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View the animated war map for information on the battles of the Civil War by. The Civil War Trust

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Bloodiest Single Day Battle

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Battle of Antietam page - battle maps, history articles, photos, and preservation news on this important 1862 Civil War battle in Maryland.

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turning point battle

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Battle of Gettysburg Facts & Summary | Civil War Trust

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The Battle of Gettysburg page includes battle maps, history articles, historical facts, expert videos, web links, and more on this 1863 Civil War battle in Pennsylvania.

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Clash of the Ironclads | Civil War Trust

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The USS Monitor and CSS Virginia were not the world's first ironclad ships, but their epic clash at Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, marked a major turning point in naval warfare.

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Union Victoy and part of the Aaconda Plan

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Our Battle of Vicksburg page includes history articles, battle maps, photos, helpful web links, recommended books, and more on this important 1863 Civil War battle in Mississippi. Learn more about Grant's victorius Vicksburg campaign.

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Before the Battle

To consolidate his forces and prepare for operations against Grant, Johnston marshals his forces at Corinth. The Confederate retreat is welcomed by Grant, whose Army of the Tennessee needs time to prepare for its own offensive up the Tennessee River. Grant's army camps at Pittsburg Landing, where it spends time drilling recruits and awaiting Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell 's Army of Ohio. Grant is ordered not to engage the Confederates until he has been reinforced by Buell's army, which is marching overland from Nashville to meet him. Once combined, the two armies will advance south on Corinth.

Anticipating a Federal move against Corinth, Johnston and his 44,000-man Army of Mississippi plan to smash Grant's army at Pittsburg Landing before Buell can arrive with more Union troops. On April 3, Johnston places his troops in motion, but heavy rains delay his attack. By nightfall on April 5, his army is deployed for battle only four miles southwest of Pittsburg Landing, and pickets from both sides nervously exchange gunfire in the dense woods that evening.

During the Battle

April 6. At daybreak three corps of Confederate infantry storm out of the woods and sweep into the southernmost Federal camps, catching Grant's men unprepared. Intense fighting centers around Shiloh Church as the Confederates sweep the Union line from that area. Despite heavy fire on their position, Union troops counterattack but slowly lose ground and fall back northeast toward Pittsburg Landing. Throughout the morning, Confederate brigades force Grant's troops into defensive positions at Shiloh Church, the Peach Orchard, Water Oaks Pond, and a treacherous thicket of oaks posthumously named the Hornets' Nest by fortunate survivors. That afternoon, while leading an attack on the left end of the Union's Hornets' Nest line, Johnston is shot in the right knee. The bullet severs an artery and the commander bleeds to death. Gen. Pierre G. T. Beauregard is appointed the new Confederate commander. Believing his army victorious, Beauregard calls a halt to the attacks as darkness approaches. He is unaware that overnight Buell arrives with reinforcements for Grant. The Union army how has nearly 54,000 men near Pittsburgh Landing and outnumbers Beauregard's army of around 30,000.

April 7. Grant's army launches their attack at 6:00 a.m. Beauregard immediately orders a counterattack. The Confederates are ultimately compelled to fall back and regroup all along their line. Beauregard orders a second counterattack, which halts the Federals' advance but ultimately ends in a stalemate. The timberclads USS Tyler and USS Lexington provides naval artillery support to Grant's left flank from the Tennessee River. About 3:00 p.m., Beauregard realizes he is outnumbered and, having already suffered tremendous casualties, retreats toward Corinth.

Aftermath

On April 8, Grant dispatches Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman and Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Wood to ascertain the Confederates' position. At Fallen Timbers, six miles south of the battlefield, they encounter Rebel cavalry under Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest charges into the Federals ahead of his own troops and is shot by Federal infantry at point-blank range. Although he will later require difficult surgery to remove the life-threatening bullet, Forrest's reckless aggression pays off. Federal forces flee in the direction of Pittsburg Landing, allowing the Confederates to escape.

The loss of life on both sides at Shiloh-which, ironically, means place of peace in Hebrew-was staggering. But there were other sad consequences of the battle as well. Johnston's death was a damaging blow to Confederate morale, particularly for President Jefferson Davis, who held Johnston high in personal and professional esteem. After the war, Davis wrote, "When Sidney Johnston fell, it was the turning point of our fate; for we had no other hand to take up his work in the West."

Grant, though victorious, was vilified in the press after being caught unprepared at Pittsburg Landing on April 6. Critics called for him to be dismissed, but Abraham Lincoln defended his general , declaring "I can't spare this man, he fights." Corinth fell to the Union by the end of May, allowing Grant to focus on gaining control of the Mississippi River.

Shiloh: Featured Resources

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Before the Battle To consolidate his forces and prepare for operations against Grant, Johnston marshals his forces at Corinth. The Confederate retreat is welcomed by Grant, whose Army of the Tennessee needs time to prepare for its own offensive up the Tennessee River.

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On July 16, 1861, the new Union volunteer army under Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell marched from Washington DC toward the Confederate army under Gen. Pierre G. T. Beauregard, drawn up behind Bull Run creek west of Centreville.

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The election of Abraham Lincoln in November, 1860 brought to a head the issue of slavery in the United States. Seven southern states seceeded from the Union rather than continue negotiation and compromise with a government they felt would be hostile to their rights as states.