Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862 [Paperback]

A MAIN SELECTION OF THE HISTORY BOOK CLUBThe bloody and decisive two-day battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862) changed the entire course of the American Civil War. The stunning Northern victory thrust Union commander Ulysses S. Grant into the national spotlight, claimed the life of Confederate commander Albert S. Johnston, and forever buried the notion that the Civil War would be a short conflict.The conflagration at Shiloh had its roots in the strong Union advance during the winter of 1861-1862 that resulted in the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee. The offensive collapsed General Albert S. Johnstons advanced line in Kentucky and forced him to withdraw all the way to northern Mississippi. Anxious to attack the enemy, Johnston began concentrating Southern forces at Corinth, a major railroad center just below the Tennessee border. His bold plan called for his Army of the Mississippi to march north and destroy General Grants Army of the Tennessee before it could link up with another Union army on the way to join him.On the morning of April 6, Johnston boasted to his subordinates, Tonight we will water our horses in the Tennessee! They nearly did so. Johnstons sweeping attack hit the unsuspecting Federal camps at Pittsburg Landing and routed the enemy from position after position as they fell back toward the Tennessee River. Johnstons sudden death in the Peach Orchard, however, coupled with stubborn Federal resistance, widespread confusion, and Grants dogged determination to hold the field, saved the Union army from destruction. The arrival of General Don C. Buells reinforcements that night turned the tide of battle. The next day, Grant seized the initiative and attacked the Confederates, driving them from the field. Shiloh was one of the bloodiest battles of the entire war, with nearly 24,000 men killed, wounded, and missing.Edward Cunningham, a young Ph.D. candidate studying under the legendary T. Harry Williams at Louisiana State University, reselóå