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Battle Of Shilh Essay

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Up to this point of the Civil War, no battle had been as bloody and meaningful as the Battle of Shiloh. The battle took place on April 6th and 7th, 1862 at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee; for it was originally named the Battle of Pittsburg Landing. General Ulysses S. Grant commanded the Union troops while General Albert Sidney Johnston led the Confederate troops. During the two days of battle, a surprise attack was launched to the Union side which they retaliated the next day that ultimately concluded the battle as a tie. The Battle of Shiloh was the first battle of the Civil War in the west that made both North and South realize that they would be in for a long and arduous war. The Union army’s ultimate goal was to take control of the Mississippi …show more content…

The day had flipped to favor the Federal side who had now switched to an offensive mode. Beauregard moved to attack for what he thought would deliver the Confederacy the final victory. But instead, Grant had also initiated a fresh attack that continuously pushed forward without stopping. Like the events of yesterday, the Confederate forces were steadily beaten backwards. The Union had the advantage of energetic reinforcements and naval support near the Tennessee River that continually blasted into the ranks of the Confederates. At one point between noon and afternoon, the rebels held a short counterattack but which was otherwise unsuccessful. Finally, because hope for reinforcement had been lost and seeing that there was no way that they could flip the tables again due to a disadvantage in numbers, Beauregard ordered a retreat to Corinth. Despite being so close to obliterating the enemy, Grant did not have the heart to make his desperate and tired men to give chase in the mud and rain. The Battle of Shiloh was by far the most brutal battle with an astounding amount of fatalities never seen before. The combined casualties of the Union and Confederacy was around 23,000 which exceeds the losses of all American wars up to that period including colonial wars and the Revolutionary War. The victory of Shiloh at last belonged to the Union after two days of fighting in severe rainstorms and becoming the first bloodiest battle on the western

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