th, the Confederates surprised them, routing
many. Some Federals made determined stands and by afternoon, they
had established a battle line at the sunken road, known as the
"Hornets Nest." Repeated Rebel attacks failed to carry the Hornets
Nest, but massed artillery helped to turn the tide as Confederates
surrounded the Union troops and captured, killed, or wounded most.
Johnston had been mortally wounded earlier and his second in
command, Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, took over. The Union troops
established another line covering Pittsburg Landing, anchored with
artillery and augmented by Buell's men who began to arrive and
take up positions. Fighting continued until after dark, but the
Federals held. 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 in response to a two-mile advance by
William Nelson's division of Buell's army at 6:00 am, which was,
at first, successful. Union troops stiffened and began forcing the
Confederates back.
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, having suffered too
many casualties, he retired from the field and headed back to
Corinth. 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.
Result(s):
Union Victory
Location:
Hardin County
Campaign: Federal Penetration up the Cumberland and
Tennessee Rivers (1862)
Date(s): April 6 -7, 1862
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and
Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell [US]; Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston and
Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard [CS]
Forces Engaged: Army of the Tennessee and Army of the
Ohio (65,085) [US]; Army of the Mississippi (44,968) [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 23,746 total (US 13,047; CS
10,699)
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