Battle of Pittsburg Landing, on Tennessee’s southern border with Mississippi. The Confederate Army of Mississippi and the Union Army of Tennessee, numbering 45,000 men, led by Johnston, confronted each other, while the Union Army of Tennessee, numbering the same number, led by Grant, took the strategic initiative. The first to attack in force was actually Union General Sherman, familiar with Southern impetus and courage. Other sections of the Union front, however, quickly fell. Grant, who was elsewhere at the time of the attack, rushed to the front just in time to boost morale and the outcome of the battle. The Confederates took Shiloh Hill, and the Unionists retreated to the heights the Confederates had dubbed the “Hornets’ Nest.” Repeated Confederate attacks over several hours served no purpose other than to leave hundreds dead, including Johnston himself. Sherman was wounded twice. The Confederate attack was ultimately stopped: 1,723 dead, 8,313 wounded, 959 prisoners in the Confederate camp, 1,754 dead, 8,408 wounded, and 2,285 prisoners in the Federal camp. In total, 50% of the soldiers involved fell dead, wounded, or taken prisoner. At Solferino, fought three years earlier and considered one of the most terrible in history, the figure was 10%.
