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Come back with us, deep into the Tennessee woods in 1862, as we guide you through one of the greatest and most significant battles of the American Civil War, as described by one of America's premier Civil War authors.
The Battle of Shiloh was the first major battle of the Civil War in terms of casualties, with the two armies suffering more casualties in the two-day battle than in all of America's previous wars, combined. And, along with the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson, the battle was also one of the most consequential of the war as it sealed the fate of the Confederacy in the western theater, splitting of the Confederacy in half at the Mississippi River and guaranteeing Federal control of the border states as well as large portions of the Confederacy.
The battle served as a proving-ground for many senior officers, including the two Union commanders, Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman, who were destined to lead the Union to ultimate victory. It also resulted in the death of one of the South's most prized generals, Albert Sidney Johnston, and involved other Confederate generals whose names are synonymous with the Confederate cause, Generals Beauregard, Bragg, Hardee, and Forrest.
What's amazing is the amount of damage these amateurs were able and willing to do to each other in just 18 hours of active fighting, where they struggled and died in locations like The Sunken Road, the Bloody Pond, the Hornet's Nest, and the Peach Orchard. Kunkel describes how Grant and Sherman and their Army of Tennessee were completely caught off guard by Johnston's Army of Tennessee, and he provides a good balance between describing the decision-making of the senior officers as well as of firsthand descriptions of the eye-ball to eye-ball fighting from the perspective of the privates.
Because the battle was messy, being fought in a semi-jungle by a hundred thousand semi-civilians, many writers on tend to shy away from the actual fighting, focusing instead on the politics and personal stories. But Kunkel wades straight in, discussing the battle step by step as he does with all of his Civil War books. He's also known for his generous use of visuals - maps, photos, and illustrations - to explain what happened, and this book is no exception. No other Shiloh book comes close to this level of visual illustration of the battle, least of all in color.
Specifically, the book includes:
Over 30 full size battle maps - in color Over 100 photos of the participants - in color Numerous illustrations drawn by artists of the era - in color
Kunkel also addresses the numerous controversies following the battle, such as
Grant's alleged drinking problem and Sherman's alleged insanity problem. Grant's and Johnston's mistakes prior to the battle. The effect on the South of the loss of Forts Henry and Donelson. Whether Johnston's death affect the outcome of the battle. Whether Gen. Don Carlos Buell and his Army of Ohio saved Grant from disaster. Why was Gen. Lew Wallace so tardy arriving on the Shiloh battlefield. Whether Gen. Beauregard's decision to halt attacks on the first day resulted in a Lost Opportunity for the South.
The goal is for you to come away with a clear understanding of what happened on that dense Tennessee battlefield, as well as a good understanding of what it was like on the ground for the men and boys who fought the terrible battle of Shiloh.
