"Battle of Shiloh: Shattering Myths" Topic

"The Battle of Shiloh, which took place on April 6-7, 1862, is one of the Civil War's most momentous fights, but perhaps one of the least understood. The standard story of the engagement reads that Union troops were surprised in their camps at dawn on April 6. Defeat seemed certain, but Union Brigadier General Benjamin M. Prentiss saved the day by holding a sunken road some 3 feet deep. Thanks to the tenacious fighting in that area, it came to be known as the Hornet's Nest.

Prentiss eventually capitulated, leaving Rebel commander General Albert Sidney Johnston in a position to drive on to victory. General Johnston, however, was soon mortally wounded and replaced by General P.G.T. Beauregard, which cost the Confederates vital momentum. Beauregard made the inept decision to call off the Confederate attacks, and the next day Union counterattacks dealt Rebel hopes a crushing blow…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Sounds like an interesting book!

I suppose some of those old legends are still floating around somewhere, but most, probably all, of them have been debunked a long time ago.

Glad you like it my friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

I focus on the 7YW and the Napoleonic War in the Peninsula. and am no student of the ACW. However:

Many years ago – it may have been reading Bruce Catton – I became convinced that the New York Times was a true "rag," a worthless piece of garbage, for…

When the NYT correspondent arrive at Pittsburgh Landing, he found hundreds/thousands of Union skulkers hiding against the bank of the river where the boats unloaded troops. Many told them the were attacked while still asleep, many friends bayoneted as they slept, etc. (to cover their own first-battle panic).

Also, for such a competent general, I do NOT understand how Johnston could have organized the attack with one command after the other spread all across the Confederate line! He graduated from the USMA in 1826, 8th out of 41, and I believe even then they knew of the Napoleonic Corps organization of battalions/regiments upward into brigades; brigades into Divisions, Divisions into Corps and corps into Armies.

The French, where they could, sent forces forward into battle with each Division on a narrow, perhaps one-brigade front, with other brigades of the division deployed behind them in depth.

A Jonston division should have gone forward with one brigade front, followed by the next brigade of the division, etc. Deploy in depth, feed reinforcements into the first line from the same division with the same General de Division (French).

In this attack, the separate divisions became inter-mingled, unable to keep forward momentum in a unified manner. Major cause of the ultimate defeat – even before the battle started.

GdeP

Not to burst any bubbles, but the so called sunken road at the Hornet's Nest was hardly a sunken road at all. Per the Park Rangers, the road has not changed since the battle in terms of depth – 6 inches at most. What Prentiss' men did have was thick cover with the Confederates coming across open fields. That, and a whole lot of guts and determination.

Jeff Davis said, in effect, "If Sidney Johnston isn't a general, I don't know who is." Truer words were never spoken -- than the latter phrase.

"Not to burst any bubbles, but the so called sunken road at the Hornet's Nest was hardly a sunken road at all."

No bubbles to burst here at all. If you had bothered to read the article you might have seen that they debunk that myth at length…

Brilliant article thanks Tango!

I went to the Shiloh battlefield for the 150th Anniversary. My friends and I walked all of it and it was a great experience. What made it even more special were all of the candles that were being laid out to mark casualties roughly where they occurred. It was both sobering and poignant to see the trailers and carrying devices full of candles – and there were of course already many across the Hornet's Nest battleground. Bloody Pond was still with its reddish look to it and it too, was surrounded by candles. The church was another large collection point. I loved seeing the reenactors walk around in uniform and it helped add an air to the whole scene. VERY glad we went!
Larry

A votre service mon ami!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

It is the micro terrain that gets you every time be it those 6 inches, the reverse slope Jacksons brigade at 1st Bull Run stood behind or the small terrain that had the Guard at Waterloo diverge or the sandy beaches of Dunkirk that some say the Panzers wouldnt negotiate
Yet most gamers dont get it and in omitting this make the history more distorted