General William Tecumseh Sherman wrote a letter to his wife, Ellen, describing the Battle of Shiloh in terms that strip away any pretense of glory. The letter, preserved for over 160 years, offers a raw and personal account of a battle that Sherman said shattered the romance of war. Sherman reported that he survived the encounter, suffering only minor injuries. A stray buckshot grazed his hand, and a spent bullet bruised his shoulder.
He dismissed these wounds as trivial compared to the devastation surrounding him. The letter describes the loss of three horses shot from under him during the fighting. The first was a sorrel mare captured from the enemy, which he described as fast and smooth. She was struck by multiple bullets and fell beneath him during heavy crossfire.
He then took his aide’s horse and later his surgeon’s mount, both of which were also shot down. He recalled the animal’s eyes, wide and glassy, lingering in his memory. Sherman’s camp was set up ahead of the others and took the first impact of the battle. His tents were plundered, and two horses tied near his quarters were killed.
Left without a mount, he scavenged equipment from fallen soldiers. He wrote that his orderly, Holiday, was the first casualty of the battle, struck down beside him. Sherman believed the bullet was meant for him. He had the young man buried beneath a tree that had been torn apart by musket and cannon fire.
Sherman acknowledged that his men were inexperienced, comparing them to April wheat. Some regiments broke and fled at the first volleys, with boys crying for their mothers. Others held their ground. He said he managed to rally his troops with curses and promises and led the first return to the lines.
He described Sunday’s fight as pure hell. The enemy overwhelmed the left flank near the river, while Sherman secured the right flank about a mile and a half away. This bought time for reinforcements commanded by General Buell to arrive. Sherman noted that Confederate generals including Bragg, Johnston, and others brought their best men to the field.
He later encountered a former Louisiana cadet among the prisoners and offered him socks, a shirt, and kindness. He declined to give a full account of the battle, saying others would describe it more grandly. He mentioned that General Grant’s report commended his actions, although he said he had tried to remain in the background. Buell’s troops arrived in time.
Sherman described fresh Kentucky troops surging forward from the docks toward Shiloh. When they met his line, he advanced toward the road where the heaviest fighting had occurred. He encountered the same Kentucky troops he had commanded at Munfordville, who recognized him and cheered loudly. They pressed canteens and hardtack into his hands and offered him the lead.
He reported that his count of men had reached approximately 75,000. He mentioned that General Hurlbut was marching with reinforcements, but said he would believe it when he saw him. Sherman wrote that an advance planned that day was delayed by heavy rain that turned roads into rivers of mud, with wagons sinking axle-deep. He said the enemy had intended to crush his forces before Buell arrived but had failed.
He described the battlefield in grim terms: contorted bodies, soldiers missing limbs, heads, and horses bloated and decaying. The stench clung to his clothing. Nearly 2,000 men had been buried since the battle ended. The wounded filled every barn, tent, and steamboat cabin.
His division had numbered 8,000. Half fled during the battle. Of those who remained, 302 soldiers and 16 officers were dead, with more than 1,200 wounded. He told Ellen to save clippings with his name for their son Willy’s education and to bury the slanders against him.
Sherman expressed a longing for peace, writing that the war’s savagery, the heaps of dead men, and the screams of the injured left him exhausted. He said he knew peace would not come for years and that he would likely die there, becoming another name on a splintered cross. When Ellen asked about money, he replied that he had none. He said Confederate troops had pillaged his camp, stealing his horse, saddle, bridle, and even his bed.
He advised her to plant a garden, raise potatoes and beans, and learn to live frugally. He prayed the war would spare their son. The letter shows a commander confronting the brutal reality of combat. The individual who wrote that letter did not emerge from Shiloh unchanged.
What came from the battle was a colder, harder version of the general. The account reflects deep distress over inexperienced soldiers he could not protect and the transformation he knew would be required to finish the war.