Before day break of June 6, 1862, Federal troops discovered that Confederate soldiers were nearby. This occurred in Pittsburgh Landing, Tennessee. The Battle of Shiloh was just beginning and it would become one of the most significant and perhaps must misunderstood battles of the war. It was early in the Civil War when the Battle of Shiloh took place, and the Union Army learned several lessons.
The first mistake was that the Union Army was unprepared for battle. In fact they were surprised when the Federal scouts stumbled over the Confederate troop that was camped nearby. Most of the recruits for the Union side were new to battle and untrained. This led to the chaos on both sides. They had not been exposed to the discipline that is essential in the military. The Union Army had practiced their drills and swam. Many were also sick with dysentery which had left them dehydrated.
[...] Neither side during the Battle of Shiloh had enough medicine. Today, the worst is anticipated and enough provisions are made ready. The Battle of Shiloh was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The outcome was a Union victory and a Confederate loss, but the casualties were astronomical on both sides. The battle is now just a memory. It has been almost a century since the last survivor died, but to forget the battle would be a travesty. [...]
[...] By late morning, all of the Confederate troops are attacking. However, the Union soldiers are holding their own. When Jackson opens an all out attack as he was ordered by Sherman to do, the Union soldiers left are able to hold back the enemy. Mclernand and Sherman continue to pound their enemy. By mid afternoon, the Confederates are becoming bombarded by the Union forces. General Johnston leads a heavy attack on the Union soldiers, but during the attack he was shot and mortally wounded. [...]
[...] (Battle of Shiloh: Pittsburgh Landing) One mistake that the Union Army made before the Battle of Shiloh, was not knowing the strength of the Confederate Army. They were aware of their presence; however, they did not know how many soldiers they were dealing with. This mistake caused great casualties on the Union side. One popular version was that Confederates sneaked into the Union camp and bayoneted the Union soldiers in their sleep. There has never been proof for the validity of the story, and in fact it is very unlikely that it happened at all. [...]
[...] They were also more passionate, since the outcome could affect the stability of their government and their way of life. One lesson that the US Army has learned from the Battle of Shiloh reverts back the Confederate loss of General Johnston. Even though Beauregard immediately took the place of Johnston, the army suffered. The men were used to Johnston and Johnston and Beauregard had not communicated well enough for the transition to be easy. Today, the US Army knows that good communication is critical. Their officers have similar training, so that transitions run much more smoothly. [...]
[...] After years of studying the battle techniques of the past, leaders should have learned from the blunders of the Union and Confederate Armies. For instance, the first mistake was that the Union Army didn't realize the strength of the Confederate Army. Today in Iraqi Freedom, the United States army leaders did the same thing. They underestimated the strength of Iraq's army. It is true that their weapons and their military tactics are archaic compared to the US, but sometimes technology just can't get the job done. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
