U.S. Grant at Shiloh

Ulysses S. Grant surprised many people during the Civil War. Before the War, he failed in many businesses, and drank when depressed. When his country needed him, he put on a uniform and became an extraordinary soldier. Grant and many other Civil War generals had attended West Point. While Robert E. Lee was setting academic records, Grant’s best only got him to the middle of the class. Grant excelled in only math, but he was brave. Bravery was a subject not well-measured at the Point. The top graduates chose engineering, but Grant landed in logistics. He applied himself and became a supply and replenishment maven.

He performed like a seasoned soldier during the Mexican-American War. He earned battlefield promotions to 1st lieutenant and captain. He became known as an excellent horseman and soldier. He studied the tactics of the generals above him, and he decided army life might be promising. After the war, boring garrison assignments got the better of Grant. Separated from his family and with little to do, he drank, and drank, and drank. He had to resign to avoid punishment. He also did not flourish in civilian life. Bad business decisions haunted him until the South seceded in 1861.

Older and wiser, Grant was ready to rejoin the Union army. His Mexican War record won him a good position, and he was soon leading an army. He succeeded in taking both Forts Henry and Donelson. The Northern newspapers nicknamed him “Unconditional Surrender” Grant. He was the lone bright spot among Union generals. His victories rubbed jealous senior officers the wrong way. They claimed Grant was insubordinate and drunk, but Lincoln needed fighters. Lincoln promoted Grant to major general. He continued his attacks to open the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy. His next target was the logistics center of Corinth, Mississippi.

After the Henry and Donelson victories, Grant was anxious to continue the attack. His boss General Henry Halleck ordered a halt to wait for reinforcements. As Grant’s divisions moved south, the army dispersed. Grant tried to reassemble the army at Pittsburgh Landing near a church named Shiloh. While waiting, Grant’s troops drilled and trained. Sherman’s division of recruits found time to build a comfortable camp. In the early days of the war, neither generals nor soldiers were yet battle-hardened. As Union forces stumbled in the woods, Confederate General Albert S. Johnston left Corinth to surprise Grant. The Union camp was large and spread out. Nobody wearing blue expected any resistance before Corinth. Very few trenches were dug - evidence remains of only three small trenches. There was no patrol plan, and Union cavalry failed to spot the advancing Confederates. What Grant did not demand; the inexperienced Union soldiers did not do. This is not surprising. Grant left the army as a junior officer. He was now back as an army commander. He had missed years of learning, and war is a harsh teacher.

Early on 6 April 1862, the Confederates attacked the two most inexperienced Union divisions - Sherman’s and Prentiss’s. Sherman refused to believe he was under attack until he stopped a bullet with his hand. Grant heard the shots but could not arrive until 9:00 AM. He began redeploying forces to blunt the Confederate attack. Union and Confederate forces became entangled. The Confederate majority gained ground until they captured Sherman’s camp. Wholesale looting began and the attack bogged down.

Grant redeployed forces to straighten and strengthen the Union line. As the afternoon wore on, Union soldiers gave ground and absorbed staggering casualties. The Confederate attackers also suffered, but they continued to press the attack. General Johnston led the Confederate attack in person until mid-afternoon. Struck in the leg by a minié ball, he ignored the wound until he bled out. General P.G.T. Beauregard took over. The Confederates closed with the final Union line, and it seemed victory was close at hand. Then Grant’s hasty artillery reserve reinforced by gunboats opened fire. The Confederates halted.

Beauregard “knew” he was close to destroying Grant’. A final assault the next day would crush the Union army. In truth, Grant was reinforcing his battered divisions. He and his generals spent the night untangling forces and resupplying. The Confederates celebrated their successful attack. The Union prepared to counterattack at dawn.

On 7 April at 5:00AM Union forces began counterattacking. The stunned Confederates reeled. They did not believe the Union soldiers had any fight left in them. Beauregard had hoped for 20,000 reinforcements, but only 600 recruits arrived. The Confederates were tired, and they had not dug in. They slowed Grant’s advance, but the Union seized the initiative. The Confederates gave up all the ground they had taken the day before.

Shiloh was the first major battle of the Civil War. The telegraph sent messages in real-time, but strategic analysis still took brainwork. The scope of the Shiloh battle ensured it had attention both North & South. Armchair generals screamed for Grant’s scalp. They accused him of drunkenness, and demanded Lincoln relieve him. Lincoln compromised with the critics. He made Grant General Henry Halleck’s second in command. Grant regained his field command in July and again worked to split the Confederacy.

Grant at Shiloh is a balanced case study for us. Johnston’s attack surprised him, but Grant didn’t give up. He rallied his troops and coordinated the defense. He held his ground as reinforcements arrived. Grant threw his original plan into the dumpster and adapted to the new battlefield. His physical presence boosted morale and showed his troops he was in it with them. It was the last time he would be so surprised.

Grant learned a lesson that most leaders must learn. Never assume everyone knows what we know. Nor assume that they will do what we would do in any given situation. He also learned other valuable lessons. Up to that point, there was no formal intelligence gathering system. Grant understood he must plan and coordinate cavalry and infantry patrolling. He also underestimated Confederate capability and will. Shiloh’s horrific casualties taught Grant only complete destruction would bring the South back into the Union.