The Battle of Shiloh
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In the course of American history, no conflict tore at the fiber of national unity in the same way that the Civil War did. The tumultuous nature of the struggle pitted brother against brother, and its long, bloody battles resulted in a staggering number of casualties. Perhaps one of the most crucial engagements of the war was the battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862), in which Confederate forces surprised Union divisions near the Shiloh Church in southwestern Tennessee. Often considered the turning point of the war, the battle of Shiloh provided the Union with significant territorial gains, which, though the war continued for several years, effectively insured the Confederacy's defeat. Indeed, the battle of Shiloh might have turned the tide of the war for the Confederates if they had been able to achieve victory. Not only would success have provided the Confederacy with the opportunity to recover the Mississippi Valley, it would have also served to strengthen the spirit of the South, and reinvigorate its will to fight. More importantly, Confederate victory at Shiloh would have crushed Union confidence, leading to the possibility of an early peace settlement and an entirely different resolution to the conflicts that begun the war. The battle at Shiloh began as an attempt by Confederate forces to surprise the Union armies camped near the Shiloh Church, where General Ulysses S. Grant was awaiting reinforcements at Pittsburg Landing. The Confederate campaign in the West
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ed great strategic success, and was ultimately thought of as the victor. The battle had been the Confederacy's final chance to make strides in the west; eventually it would be forced to abandon all its territories but Mississippi. In fact, within two months' time, the Confederates would lose Chattanooga, Corinth, and Memphis. Only Vicksburg would still be in their control (McDonough 314).
The Confederate failure at Shiloh was so significant because of the potential that it held. The battle is often considered the turning point of the war because it set into motion a chain of events that all but insured Southern defeat. If the Confederates had been able to win at Shiloh, the entire timeline of the war might have changed, as many Southerners believed that a decisive victory, like that which had been in reach for the Confederacy at Shiloh, would have completely broken the will of Union soldiers. The war would have been the Confederacy's to win (Sword 186).
Indeed, even though the Union had managed a strategic victory, the battle was technically a draw, and Union confidence was shattered by the mere fact of the Confederacy's resilience and determination. Afterward, even Grant withdrew his assertion that the North w
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Approximate Word count = 2440
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)
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