April 6 and 7 1862 reminded all Americans, United States and Confederate States citizens alike, of the horrors of war. Forced to evacuate Nashville, Tennessee, General Albert S. Johnston re-grouped his Confederate Army in Corinth, Mississippi. Keeping Corinth under Confederate control was vital. Corinth was a strategic point on the Memphis-Charleston and Mobile-Ohio railroad lines. These railroads provided essential produce and communication from the West to Southern forces in the East.
Simultaneously, having taken Fort Henry on the Tennessee River in February, General Ulysses S. Grant, under orders from Major General Henry W. Halleck, planned to attack the Memphis-Charleston railroad. However, General Grant was ordered not to attack until he was united with General Don Carlos Buell and his troops. General Grant set up camp at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee just 22 miles northeast of Corinth. His main camps were set at around a log church known as Shiloh Meeting House.
Aware of General Grant’s intentions and his orders to wait for General Buell, General Johnston prepared a surprise attack. General Johnston began organizing his troops on April 3, 1862 and by April 5 had gathered 44,000 men. On the morning of April 6 the Confederate troops surprised the Union charging from the woods. The Union soldiers rallied and attempted a strong defense; however the Confederate soldiers successfully pushed back the Union Soldiers and took the Shiloh Hill. . At midday General Johnston was fatally wounded and General Beauregard assumed command. The battle ended for the night with the Confederate Army claiming victory.
Overnight Buell’s army joined Grant’s. With renewed strength, the Union Army, now numbering 54,500 men, attacked the Confederate Army at dawn on April 7. Beauregard’s troops, now numbering only 43,000, could not hold Shiloh Hill and withdrew back to Corinth. Grant and Buell’s troops weak from battle did not pursue the Confederate Army to Corinth Mississippi.
Though both armies claimed victory, the overall battle was a staggering loss to the Confederacy. Casualties on both sides were drastic. The combined losses including dead, wounded and missing numbered 23,746. This number was greater than all casualties combined in previous wars, a horrible blow to the country. Both the Union Army and the Confederate Army were immobile for three weeks recovering from this loss.
The original Shiloh Church survived this battle but was destroyed in a later battle. Shiloh church remains an active congregation today.