Good Family Trips -- Vicksburg and Shiloh
The Union's objective became Corinth Mississippi because of the town being a railroad center. The capture of Corinth would severely hamper east-west transportation for the Confederacy. Using the Tennessee River as a highway the Union had begun to assemble an army at Pittsburg Landing which is down river and on the west bank of the Tennessee. Union naval vessels especially gunboats always accompanied the Union Armies on these campaigns in the Western theatre to secure river passages.
During the civil war there was much infighting, blame shifting, and self-promotion among generals. General Halleck came to be at odds with Grant so he had placed Charles F. Smith in command who began assembling the Union divisions at Pittsburg Landing first with General Sherman who encamped around a Methodist Meeting House called Shiloh. Smith suffered a leg injury and Grant returned to command on March 17th in Savannah TN where headquarters had been established.
Grant was to await the arrival of another army (17,000) under command of Don Carlos Buell, and to not undertake offensive operations until his arrival. It was Albert Sidney Johnston who had assembled a Confederate army of 44,000 in Corinth 20 miles southwest of Shiloh. He moved to attack Grant's force of 40,000 at Pittsburg Landing before the Union forces concentrated. Grant also had another 7500 troops 6 miles north at Crump's Landing commanded by Lew Wallace, author of Ben Hur.
It wasn't planned but the battle named for a church began on a Sunday, April 6th, 1862. The Confederates hoped it would be a surprise and it was. Both sides were just learning how to handle large armies. The Union scrambled to establish defensive positions. Heroic efforts to hold positions against all odds. The attack was a great success, but the Union still held a last stand defensive line at the end of the day. Gen. Albert Johnston died on the first day of a wound to his leg after leading a charge. Sherman found Grant during the rain soaked night. "Well, Grant we’ve had the devil’s own day, haven’t we?’
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