The war out west

                The Battle of Shiloh

1.       A major battle strategy for the North was to control the Mississippi

2.       Near Shiloh Tennessee Union General Grant was surprised by Confederate Generals Beauregard and Johnston.

a.       After a day of fierce fighting Confederate forces had pushed union forces back to the Tennessee River and planned to finish them off the next day.

b.      Grant received reinforcements during the night and launched a counter attack the next morning

c.       By midday Confederate Forces retreated giving the Union army an open door to the Mississippi River Valley.

Battle of New Orleans

1.       April 1862 Union ships under  the command of David Farragut attacked two forts guarding the

The port city of New Orleans

2.       After six days of unsuccessful bombing of the forts Farragut decided to try to just sail past them.

a.       On April 24^th Seventeen Union war ships attempted to sail past the Confederate forts.

b.      A large battle ensued with the Confederates bombing and attacking the union fleet

c.       When the smoke cleared all but four Union war ships landed in New Orleans forcing the city to surrender

3.       These maneuvers effectively cut the Confederacy in two and achieved one of the Unions war goals which was to gain control of the Mississippi River.