The Public Response to the Battle of Shiloh
The people of the United States were shocked by the amount of casualties taken at the Battle of Shiloh. General Grant's superior, General Halleck, was not pleased by the amount of soilders that were killed during the battle. Because the battle of Shiloh was a northern victory, the north was satisfied. The south was very upset because they lost and there were so many soldiers dead. From the beginning, the South was outnumbered, and now they were even more defacited. The New York Times describes the battle as "an extreme loss of lives for both the Union and the Confederacy." Harper's Weekly said that "it was one of the bloodiest battles fought so far." The signifigance of this battle was that this battle could have been a huge victory for the Confederacy. However, with its loss and the immense loss of human life on both sides, leaders began to realize that the Civil War would not quickly end. The outcome was that it was a victory for the union forces. However, approximately 23,746 men died. Of those, 13,047 were Union soldiers. Despite a tactical victory, the union forces experienced greater losses.
This is a historical fiction letter that could have been written from one of the Union soldiers in the Battle of Shiloh
My Darling Wife,
I write to you with a heavy heart to tell you of the most recent battle at Shiloh. I was virtually uninjured expect for a broken foot and several deep cuts. I cannot say the same for most of the other men in my regiment. My two good friends Claude Hopkins and Fletcher Gownson were brutally killed. As I was fighting, I saw them both go down to my right. I foolishly stopped to look around the battlefield and saw hundreds of men littering the fields all dead, dying, or wounded. This is also when a Confederate soldier tried to blow off my foot, but only succeeded breaking it. I tried to keep fighting, but I could barely walk. A medic came onto the field to help me to the medical tent. As I limped through, I heard the screams of the dying and the wounded. I looked to my left and saw a young man, no more than 20 getting his leg amputated. I can still hear his screams sometimes. One of the nurses bandaged and splinted my foot and stitched one particularly deep cut on my arm. To be truthful, the only reason I am still alive is because I was taken off the field to recieve medical attention. After the battle ended, I went with what was left of my regiment to see the outcome and what I saw will haunt me for life. The bodies of men that I knew, and many more that I didn't, strewn all throughout the field. There were men going around to check to see if the men lying on the field could be saved, or if they were already dead. The smell of blood and gun powder was all around me. These men and boys were supposed to have along life ahead of them. They were meant to live, but now they will never get to go home to see their loved ones and the ones they left behind.
Your faithful husband,
Ambrose Bierce
This is a historical fiction letter that could have been written from one of the Union soldiers in the Battle of Shiloh
My Darling Wife,
I write to you with a heavy heart to tell you of the most recent battle at Shiloh. I was virtually uninjured expect for a broken foot and several deep cuts. I cannot say the same for most of the other men in my regiment. My two good friends Claude Hopkins and Fletcher Gownson were brutally killed. As I was fighting, I saw them both go down to my right. I foolishly stopped to look around the battlefield and saw hundreds of men littering the fields all dead, dying, or wounded. This is also when a Confederate soldier tried to blow off my foot, but only succeeded breaking it. I tried to keep fighting, but I could barely walk. A medic came onto the field to help me to the medical tent. As I limped through, I heard the screams of the dying and the wounded. I looked to my left and saw a young man, no more than 20 getting his leg amputated. I can still hear his screams sometimes. One of the nurses bandaged and splinted my foot and stitched one particularly deep cut on my arm. To be truthful, the only reason I am still alive is because I was taken off the field to recieve medical attention. After the battle ended, I went with what was left of my regiment to see the outcome and what I saw will haunt me for life. The bodies of men that I knew, and many more that I didn't, strewn all throughout the field. There were men going around to check to see if the men lying on the field could be saved, or if they were already dead. The smell of blood and gun powder was all around me. These men and boys were supposed to have along life ahead of them. They were meant to live, but now they will never get to go home to see their loved ones and the ones they left behind.
Your faithful husband,
Ambrose Bierce
