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Surprise. The Union troops had set up camps around Pittsburg Landing and the Shiloh church. They had been there for some time and did not see any Confederates. The day before the battle, General Sherman reported that there were no Confederates as far as Corinth, MS. Early on the morning of 6 April, the Confederates attacked and overan Sherman's camp before they had time to organize a solide defense at the Sunken Road. Oops. I answered that wrong---that was the Confederates Advantage not DisAdvantage. The Confederates had to advance on Shiloh through trackless forrests. There had been heavy rains and the artillery lagged far behind the infantry. The Union arrived by troop ships that came down the Tennessee River. General Johnston requested 400 rail cars to move his men to Corinth but got only 160. The Confederates lead by General Johnston tried to bring reinforcements together from various States and areas. Many had suffered defeats at Forts Donnelson and Henry. Most of Tennessee had been taken over by Union troops, including the capitol of Nashville. Some troops did not want to serve under a different commander. The Confederates at Shiloh lacked modern rifles. Some still used flintlock rifles. Col. Zachariah Deas paid $28,000 to outfit the 22nd Alabama Regiment with Enfiled rifles. The 6th & 9th Kentucky Regiments exchanged muskets for Enfields after capturing enemy camps. Some Confederate regiments had not been trained for battle. They had just organized and were issued uniforms and rifles, but this was also true for the Union. The Confederate generals knew they had to act fast and attack Grant's Army of Tennessee before it could be reinforced with Buell's Army of Ohio.

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18y ago

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