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6 am - Sunday, April 6th, 1862 - Early morning attack
Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston's troops launched a surpise attack on unprepared Union troops at six in the morning. Johnston and General P.G.T. Beauregard had no unified battle plan, but had the element of surprise on their side. -
8:30 am - Sherman rallies
Although General Sherman was poorly prepared for the battle, he fought valiantly and inspired his troops not to give up. Throughout the day, Sherman suffered two minor wounds and had three horses shot out from under him. By noon, Union troops were pushed back to a position behind Shiloh Church. -
9 am - Union Troops Hold Down Hornet's Nest
Starting at around 9 am, Union soldiers from General Benjamin Prentiss and W.H.L. Wallace's divisions held a position known as Hornet's Nest. Instead of simply passing by, the Confederates decided to assualt the position - resulting in heavy casualties on their part. General Johnston was mortally wounded during all of this. -
Defense at Pittsburg Landing
The Union were beginning to be pushed back, but gradually. After General Johnston's death, John C. Breckinridge's forces attacked the left side of the Union line. They nearly opened up a spot to attack, but failed. The Confederacy's plan to force Grant west into swamps failed. -
Union Troops Outnumber Confederates
On the 7th, the Union troops numbered somewhere around 45,000. The Confederacy had less than half of that number due to casualties and desertion. -
Beauregard Launches Counterattacks
In the early afternoon, Beauregard began launching counterattacks from the Shiloh Church area. He did this to try gain control of Corinth Road. The final counterattack was flanked by Grant and subsequently failed. -
Beauregard Withdraws
Beauregard's men were running low on ammunition and food and had lost over 10,000 men. Using Breckinridge as a covering force, the troops withdrew from Shiloh Church. The exhausted Union troops did not follow. The Battle of Shiloh was over. -
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