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Battle of Shiloh

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Battle of Shiloh
On April 6th 1862 The Battle of Shiloh also known as (The Battle of Pittsburgh Landing), broke out between the union, (against slavery) and the Confederacy, (for slavery), in Pittsburgh Tennessee. The Battle of Shiloh went for two days and was the first major battle to take place in the west of America during the civil war. It was said to be “one of the bloodiest battles of its time”, suffering a heavy loss from both sides with more than 23,000 total casualties.
Causes
6 months before the Battle of Shiloh, union troops were working their way up through Tennessee and the Cumberland rivers. At this point the union controlled most of Tennessee, winning battles, (led by the general Ulysse J Grant) at forts Henry and Donelson. These victories forced the Confederates, (led by General Albert Sidney Johnson) to regroup in Corinth, Northern Mississippi.
Meanwhile Union General Grant had a plot to take his 42,000 troops and team up with General Carlos Buell and his 20,000 troops to take over Corinth. A vital railway that if captured, would ensure power over the whole region. Battle
On early April 16th 1862, general Grant’s union army were waiting for Buell’s army to come and join forces, when they were hit with a surprize attack. The confederate general Johnson led an attack on the union preventing them from joining forces. The confederates firstly dominated, destroying the union with the element of surprize, pushing them to Shiloh church. As Buell’s army slowly began to join the Union side, the confederates back to Pittsburgh landing. The bloody produced thousands of casualties on gruesome battlefields now known as the Hornets’ Nest, Peach Orchard and the bloody Pond. Confederate general Johnson death was one of the most significant of the day. He went into the front line and was hit with a bullet in his leg, which severed his artery and he bled to death on the battlefield. General Pierce GT Beauregard took over as confederate leader and halted the attack overnight. As the rest of Buell’s army arrived, the union had a clear number advantage and the Confederate’s were pushed back even further, but not without inflicting major damage. As the second day drew to a close the confederates slowly drew back to Corinth, resulting in a key Union victory.

Aftermath
The victory came at a high cost, out of 62,000 of Grants and Buell’s troops 13,000, were estimated to be wounded, missing or killed and out of 45,000 confederates, there were 10,000 casualties. Together there was over 23,000 casualties, and it awakened the nation to the fact that the civil war was going to be long , with many casualties. It was said that after the battle of Shiloh the South “never smiled again”.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-shiloh http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/shiloh.html http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-shiloh http://www.ducksters.com/history/civil_war/battle_of_shiloh.php https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3daKd7z9mcg Civil War Combat - Battle of Shi
http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-shiloh

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