History That Doesn't Suck - 48: The Battle of Shiloh: “Now boys, pitch in!”

Episode Date: September 30, 2019

“Here boys, is as good a place as any on this battlefield to meet death!” This is the story of the Civil War kicking into a higher gear as two massive armies converge at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee.  Jealous Union generals are letting false rumors of Ulysses drinking on the job fly as they hope to benefit from his demise. But Ulys has some good people backing him up: Lincoln’s newest War Secretary Edwin Stanton and his good friend William Tecumseh “Cump” Sherman. But intrigue is the least of Ulysses “Unconditional Surrender” Grant’s concerns. He and Cump are facing down a massive Confederate force led by two highly capable generals: Albert Sidney Johnston and GT Beauregard. Torrential rain turns the ground to mud as nearly 100,000 men battle for the field. Ulys ends up on crutches, another general dies, while still others meet their end in the legendary “hornets’ nest” or elsewhere on the field. This lone battle will cause more American casualties than all American wars to date combined. Welcome to the Battle of Shiloh. ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette  come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kick off an exciting football season with BetMGM, an official sportsbook partner of the National Football League. Yard after yard, down after down, the sportsbook born in Vegas gives you the chance to take action to the end zone and celebrate every highlight reel play. And as an official sportsbook partner of the NFL, BetMGM is the best place to fuel your football fandom on every game day. With a variety of exciting features, BetMGM offers you plenty of seamless ways to jump straight onto the gridiron and to embrace peak sports action. Ready for another season of gridiron glory? What are you waiting for? Get off the bench, into the huddle, and head for the end zone all season long.

Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. Must be 19 years of age or older. Ontario only. Please gamble responsibly. Gambling problem? For free assistance, call the Conax Ontario helpline at 1-866-531-2600.

BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. What did it take to survive an ancient siege? Why was the cult of Dionysus behind so many slave revolts in ancient Rome? What's the tragic history and mythology behind Japan's most haunted ancient forest? We're Jen and Jenny from Ancient History Fangirl. Join us to explore ancient history and mythology from a fun, sometimes tipsy, perspective.

Find us at ancienthistoryfangirl.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and as in the classroom, my goal here is to make rigorously researched history come to life as your storyteller. Each episode is the result of laborious research with no agenda other than making the past come to life as you learn. If you'd like to help support this work, receive ad-free episodes, bonus content, and other exclusive perks, I invite you to join the HTDS membership program. Sign up for a seven-day free trial today at htdspodcast.com membership, or click the link in the episode notes. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story.

General Ulysses S. Grant is hunkered down at his headquarters at Savannah, Tennessee. Yes, Tennessee. You heard that right. As a storm rages. It's been another exhausting day. He mostly spent it some five miles or more to the south, just on the other side of the Tennessee River at Pittsburgh Landing, where his Union forces had been skirmishing with rebels. Frankly, Ulysses, or Ulyss for short, would like to move his headquarters down there, but with General

Don Carlos Buell expected to arrive at Savannah any day with tens of thousands of reinforcements, well, he can't just yet. He's got to wait for Don Carlos. So Ulysses has traveled back the five miles to his Savannah, Tennessee headquarters in this miserable weather and is just getting settled in for the evening when he gets word of a Confederate attack back at the front. The cigar chain-smoking general wastes no time jumping into action. Roads are becoming more like rivers or pools of mud than thoroughfares, but no matter.

Arriving at the field, Ulysses rides out with his staff huh the firing has ceased the only sound is that of the hard rain looks like they've come out here for nothing the general and his men start to make their way back through the thick muck and mud. But it's only getting harder to see.

Ulysses will later describe the night as one of impenetrable darkness with rain pouring down in torrents. Nothing was visible to the eye except as revealed by the frequent flashes of lightning. Making their way through the woods in these blind conditions, the general can only hope and trust that his horse can find its footing. Unfortunately, that trust is misplaced. One of the horse's hooves gets caught, taking the poor creature down. Securing his stirrups, Ulysses falls right along with his steed. The cold, wet mud engulfs one side of him

as the body weight of the horse puts an immense, crushing pressure on his leg. Painful and uncomfortable as the situation is, Ulysses is arguably lucky. With the ground being more mud than dirt, it readily gives way under the horse's weight, saving him from a broken leg. Good thing he has his staff with him. With, I assume, their help, he manages to get back up and return to camp.

It really wouldn't have been that bad of an injury if he didn't have to command federal forces in one of the most deadly battles in American history to date over the next few days. Two nights later, Ulysses dismounts from his horse to find he can't put weight on his leg. Without the adrenaline that comes from leading men dodging bullets and literally being showered with brains, The general realizes just how bad that injury has now become. He makes his way to the surgeons. They can't even remove his boot, so they do what Civil War surgeons do best. They cut it off. Oh, sorry, that may have been unclear. They cut the thick leather boot off, not his foot. But damn,

it's swollen. Trying to camp under a tree amid more rain and in unbearable pain, Ulysses goes back to the log cabin hospital just after midnight. But his hopes that he'll get some much-needed shut-eye in here are quickly dashed. The stench of blood and pus is overwhelming. Seeing the room full of his men with missing limbs is even worse. To quote him, The sight was more unendurable than encountering the enemy's fire, and I returned to my tree in the rain.

Close quote. Good God. The horrors of this war are only growing. Best get some sleep, General. The Battle of Shiloh continues in less than four hours. Today we go to one of the most carnage-filled battlefields 19th century America has ever seen. The Battle of Shiloh. But I do need to set it up first.

To do that, I'll lay out the pettiness and jealousy of other generals aimed at Ulysses S. Grant, then introduce you to two important guys who will be prominent in this war. Lincoln's new war secretary, Edwin Stanton, and Union General William Tecumseh Sherman. With that groundwork done, I'll lay out battle plans and we'll get to the bloodbath at Shiloh in April 1862, where we'll hear about the highest-ranking death in the entire war and witness the carnage of thousands going to their graves. It won't be pretty. It's a somber day, I know, but it's important, and quite the story.

So let's get to it by heading back a month to early March. Here we go. Rewind. Thanks to his success at Forts Henry and Donaldson in the last episode, Ulysses is now a rock star. The press can't get enough of him. If the paparazzi existed in 1862, there's no doubt Ulysses would have been followed by them more than royal toddlers in 2019. As it is, reporters are stuck describing in words the newly minted war hero for their readers. One relates that Ulysses' unconditional surrender grant has three expressions, quote, deep thought, extreme determination, and great simplicity and calmness. Close quote.

While I'm sure that Ulysses' friends and family would argue that he has a little more emotional range than this, Northerners eat this stuff up. So when another reporter writes that the major generals, quote, prestige is second now to that of no general in our army, close quote. No one disagrees. Well, let me walk that back. There are two generals in the Union forces who are hungry for prestige and don't want to share with Ulysses. First is the aging, rotund, and balding general with a dimple in his chin, Henry Halleck,

who's currently commander of the Department of Missouri. Now, Henry is an educated Kentuckian and capable military strategist that most soldiers call Old Brains because he turned down a professorship at Harvard to stay in the military. So he is not about to let some underling take all the credit for the latest Union successes. See, Old Bra's claims that the whole plan to attack the river forts and break the Confederate defensive line was his and his alone. When the press goes nuts for Ulysses and leaves Henry's name out of their stories altogether, Henry's jealousy gets the better of him. As an observing officer remarks, Henry, quote, worked himself into a passion,

close quote. And since the heroic general is his subordinate, old brain soon finds a way to stick it to him. Ulysses' daily field reports haven't been reaching his jealous commanding officer, Henry. So on March 2nd, 1862, Henry telegraphs General-in-Chief George McClellan complaining that he is, quote, worn out and tired of Grant's neglect and inefficiency, close quote. Of course, Henry leaves out the fact that the telegraph lines between the conquered Tennessee forts and the army base at St. Louis are unreliable. Henry also claims that Ulysses has, quote, resumed his former bad habits, close quote, knowing that George will catch on to this thinly veiled reference to Ulysses' old drinking problem. George, the second general

jealously watching Ulysses' success from the sidelines, sees his chance to knock unconditional surrender Grant down a peg. George promptly sends a reply to Henry, quote, the future success of our cause demands that proceedings such as Grant's should at once be checked. Generals must observe discipline as well as private soldiers. Do not hesitate to arrest him at once if the good of the service requires it. Close quote. Hold up. Arrest Major General Grant, the hero of Fort Donelson, and all because of a few reports, which were in all likelihood stolen by rebel spies, didn't get to Henry when he asked for them. Without getting Ulysses' side of the story or even evidence to back up the drinking claim, George gives his approval for Henry to arrest Ulysses.

George tries to steal Ulysses' thunder by taking credit for the successful campaign in Tennessee as well. Yeah, he totally claims that he is the ultimate puppet master that pulled the strings of the battles at Forts Henry and Donaldson from the telegraph office in DC. Good grief. Seems like everyone wants to take credit for Ulysses' success. Between old brains Halleck spreading rumors behind his back and George taking credit for his success, Ulysses' newly famous good name is getting dragged through the mud. Unconditional surrender Grant may be a fearless risk taker on the battlefield, but he hasn't yet learned to play these political games. Over in Washington, Lincoln and brand new Secretary of War Edwin Stanton have been watching this unfold. Shrewd lawyer Edwin knows how to fight fire with fire, and he's not going to stand idly by while a successful general gets dumped on by two spiteful superiors.

Okay, I mentioned Edwin Stanton for like 5 seconds in episode 47. I just breezed right past him. But I'm not going to do that again. Edwin Stanton is going to play a huge role in this war, so let's get to know this guy who will become Lincoln's right-hand man. As Matic Edwin began life in Ohio, his physician father died when Edwin was only 13, leaving him, his mom, and younger siblings without two nickels to rub together. Nonetheless, Edwin scraped together enough money to go to a nearby college at 16 and became a lawyer in his early 20s. Hardworking Edwin built a law practice and helped support his mom and younger siblings, but he still found time to court Mary Lamson. They married in 1836 and had two kids in quick succession.

All the while, loyal anti-slavery Democrat, Edwin strengthened his political and professional ties in the state of Ohio. Things were going pretty well until he suffered two huge blows. His baby girl Lucy died in 1841. His wife Mary in 1844. Edwin became despondent. For days after Mary's death, the woe-be-gone widower walked the halls of his home at night with a lantern, calling out, Where is Mary? Only the need to support his toddler son, Edwin Lampson Stanton,

got Edwin back on his feet. Over the next decade, the capable lawyer moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and continued to rise to the top of his profession, even arguing several cases before the Supreme Court. In 1855, Edwin and a young Illinois lawyer named Abraham Lincoln got hired onto the all-star legal team in a patent case. Lincoln was impressed with Edwin, telling a friend he'd never seen a legal argument, quote, so finished and elaborate, close quote. But the feeling wasn't mutual. Edwin likely treated

Lincoln with his typical brusque rudeness, although I doubt he stooped so low, as some have said, as to call the future POTUS a, quote, long-armed ape, close quote. In 1856, Edwin, with his sweet put-hipsters-to-shame beard, moved to D.C., where he married Ellen Hutchinson and solidified his place as a well-connected, sought-after legal luminary. So when Lincoln needed a new war secretary, more than one person recommended Edwin Stanton. Ousted Secretary Simon Cameron recommended fellow Pennsylvanian Edwin, as did Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase and Secretary of State William Seward. No wonder Edwin got approval from the Senate so easily, as you heard about in episode 47. Energetic Edwin turns his dysfunctional department on its ear. People used to hanging out at the water cooler now make sure they are hard

at work before the beady-eyed secretary arrives. He gets rid of well-connected but incompetent staffers and refuses to hire anyone out of favoritism. Firm and determined Edwin even refuses to grant a hiring favor to First Lady Mary Lincoln, explaining that he can't fight this war and protect the honor of the president if he hires every friend of a friend. It would, quote, strike at the very root of all confidence, close quote. Mary is not used to being told no, but understands and respects Edwin's principles. In addition to cleaning house, Edwin also makes a major addition to the War Department building. In early March 1862, he sets up a telegraph in the library right next to his office. Yeah, Edwin is going to keep his finger on the pulse of this war no matter what.

And now that you've met Edwin, let's see how he handles the immaturity of these self-aggrandizing generals. When Edwin hears about Henry Oldbrain's Halleck trying to arrest Unconditional Surrender Grant, he demands to see proof of Henry's insubordination and drunkenness claims. Empty-handed Oldbrain's backpedals faster than a doped-up Tour de France cyclist. With no evidence of wrongdoing on Ulysses' part, Edwin telegraphs Henry, putting a stop to this vendetta and arrest attempt. Ulysses' career is safe. It's a good thing for the embattled major general that he has a new friend in a high place. millions of YouTube subscribers comes the MinuteEarth podcast. Every episode of the show dives deep into a science question you might not even know you had. But once you hear the answer,

you'll want to share it with everyone you know. Why do rivers curve? Why did the T-Rex have such tiny arms? And why do so many more kids need glasses now than they used to? Spoiler alert, it isn't screen time. Our team of scientists digs into the research and breaks it down into a short, entertaining explanation, jam-packed with science facts and terrible puns. Subscribe to MinuteEarth wherever you like to listen. Want to learn how you can make smarter decisions with your money? Well, I've got the podcast for you. I'm Sean Piles, and I host NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast.

On our show, we help listeners like you make the most of your finances. I sit down with NerdWallet's team of nerds, personal finance experts in credit cards, banking, investing, and more. We answer your real-world money questions and break down the latest personal finance news. The nerds will give you the clarity you need by cutting through the clutter and misinformation in today's world of personal finance. We don't promote get-rich-quick schemes or hype unrealistic side hustles. Instead, we offer practical knowledge that you can apply in your everyday life. You'll learn about strategies to help you build your wealth,

invest wisely, shop for financial products, and plan for major life events. And you'll walk away with the confidence you need to ensure that your money is always working as hard as you are. So turn to the nerds to answer your real-world money questions and get insights that can help you make the smartest financial decisions for your life. Listen to NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

As soon as this telegraphed power play dies out, Edwin and Lincoln give Henry a new command. He goes from overseeing the Department of Missouri to commanding the armies of Tennessee and the Mississippi Valley. He might have let his jealousy get the better of him, but he has played a major role in turning the chaotic, corrupt Western military operation into an organized, efficient, successful outfit. Plus, with a shiny new promotion, old brains has nothing to fear from rising star Ulysses. For now. Foreshadowing. Anyway, Henry assigns U.S. Grant to head up the Union pursuit of Confederate armies in the vicinity of the important railway depot at Corinth, Mississippi. He also assigns a tall,

lean career soldier with a well-trimmed red beard to the task by the name of William Tecumseh Sherman. He's been making a name for himself since he fought in the Battle of Bull Run and will be with us in many episodes to come, so let's get to know him as well. Named after the heroic Shawnee warrior whom we met in episode 24, red-haired Tecumseh Sherman was born in Ohio in 1820. Upon his dad's premature death, nine-year-old Tecumseh became the foster son of his kind, loving, devoutly Catholic neighbors, the Ewings. Now Tecumseh, who went by Kump, was baptized as a Presbyterian when he was a baby. But his foster mom, Maria Ewing, was a dyed-in-the-wool Irish Catholic and insisted that Kump be re-baptized

and attend Catholic services with the Ewing family each week. Father Dominic Young agreed to perform the rite, but he demanded that, quote, a scriptural or saint's name must be used in the ceremony, close quote. So they slapped William at the beginning of his name and William Tecumseh Sherman was born. Nonetheless, he went by Tecumseh or Kump all his life. At age 16, rambunctious Kump entered West Point. After graduating from the academy, Kump served in the Mexican-American War. He sailed from the east coast around Cape Horn and up to California.

By the time he got to Monterey, the fighting was over. He wrote to his fiancée, foster sister, and lifelong love, Ellen Ewing, quote, I fear that I leaped the mark in search of military glory by coming to California. Close quote. But Tecumseh did gain valuable experience as an army quartermaster while out west. In early 1850, Kump returned to New York and married Ellen. Irreligious Tecumseh often bristled at devout Catholic Ellen's efforts to convert him. In one of their many fights about religion, she reminded him, quote, you knew when you married me that I was a Catholic, close quote. He shot back, of course I did, but I didn't know that you would get worse every year.

I'd give my left eye to see the look on Ellen's face after that retort. Kump and Ellen had a pretty rocky marriage, which matched the West Point grad civilian career. Tecumseh left the army in 1854. He pursued banking in California, but the panic of 1857 wiped out his bank and personal savings, and the ex-military officer left the state empty-handed, like so many gold rushers before him. In late 1859, he moved to Louisiana to be the superintendent of a new military academy, the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning. Of course, when the Bayou State seceded in 1861, staunch Unionist Kump had a serious decision to make. The governor of Louisiana made that decision easier by sending

crates of arms stolen from the U.S. arsenal at Baton Rouge for storage at Comp's school. He told a friend, quote, this graded hard on my feelings as an ex-army officer, close quote. Refusing to participate in what he considered treason, the superintendent left the school and the state. He moved with Ellen, their five kids, and two servants to St. Louis, Missouri, where he worked as the president of the St. Louis Railroad Company. In June 1861, Tecumseh rejoined the army and commanded a brigade at the Battle of Bull Run the next month. But rejoining the army went about as smoothly as Comte's complicated career path. After Bull Run, he was assigned to command the Department of the Cumberland. While in Kentucky, a reporter heard the out-of-his-depth, newly promoted brigadier

general say that it would take 60,000 soldiers to defend Kentucky, but 200,000 to mount an offensive against Confederates in the area. Two weeks later, in October 1861, the New York Tribune published the statement, conveniently leaving out Kumpf's estimate of a 60,000 defensive force and labeling the stressed-out overworked general as crazy for predicting he would need 200,000 men to attack the Confederates. Of course, later in the war, that number would seem on the high end of reasonable, but in 1861, it sounds ludicrous. Kumpf's prediction got him branded as crazy and reassigned to St. Louis. This put Tecumseh under Henry Oldbrain's hallock in the Department of Missouri. Able to relax while someone else called the shots, Kumpf got back on his feet across the Department of Missouri. Able to relax while someone else called the shots, Kump got back on

his feet across the winter of 1861-62 and served as quartermaster to Ulysses at Ford's Henry and Donaldson. Both Ulysses and Tecumseh had a rough winter. Kump couldn't shake rumors that he's insane, while Ulysses fended off stories that he's been hit in the bottle. But the two men bonded over these struggles and Kump hyperbolically said of Ulysses, quote, he stood by me when I was crazy and I stood by him when he was drunk. And now we stand by each other always. Close quote. In March 1862, these two friends are ready to go into battle together. Okay, so we're getting to know all sorts of important people today. But now that we've bonded with Kump, let's get back to him and Ulysses moving toward that railroad depot in Corinth, Mississippi. This is our path to today's

big battle at Shiloh. Let's start by spelling out the Union battle plans. Then I'll give you the details on the Southern Army's movements so you have a full picture of what's about to go down. Here we go. Henry Old Brains Halleck wants to move deeper into Confederate territory and break rebel railways in southern Tennessee and northern Mississippi. That means taking Corinth, Mississippi, a small town where the Mobile-Columbus line and the Memphis-Charleston line intersect. So with Ulysses on the sick list, Old Brains instructs General Charles Smith and Tecumseh to take an army up the Tennessee River and find a suitable landing spot near Corinth. Old Brains also orders General Don Carlos Buell to move his army southwest from Nashville to join up with Chuck on the Tennessee River.

Henry plans to command these combined armies as they strike Corinth and send the rebels running. Sounds awesome, right? But two talented southern generals, whom we've met in past episodes, have a plan of their own. Albert Sidney Johnston and G.T. Beauregard are planning not just to defend Corinth, but to make an offensive and retake Tennessee. As G.T. tells Sidney, We must do something or die in the attempt, otherwise all will shortly be lost. The bold, grain Creole, Hey, go easy on them. It's hard to find time to get your roots done

when you're commanding an army. Anyway, Grain GT wants to bring several small armies together and strike the Federals before they reach Corinth. Oh, and before Don Carlos can reinforce them from Nashville. From there, the boys in gray can move northward and reclaim their recently lost territory. And to be clear, they are generally wearing gray. A year into this war, both armies have figured out how to issue uniforms that actually differentiate friend from foe. All right, let's put these two stellar plans into action. On March 14th, Tecumseh, under Chuck Smith's command, puts his men on 19 transport boats and they steam up the river. Now the Tennessee River flows from south to north, up the state of Tennessee. So if you're

traveling south, you are actually moving upriver. It's a little who's on first, but stick with me. Chuck sets up headquarters at Savannah, a little river town on the east bank of the Tennessee, but Kump continues upriver, that is, south, almost to the Mississippi-Tennessee border, looking for a safe place closer to Corinth to disembark his army. The river doesn't have many options, since heavy rains have flooded banks and submerged docks. Basically, the only place that will work is Pittsburgh Landing, a bit over five miles south of Savannah on the west bank of the river. Kump tells Chuck the chosen spot, quote, admits of easy defense by a small command and yet affords admirable camping ground for a

hundred thousand men, close quote. It might be a great place for campfires and s'mores, but Don Carlos, who I'll remind you is coming from the east, will have a harder time connecting with the army here. I sure hope that won't be a problem. Moving on. As Yankee troops arrive at Pittsburgh Landing, now recovered Ulysses shows up in Savannah on March 17th. True to form, Ulysses gets a bearing on his position and southern movements. Also true to form, the major general focuses more on his plan for the enemy than on the enemy's plan for him. Across the second half of March, Ulysses leaves Kump to oversee the army base at Pittsburgh Landing while he patiently waits for Don Carlos to show up at headquarters in Savannah. I mean, he visits Pittsburgh Landing every day and checks in with Kump.

But he takes a steamer the five-plus miles back to Savannah at night. In the first days of April, the soft ground of the forest surrounding Pittsburgh Landing into muddy, treacherous bogs, and the evening of April 4th is when Ulysses takes that fall you likely remember from today's opening. Ulysses' ankle is pretty jacked up, but he can still walk and ride and lead his men. And that's going to be really important since Confederate General Sidney Johnston is getting ready to bring the heat. Now, at the beginning of the war, Sidney was hailed as the greatest Confederate general, but a year into this fight, his reputation is slipping a bit. Not only does he take the blame for the crushing losses at Forts Henry and Donaldson and the embarrassing retreat from Nashville, but an inglorious lopsided Confederate defeat at Pea

Ridge, Arkansas on March 7th dragged the general's name down even more. Nonetheless, Confederate President Jeff Davis stands by Sidney, quote, if Sidney Johnston is not a general, we had better give up the war, for we have no general, close quote. Damn, that is high praise. Sidney stoically meets the public's criticism, simply stating, quote, the test intention of delivering a victory this time, but delay after delay is ruining his and GT's whole plan. Here's the thing. Green Confederate troops have no idea how to march efficiently or quietly. Some divisions take the wrong roads and get lost. Others get caught in those torrential spring rains I just mentioned to get stuck in the mud.

Still others spend their march firing test shots to make sure their powder is staying dry. Good idea, guys. Waste ammunition and give away your position all at once. I can just picture gentlemanly General GT doing a face palm when he hears this ruckus. By April 4th, Beauregard is ready to call the whole thing off. They are supposed to attack today, but their army hasn't even arrived yet. They're still wandering around in the woods, no doubt. The next day, more troops show up, but GT tries to talk Sydney out of attacking Union troops at Pittsburgh Landing for two reasons. One, they'll have lost the element of surprise because of the idiots practically shooting off

signal fires for the last few days. And two, the union will be at full strength since Don Carlos' guys have had time to arrive from Nashville. But Beauregard is wrong on both accounts. Tecumseh hears the army movements and firing, but blows it off as, quote, some picket firing. I do not apprehend anything like an attack on our position. Close quote. When some nervous soldiers ask the brigadier general about, you know, setting up some more defenses, Kump dismisses them. Quote, Beauregard is not such a fool as to leave his base of operations and attack us in hours. Close quote. Furthermore, by April 4th, Don Carlos hasn't arrived yet, so the Union's approximately 40,000 soldiers is still an even match for the

Confederacy's 40,000 men. Now, Sidney doesn't know any of this, but he still hasn't changed his mind about attacking the Yanks amassed at Pittsburgh Landing. He wants a win. He needs a win. So he dismisses GT's concerns about the size of the Union force of Varing. Quote, I would attack them if they were a million. Close quote. At his war council on the evening of April 5th, the badass Southern general orders, Tomorrow night, we shall sleep in the Union tents, and I will water my horse in the Tennessee River or in hell. Gentlemen, we shall attack at daylight tomorrow.

Those be fighting words, all right. Tomorrow, the Battle of Shiloh is on. Sydney leads his 40,000 into battle on Sunday, April 6th. He plans to attack both ends of the Union line and cut them off from the river, blocking any chance of retreat or reinforcement. Let me give you the layout of the Union camp Sydney is attacking. Five of Ulysses' six divisions, about 33,000 men, are camped on the plateaus west of the meandering Tennessee River. But don't get the wrong idea. This area is pockmarked with ravines, small creeks, thick underbrush, dense forests, and small farms and fields ready for planting. This difficult terrain mostly plays to the Union's advantage since the rebels have to advance quickly through the unpredictable landscape. The Union camps basically follow a diagonal line that faces southwest with

the river on the far left of the line and a small log cabin called Shiloh Church on the right. This is where Tecumseh is camped. He set up his tent only a few yards from the church, whose name will be the epitome of irony today. Shiloh can be translated as peace from Hebrew, but Kump and his men won't be seeing much peace on this Sabbath day. Confederate soldier Patton Anderson tells us that, quote, the men were aroused without fife or drum and silently but promptly resumed their arms ready for the order to move forward. Close quote. Rebel front lines meet little resistance as they advance. A few Yankee patrols exchange fire with them and alert the main Union camps to the unexpected attack. This gives Union soldiers a few precious minutes to get into position. So yeah, G.T. Beauregard definitely

got the surprise attack he was hoping for, but sleeping Union soldiers are not bayoneted in their tents, as reporters will later claim. The first main thrust of Sidney's army hits Tecumseh's line head-on. Hearing shots, shouts, and Confederate field musicians playing Dixie, Cump mounts his horse and rides out to see what's going on. It's only now that he realizes the magnitude of the battle literally at his doorstep. The general looks through his binoculars and sees wave after wave of Confederate gray and less frequent butternut uniforms pouring out of the woods ahead of him. My God, we're attacked, he exclaims. Just then, his orderly, Thomas Holliday, is knocked off his horse by a confederate bullet.

Thomas dies instantly. But Kump doesn't let the surprise knock him off his feet. He coolly and quickly organizes his men in formation, links up with the other division on his end of the lines, and defends his position at the church. Tecumseh has the high ground at this point, since Shiloh sits at the top of a deceptively steep hill. For nearly two hours, Kump's men, almost all of whom are completely green, hold off the brutal, fierce, determined Confederate advance. But they are running out of ammunition and men. The general needs backup. But where is it? More importantly, where's Ulysses S. Grant? Ulysses is at headquarters

in Savannah. That Sunday morning, he's sitting down to breakfast with his staff when he hears the guns in the distance. Putting down his yet-to-be-tasted morning coffee, Ulysses tells the officers, gentlemen, the ball is in motion. Let's be off. As quickly as his injured ankle will allow, the general boards a steamship and sails toward the battleground. He arrives on the chaotic scene at 9 a.m. Mounting a horse, the general takes control of the battle. He rides along the battle lines, barking orders, galvanizing scared, inexperienced soldiers, and finding the camps taking the heaviest fire. In fact, Ulysses gets so close to the front lines that a bullet hits his sword, smashing his scabbard. Unfazed, Ulysses rides on to find his friend and second-in-command, Tecumseh. Kump is fighting for his life. As six rebel brigades bear down on his three brigades,

his horse is shot out from under him. Tecumseh borrows his aide's horse, quipping to the young man, Well, my boy, didn't I promise you all the fighting you could do? He gets right back into action, but the borrowed horse is soon killed. With these two magnificent animals dead, Kump has to find a battery horse to ride. It only takes 20 minutes for that horse to be shot dead as well. Three dead horses, but at least Tecumseh's still okay. In the bigger picture, I'd say he's quite lucky. Too bad that luck won't hold. A bullet strikes him in the hand while he gives orders to his battery.

Barely taking his eye off the battlefield, Kump wraps his bleeding hand in a handkerchief and stuffs it inside his coat. Damn, this guy should write a book on staying cool under fire. A private watching Kump direct the battle calls him a, quote, veritable war eagle, close quote. By about 10 a.m., Kump can sense his men buckling. It's time to fall back and reorganize, so the general makes sure his soldiers are well covered and retreats about a quarter mile. Then Ulysses rides up. He promises to reinforce the crucial right flank that Kump is trying to hold, then rides away. Ulysses trusts Tecumseh implicitly and says,

quote, I never deemed it important to stay long with Sherman, close quote. Across the morning, with his red beard blackened by gunpowder and smoke, Tecumseh is forced to retreat another mile or so. But he doesn't give way enough for the Confederates to reach the all-important boat landing. The story is the same on the left end of the Union lines near the river. Confederate General Sidney Johnston directs about a third of his force to attack the Yankee left. That allows G.T., directing Confederate battle movements from the rear, to send almost all of his remaining men to the Union right. Under this extreme pressure, the Union line folds almost into a V,

with the point-facing enemy forces dead on. Forceful Confederate commander Sidney is feeling good about this assault. He stays with his men the whole morning and, like Tecumseh and Ulysses, he makes an easy target for enemy fire. In the early afternoon, Sidney rides near the front lines to rally his exhausted, nearly fought out men. A bullet hits him in the back of the leg and another shot takes the heel off his boot. After his troops' successful charge, Sidney rides back out of harm's way and shows his battle scars to his friend, Tennessee Governor Isham Harris, who's at the battle. He jokes, quote, Governor, they came very near putting me o'er to combat in that charge. Close quote. Isham asks Sidney if he's hurt badly, but the excited general shrugs off the pain.

The adrenaline coursing through his veins prevents Sidney from realizing just how bad this wound is. A few minutes later, Sidney is back to shouting orders and watching the latest phase of the battle unfold. Isham watches in horror as, mid-sentence, Sidney slumps in his saddle and nearly falls off his horse. The governor struggles to hold Sidney on his steed and asks, General, are you wounded? Breathless and struggling to maintain consciousness, Sidney replies, Yes, and I fear seriously. Isham and the general's aide find a safe place to get Sidney off his horse and lower the wounded man to the ground. The aide rushes to find a surgeon while the governor stays and tries to keep Sidney awake, but it's no use. Unbeknownst to Isham, the aide, or Sidney for that

matter, that bullet had severed the popliteal artery in his right leg. Staff officers, including Sidney's brother-in-law, William Preston, come to help, but none of them can find the source of the blood pooling near Sidney's body since the small wound is hidden underneath his boot. At 2.30 p.m., General Albert Sidney Johnston quietly dies. The men around him begin to cry and William excuses himself, simply saying, pardon me gentlemen, you all know how I loved him. Sidney is the highest ranking general on either side of this conflict that will be killed in action throughout the entire war. The death of their energetic general only spurs Confederate soldiers to action. Since most of the rebel force had been fighting the right and left ends of the Federal line all day,

only small forces have been available to attack the middle. But as the Union line folds into that V I mentioned a few minutes ago, more and more Confederates can access the center point. Here, about 4,500 men in blue blue under the command of General Benjamin Prentiss are hunkered down along a cow path that meanders through the thick woods and brush. They sit where the path dips between two small hills and call their spot Sunken Road. The rebels trying to dislodge them call it the Hornet's Nest. Since about 1030 this morning, Ben Prentiss and his men have been fending off Confederate frontal assaults.

But they know how important maintaining their position is. So as one Iowan soldier puts it, they, quote, determined to die rather than give back, close quote. Ulysses himself comes and encourages the men between assaults saying, now boys, pitch in. This encouragement keeps the men fighting, even in the face of an assault from Major General Braxton Bragg himself. The tough as nails disciplinarian orders the 4th Louisiana Regiment forward into Yankee fire. Colonel Henry Allen acts as the color bearer, leading his men straight into enemy fire. Henry yells to his men to advance,

here boys is as good a place as any on this battlefield to meet death. The Union soldiers hold out against this bloody assault, but in the late afternoon, their position becomes untenable. Ben has lost about half his men and, due to other parts of the Union line retreating, Ben's flanks are exposed to enemy fire. At 515, Braxton orders a coordinated attack on the Union position. He tells his officers, quote, a combined movement will be made on the front and. He tells his officers, quote, a combined movement will be made on the front and flanks of that position, close quote. Like a well-armed exterminator, Braxton means to crush this hornet's nest. Knowing time is short, Ben orders a retreat

before the rebels can completely surround his men. A few Iowa regiments barely manage to get out of the tightening enemy vice and make it to safety. One soldier with poor grammar describes his terror at the retreat. Quote, When I began to despair, fearing all was lost, the rebels began to waver, and we rushed through, everything in confusion. Close quote. Illinois Brigadier Commander William Wallace isn't so lucky.

And no, I can't confirm if this William Wallace is related to that William Wallace. You know, the ancient Scottish warrior that Americans know about because of Mel Gibson. Anyway, our William is desperate to find a way out for his guys. But the Confederates are firing 62 cannons into woods from nearly every side, filling the woods with smoke, falling tree limbs, and danger shrapnel. William rides through the darkening woods and stands up in his stirrups, trying to find a path to safety. He collapses when a bullet tears through the back of his skull

and exits out his left eye. William's men find a safe place to put his body and sadly keep trying to escape, but it's too late. At 530, Ben surrenders with approximately 2,200 of his remaining men. Those who managed to escape the hornet's nest joined the ever-strengthening Union defensive line on the ridge above the Tennessee River. For Ulysses and his men, it's been a rough day full of death. But when a few officers dare to suggest that they retreat across the river during the night, Ulysses replies, retreat? No. I propose to attack at daylight and whip him. Ulysses knows two things. One, the attacking army has the advantage in any battle. And two, he's got upwards of 25,000 fresh soldiers to put in the fight tomorrow because Don Carlos' men have finally arrived.

On the other side, GT doesn't know about Don Carlos. But he does know that night is falling fast and his dirty, disorganized men are exhausted from nearly 12 hours of hard fighting. The Creole calls off any more assaults and gives his men a chance to rest. He's pretty confident that tomorrow he can finish what he started today and send those damn Yankees running. GT sends a telegram to Richmond confidently stating, after a severe battle of 10 hours, thanks be to the almighty, we gained a complete victory, driving the enemy from every position. GT spends a quiet night sleeping comfortably in Tecumseh's tent near Shiloh Church. Everyone else, whether in gray or blue,

spends a miserable night in the rain. An unprecedented tens of thousands of men are trying to sleep in the mud, pooling water, and pooling blood of the 2,000 dead men lying around them. 10,000 of the living are wounded, and as the rain pours down, many of them die. Two Union gunboats fire their guns on Confederate lines all night,

their reports echoing the thunder. In between cannons and claps of thunder, the moans of wounded and dying men rend the air. One Confederate soldier writes Holmes, saying, quote, This night of horrors will haunt me to my grave. Close quote. During this hideous, sleepless night, Tecumseh seeks out Ulysses. As you'll recall from this episode's opening, the exhausted general has just had his boot cut off, fled the horrors of the log cabin hospital, and is now trying to stay dry under a tree while chewing on one of the 20 or so cigars he smokes per day. Kump, smart enough not to bring up a retreat even though the Union lines are two and a

half miles back from their starting positions, remarks, well Grant, we've had the devil's own day, haven't we? Pulling the cigar from his mouth, Ulysses replies, yes, lick him tomorrow though. This isn't just hubris. As I said, Ulysses knows he can count on reinforcements to back up his attack tomorrow. And GT could know about those reinforcements too. Cavalry Commander Nathan Bedford Forrest, and don't forget about him, we'll see this future Confederate general and KKK leader in later episodes, watched Don Carlos' army arrive at

Pittsburgh Landing. Nathan tries to find GT to give him the vital information, but funny enough, the cavalry commander doesn't think to check the commandeered Union tent for his general. Finally giving up, Nathan tells an aide, we'll be whipped like hail. He's not far off the mark. As the sun rises over the soggy, muddy, bloody soldiers on Monday, April 7th, the men in blue and gray are no longer evenly matched. Remember that yesterday, Sidney and GT had about 40,000 men. Now, GT has no Sidney and he's down to about 25,000 available men. The Union lines have closer to 15,000 able-bodied men who fought yesterday, plus 25,000 fresh troops from Don Carlos' Army of the Ohio and one yet-to-see action division of Ulysses' Army. Ulysses refuses to repeat yesterday's mistake and launches an assault

soon after dawn. The surprised rebels rock back on their heels and give up a little ground. But under the able command of GT, Confederates regroup and match the Federal's fire shot for shot. Tecumseh describes the raging battle as, quote, the severest musketry fire I ever heard, close quote. The fighting is fierce and gruesome, made worse by the fact that neither side has had a chance to bury its dead or tend to most of its wounded from yesterday, and the fields are littered with bodies and body parts. One federal soldier relates, quote, many men had died there, and others were in the last agonies as we passed. Their groans and cries were heart-rending. The gory corpses lying all around us in every imaginable attitude and slain by an

inconceivable variety of wounds were shocking to behold. Close quote. In the early afternoon, Ulysses applies what is becoming a trademark technique. He orders a coordinated simultaneous attack on the Confederate lines. However, he breaks from precedent and leads two regiments into the charge himself. Of course, not wanting to go the way of Sidney Johnston, he stops just shy of rebel musket range and yells, Charge! Ulysses recounts, The command, Charge, was given and was executed with loud cheers and with a run, when the last of the enemy broke. GT knows a lost cause when he sees one. At 2.30, he orders a retreat back to Corinth in order to save what's left of his army. The battlefield at Pittsburgh Landing is left to the Federals.

Rain, muddy roads, and exhausted men prevent a Union pursuit that day. So let's take stock of the Battle of Shiloh. As Ulysses surveys the scene, he says, I saw an open field, so covered with the dead, so that it would have been possible to walk across the clearing in any direction, stepping on dead bodies without a foot touching the ground. Altogether, there are nearly 24,000 casualties at Shiloh. Union and Confederates together have about 3,400 dead and another 16,000 wounded, with missing soldiers making up the rest of the

casualty list. 21st century historians figure that about 15% of wounded soldiers eventually die in the Civil War. If that's true at Shiloh, then the death toll rises to almost 6,000. The battle's casualties are more than that of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Mexican-American War combined. Let that sink in. As Tecumseh puts it, quote, the scene on this field would have cured anybody of war. Close quote. You may know Herman Melville for his whaling novel, Moby Dick, but this famous 19th century American author and poet also writes a collection of poems about the Civil War. In one, he mourns the dead decaying on the fields near Shiloh Church. It's simply titled, Shiloh, a Requiem. I'd like to read it to you.

Skimming lightly, wheeling still, the swallows fly low. Over the field in clouded days, the forest field of Shiloh over the field where April rain solaced the parched ones stretched in pain through the pause of night that followed the Sunday fight around the church of Shiloh the church so lone the log built one

that echoed to many a parting groan a natural prayer of dying foemen mingled there, foemen at morn, but friends at eve. Fame or country least their care. What like a bullet can undeceive? But now they lie low,

while over them the swallows skim, and all is hushed at Shiloh. The next day, as most able-bodied soldiers bury their fallen comrades, Ulysses sends his most trusted general in pursuit of the retreated Confederates. Tecumseh's infantry and cavalry run into Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry unit about six miles southwest of Pittsburgh Landing. As Kump and his men cross an open field, they can see a grove of felled trees sitting between them and Nathan's outnumbered cavalry unit, waiting on a ridge. While Tecumseh and his men pick their way over the logs and brush, they hear Nathan shout, charge! Confederate cavalry meet Kump's soldiers while they are still in the grove,

and blue and gray clash in the tangled green of the trees. But Nathan gets so excited in the fighting, he gets ahead of his line and finds himself surrounded by Union soldiers. The Yankees try to pull him off his horse, and one gets close enough to shoot a bullet in Nathan's hip. But that's not enough to stop the battle of hardened horsemen. Nathan grabs a nearby Union soldier by the scruff of his neck, drags the fighting boy in blue onto his horse,

and uses the soldier as a body shield while he rides away. Nathan lives in his cavalry retreat all the way to Corinth while Kump heads back to Pittsburgh Landing. Ulysses calls this hard-fought battle of Shiloh a win. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, his men held their ground in spite of a brutal first day and turned back the rebel bid to retake Tennessee. The northern public takes a different view. The massive death toll shocks most of them and Americans seek someone to blame. They find an easy target in Ulysses. And yes, he did make mistakes on the battlefield the first day, so naturally, people take those mistakes 10 steps too far. Old rumors of him being drunk on the job resurface along with new tales of being late to the battle and not caring for his men. Ohio Lieutenant

Governor Benjamin Stanton claims that there's, quote, a general feeling among the most intelligent men that Grant ought to be court-martialed or shot, Close quote. But Lincoln ignores the rumors, the salacious newspaper stories, and the recommendations of over-eager politicians. The president asks Henry Halleck directly if there's any truth to the claims against Ulysses. Henry, having learned his lesson about spreading rumors, defends the general and attributes the highest casualties to two days of brutal warfare. Lincoln tells the next person who argues for Ulysses' arrest, I can't spare this man. He fights! In the first half of 1862, the Union is definitely coming out

on top in the Western theater of the war. In addition to the bigger battles we've heard about in the past two episodes, federal forces also win at Pea Ridge in Arkansas, while a fleet of its gunboats capture island number 10 on the Mississippi River, the latter being an important outpost with easy access to Memphis, Tennessee. So the forces under old brains Halleck are poised to do battle at two major Confederate holdings, Memphis, Tennessee, and Corinth, Mississippi. Things are looking good, but we can't follow them just yet. We need to head back to the East Coast and hear what the Army of the Potomac under General George McClellan is doing, or not doing, in Virginia. As Sam and Chase puts it, quote, we heard echoes of victory from the West,

but all was quiet on the Potomac. Close quote. Or is it? History That Doesn't Suck is created and hosted by me, Greg Jackson. Research and writing, Greg Jackson and C.L. Salazar. Production Sound Design, Josh Beatty of J.B. Audio Design Musical Score, composed and performed by Greg Jackson and Diana Averill For a bibliography of all primary and secondary sources consulted in writing this episode, visit HistoryThatDoesntSuck.com Join me in two weeks, where I'd like to tell you a story. HTDS is supported by premium membership fans. You can join by clicking the link in the episode

description. My gratitude to you kind souls providing additional funding to help us keep going. And a special thanks to our members whose monthly gift puts them at producer status. Andy Thompson, Anthony Pizzulo, Art Lane, Beth Chris Jansen, Bob Drazovich, Brian Goodson, Bronwyn Cohen, Carrie Beggle, Charles and Shirley Clendennan, Charlie Magis, Chloe Tripp, Thank you.