10 Interesting Facts about Battle of Shiloh

These following facts about Battle of Shiloh should properly expand your knowledge about this battle. The Battle of Shiloh, or informally known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6-7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and was encamped principally at Pittsburg Land on the west bank of the river. Confederate forces under Generals Albert Sidney Johston and P.G.T. Beauregard launched a surprise attack on Grant there. To get to know more about this battle, here are the other facts about Battle of Shiloh you may consider interesting.

Facts about Battle of Shiloh 1: Bloodiest Battle

The Battle of Shiloh occurred on April 6-7, 1862. It was the bloodiest in U.S. history at the time it was fought. But later that year, names like Second Manassas and Antietam would eclipse it.

Facts about Battle of Shiloh 2: Ulysses S. Grant

General Ulysses S. Grant commander the Federal Army of the Tennessee during this battle. Buell was commander of the Army of Ohio, Sherman commanded one of Grant’s divisions, and Halleck was serving as overall commander in the region.

Facts about Battle of Shiloh 3: General Beauregard

While commanded the Confederate forces, General Albert Sidney Johnston acquired most of his battle plans from General Beauregard. Johnston replaced one of his own plans with Beauregard’s.

Facts about Battle of Shiloh 4: General Sherman

On the morning before the battle, Grant’s division commander, General Sherman,assured him that there was no danger of an enemy attack. Also on the the same day, Hardee’s Confederate corps was no more than two miles from Sherman’s lines.

Facts about Battle of Shiloh 5: Shiloh Church

Shiloh Church is the landmark where the battlefield’s name was derived from. The church itself was long used as a hospital for the thousands of wounded troops.

Facts about Battle of Shiloh 6: Tin Cup

When the Confederate forces smashed through the Union camps, instead of drawing a sword as he led his troops, he used a tin cup. He got the cup from one of the first Union camps overrun in the assault.

Facts about Battle of Shiloh 7: Hornet’s Nest

As the Federal army fell back, they formed and fought bitterly, giving the ground they fought on a particular name. Hornet’s Nest is the current name for that area of intense fighting. Prentiss and most of his division was eventually captured as the Hornet’s Nest was surrounded and overrun, but not before inflicting grievous casualties on the Confederates.

Facts about Battle of Shiloh 8: The Sixth Night

On the night of the 6th, the Army of the Ohio commanded by General Buell arrived to reinforce Grant.Confederate cavalry commander General N.B. Forrest was scouting and wanted to attack Buell’s men in the dark, but no Confederate commander would commit their troops to a night attack.

Facts about Battle of Shiloh 9: Ben Hur

General L. Wallace and his division, a part of Grant’s force not involved in battle on the 6th, also arrived during the night. General Wallace later wrote “Ben Hur”. The “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was written before the war by Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Moby Dick” was written by Herman Melville, and “Journey to the Center of the Earth” by Jules Verne.

Facts about Battle of Shiloh 10: Wounded Hip

During the rearguard action, the commanding general charged the Union line. He got too far ahead and rode alone into the Federal ranks. His hip was wounded point blank. The force of the shot lifted Forrest off the saddle into the air.

Those following facts about the Battle of Shiloh might have expanded you knowledge about this battle. It was proved that this battle, on one side, brought a positive, but on the other side, it led the whole history to the negative one.  Hope you would find this Battle of Shiloh facts interesting and useful.