The Battle of Bull Run versus the Battle of Shiloh

While the Battle of Bull Run is known as the confusing battle in which everything went wrong, Shiloh is described in The Civil War as "the greatest battle ever fought on the American continent, up to that date." What were the major differences between these battles? What made one a respected battle and one a complete mess?

The Battle of Bull Run

McDowell's army set out from Washington in a completely disorganized state. It was made up of numerous different county militias, each with its own individual identity. The soldiers did not see themselves as part of the Federal army, but rather, still part of their respective militias. They also had county-specific uniforms. This meant that McDowell's ranks lacked any sort of uniformity, and certainly lacked collaboration. As they marched on, their baggage carriages were immense and lagged behind. Men often broke ranks when they got tired or distracted. All of these factors made McDowell's army look like a sort of travelling circus.

Confederate General Beauregard knew way ahead of time of McDowell's approach, for it was impossible not to notice the large, disorganized, slow-moving ranks advancing steadily upon Manassas Junction. He had plenty of time to arrange his troops in the proper formation to line up along the eight mile stretch of Bull Run. From there, they planned to strike the Union left and startle McDowell before he was ready.

At the same time of McDowell's advance, Union General Patterson led more troops into the Shenandoah Valley. There, Joe Johnston maneuvered swiftly in order to deceive the elderly Patterson. Johnston moved as if he were about to attack, causing Patterson to take a defensive stance. Then, Johnston took the opportunity to move out as quickly as possible, to come to the aid of Beauregard.

On both sides, orders went astray, or else were not followed. When Johnston's men arrived, they succeeded only in increasing the confusion. It seemed that they Confederates got lucky, because they needed only to hold their ground rather than hopelessly attempting to advance. The Federal army, on the other hand, was not so lucky. They ended up having to retreat, not because their men were not courageous, but due to strategical failure. Some of the men didn't even understand the advanced strategies they were supposed to be executing.

The Battle of Bull Run came as a huge wake-up call to the North, for it made them realize that the war would not be as short as they had anticipated, and that they needed to put together an organized and unified army. The Confederacy was, however, dangerously satisfied with the result, believing that they could easily win independence in a very short time.

The Battle of Shiloh

Prior to the Battle of Shiloh, Federal General Halleck had carried out a steady and firm attack upon two Southern ports along the Cumberland River: Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. After Halleck took both of these forts. Johnston retreated to Corinth, Mississippi. Halleck pursued him there, planning to meet up with reinforcements on the way. However, Johnston realized that Halleck would have more men coming soon, and figured that his only hope would be to attack before the reinforcements arrived. Johnston's forces advanced near a meetinghouse known as Shiloh Church.

Union forces were, at first, very startled. They staggered backwards, almost straight into the Tennessee River, but Grant quickly turned things around, and by the end of the day the South was forced to surrender. The Union suffered 13,000 casualties, while the Confederacy suffered only 10,000. Therefore, although the South surrendered first, both sides were significantly battered after the battle.

One of the key outcomes of Shiloh was that the Confederacy failed in their bid for Western Tennessee. This meant that the Southern ambitions for controlling the west were now, for the most part, lost. This displays a profound difference from the outcomes of the Battle of Bull Run. At Bull Run, there had been no long-term outcomes, and the battle certainly did not make any major advances in the war. The only major result of Bull Run was the realization that the war would be long and that the armies would need some major improvement. Although the maneuvers at the Battle of Shiloh shed light on glaring flaws in both armies, it was clear that both sides were greatly polished since the confusion of Bull Run. This was due the new uniformity of the army. They no longer had an individualistic militia spirit, but rather, began to work together as an army.