Blackness
BlacknessAfter Shiloh the South would never smile again. Known originally as the
Battle of Pittsburg Landing, The Battle of Shiloh was the bloodiest battle
fought in North America up to that time. Pittsburg Landing was an area from
where the Yankees planned to attack the Confederates who had moved from
Fort Donelson to Corinth, Mississippi. The North was commanded by
General Ulysses S. Grant and the South by General Albert Sydney Johnston.
The Union army was taken by surprise the first day when the Confederate
Army unexpectedly attacked, but after Union reinforcements arrived the
fighting virtually ended in a tie. Lasting for two days, April 6 and 7 of 1862,
casualties for both sides exceeded 20,000. The Battle of Shiloh was a
message to both the North and South that the Civil War was for real. General
Grant was anxious to maintain the momentum of his victory at Fort Donelson.
His army had moved up to a port on the Tennessee River called Pittsburg
Landing in preparation for an attack on Corinth, Mississippi, where the
Confederate troops were located. General Halleck, Western U.S. Army
commander, had ordered Grant to stay put and wait for reinforcements.
Grant had given command of the Pittsburg Landing encampment to General...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.