Presented by the Weider History Group and American Military University
The fact that the first major battle of the Western Theater did not take place until spring 1862 indicates the difficulty both sides had in mobilizing their armies in the much larger and more rugged West. But could a decisive victory at Shiloh have changed the outcome of the war?
The Battle of Shiloh was the Confederacy’s first great effort to roll back the tide of Union success in the decisive Western Theater of the Civil War. It was also the Confederacy’s best chance for victory. For the Union, Shiloh was the first major test for Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the leaders serving under him, namely Don Carlos Buell and Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman. How were these men viewed after their victory at Shiloh? Conversely, how did the Confederacy deal with Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston’s death? Could any Confederate general have prevented Union invasion on the Cumberland or Tennessee Rivers?
Watch American Military University and the Weider History Group’s recorded webcast event that highlighted the importance of the Battle of Shiloh and the effect it had on the outcome of the Civil War. Our speakers discussed what would have happened in case of a decisive Confederate victory at Shiloh. Such an event would have removed Grant and Sherman, the Union’s two ablest commanders, and would have opened the way to probable further Confederate victories that might have changed the outcome of the war.
The webcast also included a question and answer session.
This event is part of a series of three Civil War webcasts sponsored by AMU and the Weider History Group. Other events include: