Shiloh

Fighting at the Hornet's Nest, April 6, 1862.

Today is the anniversary of the second and final day of fighting at the Battle of Shiloh, one of the pivotal battles of the Civil War. Go here for a brief account of the battle.

The superb Victor David Hanson devotes a fascinating chapter of his book Ripples of Battle to the events of these two days, including the historical ramification of the freakish death of Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston (he bled to death from a chance bullet to the leg) and the terrible effect it had on Southern morale, and the trial by fire of Union Maj. General William T. Sherman, who made a heroic (and successful) effort to stop a full-scale Union panic caused by surprise at the initial Confederate attack - which he should have seen coming, and whose experiences on the battlefield led to something of a military awakening, informing his view that Total War required attacking the South's infrastructure and not just her armies. Hanson also devotes some time to a discussion of Union Maj. General Lew Wallace who, owing to confusing orders, took the wrong road to the Union line, thereby incurring the wrath of General Grant. While Wallace was really blameless in the matter, his military career was effectively over. Taking his energies elsewhere, he went on to write Ben Hur.