Editing Battle of Shiloh (section)

===Late afternoon===
[[File:BattleOfShilohGrantsLastLine.png|thumb|upright=1.0|Webster organized Grant's Last Line|alt=Grant's Last Line near Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River, with 50+ artillery pieces and the two gunboats nearby]]
Sometime in the late afternoon, Grant assigned Colonel [[Joseph Dana Webster]], a veteran of the [[Mexican–American War]], the task of setting up a defensive position at Pittsburg Landing. Webster used stragglers and noncombatant personnel. He began rounding up artillery pieces, including [[Siege artillery in the American Civil War|siege guns]] and any batteries (or partial batteries) that retreated back to the landing.<ref name="Daniel246">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=246}}</ref><ref name="Cunningham305">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=305}}</ref> He eventually assembled about 50 artillery pieces, and they were positioned on a ridge on the east side of the battlefield.<ref name="Esposito37">{{harvnb|Esposito|1959|p=37}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Sources differ on the number of guns (artillery pieces) positioned at Grant's Last Line, and this is discussed in a long footnote in Cunningham's book.<ref name="Cunningham307n">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=307n}}</ref> Daniel says 41.<ref name="Daniel246"/> Esposito says 50.<ref name="Esposito37"/> Eicher says "more than fifty".<ref name="Eicher228">{{harvnb|Eicher|2001|p=228}}</ref> Gudmens says 52.<ref name="Gudmens113">{{harvnb|Gudmens|Combat Studies Institute (U.S.), Staff Ride Team|2005|p=113}}</ref>|group=Note}}

At the Union right, Grant visited Sherman around 3:00{{nbsp}}pm, and found a difficult situation. The remaining regiments had few men, ammunition was low, and more men were either leaving or serving with other units. Some regiments had so many losses that they were ordered to Pittsburg Landing where they could reform.<ref name="Cunningham278">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=278}}</ref> The Union line at this time was back to Jones Field and the surrounding area.<ref name="Cunningham279">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=279}}</ref> The Confederate army facing Sherman and McClernand was reorganizing, and some of the units were shifted to the Hornet's Nest.<ref name="Cunningham278"/> After another attack at 4:00{{nbsp}}pm, Sherman and McClernand fell back further around 5:00{{nbsp}}pm.<ref name="Cunningham286">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=286}}</ref>

On the Union left, Bragg tried to pursue the retreating Union soldiers, but was harassed by Union gunboats firing with increasing accuracy. The Tennessee River was near high tide, and the Union gunboat leaders had discovered that by elevating their guns and using lower charges, they could hit targets close to the river. The ''Tyler'' had some direct hits on Chalmers's Brigade beginning at 5:35{{nbsp}}pm.<ref name="Cunningham313">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=313}}</ref>

====Hornet's Nest becomes focus====
[[File:BattleOfShilohDay1priorto4pm.png|thumb|upright=1.5|The Union right and left were pushed back|alt=map showing prior to 4 PM positions, with Union right pushed back further, center in "Hornet's Nest", and left back all the way to Pittsburg Landing]]
The Confederate army spent a considerable amount of time and resources assaulting the Hornet's Nest instead of bypassing it. Historians' estimates of the number of separate infantry charges, including those from earlier in the morning, range from eight to fourteen.<ref name="Daniel214">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=214}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|McPherson mentions "a dozen separate assaults".<ref name="McPherson410">{{harvnb|McPherson|1988|p=410}}</ref> Daniel criticizes "modern historians" who condemn Bragg for ordering 11 to 14 assaults, since Daniel accounts for only eight—including some not ordered by Bragg. He also believes flanking attacks on the Hornet's Nest should have been made earlier.<ref name="Daniel214"/>|group=Note}} An estimated 10,000 Confederate soldiers were involved.<ref name="Daniel214"/> At 3:30{{nbsp}}pm, the Confederate army began moving all available artillery pieces into positions around the Hornet's Nest.<ref name="Daniel228">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=228}}</ref> Soon they had, at the time, the largest concentration of field artillery (over 50 pieces) ever on the [[North America]]n continent.<ref name="Daniel228-229">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|pp=228–229}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Historians do not agree on the number of artillery pieces in place. Eicher, McPherson, and Shaara cite 62 pieces.<ref name="Eicher228"/><ref name="McPherson410"/><ref name="Shaara23">{{harvnb|Shaara|2006|p=23}}</ref> Cunningham says "a maximum total of fifty–one pieces".<ref name="Cunningham290n">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=290n}}</ref> Daniel says "probably fifty–three".<ref name="Daniel229">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=229}}</ref>|group=Note}} This concentration, known as "Ruggles's Battery" was led by Brigadier General Ruggles.<ref name="Shaara23"/> In his report, Ruggles claimed responsibility for assembling the batteries, but multiple people may have been involved—including Major [[Francis A. Shoup]] (Hardee's artillery chief) and Brigadier General James Trudeau.<ref name="Scott472">{{harvnb|Scott|1884|p=472}}</ref><ref name="Daniel229"/> By 4:00{{nbsp}}pm, the Confederate artillery was firing on Wallace and Prentiss in the Hornet's Nest. Confederate artillery was concentrated near Duncan Field and to the south near the Eastern Corinth Road.<ref name="Daniel229"/> It was not until 4:30{{nbsp}}pm that all Confederate artillery batteries were engaged, and at least one historian believes their effectiveness has been exaggerated.<ref name="Daniel230">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=230}}</ref>

Shortly after 4:00{{nbsp}}pm, Hurlbut was gone from the east side of the Hornet's Nest, and McClernand had fallen back about a half mile (0.8&nbsp;km) from the west side.<ref name="Daniel231">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=231}}</ref> Realizing that they were going to be surrounded, Brigadier General W.H.L. Wallace began leading his division north. Around 4:15{{nbsp}}pm, he was mortally wounded as a portion of his division escaped encirclement.<ref name="Daniel232">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=232}}</ref> A ravine north of the Sunken Road near Cloud Field became known as "Hell's Hollow", and over 1,000 Union soldiers were captured there.<ref name="Daniel235">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=235}}</ref> By 4:45{{nbsp}}pm, most of Wallace's division was removed from the battlefield, and Prentiss was left with about 2,000 men.<ref name="Daniel233">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=233}}</ref> Around 5:30{{nbsp}}pm, various Union regiments began surrendering (including Prentiss), and approximately 2,200 Union soldiers were captured.<ref name="Daniel236">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=236}}</ref> In his memoirs, Grant was critical of Prentiss for not making a timely withdrawal. However, the Hornet's Nest stand by Prentiss and W.H.L. Wallace (who was there longer and had more men under his command) allowed Grant more time to prepare his Last Line.<ref name="Daniel237">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=237}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Daniels uses the term "Grant's Last Line" for Grant's defensive position in his map showing positions at 6:00{{nbsp}}pm on the first day of the battle.<ref name="Daniel247">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=247}}</ref>|group=Note}}