I've mentioned before that single instances can change the tides of battle, even perhaps rewriting the ultimate end of a war. Such was the case with the Battle of Shiloh. A commanding officer of the highest caliber, and perhaps the best general on either side, makes a decision out of compassion towards the injured of both sides, and then a wound removes him from the field of battle although, had the trajectory been inches left of right, it would have been considered minor. That and a bad decision made by his predecessor changed not only the course of the battle of Shiloh, but quite possible the entire Civil War.
I'm getting a little ahead of myself, though. Let's move back just a little. In April of 1862, the South was on it's heels, but still had a chance. Under the direction of Ulysses S. Grant, he Union had broken through Confederate lines in Kentucky and been able to use the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers and the Cumberland gap to splinter the Confederates, forcing General Albert Sidney Johnston (remember that name) to regroup in Corinth, Mississippi.
Grant continued his push south, and set up camp at Pittsburgh landing, near Shiloh. There he was ordered to wait for reinforcements. Johnston wanted to take advantage and launched a surprise attack, intending to force Grant's army into a trap. A massive battle ensued, with Johnston moving among his troops, seemingly everywhere as he urged them on. The Confederates were winning the engagement, having smashed Union emplacements and capturing several regiments. During the battle, however, Johston was wounded in the leg, and bled to death. The bullet had struck a major artery, and there was no medical help on the battlefield and Johnston's personal physician had been sent to the rear to care for the wounded of both sides.
Despite having the upper hand, Johnston's successor, General P.G.T. Beauregard chose not to press the attack. Beauregard felt the soldiers were too tired to continue and called a halt to aggression for the night. That cease of hostilities enabled Union army in the form of three divisions from the Army of Ohio. In the morning of April 7th, Grant attacked with his full contingent across all battle lines, forcing the Confederates to retreat, eventually falling all the way back to Corinth, and leaving the Union free to continue it's march south.
And there's the rub. Johnston was an incredible military man. He had fought in the Black Hawk war, the Texas War for Independence and numerous other battles in his 34 year military career. President Jefferson Davis considered him the best general in the Confederacy and he had led his armies to substantial victories. Had that bullet missed the artery, or had Beauregard pressed the advantage that first night, Grant may have been forced to retreat and the direction of the war could have been very different.
The battle of Shiloh was the bloodiest of the war up to that point. With over 24 thousand killed, wounded or captured on both sides, it surpassed all of the previous major battles combined. A bit of irony comes from the name given the battle: Shiloh means peace in ancient Israeli, and the name comes from a Church building on the battlefield that was destroyed during the fighting.
Like Vicksburg and other battlefields, a series of signs in the park give visitors a feel for how the forces were arranged and a driving tour winds throughout the park. And there are numerous memorials to the fallen of both sides.
One more battle ahead from my time in Mississippi and Tennessee, then it's off to the Trail of Tears and bourbon country. Until then...
Later, Folks.
Comments