April 11, 1862 - Friday - 160 years ago today

Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Wood's Division

Battle of Shiloh - Aftermath

On the 8th, Wood's division did participate in a short pursuit of the retreating Confederate army, but returned to camp without engaging.  The Confederates moved slowly back toward Corinth, but the Federal army could not easily pursue due to the continuous rain making the roads nearly unusable.

Union losses at Shiloh were: 

1754 killed, 8408 wounded, 2885 captured or missing = 13047 casualties, out of 37331 present for duty

Confederate losses at Shiloh were:

1728 killed, 8012 wounded, 959 captured or missing = 10699 casualties, out of 38773 present for duty

These were astonishing losses, and added up to more casualties than the nation had suffered in all its previous wars combined.  This also was more than double the losses in all Civil War battles up to that point.  Northerners were outraged, many blaming Grant for lack of preparedness.

In retrospect, the outcome is not surprising; large armies had been called up, the soldiers were of similar background, and were capable with firearms, having used them to hunt for food and protect the farm from predators.  Both sides had the same types of guns and artillery.  There were no new inventions that changed the battlefield, like tanks or airplanes; battles were at close range with rifles and artillery, or even closer with bayonets.

Sherman's estimate of 200,000 troops needed in the West, for which he was recently derided as "insane", was now clearly valid or even low.  No one would now speak of a short war or the imminent demise of the Confederacy, as was thought by many only a few days before.  The thing having started, it could not be stopped, and would be fought through to surrender.  There would be many more similar battles, all with similar casualty rates, both in the East and the West.  A long and deadly war now loomed ahead.

General Halleck arrived at Pittsburg Landing on April 11th, to take command in the field.  The Confederate army was regrouping at Corinth.

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume X, Chapter XXII, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 97-108.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 66-67.
  
• Shelby Foote: The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville, pp. 326-351.
• Shiloh, Larry J. Daniel, pp. 293-309
  
• Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: The Opening Battles, pp. 464-610.
  

 

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