today we're looking at the battle of shiloh
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resources that go with many of the bellringer videos in early 1862 things were not going well
for the union they were suffering setbacks and not making much progress in the eastern theater
of the war pushing towards richmond meanwhile in the western theater the union had found success
thanks to a relatively unknown commander who was leading troops to victory ulysses grant had
started the war really unknown he was working in his father-in-law's leather shop in galena
illinois but he did have a west point education so he enlisted first as a colonel but was quickly
promoted to a general and took command of what became known as the army of the tennessee in
february 1862 grant captured strategic positions along the cumberland river and tennessee river at
fort henry and fort donaldson gaining the nickname unconditional surrender grant in the process this
now opened tennessee to union invasion and made way for union troops to push deeper into the south
grant and his army now set their sights on a new target the confederate railroad hub in corinth
mississippi where two major railroads crossed and capturing it would significantly hurt the
confederate's ability to move war materials and their entire war effort by early 1862 grant and
his army of tennessee numbering approximately 40 000 camped on the banks of the tennessee
river awaiting reinforcements they camped about 20 miles north of corinth near a small church
called shiloh which ironically is a hebrew word meaning place of peace confederate general albert
sydney johnston the overall commander of the western department for the confederacy realized
grant was moving towards corinth and decided to launch a surprise attack on the union camp
to stop them before 6 a.m on the morning of april 6 1862 johnston and the confederate
force numbering near 45 000 launched their attack here at the south end of the battlefield at fraley
field the battle began and quickly sleeping union troops in the camp were awoken by confederates
storming the camp many charging confederates stopped and began eating breakfast that some
of the union troops had started to prepare the union troops slowly organized and began attempting
to hold their ground but the confederates kept coming on pushing the northern troops
towards the tennessee river all appeared to be lost for the union army except for one small area
in the center of the battlefield soldiers from iowa and illinois had been ordered to hold this
position at all costs while other union fruits organized this area of the battlefield became
known as the hornet's nest as confederates charged again and again and again at the troops here but
could not break through the confederate commander albert sidney johnston led the final charge at the
hornet's nest and was shot down and killed he was the highest ranking commander on either side of
the war to be killed in battle the hornet's nest was eventually captured by the confederates but it
had slowed their advance long enough for grant to reorganize his army with johnston now dead
commander of the confederates passed a pgt borough guard and if you recall he was the commander who
had ordered the first shot at fort sumner on the evening of april 6 beauregard sent a telegram to
confederate president jefferson davis informing him that the union troops were on the run and he
would have full victory the following day however beauregard was unaware that union reinforcements
the army of the ohio under general don carlos buell were on their way and arrived here at
pittsburgh landing on steamboats to reinforce grant's army by the next morning of april 7th
grant had more troops and began his counter-attack on the confederates with new fresh troops the
union charged into the confederate lines one confederate was noted as saying the union troops
were like mushrooms popping out of the ground as the day before they had virtually destroyed them
but now they were they had seemingly multiplied confederates were pushed back over ground they
had just gained the day before in battle borgard and confederates could not withstand this new
onslaught and by the late afternoon of april 7th the confederates retreated from the field
in total there were around 65 000 union troops involved once reinforcements arrived and about
45 000 confederates in the battle that is a battle with over 110 000 troops fighting so an absolutely
massive engagement although this was a major victory for the union it came with a terrible cost
for the union there were over 13 000 casualties killed wounded or missing for the confederates
nearly 11 000 for a total of 24 000 casualties at the time this was the bloodiest battle in american
history compare that to the first battle of bull run with barely 5 000 casualties this battle truly
shocked the nation in late may of 1862 corinth mississippi would fall to the union forces
so the overall outcomes of shiloh the confederacy lost their key western railroad hub they also lost
a key leader in albert sydney johnston and ulysses s grant now became a far more prominent commander
and would continue to prove his value to the union in the coming years as he pushed to take control
of the mississippi river so with that hopefully you learned something and thanks for watching