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| Bloody Pond, May, 2008 |
Shiloh, which was fought in western Tennessee near the Mississippi border, was the bloodiest battle in American history--although Antietam in Maryland later that year eclipsed it. The Confederates, led by General Albert Sidney Johnston--who was killed on the first day of fighting--then P. G. T. Beauregard, came close to winning the battle by the evening of April 6. But Ulysses S. Grant's beleaguered forces were reinforced by Don Carlos Buell that night--and the rebels were driven back and were forced to retreat into Mississippi the following day.
Probably more so than any war in history, our Civil War is filled with poignant moments, such as the following one, which John Ford of all directors managed to mangle in How The West Was Won
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| Shiloh Cemetery |
And he did.
Beauregard was the Confederate commander at Ft. Sumter the year before. Lew Wallace, a Union general at Shiloh, later wrote the novel Ben-Hur. Recent Welsh immigrant Henry Stanley, who found David Livingstone in Africa in 1871--"Dr. Livingstone, I presume"--fought for the rebels and was captured at the battle. He later served in the Union Navy.
Shiloh posts:
Shiloh Part One
Shiloh Part Two
Shiloh Part Three
Corinth
Grant posts:
Midwestern Presidential Pathway: Where Grant worked as a clerk
Midwestern Presidential Pathway: Ulysses S. Grant Home
Related post:
150 years ago: Civil War begins
2 comments:
I love this post, and the 2008 ones. I guess I had forgotten that we shared an interest in the Civil War. A few years ago, when the Husband and I were in Nashville, we decided to go to Shiloh. We were a bit surprised that when we asked some of the hotel staff for directions, so many gave us blank stares. Eventually, we made it there, and we were not disappointed. Thanks for reminding me of that fun adventure, but also that great minds (yours and mine) think alike.
Thanks, Teri! I would do more posts like these if the mainstream media did their job!
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