General Prentiss / Hornet Nest...?

[5fish]

At the infamous Hornets nest during the Battle of Shiloh the union forces hold off the rebels giving Gen. Grant extra time to bring up reinforcements.

Eventually Gen. Prentiss surrenders the Hornets nest position to the rebel and is consider a hero by the public of that day and later by historians. Gen. Grant doesn't consider what Prentiss did during the Battle of Shiloh as important as the public or historians do.

So who is more correct Historians or Gen. Grant about Gen. Prentiss at Shiloh?

Does Gen. Grant know something Historians are forgetting about at Pittsburgh's Landing?

Does Gen. Grant just not like Gen. Prentiss as some Historians claim?

There was Gen. W.H.L. Wallace who's men where at Sunken road and fought as well as Gen. Prentiss men did at the Hornets nest. The action at Sunken road cost Gen. W.H.L. Wallace life but no claims of being a hero. Where is the justice for Gen. Wallace?

 

[5fish]

Self Promotion

I think CWBulartn and 30th il maybe on to some self promotion by the men who were with Gen. Prentiss at Shiloh.

For one, there was a wise tale going around that Gen. Prentiss and his men were capture still in their tents sleeping which even Grant dispels.

For the other, Grant never mentions the Hornets Nest or Sunken road in his battle report or in his memoirs. In his memoirs he states Prentiss did not fall back with the other divisions which left him exposed and later capture.
The impression I get from Grant is that the whole Hornets Nest and Sunken Road never existed but just part of the union forces falling back, nothing special.

In his memoirs, he mention the names of creeks which the union reformed the defensive lines on and some ravine too. He never talks in the terms like Hornet nest or Sunken road.

I read some parsed regimental histories like one from the state of MO. In it, it praise Gen. Prentiss and tells how Grant rides up to Gen. Prentiss and tells him his division must hold the line. In this regimental history Sherman's men and Wallace's men are force to retreat because the lines were crumbling and being over run leaving Prentiss men exposed.

Historians like a good story and if they went by Grant's account there is no cool story but if you go by the self promoters then there's a good story....

I needed to find a time line of the battle so I can match up events and see how they all relate....

 

[5fish]

I have a question:

When you read accounts of people at the Hornet Nest, they refer to Gen. Grant ridding up to Gen Prentiss and telling him to hold the line. Gen. Grant is quoted to have said "hold at all Hazard".

Why does Gen. Grant leave this whole moment out of his Official Report and memoirs?

It would be hard to believe Gen. Grant would forget this important moment of the battle and not giving Gen. Prentiss his due.

Did it even happen?

History.net... the moment... where in history is this recorded... https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-shiloh

Around 10 a.m., Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the Army of the Tennessee, arrived to inspect the hilltop defensive line and ordered Prentiss to hold at all hazards

 

[5fish]

Here another take and you read it how did Grant for get this... did ever carry one into battle before never read about it until now...

This is History.net again... https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-shiloh-the-devils-own-day.htm

Grant reached the battlefield about 10 a.m. and held a hurried conference with Sherman, who told him that the battle was going well but that he was worried about running out of ammunition. Grant, wearing his full major general’s uniform, complete with formal sword and sash, assured the rumpled Sherman that he had arranged for more ammunition to be brought to the front. Galloping through the woods toward Prentiss’ position on a sunken wagon road in the center of the line, Grant was nearly killed when a Mississippi battery fired a charge at his group, a piece of shell striking his sword just below the hilt and breaking his scabbard and blade in two. After this, Grant never bothered to carry a sword in battle.

Grant told Prentiss to hold his position at all hazards–so long as Union forces held the sunken road, the enemy would not be able to advance to the river and fall on the army’s relatively undefended left flank. Prentiss replied that he would try.

 

[diane]

One interesting thing about Shiloh - this was the beginning of Forrest's legend. His cavalry made several attempts on the Hornet's Nest and were driven back, but he made up for it at Fallen Timbers, a few miles down the road. Shiloh was where Forrest learned how NOT to use cavalry!

 

[diane]

Incidentally, learning curve was fast. Forrest also captured a Union battery that was giving everybody a good hard time. He charged around the sides, hoping the horses were faster than the gunners. Heavy losses but he did take the battery. Somewhere in the middle he turned to an aide and said, "There's a way to take a battery. This ain't it!"