Attack at Daylight and Whip Them: The Battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862

Commemorating Shiloh

The timing was exquisite. My receipt of this study in the Emerging Civil War Series, "Attack at Daylight and Whip Them" by Gregory Mertz coincided with the anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh, fought April 6-7, 1862, at Pittsburgh Landing in Tennessee, 22 miles north of Corinth, Mississippi. The National Park Service holds battle walks and other activities each year to commemorate the battle. I was unable to attend the events but commemorated the battle and thought of the ongoing activities at the Shiloh National Park while reading this study.

The Emerging Civil War Series offers short accounts consisting of texts, photographs and maps of important Civil War battles and events geared both to new readers and to those readers with a broad background in the Civil War. Each book is written to present a fresh view of its subject together with a basic understanding. Greg Mertz, the author of this volume has long been a student of Shiloh and has 38 years experience as a Civil War historian for the National Park Service. I had eagerly awaited this volume on the Battle of Shiloh based upon my fascination with the battle, other reading on the battle I had done, and a trip to the battlefield some years ago. The book did not disappoint. It helped me understand my passion of Shiloh and for the Civil War and it increased my understanding of a complex, crucial battle.

Shiloh was the largest, bloodiest battle of the Civil War at the time it took place and was pivotal in changing the character of the war and in its eventual outcome. After serious earlier reverses, the Confederate Army of the Mississippi (later renamed the Army of Tennessee) commanded by Generals Albert Sidney Johnston and P.G.T Beauregard launched a surprise attack on the Union Army of the Tennessee commanded by Major General U.S. Grant at Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River. The attack essentially began near the Shiloh Meeting House about three miles from the Landing. On the first day of the battle, the South carried the attack to near the river front where Grant had established a powerful last line of defense. Albert Sidney Johnson had been killed at about 2:30 in the afternoon trying to lead troops around the left of the Union defense. The first day of the battle ended at about 6:00 when Beauregard called it off in a decision that remains controversial but seems to me and to I think the majority of students correct.

Grant received reinforcements over the night of April 6 from the Union Army of the Ohio commanded by Major General Don Carlos Buell and from a division of Grant's own army commanded by Major General Lew Wallace which, for reasons which also remain controversial, was slow to reach the battlefield on April 6. On April 7, after further severe fighting, the Union Armies drove the Confederate Army from the field and back to Corinth.

Mertz offers a clear, detailed account of the Battle of Shiloh in a relatively short volume. The book offers some brief, necessary background on the prior events leading to the battle and is at its best in describing the opening Confederate attacks in the early morning of April 6 and the varied ways the Union commanders responded to and met the attacks. The terrain, heroic action by forward Union units and individuals, and cool-headed strong defense by Union General W.T. Sherman among others helped blunt the Confederate attack and buy precious time for defense.

Consistently with other recent studies of the battle, Mertz tries to downplay the significance of the fighting at the fabled Hornet's Nest/Sunken Road mid-way through the opening day of the battle. Even with this, the Hornet's Nest action assumes a large role in the book. The book gives a good discussion of the significance of the delay in the Confederate attack and of the nearly impregnable line Grant constructed to hold the Union position. Mertz also offers a discussion of the April 7 action that sometimes is slighted in earlier accounts.

The book rightly emphasizes the role of terrain in the fighting and outcome of the battle. Shiloh is crossed by many small creeks, by ravines, and by wooded hills. The terrain worked throughout to assist the Union defense. A visit to Shiloh is the best way to see and understand the importance of terrain to the battle.

The book includes maps and images that assist the reader. In particular, I enjoyed Mertz' detailed discussion of the beautiful Daughters of the Confederacy monument to the battle. Mertz explains the symbolism of the monument and the view it presents of the battle and its outcome.

The book includes both a driving tour of the battlefield and a brief, annotated bibliography for those wishing to read about Shiloh in more detail.

Tim Smith, who has written several books about Shiloh, wrote a moving Foreword to this book. Smith describes the "mystical" character Shiloh has assumed to those fascinated by the battle and discusses the significance of the battle to the further course of the war. Smith aptly contrasts Shiloh as a place of large violence and death at the time of the battle, with the religious connotations of the place, illustrated by the Shiloh Meeting House. Shiloh today is a place for peace and reflection. Furthermore, the battlefield is a place to relearn and to recover love for the United States, its accomplishments, and its potentialities. As Smith writes: "The patriotism unleashed when coming under the spell of Shiloh also teaches each new generation its history and what it can achieve in the future."

I was grateful for the opportunity to think again about Shiloh and to commemorate the anniversary of the battle through reading this fine study. The publisher of the Emerging Civil War Series, Savas Beatie, kindly sent me a review copy.

Robin Friedman