The
Battle of Shiloh
was a
battle
in the
American Civil War
. It was fought on April 6 and April 7, 1862, in
Tennessee
. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.
The
Union
Army of the Tennessee
was commanded by
Ulysses S. Grant
. Grant had captured Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in western Tennessee during the early months of 1862. This forced the
Confederate Army
to leave
Kentucky
, western Tennessee, and central Tennessee.
Grant wanted to capture the city of Corinth,
Mississippi
, next. But his superior,
Henry W. Halleck
, didn't want Grant to go any further south until other
Union soldiers
joined him. So Grant moved his
army
to a place called Pittsburg Landing, which was on the
Tennessee River
. There was a church near the landing called Shiloh Church. His army stayed there for several weeks.
General
Albert Sidney Johnston
commanded the Confederates. Johnston's second-in-command was
P. G. T. Beauregard
. Beauregard came up with a plan to recapture western Tennessee. Confederate soldiers from all over the Western theater gathered in Corinth. Then, starting on April 3rd, they marched north toward Grant's army. The Confederate Army was ready to attack on the morning of the 6th.
The battle started around
dawn
on April 6th. The Confederates surprised the Union Army. After fighting all day, Grant's army
retreated
back to Pittsburg Landing. Johnston was killed during the battle, and Beauregard took over the Confederate Army.
More Union soldiers arrived at the battlefield during the night. They were part of the
Army of the Ohio
, commanded by Don Carlos Buell.
Grant attacked the Confederates the next morning. The two armies fought all morning and during the afternoon. By 4 p.m., Beauregard decided to retreat back to Corinth.
The Confederates lost 10,698
casualties
during the battle.
[a]
[2]
Union soldiers buried the Confederate dead on the battlefield.
[3]
The Union Army lost about 14,500 casualties during the battle.
[a]
[4]
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