Grant did not waste any time in rejoicing over his success. The capture
of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson was an important achievement but it was
only one step toward the control of the Mississippi River, which was the
main object of the campaign. The next step in that direction was
toward Corinth a strategically important point in Mississippi, and he
immediately concentrated his attention upon getting the army in position
to attack that stronghold. Some of his fellow commanders, however, were
extremely cautious and he had to labor for days before he could persuade
General Buell, who was stationed at Nashville, Tennessee, with a large
army, to advance his troops to a point where they could be of service.
But in the midst of this work he was suddenly interrupted by an order
which removed him from his command and virtually placed him under arrest
on charges of disregarding instructions and of being absent from his
department without permission.
These astonishing accusations were caused by his failure to answer
dispatches from Headquarters which had never reached him, and by his
visit to General Buell which had obliged him to travel beyond the
strict limits of his command. The whole matter was soon explained by the
discovery that a Confederate had been tampering with the dispatches in
the telegraph office, but it was exceedingly annoying to Grant to find
himself publicly condemned without a hearing. Nevertheless, it supplied
a very fair test of his character, for he neither lost his temper
nor displayed any excitement whatsoever. On the contrary, he remained
perfectly calm in the face of grave provocation, replying firmly but
respectfully to the harsh criticisms of his superiors, and behaving
generally with a dignity and composure that won the silent approval of
all observers.
Of course, as soon as the facts were known he was restored to his
command with an ample apology, but his preparations for the advance
against Corinth had been seriously interrupted and it was some time
before he again had the work in hand. Nevertheless, within five weeks
of the surrender of Fort Donelson, he was headed toward Mississippi
with over 30,000 men, having arranged with General Buell to follow and
support him with his army of 40,000, the combined forces being amply
sufficient to overpower the Confederates who were guarding Corinth. This
vast superiority, however, probably served to put Grant off his guard,
for on March 16, 1862, his advance under General Sherman reached
Pittsburg Landing, not far from Corinth, and encamped there without
taking the precaution to intrench. Sherman reported on April 5th that
he had no fear of being attacked and Grant, who had been injured the day
before by the fall of his horse and was still on crutches, remained some
distance in the rear, feeling confident that there would be no serious
fighting for several days.
But the Union commander, who had studied his opponents with such good
results at Fort Donelson, made a terrible mistake in failing to do so on
this occasion, for he knew, or ought to have known, that General Albert
Sidney Johnston and General Beauregard, the Confederate commanders
were bold and energetic officers who were well advised of the military
situation and ready to take advantage of every opportunity. Indeed,
their sharp eyes had already noted the gap between Grant's and Buell's
armies and at the moment Sherman was penning his dispatch to his
superior, informing him that all was well, a force of 40,000 men was
preparing to crush his unprotected advance guard before Buell could
reach the field.
It was Sunday morning, April 6, 1862, when the ominous sound of firing
in the direction of Shiloh Church smote Grant's ears. For a few moments
he could not believe that it indicated a serious attack, but the roar
of heavy guns soon convinced him that a desperate battle had begun and,
directing his orderlies to lift him into the saddle, he dashed to the
nearest boat landing and proceeded to the front with all possible speed.
Before he reached the ground, however, the Confederates had driven the
Union outposts from the field in frightful disorder and were hurling
themselves with ferocious energy upon those who still held fast. The
surprise had been well-nigh complete and the first rush of the gray
infantry carried everything before it, leaving the foremost Union camp
in their hands. Indeed, for a time the Federal army was not much more
than a disorganized mob, completely bewildered by the shock of battle,
and thousands of men blindly sought refuge in the rear, heedless of
their officers who, with a few exceptions, strove valiantly to organize
an effective defense.
The tumult and confusion were at their worst when Grant reached the
field and it seemed almost hopeless to check the panic and prevent
the destruction of his entire army. But in the midst of the maddening
turmoil and wild scenes of disaster he kept his head and, dashing from
one end of the line to the other, ordered regiments into position with
a force and energy that compelled obedience. There was no time to
formulate any plan of battle. Each officer had to do whatever he thought
best to hold back the Confederates in his immediate front, and for hours
the fight was conducted practically without orders. But Grant supplied
his gallant subordinates with something far more important than orders
at that crisis. Undismayed by the chaos about him he remained cool and
inspired them with confidence. Not for one instant would he admit the
possibility of defeat, and under his strong hand the huddled lines were
quickly reformed, the onrush of the Confederates was gradually checked
and a desperate conflict begun for every inch of ground.
For a time the victorious gray-coats continued to push their opponents
back and another line of tents fell into their hands. But their advance
was stubbornly contested and knowing that Buell was at hand, Grant
fought hard for delay, using every effort to encourage his men to stand
fast and present the boldest possible front to the foe. Meanwhile,
however, Sherman was wounded, and when darkness put an end to the
furious combat the shattered Union army was on the verge of collapse. So
perilous, indeed, was the situation that when Buell arrived on the field
his first inquiry was as to what preparations Grant had made to effect
a retreat. But the silent commander instantly shook his head and
announced, to the intense astonishment of his questioner, that he did
not intend to retreat but to attack at daylight the next morning with
every man at his disposal, leaving no reserves.
Such was Grant at one of the darkest moments of his career. Behind him
lay the battered remnants of regiments, screening a welter of confusion
and fear; before him stretched the blood-soaked field of Shiloh held
by the confident Confederate host; while at his elbow stood anxious
officers, well satisfied to have saved the army from destruction and
ready to point out a convenient line of retreat. All his surroundings,
in fact, were calculated to discourage him and the intense pain of his
injured leg, which allowed him neither rest nor sleep, was a severe
strain upon his nerves. Yet he would not yield to weakness of any kind.
He was responsible for the position in which the Union army found itself
and he determined to retrieve its fortunes. Therefore, all night long
while reënforcements were steadily arriving, he developed his plans for
assuming the offensive, and at break of day his troops hurled themselves
against the opposing lines with dauntless energy.
Meanwhile the Confederates had sustained an irreparable loss, for Albert
Sidney Johnston, their brilliant leader, had fallen. Moreover, they
had no reserves to meet the Union reënforcements. Nevertheless, they
received the vigorous onslaught with splendid courage and another
terrible day of carnage followed. Again and again Grant exposed himself
with reckless daring, narrowly escaping death from a bullet which
carried away the scabbard of his sword as he reconnoitered in advance
of his men, but despite his utmost efforts the gray lines held fast, and
for hours no apparent advantage was gained. Then, little by little, the
heavy Union battalions began to push them back until all the lost ground
was recovered, but the Confederates conducted their retreat in good
order and finally reached a point of safety, leaving very few prisoners
in their pursuers' hands.
Grant had saved his army from destruction and had even driven his
adversary from the field, but at a fearful cost, for no less than
10,000 Union soldiers were killed or wounded in the two days' desperate
fighting at Shiloh and almost 3,000 had been captured. The Confederates,
it is true, had lost nearly 10,000 men, but their army, which should
have been crushed by the combined efforts of Grant and Buell, was still
in possession of Corinth and had come dangerously near to annihilating
half of the Union forces.
The results of the battle were, therefore, received at Washington
with surprise and indignation; the country at large, horrified at the
frightful slaughter, denounced it as a useless butchery; Halleck hastily
assumed charge of all the forces in the field and from that time forward
Grant, though nominally the second in command, was deprived of all power
and virtually reduced to the rôle of a mere spectator. Indeed, serious
efforts were made to have him dismissed from the service, but Lincoln
after carefully considering the charges, refused to act. "I can't spare
this man," was his comment. "He FIGHTS."
Lincoln intended to imply by that remark that there were generals in the
army who did not fight, and Halleck was certainly one of them, for he
took thirty-one days to march the distance that the Confederates had
covered in three. Indeed, he displayed such extraordinary caution that
with an army of 100,000 at his back he inched his way toward Corinth,
erecting intrenchments at every halt, only to find, after a month, that
he had been frightened by shadows and dummy guns and that the city had
been abandoned by the Confederates. No commander responsible for such
a ridiculous performance could retain the confidence of an army in the
field, and Sherman assured Grant that Halleck would not long survive
the fiasco. This advice was sorely needed, for Grant had grown tired of
being constantly humiliated and had already requested Halleck to
relieve him from duty when Sherman persuaded him to remain and wait for
something to happen.
Something happened sooner then either man expected, for Halleck was
suddenly "kicked up stairs" by his appointment to the chief command with
headquarters in Washington, and on July 11, 1862, about three months
after the battle of Shiloh, Grant found himself again at the head of a
powerful army.