6 April in military history: Battle of Shiloh, 1862

Quick answer

On 6 April 1862, Albert Sidney Johnston's Confederates surprised Ulysses S. Grant's army at Shiloh, near Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, opening a two-day battle the Union won. Johnston was killed that afternoon; Buell's reinforcements arrived overnight, and on 7 April the Confederates were driven back toward Corinth. On 6 April 1917, President Wilson signed the American declaration of war on Germany.

The Battle of Shiloh, 1862: the war turns bloody

6 to 7 April 1862 · 164 years ago

The Union under Ulysses S. Grant won the Battle of Shiloh on 6 to 7 April 1862 in Tennessee. A surprise Confederate attack on the first day nearly drove Grant's army into the river, but overnight reinforcements let him counterattack on the second day and win the field.

Read the full story of The Battle of Shiloh, 1862: the war turns bloody ›

Bombing of Belgrade, 1941: the Luftwaffe's Palm Sunday raid

6 April 1941 · 85 years ago

In the first days of the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, the German air force bombed Belgrade in reprisal for the coup that toppled the government which had signed the Tripartite Pact. The raids wrecked the city, paralyzed Yugoslav command and killed many civilians.

Read the full story of Bombing of Belgrade, 1941: the Luftwaffe's Palm Sunday raid ›

Also on this day

1917: the United States went to war with Germany. On 2 April President Woodrow Wilson had asked a joint session of Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. The State Department's Office of the Historian says that he cited Germany's violation of its pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare and its attempts to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United States as his reasons. "The world must be made safe for democracy," Wilson told Congress. The Senate passed the war resolution on 4 April by 82 votes to 6. The House passed it by 373 votes to 50 in the early hours of 6 April, at the end of a sitting that the Congressional Record files under the legislative day of 5 April. President Wilson signed the joint resolution on 6 April 1917. It declared that "the state of war between the United States and the Imperial German Government which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared".¹

Frequently asked questions

Who won the Battle of Shiloh?

The Union. The Confederates surprised Grant's army on 6 April 1862 and drove it back toward the river, but after Buell's troops arrived the Union armies attacked on 7 April and Beauregard withdrew toward Corinth.

Why is it called Shiloh?

Grant's forward camps stood around a log church called Shiloh Meeting House. The battle is also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, after the Union base on the Tennessee River.

How did Albert Sidney Johnston die?

He was hit while directing an attack on the Union left on the afternoon of 6 April and bled to death. His aide William Preston reported that a ball severed the artery of his right leg and that he died at half past two.

How many casualties were there at Shiloh?

The official Union return lists 13,047 killed, wounded and captured or missing. Beauregard reported 10,699 Confederate killed, wounded and missing; the American Battlefield Trust prints 10,669. The National Park Service and the Trust give a combined total of 23,746.

When did the United States declare war on Germany in 1917?

The Senate voted 82 to 6 on 4 April 1917. The House voted 373 to 50 in the early hours of 6 April, and President Wilson signed the joint resolution the same day.

Sources