The battle of Shiloh was one of the bloodiest fought in the western theater. The superior tactics of the Union forces along with the problems involved with confederate attack formations and planning secured a victory for the Federals. General Johnston’s initial plan to attack Grant’s army, cut it off from Pittsburgh Landing, and force it into the swamps north and west of the landing before Buell arrived from Nashville with the reinforcements fell through. The battle of Shiloh dashed all southern hopes of recovering west and middle Tennessee. In terms of movement, both General Johnston and Buearegard have both been somewhat blamed for not moving sooner and more rapidly to Corinth to attack the Federals in Pittsburgh Landing., which would have enabled them to anticipate General Buell’s junction with General Grant.1 The Confederacy failed to plan for the worst and allowed them enough time; if General Van Dorn arrived on time to aid the Confederate troop, the result at Shiloh might have been different. He was, unfortunately for the Confederates, delayed by high waters, and arrived at Memphis three days after the battle of Shiloh.2 Al

On the morning of April 7th , the Union troops were positioned as follows: General Lew Wallace on the right, Sherman on his left; then McClernand, and the Hulbert. Nelson, of Buell’s army, was on the extreme left next to the river.15 The left flank was covered with skirmishes, and was protected by the roughness of the ground near the river. These relative positions were retained until the enemy was driven off the field. After the heavy rains from the previous days, the roads were almost impassable. The Confederate troops had to carry their artillery and supply trains over them in retreat, making it even harder for troops to follow them. When the last of the enemy broke, the Union troops went from a marching pace to a run.16 Grant wanted to pursue the retreating Rebels, but did not have the heart to order his men who had been fighting desperately for two days, and lying in the mud and rain when not fighting, to pursue.

The battle of Shiloh was decisive. The superior tactics of the Union forces, along with problems involved with confederate planning and attack formations, secured a victory for the Federals. The problem with proper planning also led to problems led to the Confederate side’s movement. The price of the Union victory was high, though they remained in possession of the field. The Union army of 62,000 had 13,047 killed, wounded, or missing; the Confederate army lost 11,694 of its 44,000 men.18 Corinth was no longer available to the Confederacy, denying them of a key intersection on the only direct rail link between Richmond and the Mississippi river and the north-south Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The Confederate evacuation of Corinth also cost them Memphis, with its boatyards, industrial production, and population. The Union forces held west and middle Tennessee that the Confederacy could never recover. This battle along with the Union’s conquest of the Mississippi Valley, completed in 1863, split the Confederacy and leads to its eventual downfall.

The objective of the Confederate forces, on the first day, was simply to hurl their men against the Union army, but on the second day their objective was to get away with as much of their army material as possible. The Union objective on the second day was to drive the Rebels from the Union front, and to capture or destroy as much of their men and material as possible.17 The Federals were able to capture as much artillery as they lost on the first day, and take more prisoners on Monday than the Rebels had gained from them on Sunday. He southerners retreated slowly, making local counter attacks in an unsuccessful attempt to regain the initiative. Beauregard decided to withdraw at 1430 hours on April 6th, as the odds were too great ag

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