“Tonight we’ll water our horses on the Tennessee [River].” These were the words of Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston as he led his army into a surprise attack against the Union army deep in the Tennessee woods, catching U.S. Grant and Sherman completely off guard and leaving them and their army fighting for their lives.

The 1862 battle of Shiloh is in many ways treated as a poor step-child compared to the famous Civil War battles in the East.

But the battle’s low profile is deceiving. In terms of casualties, Shiloh was the first great battle of the Civil War with, for example, five times the losses suffered at the First Battle of Bull Run. And at the time it was fought, the casualties at Shiloh exceeded those of all of America’s previous wars, combined! And the battle's consequences were enormous. Along with the fall of Forts Donelson and Henry, It was arguably the turning point of the Civil War in the West. As one Southern writer put it: the South never smiled again after Shiloh.

In this 2nd edition of Kunkel's Shiloh book, he explains why the battle was so important, while taking you though the furious fight, step by step. The battle was indeed confusing, as it was fought in deep woods, and because nearly all the 80,000 participants were really just farm boys with guns, being otherwise nearly complete amateurs in the business of war. But Kunkel strives to make the tactics clear by breaking the battle down into its many components, and he also includes numerous personal accounts from both generals and privates.

Last but not least, all of the maps, photos, and illustrations included in the printed book are made available online to Audible listeners, allowing you to view the maps of the battle and photos of the participants on your cell phone while listening to the narration.

The goal of the book is to once again bring to life the men and boys who fought the terrible battle of Shiloh. They were our American fathers.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.