Grant’s River Campaign

In Tennessee in the early months of 1862, Ulysses S. Grant captured forts Henry and Donelson and opened the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers to military and commercial shipping. In April the first of many terrible battles of the Civil War was fought near Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River around a decrepit meeting-house known as Shiloh. This costly victory established Federal control over much of central Tennessee.
These early Union victories gave the Federals control of two of the major rivers in the region—the highways of the period—opening large areas of the Confederacy to Federal invasion. Other important results were the end of the Confederate threat to control Kentucky and possibly close off the Ohio River. These victories also were a major factor in forcing the abandonment of a key Confederate fort on the Mississippi River at Columbus, Kentucky. This book describes not only the actual fighting that took place but how important political and economic factors influenced the overall military strategy in the region.

Jack H. Lepa, the author of several Civil War books, lives in Las Vegas, retired after almost forty years in the hotel industry.

Jack H. Lepa
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 224
Bibliographic Info: 19 photos, 5 maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7477-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1215-7
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Preface  1
1. Getting Ready for War  3
2. War Comes to the West  13
3. The Opening Moves  20
4. Taking Fort Henry  26
5. On to Fort Donelson  34
6. Two Attacks and Two Defeats  40
7. The Confederates Strike First  47
8. The Battle for Fort Donelson  53
9. A Most Important Victory  60
10. Johnston Saves What He Can  68
11. On to Nashville  76
12. Problems for Grant  84
13. Pittsburg Landing  92
14. The Forces Gather  100
15. Johnston Risks All  108
16. The Approaching Battle  116
17. A Lovely Day for a Battle  124
18. Fighting and Falling Back  133
19. Disaster Approaches  142
20. Slaughter in the Afternoon  149
21. Grant Hangs On  156
22. A Terrible Night for All  163
23. The Second Morning  169
24. Reversal of Fortune  177
25. After Shiloh  184
Chapter Notes  193
Bibliography  204
Index  209

“excellent…well-researched…effectively describes the Battle of Shiloh…superbly written…well documented and researched…a must”—Civil War News.