This Great Battlefield of Shiloh

This Great Battlefield of Shiloh

Author: Timothy B. Smith

Publisher: Univ. of Tennessee Press

Published: 2006-09

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 9781572335837

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Around the turn of the last century, feelings of patriotism, nationalism, and sectional reconciliation swept the United States and led to a nationwide memorialization of American military history in general and the Civil War in particular. The 1894 establishment of the Shiloh National Military Park, for example, grew out of an effort by veterans themselves to preserve and protect the site of one of the Civil War's most important engagements. Returning to the Pittsburg Landing battlefield, Shiloh veterans organized themselves to push the Federal government into establishing a park to honor both the living participants in the battle and those who died there. In a larger sense, these veterans also contributed to the contemporaneous reconciliation of the North and the South by focusing on the honor, courage, and bravery of Civil War soldiers instead of continuing divisive debates on slavery and race. This Great Battlefield of Shiloh tells the story of their efforts from the end of the battle to the park's incorporation within the National Park Service in 1933. The War Department appointed a park commission made up of veterans of the battle. This commission surveyed and mapped the field, purchased land, opened roads, marked troop positions, and established the historical interpretation of the early April 1862 battle. Many aged veterans literally gave the remainder of their lives in the effort to plan, build, and maintain Shiloh National Military Park for all veterans. By studying the establishment and administration of parks such as the one at Shiloh, the modern scholar can learn much about the mindsets of both veterans and their civilian contemporaries regarding the Civil War. This book represents an important addition to the growing body of work on the history of national remembrance.


Book Synopsis This Great Battlefield of Shiloh by : Timothy B. Smith

Download or read book This Great Battlefield of Shiloh written by Timothy B. Smith and published by Univ. of Tennessee Press. This book was released on 2006-09 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Around the turn of the last century, feelings of patriotism, nationalism, and sectional reconciliation swept the United States and led to a nationwide memorialization of American military history in general and the Civil War in particular. The 1894 establishment of the Shiloh National Military Park, for example, grew out of an effort by veterans themselves to preserve and protect the site of one of the Civil War's most important engagements. Returning to the Pittsburg Landing battlefield, Shiloh veterans organized themselves to push the Federal government into establishing a park to honor both the living participants in the battle and those who died there. In a larger sense, these veterans also contributed to the contemporaneous reconciliation of the North and the South by focusing on the honor, courage, and bravery of Civil War soldiers instead of continuing divisive debates on slavery and race. This Great Battlefield of Shiloh tells the story of their efforts from the end of the battle to the park's incorporation within the National Park Service in 1933. The War Department appointed a park commission made up of veterans of the battle. This commission surveyed and mapped the field, purchased land, opened roads, marked troop positions, and established the historical interpretation of the early April 1862 battle. Many aged veterans literally gave the remainder of their lives in the effort to plan, build, and maintain Shiloh National Military Park for all veterans. By studying the establishment and administration of parks such as the one at Shiloh, the modern scholar can learn much about the mindsets of both veterans and their civilian contemporaries regarding the Civil War. This book represents an important addition to the growing body of work on the history of national remembrance.

The Untold Story of Shiloh

The Untold Story of Shiloh

Author: Timothy B. Smith

Publisher: Univ. of Tennessee Press

Published: 2008-03

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 9781572336261

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At the mention of Shiloh, most tend to think of two particularly bloody and crucial days in April 1862. The complete story, however, encompasses much more history than that of the battle itself. While several accounts have taken a comprehensive approach to Shiloh, significant gaps still remain in the collective understanding of the battle and battlefield. In The Untold Story of Shiloh, Timothy B. Smith fills in those gaps, looking beyond two days of battle and offering unique insight into the history of unexplored periods and topics concerning the Battle of Shiloh and the Shiloh National Military Park. This collection of essays, some previously unpublished, tackles a diverse range of subjects, including Shiloh's historiography, the myths about the battle that were created, and the mindsets that were established after the battle. The book reveals neglected military aspects of the battle, such as the naval contribution, the climax of the Shiloh campaign at Corinth, and the soldiers' views of the battle. The essays also focus on the Shiloh National Military Park's establishment and continuation with particular emphasis on those who played key roles in its creation. Taken together, the essays tell the overall story of Shiloh in greater detail than ever before. General readers and historians alike will discover that The Untold Story of Shiloh is an important contribution to their understanding of this crucial episode in the Civil War. Timothy B. Smith is on staff at the Shiloh National Military Park. He is author of Champion Hill: Decisive Battle for Vicksburg and This Great Battlefield of Shiloh: History, Memory, and the Establishment of a Civil War National Military Park.


Book Synopsis The Untold Story of Shiloh by : Timothy B. Smith

Download or read book The Untold Story of Shiloh written by Timothy B. Smith and published by Univ. of Tennessee Press. This book was released on 2008-03 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the mention of Shiloh, most tend to think of two particularly bloody and crucial days in April 1862. The complete story, however, encompasses much more history than that of the battle itself. While several accounts have taken a comprehensive approach to Shiloh, significant gaps still remain in the collective understanding of the battle and battlefield. In The Untold Story of Shiloh, Timothy B. Smith fills in those gaps, looking beyond two days of battle and offering unique insight into the history of unexplored periods and topics concerning the Battle of Shiloh and the Shiloh National Military Park. This collection of essays, some previously unpublished, tackles a diverse range of subjects, including Shiloh's historiography, the myths about the battle that were created, and the mindsets that were established after the battle. The book reveals neglected military aspects of the battle, such as the naval contribution, the climax of the Shiloh campaign at Corinth, and the soldiers' views of the battle. The essays also focus on the Shiloh National Military Park's establishment and continuation with particular emphasis on those who played key roles in its creation. Taken together, the essays tell the overall story of Shiloh in greater detail than ever before. General readers and historians alike will discover that The Untold Story of Shiloh is an important contribution to their understanding of this crucial episode in the Civil War. Timothy B. Smith is on staff at the Shiloh National Military Park. He is author of Champion Hill: Decisive Battle for Vicksburg and This Great Battlefield of Shiloh: History, Memory, and the Establishment of a Civil War National Military Park.

The Battle of Shiloh and the Organizations Engaged

The Battle of Shiloh and the Organizations Engaged

Author: David Wilson Reed

Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13:

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A comprehensive history of the Battle of Shiloh, fought in April 1862, in southwestern Tennessee, along with an overview of the units engaged and the movements of each brigade, and losses to the army.


Book Synopsis The Battle of Shiloh and the Organizations Engaged by : David Wilson Reed

Download or read book The Battle of Shiloh and the Organizations Engaged written by David Wilson Reed and published by Univ Tennessee Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive history of the Battle of Shiloh, fought in April 1862, in southwestern Tennessee, along with an overview of the units engaged and the movements of each brigade, and losses to the army.

Our Fathers at Shiloh

Our Fathers at Shiloh

Author: Jack L Kunkel

Publisher: Jack Kunkel

Published: 2020-02-19

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13:

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* Over 30 Large Battlefield Maps * Filled with Photos and Illustrations * Includes Google Map Links to Actual Battlefield Locations * Includes Casualty Charts and Graphs The Battle of Shiloh can be difficult to follow because, well, it was so darned messy! This was not a fight like Gettysburg or Antietam where the armies more or less knew what they were doing. With the exception of a few West Point graduates at the top of the command structure, almost everyone on the field at Shiloh was an amateur at the business of war - mostly local lawyers and politicians leading tens of thousands of their hometown boys into the gates of hell. What's amazing is the amount of damage these amateurs were able and willing to do to each other in just 18 hours or so of active fighting. For those who survived the inferno without running and without losing any important body parts, Shiloh served as an excellent on-the-job training site for many future war leaders. But they certainly left a mess for those of us writers trying to explain the battle a century or so later. For possibly that reason, many books on Shiloh tend to discuss the politics and battles leading up to Shiloh in such depth that it's not until a hundred pages or so that anyone fires a shot at Shiloh. In this book I've confined the political foreplay to the first chapter. After that we get down to the business of discussing the battle itself, in all of its confusion. I've dispensed with footnotes, since this work is not meant to be a scholarly treatise, though I can back up any part of the book with references if needed - almost all of them came from the books listed in the References section. I consider myself a "splainer" not a historian, though I love Civil War history. I admire those historians who came before me and did the in-depth research on the battle, but my object is to synthesize their findings and explain them in an interesting way that readers can understand. A pet peeve of mine with books about battles is that I'm often unsure which, if any, map relates to whatever is being discussed in the text. I hate thumbing through 20 pages to find the map that matches the text! Basically, when I'm reading about a battle, I want a map handy that shows me exactly where that location is on the battlefield, how it relates to the overall battlefield, which way the units were facing, which units were to the left or right, and what the participants looked like if any photos are available. Furthermore I'd like to be able to take those maps and walk the current battlefield, knowing what happened where and when. For that reason I've included maps in almost every chapter, all big enough to be visible from outer space. Since there weren't many photos taken of the Shiloh field after the battle, I've settled for illustrations, which are generously sprinkled throughout the book. For those of you who read this book, my goal is that you'll come away with a better understanding, not only of what happened there, but a better understanding of what it was really like for the men and boys who fought in that terrible battle at Shiloh. Jack Kunkel


Book Synopsis Our Fathers at Shiloh by : Jack L Kunkel

Download or read book Our Fathers at Shiloh written by Jack L Kunkel and published by Jack Kunkel. This book was released on 2020-02-19 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: * Over 30 Large Battlefield Maps * Filled with Photos and Illustrations * Includes Google Map Links to Actual Battlefield Locations * Includes Casualty Charts and Graphs The Battle of Shiloh can be difficult to follow because, well, it was so darned messy! This was not a fight like Gettysburg or Antietam where the armies more or less knew what they were doing. With the exception of a few West Point graduates at the top of the command structure, almost everyone on the field at Shiloh was an amateur at the business of war - mostly local lawyers and politicians leading tens of thousands of their hometown boys into the gates of hell. What's amazing is the amount of damage these amateurs were able and willing to do to each other in just 18 hours or so of active fighting. For those who survived the inferno without running and without losing any important body parts, Shiloh served as an excellent on-the-job training site for many future war leaders. But they certainly left a mess for those of us writers trying to explain the battle a century or so later. For possibly that reason, many books on Shiloh tend to discuss the politics and battles leading up to Shiloh in such depth that it's not until a hundred pages or so that anyone fires a shot at Shiloh. In this book I've confined the political foreplay to the first chapter. After that we get down to the business of discussing the battle itself, in all of its confusion. I've dispensed with footnotes, since this work is not meant to be a scholarly treatise, though I can back up any part of the book with references if needed - almost all of them came from the books listed in the References section. I consider myself a "splainer" not a historian, though I love Civil War history. I admire those historians who came before me and did the in-depth research on the battle, but my object is to synthesize their findings and explain them in an interesting way that readers can understand. A pet peeve of mine with books about battles is that I'm often unsure which, if any, map relates to whatever is being discussed in the text. I hate thumbing through 20 pages to find the map that matches the text! Basically, when I'm reading about a battle, I want a map handy that shows me exactly where that location is on the battlefield, how it relates to the overall battlefield, which way the units were facing, which units were to the left or right, and what the participants looked like if any photos are available. Furthermore I'd like to be able to take those maps and walk the current battlefield, knowing what happened where and when. For that reason I've included maps in almost every chapter, all big enough to be visible from outer space. Since there weren't many photos taken of the Shiloh field after the battle, I've settled for illustrations, which are generously sprinkled throughout the book. For those of you who read this book, my goal is that you'll come away with a better understanding, not only of what happened there, but a better understanding of what it was really like for the men and boys who fought in that terrible battle at Shiloh. Jack Kunkel

The Shiloh Campaign

The Shiloh Campaign

Author: Steven E. Woodworth

Publisher: SIU Press

Published: 2009-04-21

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 9780809328925

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Some 100,000 soldiers fought in the April 1862 battle of Shiloh, and nearly 20,000 men were killed or wounded; more Americans died on that Tennessee battlefield than had died in all the nation’s previous wars combined. In the first book in his new series, Steven E. Woodworth has brought together a group of superb historians to reassess this significant battleandprovide in-depth analyses of key aspects of the campaign and its aftermath. The eight talented contributors dissect the campaign’s fundamental events, many of which have not received adequate attention before now. John R. Lundberg examines the role of Albert Sidney Johnston, the prized Confederate commander who recovered impressively after a less-than-stellar performance at forts Henry and Donelson only to die at Shiloh; Alexander Mendoza analyzes the crucial, and perhaps decisive, struggle to defend the Union’s left; Timothy B. Smith investigates the persistent legend that the Hornet’s Nest was the spot of the hottest fighting at Shiloh; Steven E. Woodworth follows Lew Wallace’s controversial march to the battlefield and shows why Ulysses S. Grant never forgave him; Gary D. Joiner provides the deepest analysis available of action by the Union gunboats; Grady McWhineydescribes P. G. T. Beauregard’s decision to stop the first day’s attack and takes issue with his claim of victory; and Charles D. Grear shows the battle’s impact on Confederate soldiers, many of whom did not consider the battle a defeat for their side. In the final chapter, Brooks D. Simpson analyzes how command relationships—specifically the interactions among Grant, Henry Halleck, William T. Sherman, and Abraham Lincoln—affected the campaign and debunks commonly held beliefs about Grant’s reactions to Shiloh’s aftermath. The Shiloh Campaign will enhance readers’ understanding of a pivotal battle that helped unlock the western theater to Union conquest. It is sure to inspire further study of and debate about one of the American Civil War’s momentous campaigns.


Book Synopsis The Shiloh Campaign by : Steven E. Woodworth

Download or read book The Shiloh Campaign written by Steven E. Woodworth and published by SIU Press. This book was released on 2009-04-21 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some 100,000 soldiers fought in the April 1862 battle of Shiloh, and nearly 20,000 men were killed or wounded; more Americans died on that Tennessee battlefield than had died in all the nation’s previous wars combined. In the first book in his new series, Steven E. Woodworth has brought together a group of superb historians to reassess this significant battleandprovide in-depth analyses of key aspects of the campaign and its aftermath. The eight talented contributors dissect the campaign’s fundamental events, many of which have not received adequate attention before now. John R. Lundberg examines the role of Albert Sidney Johnston, the prized Confederate commander who recovered impressively after a less-than-stellar performance at forts Henry and Donelson only to die at Shiloh; Alexander Mendoza analyzes the crucial, and perhaps decisive, struggle to defend the Union’s left; Timothy B. Smith investigates the persistent legend that the Hornet’s Nest was the spot of the hottest fighting at Shiloh; Steven E. Woodworth follows Lew Wallace’s controversial march to the battlefield and shows why Ulysses S. Grant never forgave him; Gary D. Joiner provides the deepest analysis available of action by the Union gunboats; Grady McWhineydescribes P. G. T. Beauregard’s decision to stop the first day’s attack and takes issue with his claim of victory; and Charles D. Grear shows the battle’s impact on Confederate soldiers, many of whom did not consider the battle a defeat for their side. In the final chapter, Brooks D. Simpson analyzes how command relationships—specifically the interactions among Grant, Henry Halleck, William T. Sherman, and Abraham Lincoln—affected the campaign and debunks commonly held beliefs about Grant’s reactions to Shiloh’s aftermath. The Shiloh Campaign will enhance readers’ understanding of a pivotal battle that helped unlock the western theater to Union conquest. It is sure to inspire further study of and debate about one of the American Civil War’s momentous campaigns.

Guide to the Battle of Shiloh

Guide to the Battle of Shiloh

Author: Jay Luvaas

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13:

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One of the bloodiest and most bitterly fought battles of the Civil War took place at Shiloh Church (and Pittsburg Landing) on April 6-7, 1862. The Union, led by Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman, held off a massive Confederate offensive led by Albert Sidney Johnston and P. G. T. Beauregard, paving the way for Union control of the Western Theater. When the fighting ended, nearly 20,000 soldiers were either dead or wounded, and the South had lost one of its ablest commanders in Johnston. Guide to the Battle of Shiloh combines eyewitness accounts of this Tennessee battle with explicit details about advances and retreats, leadership strategies, obstacles, achievements, and tactical blunders. In addition, it provides directions to key points on the battlefield as well as maps depicting the action and details of troop positions, roads, rivers, elevations, and tree lines as they were 130 years ago.


Book Synopsis Guide to the Battle of Shiloh by : Jay Luvaas

Download or read book Guide to the Battle of Shiloh written by Jay Luvaas and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the bloodiest and most bitterly fought battles of the Civil War took place at Shiloh Church (and Pittsburg Landing) on April 6-7, 1862. The Union, led by Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman, held off a massive Confederate offensive led by Albert Sidney Johnston and P. G. T. Beauregard, paving the way for Union control of the Western Theater. When the fighting ended, nearly 20,000 soldiers were either dead or wounded, and the South had lost one of its ablest commanders in Johnston. Guide to the Battle of Shiloh combines eyewitness accounts of this Tennessee battle with explicit details about advances and retreats, leadership strategies, obstacles, achievements, and tactical blunders. In addition, it provides directions to key points on the battlefield as well as maps depicting the action and details of troop positions, roads, rivers, elevations, and tree lines as they were 130 years ago.

Shiloh

Shiloh

Author: Shelby Foote

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 1991-04-09

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0679735429

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This fictional re-creation of the battle of Shiloh in April 1862 is a stunning work of imaginative history, from Shelby Foote, beloved historian of the Civil War. Shiloh conveys not only the bloody choreography of Union and Confederate troops through the woods near Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, but the inner movements of the combatants’ hearts and minds. Through the eyes of officers and illiterate foot soldiers, heroes and cowards, Shiloh creates a dramatic mosaic of a critical moment in the making of America, complete to the haze of gunsmoke and the stunned expression in the eyes of dying men. Shiloh, which was hailed by The New York Times as “imaginative, powerful, filled with precise visual details…a brilliant book” fulfills the standard set by Shelby Foote’s monumental three-part chronical of the Civil War.


Book Synopsis Shiloh by : Shelby Foote

Download or read book Shiloh written by Shelby Foote and published by Vintage. This book was released on 1991-04-09 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fictional re-creation of the battle of Shiloh in April 1862 is a stunning work of imaginative history, from Shelby Foote, beloved historian of the Civil War. Shiloh conveys not only the bloody choreography of Union and Confederate troops through the woods near Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, but the inner movements of the combatants’ hearts and minds. Through the eyes of officers and illiterate foot soldiers, heroes and cowards, Shiloh creates a dramatic mosaic of a critical moment in the making of America, complete to the haze of gunsmoke and the stunned expression in the eyes of dying men. Shiloh, which was hailed by The New York Times as “imaginative, powerful, filled with precise visual details…a brilliant book” fulfills the standard set by Shelby Foote’s monumental three-part chronical of the Civil War.

Shiloh

Shiloh

Author: Mark Grimsley

Publisher: U of Nebraska Press

Published: 2006-01-01

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 080327100X

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A comprehensive guide to Shiloh, one of the key battlefields of the Civil War, provides precise directions to all the important locations on the battlefield, along with more than forty detailed maps, vivid descriptions of the battle, and an analysis of the events of the engagement, key personalities involved, and the ultimate ramifications of the conflict. Original.


Book Synopsis Shiloh by : Mark Grimsley

Download or read book Shiloh written by Mark Grimsley and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to Shiloh, one of the key battlefields of the Civil War, provides precise directions to all the important locations on the battlefield, along with more than forty detailed maps, vivid descriptions of the battle, and an analysis of the events of the engagement, key personalities involved, and the ultimate ramifications of the conflict. Original.

Shiloh

Shiloh

Author: Larry J. Daniel

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2008-06-30

Total Pages: 454

ISBN-13: 1439128618

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“A splendid analysis” of this bloody Civil War battle: “In the tradition of The Killer Angels . . . Shiloh is an excellent read.” —Houston Chronicle The battle of Shiloh, fought in April 1862 in the wilderness of south central Tennessee, marked a savage turning point in the Civil War. In this masterful book, Larry Daniel re-creates the drama and the horror of the battle and discusses in authoritative detail the political and military policies that led to Shiloh; the personalities of those who formulated and executed the battle plans; the fateful misjudgments made on both sides; and the heroism of the small-unit leaders and ordinary soldiers who manned the battlefield. “The bloodbath at Shiloh, Tenn. brought an end to any remaining innocence in the Civil War. The combined 23,000 casualties that the two armies inflicted on each other in two days shocked North and South alike . . . a superbly researched volume that will appeal to both the beginning Civil War reader as well as those already familiar with the course of fighting in the wooded terrain bordering the Tennessee River.” —Publishers Weekly “By juxtaposing accounts of fighting along the lines with scenes of political infighting in Washington and Richmond, Daniel shows how the politics of command, personal jealousies, piecemeal intelligence, and the skills of small-unit commanders affected the outcome of the battle.” —Library Journal “Daniel . . . exhibits balanced judgment, thorough research, and the ability to explain strategy well to the lay reader.” —Booklist “A riveting account . . . rich in anecdotal detail.” —The Plain Dealer


Book Synopsis Shiloh by : Larry J. Daniel

Download or read book Shiloh written by Larry J. Daniel and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-06-30 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A splendid analysis” of this bloody Civil War battle: “In the tradition of The Killer Angels . . . Shiloh is an excellent read.” —Houston Chronicle The battle of Shiloh, fought in April 1862 in the wilderness of south central Tennessee, marked a savage turning point in the Civil War. In this masterful book, Larry Daniel re-creates the drama and the horror of the battle and discusses in authoritative detail the political and military policies that led to Shiloh; the personalities of those who formulated and executed the battle plans; the fateful misjudgments made on both sides; and the heroism of the small-unit leaders and ordinary soldiers who manned the battlefield. “The bloodbath at Shiloh, Tenn. brought an end to any remaining innocence in the Civil War. The combined 23,000 casualties that the two armies inflicted on each other in two days shocked North and South alike . . . a superbly researched volume that will appeal to both the beginning Civil War reader as well as those already familiar with the course of fighting in the wooded terrain bordering the Tennessee River.” —Publishers Weekly “By juxtaposing accounts of fighting along the lines with scenes of political infighting in Washington and Richmond, Daniel shows how the politics of command, personal jealousies, piecemeal intelligence, and the skills of small-unit commanders affected the outcome of the battle.” —Library Journal “Daniel . . . exhibits balanced judgment, thorough research, and the ability to explain strategy well to the lay reader.” —Booklist “A riveting account . . . rich in anecdotal detail.” —The Plain Dealer

Shiloh

Shiloh

Author: Timothy B. Smith

Publisher: University Press of Kansas

Published: 2016-10-07

Total Pages: 606

ISBN-13: 0700623477

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A critical moment in the Civil War, the Battle of Shiloh has been the subject of many books. However, none has told the story of Shiloh as Timothy Smith does in this volume, the first comprehensive history of the two-day battle in April 1862—a battle so fluid and confusing that its true nature has eluded a clear narrative telling until now. Unfolding over April 6th and 7th, the Battle of Shiloh produced the most sprawling and bloody field of combat since the Napoleonic wars, with an outcome that set the Confederacy on the road to defeat. Contrary to previous histories, Smith tells us, the battle was not won or lost on the first day, but rather in the decision-making of the night that followed and in the next day’s fighting. Devoting unprecedented attention to the details of that second day, his book shows how the Union’s triumph was far less assured, and much harder to achieve, than has been acknowledged. Smith also employs a new organization strategy to clarify the action. By breaking his analysis of both days’ fighting into separate phases and sectors, he makes it much easier to grasp what was happening in each combat zone, why it unfolded as it did, and how it related to the broader tactical and operational context of the entire battle. The battlefield’s diverse and challenging terrain also comes in for new scrutiny. Through detailed attention to the terrain’s major features—most still visible at the Shiloh National Military Park—Smith is able to track their specific and considerable influence on the actions, and their consequences, over those forty-eight hours. The experience of the soldiers finally finds its place here too, as Smith lets us hear, as never before, the voices of the common man, whether combatant or local civilian, caught up in a historic battle for their lives, their land, their honor, and their homes. “We must this day conquer or perish,” Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston declared on the morning of April 6, 1862. His words proved prophetic, and might serve as an epitaph for the larger war, as we see fully for the first time in this unparalleled and surely definitive history of the Battle of Shiloh.


Book Synopsis Shiloh by : Timothy B. Smith

Download or read book Shiloh written by Timothy B. Smith and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2016-10-07 with total page 606 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A critical moment in the Civil War, the Battle of Shiloh has been the subject of many books. However, none has told the story of Shiloh as Timothy Smith does in this volume, the first comprehensive history of the two-day battle in April 1862—a battle so fluid and confusing that its true nature has eluded a clear narrative telling until now. Unfolding over April 6th and 7th, the Battle of Shiloh produced the most sprawling and bloody field of combat since the Napoleonic wars, with an outcome that set the Confederacy on the road to defeat. Contrary to previous histories, Smith tells us, the battle was not won or lost on the first day, but rather in the decision-making of the night that followed and in the next day’s fighting. Devoting unprecedented attention to the details of that second day, his book shows how the Union’s triumph was far less assured, and much harder to achieve, than has been acknowledged. Smith also employs a new organization strategy to clarify the action. By breaking his analysis of both days’ fighting into separate phases and sectors, he makes it much easier to grasp what was happening in each combat zone, why it unfolded as it did, and how it related to the broader tactical and operational context of the entire battle. The battlefield’s diverse and challenging terrain also comes in for new scrutiny. Through detailed attention to the terrain’s major features—most still visible at the Shiloh National Military Park—Smith is able to track their specific and considerable influence on the actions, and their consequences, over those forty-eight hours. The experience of the soldiers finally finds its place here too, as Smith lets us hear, as never before, the voices of the common man, whether combatant or local civilian, caught up in a historic battle for their lives, their land, their honor, and their homes. “We must this day conquer or perish,” Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston declared on the morning of April 6, 1862. His words proved prophetic, and might serve as an epitaph for the larger war, as we see fully for the first time in this unparalleled and surely definitive history of the Battle of Shiloh.