Johnston in charge of confederate soilders in Kentucky and Tennessee. Johnston with only 50,000 men to meet the union's 110,000 used the stategy of holding key postions and aggresive reconsance to bluff the north.
By Febuary 1862 Johnston's bluff failed starting with the north's first land victory at Mill Springs, Ky. A Northern army under U.S. Grant siezed Fort Henry on the Tennesee river and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland. In less than three weeks Johnston had lost 15,000 men and the rivers were open to northern traffic. Kentucky and Nashville were abodoned as Johnston's men retreated into northern Mississippi. At Corinth, Miss. Beauregard, relieved in Virginia over diffrences of opioin, organized nearly 15,000 conferates to reinforce Johnston. The dilema that faced the southern generals was that Tennesee had been invaded by two armies numbering 45,000 each. Grant's army was camped along the Tennesee river waiting for D.C. Buell's army. When the two met the confedrates would be overwhelmed, so Johnston decided to attack Grant before the merger. The march was slow but on April 6th the rebels attacked without being detected. The battle of Shiloh was fierce and confusing, with officers often commanding units that weren't their's. Johnston died of wounds and Beauregard took command. Despite early sucess Grant was reinforced by some of Buell's men and won the second day's fight. Shiloh was a bitter victory for the north; Halleck assumed personal command of the army and instead of attacking the depleted southerns he stalled. Shiloh became an excuse for northern generals to be cautious while both sides became depressed at the losses: 23,000 total, more than the number of causlties in all other prevouis American wars. Such losses made Davis begin a draft. Although opposed by many states it helped raise more soliders. Lincoln would also follow suit in 1863.
There was more bad news for the south; a confedrate army was beaten in northern Arkansas and forced to retreat, the invason of New Mexico had failed and by June the Union had sunk most the Mississippi river fleet and taken Memphis.