Military Power

On the morning of April 6, 1862, the sun rose over the Union encampment at Pittsburg Landing. Neither Ulysses S. Grant, the Union commander, nor Albert S. Johnston, the Confederate commander, could possibly know what this day would hold. It would bring advances in military tactics. It would bring innovations in the medical field. It would change all preconceived notions that the Civil War would be short-lived. For Johnston and thousands of other brave soldiers on the Union and Confederate sides, it would bring death.

Once the attack started, there was mass confusion on both sides. Most of the boys had never been in battle before, and did not know there orders. "It was a murderous fist fight."

The Rebels rolled over one Union position after another. Then, amongst the confusion along a sunken road, the federals finally established and held a line that stopped the southern advance. The division consisted of Illinois and Iowa farm boys mostly, under the command of General Prentiss. Grant's orders were to "Hold the sunken road at all costs." Prentiss greatly understood the seriousness of Grant's orders. Bullets buzzed through the saplings around the area, and it appeared and sounded like a hornet's nest. The Confederate infantry launched eleven attacks on the Hornet's nest. The Union line wavered and bent, but would not break. The Confederate artillery lined up sixty-two cannons at point blank range and fired on the sunken road, the largest number of cannons ever used at that time in a war effort. Under protection of the cannons the Rebel troops were able to move in and take the sunken road. The Union troops were forced to surrender. They had fought well holding the Confederates for six hours. For years to come Union veterans were proud to say, " I fought with Prentiss at the Hornet's Nest."

A farm pond near the peach orchard was covered with soldiers from both armies. Many men went to bathe their wounds and drink from the water. For many it was their last drink The water was stained red with blood. It is now known as the Bloody Pond.

Meanwhile, Johnston's flanking attack stalled in front of Sarah Bell's peach orchard. Grant's left flank withstood Confederate assaults for seven crucial hours before being forced to yield ground in the late afternoon. Despite inflicting heavy casualties and seizing ground, the Confederates only drove Grant towards the river, instead of away from it. The Federal survivors established a solid front before Pittsburg Landing and repulsed the last Confederate charge as dusk ended the first day of fighting.

On the night of April 6, the long-awaited arrival of Don Carlos Buell's reinforcements arrived. Through the cover of gunboat fire, his troops came in on steamboats. The gun boats fired on fifteen minute intervals, allowing Buell's forces to come aground, and robbing the Confederates of their greatly needed rest. That morning the Confederates were pushed back on the ground that they had fought so hard to win the day before. With the fresh troops, the weary Rebels had little chance to win a complete victory. The Southerners were forced to march back to Corinth. The final number of dead or missing was 13,000 on the Union side and 10,500 on the Confederate side.

Grant and his men had been rid of their over-confidence by the battle of Shiloh. They now knew that hopes for and easy victory over the south were ill-founded. Grant knew then that this war was going to be, in the words of a Union Soldier, "A very bloody affair."

Shiloh is a very sobering place. I've been there many times and it still gets to me every time.

[align=center]G.O.C.: General Albert Sidney Johnston[/align]

[align=center]1 CORPS[/align]
[align=center]Major-General Leonidas Polk[/align]
First Division (Brigadier-General Charles Clark)
brigades of Brigadier Generals' Charles Russell and Alexander P.Stewart
Second Division ( Major-General B.F. Cheatham)
brigades of Brigadier General Bushrod R.Johnson and Colonel William H.Stephens

[align=center]II CORPS
Major-General Baxton Bragg[/align]

First Division (Brigadier-General Daniel Ruggles)
brigades of Colonel Randall L. Gibson, Brigadier General Patton Anderson and Colonel Preston Pond, Jr.
Second Division (Brigadier-General Jones M. Withers)
brigades of Brigadier Generals' Adley H. Gladden, James R. Chalmers and John K. Jackson

[align=center]III CORPS
Major-General William J. Hardee[/align]

brigades of Brigadier-Generals' T.C.Hindman (wounded at 11.00 am-Command being assumed by Colonel R.G. Shaver), Patrick R. Cleburne and Sterling A.M.Wood

[align=center]RESERVE CORPS
Brigadier-General John C. Breckinridge[/align]

brigades of Colonel Robert P. Trabue, Brigadier General John S. Bowen and Colonel Winfield S. Statham

Strengths

I Corps: 9,136
II Corps: 13,589
III Corps: 6.789
Reserve Corps: 6,439
Cavalry: 4,382
Artillery: 18 batteries (108 guns)

Casualties

Killed: 1,728
Wounded: 8,012
Captured or Missing: 959

That is just the Confederate side to this battle.

As far as casualties go:

Confederate:
10,699 Total
1,728 killed
8,012 wounded
959 captured/missing

Union:
13,047 Total
1,754 killed
8,408 wounded
2,885 captured/missing

Totals:
23,746 Total
3,482 killed
16,420 wounded
3,844 captured/missing


Among those killed:
Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston (Confederate)
Brig. Gen. W.H.L. Wallace (Union)

Among those taken Prisoner:
Brig. Gen. Benjamin Prentiss (Union)

Goliath wrote:Among those killed:
Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston (Confederate)

Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston was the Confederate army's commander (Confederate equivilent of Gen. Grant).


As for the casualties suffered...
This total (from 2 days) of 23,746 men represented more than the American battle-related casualties of the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Mexican-American War combined.

Ironically enough, Shiloh is Hebrew for "Place of Peace"

GOC: Major-General Ulysses S. Grant

First Division (Major-General John A. McClernand
brigades of Colonels' A. M. Hare, C.C.Marsh and Julius Raith

Second Division (Brigadier-General W.H.L. Wallace)
brigades of Colonel James M.Tuttle, Brigadier General John McArthur and Colonel T. W.Sweeny

Third Division (Major-General Lew Wallace)
brigades of Colonels' L. Morgan L.Smith, John M. Thayer and Charles Whittlesey

Fourth Division (Brigadier-General Stephen A. Hurlbut)
brigades of Colonel N. G.Williams, Colonel James C.Veatch and Brigadier General J. G.Lauman

Fifth Division (Brigadier-General William T. Sherman)
brigades of Colonels' J. A. McDowell, David Stuart, J. Hildebrand and R.P. Buckland

Sixth Division (Brigadier-General Benjamin A Prentiss)
brigades of Colonels' Everett Peabody and Madison Miller

Present for Duty Strength: 48,894
Artillery: 134 Guns

GOC: Major-General Don Carlos Buell

Second Division (Brigadier-General Alexander McD. McCook)
brigades of Brigadier General L. H. Rousseau, Colonels' E. N.Kirk and W. H. Gibson

Fourth Division (Brigadier-General William "Bull" Nelson)
brigades of Colonels' Jacob Ammen, William B. Hazen and S. D. Bruce

Fifth Division (Brigadier-General Thomas L. Crittenden)
brigades of Brigadier General J. T. Boyle and Colonel W.S.Smith

Sixth Division (Brigadier-General Thomas J. Wood)
brigades of Brigadier General J. A.Garfield and Colonel G. D. Wagner

Strength: 17,918
Artillery: 36 Guns

What is revealing about the senior Union Generals at Shiloh, is just how few of them were 'West Pointers'. In the Army of the Tennessee, only Grant and Sherman had attended the Academy (and both owed their position to influential patrons in the Senate), and in the Army of the Ohio , only Buell, McCook and Wood had attended the academy.

Nearly all of the others were 'Political-Generals' (mostly with none , or limited military experience) appointed directly by Lincoln to nurture Northern Democrats support for the War.

W.H.L. Wallace had come up through the ranks and likely held his rank from being married to the daughter of one of Lincoln's friends. "Bull" Nelson had actually trained and served in the Navy.

1. General Grant was not present on the battlefield when the engagement commenced. He was nine miles away downriver at Army Headquarters in Savannah. He would not arrive at Pittsburg Landings by boat until 9.00 am (by which time the battle had been raging for three hours).

2. Also absent on the first day was the Division of Lew Wallace. Hastily summoned to the scene of fighting, Wallace's men, who were just five miles to the north, would take all day to reach the battle, having taken a wrong path on the way. They would however, provide fresh numbers (with Buell's Army) for the Union counter-attack on the second day. In 1880 Lew Wallace would be the author of the famous epic novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

3. The Confederate cavalry of Lt. Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest's scouts spent the night watching Buell's Army cross over the river. Unfortunately Forrest was unable to make contact with Beauregard to warn him of the approach of the Union reinforcements. Forrest would be wounded as he covered the retirement of Beauregard's army in an engagement that discouraged the pursuit by two of Sherman's tired Brigades .

4. Sherman was twice lightly wounded and had three horses shot from under him on the first day but stayed on the field. This would quench some of the rumours being published in the press that he was insane .

5. Johnston's death, at 2.30 pm, was caused by a bullet wound in the leg that severed an artery, causing him to bleed to death within minutes. Command of the Confederate Army would be taken over by General Beauregard for the remainder of the battle.

6. Samuel Brown Todd, a half brother of Mary Lincoln (wife of Abraham), was killed on the second day, fighting for the Confederate Army.

Russell's Brigade :

11th Lousiana - Colonel Samuel F. Marks
12th Tennessee - Lieutenant Colonel Tyree H. Bell
13th Tennessee - Alfred J. Vaughan, Jr.
22nd Tennessee - Colonel Thomas J. Freeman
Bankhead's Tennessee Battery - Captain Smith P. Bankhead

Stewart's Brigade:

13th Arkansas - Lieutenant Colonel A.D. Grayson
4th Tennessee - Colonel Rufus P. Neely
5th Tennessee - Lieutenant Colonel Calvin D. Venable
33rd Tennessee - Colonel Alexander W. Campbell
Stanford's Mississippi Battery - Captain Thomas J. Stanford

Johnson's Brigade:

Blythe's Mississippi Infantry - Colonel A.K. Blythe
2nd Tennessee - Colonel J. Knox Walker
15th Tennessee - Lieutenant Colonel Robert C. Tyler
154th Tennessee (senior) - Colonel Preston Smith
Polk's Tennessee Battery - Captain Marshall T. Polk

Stephens' Brigade:

7th Kentucky - Colonel Charles Wickliffe
1st Tennessee Battalion - Colonel George Maney
6th Tennessee - Lieutenant Colonel Timothy B. Jones
9th Tennessee - Colonel Henry L. Douglas
Smith's Mississippi Battery - Captain Melancthon Smith

Gibson's Brigade:

1st Arkansas - Colonel James F. Fagan
4th Louisiana - Colonel Henry W. Allen
13th Louisiana - Major Anatole P. Avegno
19th Louisiana - Colonel Benjamin L. Hodge
Bain's Mississippi Battery - Captain S.C. Bain

Anderson's Brigade:

1st Florida Battalion - Major Thaddeus A. McDonnell
17th Louisiana - Lieutenant Colonel Charles Jones
20th Louisiana - Colonel August Reichard
Confederate Guards Response Battalion - Major Frank H. Clack
9th Texas Infantry - Colonel Wright A. Stanley
Washington (Louisiana) Artillery, 5th Company - Captain W. Irving Hodgson

Pond's Brigade

16th Louisiana - Major Daniel Gober
18th Louisiana - Colonel Alfred Mouton
Crescent (Louisiana) Regiment - Colonel Marshall J. Smith
Orleans Guard (Louisiana) Battalion - Major Leon Querouze
38th Tennessee - Colonel Robert F. Looney
Ketchum's Alabama Battery - Captain William H. Ketchum

Hindman's Brigade:

2nd Arkansas - Colonel Daniel C. Govan
6th Arkansas - Colonel Alexander T. Hawthorn
7th Arkansas - Lieutenant Colonel John M. Dean
3rd Confederate - Colonel John S. Marmaduke
Swett's Mississippi Battery - Captain Charles Swett
Miller's Tennessee Battery - Captain William Miller

Cleburne's Brigade:

15th Arkansas - Lieutenant Colonel Archibald K. Patton
6th Mississippi - Colonel John J. Thornton
2nd Tennessee - Colonel William B. Bate
5th (35th) Tennessee - Colonel Benjamin J. Hill
23rd Tennessee - Lieutenant Colonel James F. Neill
24th Tennessee - Lieutenant Colonel Thomas H. Peebles
Shoup's Batalion Arkansas Artillery - Major Francis A. Shoup
Trigg's Arkansas Battery - Captain John T. Trigg
Calvert's Arkansas Battery - Captain J.H. Calvert
Hubbard's Arkansas Battery - Captain George T. Hubbard

Wood's Brigade:

16th Alabama - Colonel John W. Harris
8th Arkansas - Colonel William K. Patterson
9th (14th) Arkansas Battalion - Major John H. Kelley
3rd Mississippi Battalion - Major Aaron B. Hardcastle
27th Tennessee - Colonel Christopher H. Williams
44th Tennessee - Colonel Coleman A. McDaniel
55th Tennessee - Colonel James L. McKoin
Harper's Mississippi Battery - Captain William L. Harper
Avery's Georgia Dragoons - Captain Isaac W. Avery

Trabue's Brigade:

Clifton's 4th Alabama Battalion - Major James M. Clifton
31st Alabama - Lieutenant Colonel Montgomery Gilbreath
3rd Kentucky - Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Anderson
4th Kentucky - Lieutenant Colonel Andrew R. Hynes
5th Kentucky - Colonel Thomas H. Hunt
6th Kentucky - Colonel Joseph H. Lewis
Crews' Tennessee Infantry Battalion - Colonel James M. Crews
Cobb's Kentucky Battery - Captain Robert Cobb
Byrne's Mississippi (Kentucky) Battery - Captain Edward P. Byrne
Morgan's Squadron Kentucky Cavalry - Captain John H. Morgan

Bowen's Brigade:

9th Arkansas - Colonel Isaac L. Dunlop
10th Arkansas - Colonel Thomas D. Merrick
2nd Confederate - Colonel John D. Martin
1st Missouri - Colonel Lucius L. Rich
Hudson's Mississippi Battery - Captain Alfred Hudson
Watson Louisiana Battery - Captain Allen A. Burlsey
Thompson's Company Kentucky Cavalry - Captain Phil B. Thompson


Statham's Brigade:

15th Mississippi - Major William F. Brantley
22nd Mississippi - Colonel Frank Schaller
19th Tennessee - Colonel David H. Cummings
20th Tennessee - Colonel Joel A. Battle
28th Tennessee - Colonel John P. Murray
45th Tennessee - Lieutenant Colonel Ephraim F. Lytle
Rutledge's Tennessee Battery - Captain Arthur M. Rutledge

I Corps Cavalry:

1st Mississippi Cavalry - Colonel Andrew J. Lindsay
Mississippi and Alabama Battalion Cavalry - Lieutenant Colonel Richard H. Brewer

Unattached (I Corps):

47th Tennessee - Colonel Munson R. Hill

Hare's Brigade

8th Illinois Infantry - Capt. James M. Ashmore
18th Illinois Infantry-Major Samuel Eaton
11th Iowa Infantry-Lieut. Col. William Hall
13th Iowa Infantry-Colonel Marcellus M. Crocker
Battery D, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery-Capt. James P. Timony


Marsh's Brigade:

11th Illinois Infantry-Lieut. Col. Thomas E. G. Ransom
20th Illinois Infantry-Lieut. Col. Evan Richards
45th Illinois Infantry-Lieut. Col. Adolph Endelmann
48th Illinois Infantry-Colonel Isham N, Hayniea

Raith's Brigade:

17th Illinois Infantry-Lieut. Col. Enos P. Wood
29th Illinois Infantry-Lieut. Col. Charles M. Ferrell
43rd Illinois Infantry-Lieut. Col. Adolph Endelmann
49th Illinois Infantry-Lieut. Col. Phineas Pease
Carmichael's Illinois Cavalry (B Coy Stewart's Independent Cavalry Battalion)-Capt. Eagleton Carmichael

Ist Division unbrigaded:

Stewart's Illinois Cavalry (A Coy Stewart's Independent Cavalry Battalion)-Lieut. Ezra King
Battery D, 1st Illinois Light Artillery -Capt. Edward McAllister
Battery E, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery -Lieut. George L. Nispel
1st Battalion, 4th Illinois Light Cavalry- Lieut. Col. William McCullough
14th Ohio Battery-Capt. Jerome B. Burrows

Tuttles's Brigade:

2nd Iowa Infantry-Lt. Col. James Baker
7th Iowa Infantry-Lt. Col. James C. Parrott
12th Iowa Infantry-Colonel Joseph J. Woods
14th Iowa Infantry-Colonel William T. Shaw

McArthur's Brigade:

9th Illinois Infantry-Colonel Augustus Mersy
12th Illinois Infantry-Lieut. Col. Augustus L. Chetlain
81st Ohio Infantry-Colonel Thomas Morton
13th Missouri Infantry-Colonel Crafts J. Wright
Birge's Sharpshooters (14th Missouri)-Colonel B. S. Compton

Sweeny's Brigade:

8th Iowa Infantry-Col. James L. Geddes
7th Illinois Infantry-Maj. Richard Rowett
50th Illinois Infantry-Colonel Moses M. Bane
52nd Illinois Infantry-Maj. Henry Stark
57th Illinois Infantry-Colonel Silas D. Baldwin
58th Illinois Infantry-Colonel William F. Lynch

2nd Division Unbrigaded:

Company C, 2nd U. S. Cavalry-Lieut. James Powell
Company I, 4th U. S. Cavalry- Lieut. James Powell
Company A 2nd Illinois Cavalry-Capt. John R. Hotaling
Company B, 2nd Illinois Cavalry-Capt. Thomas J. Larison
Battery A, 1st Illinois Light Artillery -Lieut. Peter P. Wood
Battery D, 1st Missouri Light Artillery-Capt. Henry Richardson
Battery H, 1st Battery Light Artillery-Capt. Frederick Welker
Battery K, 1st Missouri Light Artillery-Capt. George H. Stone

Smith's Brigade:

8th Missouri Infantry-Lieut. Col. James Peckham
11th Indiana Infantry-Colonel George F. McGinnis
24th Indiana Infantry-Colonel Alvin P. Hovey

Thayer's Brigade:

1st Nebraska Infantry-Lieut. Col. William D. McCord
23rd Indiana Infantry-Colonel William L. Sanderson
58th Ohio Infantry-Colonel Valentine Bausenwei
68th Ohio Infantry (not engaged, remained at Crump's Landing)-Colonel Samuel H. Steadman


Whittlesey's Brigade:

20th Ohio Infantry-Lieut. Col. Manning F. Force
56th Ohio Infantry (not engaged, remained at Crump's Landing)-Colonel Peter Kinney
76th Ohio Infantry-Colonel Charles R. Woods
78th Ohio Infantry-Colonel Mortimer D. Leggett

3rd Division Unbrigaded:

Battery I, 1st Missouri Light Artillery-Lieut. Charles H. Thurber
9th Indiana Battery-Lieut. George R. Brown
Third Battalion 5th Ohio Cavalry (not engaged, remained at Crump's Landing) - Maj. Charles S. Hayes
Third Battalion 11th Illinois Cavalry (not engaged, remained at Crump's Landing)- Maj. James F. Johnson

Williams' Brigade:

3rd Iowa Infantry-Major William M. Stone
28th Illinois Infantry-Colonel Amory K. Johnson
32nd Illinois Infantry-Colonel John Logan
41st Illinois Infantry-Colonel Isaac C. Pugh


Veach's Brigade:

25th Indiana Infantry-Lieut. Col. William H. Morgan
14th Illinois Infantry-Col. Cyrus Hall
15th Illinois Infantry-Lieut. Col. Edward F. W. Ellis
46th Illinois Infantry-Col. John A. Davis

Lauman's Brigade:

31st Indiana Infantry-Col. Charles Cruft
44th Indiana Infantry-Col. Hugh B. Reed
17th Kentucky Infantry-Col. John H. McHenry, jr.

25th Kentucky Infantry-Lieut. Col. Benjamin H. Bristow

4th Division Unbrigaded

First Battalion 5th Ohio Cavalry-Col. William H. H. Taylor
Second Battalion 5th Ohio Cavalry-Col. William H. H. Taylor
13th Ohio Battery-Capt. John B. Myers
Mann's Battery, Missouri Light Artillery-Lieut. Edward Brotzmann
2nd Michigan Battery-Lieut. Cuthbert W. Laing

McDowell's Brigade:

6th Iowa Infantry-Capt. John Williams
46th Ohio Infantry-Col. Thomas Worthington
40th Illinois Infantry-Col. Stephan G. Hicks
6th Indiana Battery-Capt. Frederick Behr

Stuart's Brigade:

55th Illinois Infantry-Lieut. Col. Oscar Malmborg
54th Ohio Infantry-Col. T. Kilby Smith
71st Ohio Infantry-Col. Rodney Mason


Hildebrand's Brigade:

55th Illinois Infantry
54th Ohio Infantry
71st Ohio Infantry


Buckland's Brigade:

48th Ohio Infantry
70th Ohio Infantry
72nd Ohio Infantry

5th Division Unbrigaded:

First Battalion 4th Illinois Cavalry
Second Battalion 4th Illinois Cavalry
Battery B, 1st Illinois Light Artillery
Battery E, 1st Illinois Light Artillery

Peabody's Brigade:

21st Missouri Infantry
25th Missouri Infantry
16th Wisconsin Infantry
12th Michigan Infantry

Miller's Brigade:

18th Missouri Infantry
61st Illinois Infantry
16th Iowa Infantry

6th Division Unbrigaded

11th Illinois Cavalry (8 companies)
5th Ohio Battery
1st Minnesota Battery
18th Wisconsin Infantry
23rd Missouri Infantry
15th Iowa Infantry

Unassigned Troops:

15th Michigan Infantry
14th Wisconsin Infantry
8th Ohio Battery
Battery H, 1st Illinois Light Artillery
Battery L, 1st Illinois Light Artillery
Battery B, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery
Battery F, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery

Rousseau's 4th Brigade:

First Battalion, 15th United States Infantry -Capt. Peter T. Swain
First Battalion, 16th United States Infantry
First Battalion, 19th United States Infantry
1st Ohio Infantry
6th Indiana Infantry
5th Kentucky Infantry

Kirk's 5th Brigade:

77th Pennsylvania Infantry
19th Indiana Infantry
30th Indiana Infantry
34th Illinois Infantry

Gibson's 6th Brigade

15th Ohio Infantry
49th Ohio Infantry
32nd Indiana Infantry
39th Indiana

Ammen's 10th Brigade:
6th Ohio Infantry
24th Ohio Infantry
36th Indiana Infantry

Hazen's 19th Brigade:

6th Kentucky Infantry
9th Indiana Infantry
41st Ohio Infantry

Bruce's 22nd Brigade:

1st Kentucky Infantry
2nd Kentucky Infantry
20th Kentucky Infantry

Boyle's 11th Brigade:

19th Ohio Infantry
59th Ohio Infantry
9th Kentucky Infantry
13th Kentucky Infantry

Smith's 14th Brigade:

19th Ohio Infantry
59th Ohio Infantry
9th Kentucky Infantry
13th Kentucky Infantry

5th Division Unbrigaded:

3rd Kentucky Cavalry (not engaged)
Battery B, 1st Ohio Light Artillery
Battery H, 4th United States Artillery
Battery M, 4th United States Artillery

Garfield's 12th Brigade:

64th Ohio Infantry
65th Ohio Infantry
13th Michigan Infantry
51st Indiana Infantry (not engaged)

Wagner's 21st Brigade:

15th Indiana Infantry
10th Indiana Infantry
57th Indiana Infantry
24th Kentucky Infantry

Hey, Hobilar. Awesome lists. What happened to the commanders associated with the ones in the last two posts though?

Hobilar wrote:What is revealing about the senior Union Generals at Shiloh, is just how few of them were 'West Pointers'. In the Army of the Tennessee, only Grant and Sherman had attended the Academy (and both owed their position to influential patrons in the Senate), and in the Army of the Ohio , only Buell, McCook and Wood had attended the academy.

That isn't all that surprising seeing as to the fact that before the American Civil War the only curriculum at West Point was Civil Engineering. That being said, there were a considerable number of Generals (fighting on both sides) that were West Point Alumni.
Civil War Generals from West Point

Also, while West Point is the oldest and most well known U.S. Military Academy, it was by no means the only one at the time of the American Civil War.

Hobilar wrote:W.H.L. Wallace had come up through the ranks and likely held his rank from being married to the daughter of one of Lincoln's friends.

Actually, W.H.L. Wallace worked his way to the position he ultimately ended up in. At the start of the Civil War, Wallace volunteered as a private with the 11th Illinois. He was then elected the unit's colonel. He rose up the ranks and commanded a brigade of General John A. McClernand's division of the Tennessee at the Battle of Fort Donelson. During the battle much of McClernand's division had been driven back with heavy losses and Wallace's coolness under fire was especially noted. General Lew Wallace described him as looking like a "farmer coming from a hard day's plowing". For his service at Fort Donelson he was appointed a brigadier general of volunteers, his final rank before his death at Shiloh.

Hobilar wrote:3. The Confederate cavalry of Lt. Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest spent the day watching Buell's Army cross over the river. Unfortunately Forrest was unable to make contact with Johnston to warn him of the approach of the Union reinforcements.

Any idea why he just watched instead of attacking? Also, what kept him from making contact with Johnston? Couldn't he have sent a messanger on horseback?

I have been to a lot of battlefields here on the east coast, but Shiloh has been and always will be a battlefield which I want to get to on my travels.

Maximus the Destroyer wrote:Hey, Hobilar. Awesome lists. What happened to the commanders associated with the ones in the last two posts though?

Good point Maximus

I was wondering what I could do today....Well that task should keep me busy, updating the lists, for quite a few hours.

Maximus the Destroyer wrote:

Hobilar wrote:3. The Confederate cavalry of Lt. Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest spent the day watching Buell's Army cross over the river. Unfortunately Forrest was unable to make contact with Johnston to warn him of the approach of the Union reinforcements.

Any idea why he just watched instead of attacking? Also, what kept him from making contact with Johnston? Couldn't he have sent a messanger on horseback?

OK Maximus, I double checked, and this is what James M. McPherson (Battle Cry of Freedom) says:

" If Beauregard had been aware of Grant's reinforcements he would not have been so confident. But the rebel high command had been misled by a report from cavalry in northern Alabama thar Buell was heading that way. Cavalry nearer at hand could have told him differently. Nathan Bedford Forrest's scouts watched boats ferry Buell's brigades across the river all through the night. Forrest tried to find Beauregard. Failing in this, he gave up in discust when other southern generals paid no attention to his warnings. "We'll be whipped like Hell" in the morning he predicted"

Ok... So he did try at least.