Lessons in military history, part 1 Published April 1, 2010 By Tech. Sgt. Steven Wilson, 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs and Ryan Warner, 28th BW historian 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- By the spring of 1862, the nation realized the war embroiling the dissolved United States would not be over as quickly as expected. The rebellion, which was initially anticipated to be quelled within three months, was handing out defeat after defeat in the Eastern Theater of the war. With crushing blows delivered to the Union Army at Manassas and the beginning of Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's Valley Campaign, the outcome was unclear. In the West however, upstart Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee was wreaking havoc on Confederate forces along the Tennessee River. After the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson, Confederate forces under the command of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston and Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard withdrew to Corinth, Miss., where they devised a plan to regroup and engage in a surprise attack. General Grant's forces were camped on Pittsburgh Landing, a muddy riverboat port on the Tennessee River. General Grant's army was comprised of six divisions totaling 48,894 men. He developed a reputation during the war for being more concerned with his own plans than with those of the enemy. His encampment at Pittsburg Landing, once again, showed this tendency; as his army was spread out in bivouac-style, many around the small log church, named "Shiloh" - which means "place of peace" in Hebrew. Instead of fortifying his position, General Grant instead drilled his forces, as many of the men were raw recruits and had little or no combat experience. He waited for reinforcements from Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell and his Army of the Ohio, thinking the chance of a Confederate attack was unlikely. On the Confederate side, General Johnston and his Army of the Mississippi, 44,699 strong, departed Corinth on April 3, 1862, hoping to surprise and rout General Grant before his reinforcements arrived. Day 1 The Confederate forces attacked on the morning of April 6, 1862, and surprised the Union Army. The first portion of the battle saw Union forces driven from the field until they made a stand at what historians now call "the sunken road" and what soldiers on both sides referred to as "the hornets' nest." Confederate infantry could not dislodge the Union troops, but they brought their artillery to bear on the Union forces and forced them from their solidified position. Few of the Union forces at the sunken road escaped. Most were killed, wounded or captured. Union forces regrouped and formed another line at Pittsburgh Landing, supported by their own artillery and, finally, the arrival of General Buell's reinforcements. Day 2 Confederate leadership was not aware their enemy had fresh reinforcements and the next morning, found themselves under attack by one of Union General Buell's divisions. The Confederates counterattacked, stopped the Union advance, but could not break their lines. At this juncture, Confederate General Beauregard realized he could not win as the first day's battle and the second day's counterattacks had cost him too many casualties. The confederates withdrew, but General Grant hoped to destroy the enemy and end his campaign in Tennessee -- once and for all. However, the pursuing Union forces ran into the Confederate rear echelon led by Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest. Colonel Forrest forced the Union soldiers back to Pittsburgh Landing and the Confederates successfully withdrew. General Grant secured a major victory, albeit a costly one. The Battle of Shiloh was the costliest in American history up to that time. This single battle eclipsed American losses from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War combined. Military History's After-Action Report General Grant learned a valuable lesson on military preparedness after Shiloh. He would never again underestimate the possibility of a Confederate offensive. He applied this lesson and opted to be continually on the attack, as evidenced by the Battle of Cold Harbor in 1864. Casualties alone don't always decide the outcome of a battle. In the case of the Battle of Shiloh, the Union Army had an estimated 13,047 casualties while the Confederate Army suffered 10,699. However, due to the availability of reinforcements and occupying key terrain, the Union secured the victory. Security of one's surroundings are all-important. If Confederate General Beauregard had not deployed a rear guard to secure his withdrawal, General Grant could have very possibly annihilated him, thus ending resistance in this theater. However, after Shiloh Confederate Col. Nathan B. Forrest, using cavalry tactics much the same way a modern motorized commander would, secured General Beauregard's escape and defeated the Union attempt to crush his fleeing forces. The next article will cover lessons in military history from an aerial bomber perspective. Editor's note: This is part one of a three-part series.