Editing Battle of Shiloh (section)

===Evening===
[[File:BattleOfShilohEndOfFirstDay.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Positions at the end of the first day|alt=map showing Grant's Last Line at the end of the day with Confederate forces nearby. Line extends from Pittsburg Landing west to Hamburg-Savannah Road, where it turns north (right)]]
By the time the Hornet's Nest fell, Grant's men had a defensive line from Pittsburg Landing to the Hamburg-Savannah Road and further north.<ref name="Cunningham308">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=308}}</ref> Sherman commanded the right of the line, and McClernand took the center. On the left were the remnants of W.H.L. Wallace's division (commanded by Tuttle), plus Hurlbut's division.<ref name="Daniel245"/> At the landing were 10,000 to 15,000 stragglers and noncombatants.<ref name="Cunningham321n">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=321n}}</ref> The line included the artillery assembled by Colonel Webster, and the two gunboats were close by.<ref name="Cunningham308"/> Grant and Webster rode up and down the line, urging the men to keep firing at their enemy.<ref name="Cunningham322">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=322}}</ref>

The advance of Buell's army, from Nelson's division, had begun arriving around 5:00{{nbsp}}pm.<ref name="Daniel246"/> Its [[36th Indiana Infantry Regiment]] was placed on the east side of Grant's Last Line in time to help defend against an attack.<ref name="Cunningham323">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=323}}</ref> The two navy gunboats helped defend, and the ''Lexington'' fired 32 rounds into the attacking Confederate force in only 10{{nbsp}}minutes.<ref name="Cunningham323"/>{{#tag:ref|Opinions vary on the effectiveness of the gunboats.<ref name="Gudmens114">{{harvnb|Gudmens|Combat Studies Institute (U.S.), Staff Ride Team|2005|p=114}}</ref> Corps commander Bragg reported that the gunboat fire "though terrific in sound and producing some consternation at first, did us no damage...."<ref name="Scott466">{{harvnb|Scott|1884|p=466}}</ref> Yet Confederate regimental commander Lieutenant Colonel [[Calvin D. Venable]] reported "...the shelling from the gunboats was so as to be unbearable, killing and wounding several of my men. I thereupon retired to a ravine and remained until dusk...."<ref name="Scott434">{{harvnb|Scott|1884|p=434}}</ref>|group=Note}} The Confederate attack was repelled, and shortly after 6:00{{nbsp}}pm Beauregard called off all attacks.<ref name="Cunningham323"/> Buell and his army, and some in Grant's army, believed they had saved Grant's Army of the Tennessee. Grant had a differing opinion, believing that by 6:00{{nbsp}}pm the Confederate army was worn out.<ref name="Daniel249">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=249}}</ref>

====Beauregard's situation====
When Beauregard called off all attacks, it was near sunset and he assumed Grant's army could be eliminated on the next day.<ref name="Cunningham323-324">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|pp=323–324}}</ref> He had received a telegram saying Buell's army was in [[Alabama in the American Civil War|Alabama]], and did not know Grant was already being reinforced.<ref name="Gudmens114"/>{{#tag:ref|One of Buell's divisions was in Alabama, but not his entire army.<ref name="Gudmens114"/> Late in the evening, a squad of Colonel [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]]'s men discovered Union reinforcements arriving at Pittsburg Landing, and this was reported to Hardee. However, the rain and darkness prevented the men from finding Beauregard, and he was not notified.<ref name="Daniel263-264">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|pp=263–264}}</ref>|group=Note}} The Confederate army was badly disorganized, and it had just finished taking prisoners from the Hornet's Nest around 5:30{{nbsp}}pm. Attacks after dark were rare because of problems with friendly fire, and darkness would occur soon.<ref name="Cunningham324-325">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|pp=324–325}}</ref> The exhausted Confederate army already had about 8,000 casualties.<ref name="Daniel263">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=263}}</ref>

[[File:BattleOfShilohBeauregard.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Confederate situation appeared better than it was|alt=Beauregard's Situation at sunset: attack halted, battlefield success, and plans to finish tomorrow]]For many years after the battle, critics believed Beauregard had squandered an opportunity to finish Grant's army.<ref name="Cunningham324">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=324}}</ref> Modern historians, such as Cunningham and Daniel, disagree with that assessment. Cunningham wrote that Beauregard's critics ignore "the existing situation on the Shiloh battlefield"—including Confederate disorganization, time before sunset, and Grant's strong position augmented by gunboats.<ref name="Cunningham324-325"/> Daniel wrote that the thought that "the Confederates could have permanently breached or pulverized the Federal line in an additional hour or so of piecemeal night assaults simply lacks plausibility."<ref name="Daniel256"/> He mentions that it took the Confederates six hours to conquer the Hornet's Nest, and Grant's Last Line was a stronger position. He also cites exhaustion, low ammunition, and one staff officer's belief that one third of the Confederate army was plundering instead of fighting.<ref name="Daniel256"/>

Beauregard spent the evening near Shiloh Church in what had been Sherman's tent. Most of the Confederate army moved back to the original Union camps.<ref name="Daniel262">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=262}}</ref> Beauregard sent a telegram to Richmond discussing "a complete victory, driving the enemy from every position."<ref name="McPherson412">{{harvnb|McPherson|1988|p=412}}</ref><ref name="Scott384">{{harvnb|Scott|1884|p=384}}</ref> Many of the Confederate troops believed that the battle was essentially over, and spent time plundering the camps. Some soldiers took their loot and began walking back to Corinth.<ref name="Daniel262-263">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|pp=262–263}}</ref> Some of the Confederate troops were now armed with better weapons than the ones they had at the beginning of the day. Austrian, Enfield, and Springfield rifles were taken from dead, wounded, captured, or fleeing Union soldiers.<ref name="Cunningham337">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=337}}</ref>

It began raining at 10:00{{nbsp}}pm, and at midnight the rain became a storm with thunder and lightning.  This, combined with the constant shelling by Union gunboats throughout the night, made it difficult for the exhausted Confederates to get any sleep. Because of the exhaustion and the belief that Grant's army was almost finished, the Confederate forces were not reorganized. No plans or orders were made for the next day, and it was thought the various commands would regroup at that time for a "final mop-up action".<ref name="Daniel262-263"/> The original Confederate plan was to push Grant's army away from Pittsburg Landing, and pin it against the northern creeks where it could not move quickly or get resupplied.<ref name="Eicher224"/> Instead, Grant had been forced back to a defensible position at Pittsburg Landing where he could be reinforced and resupplied.<ref name="Shaara11">{{harvnb|Shaara|2006|p=11}}</ref>

====Grant's situation====
Grant's army had 7,000 men killed and wounded, 3,000 more captured, and 10,000 men who were afraid to fight.<ref name="Daniel249"/> Before being reinforced, he had an estimated 18,000 fighters formed on his Last Line.<ref name="Daniel245"/> Since most of the Union camps had been captured, these hungry and tired men would have to sleep in the open without blankets, and rain and cold weather added to their misery.<ref name="Cunningham337-338">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|pp=337–338}}</ref> At 7:15{{nbsp}}pm, 5,800 fresh troops from Lew Wallace's division arrived at the battlefield and were positioned next to Sherman.<ref name="Gudmens116">{{harvnb|Gudmens|Combat Studies Institute (U.S.), Staff Ride Team|2005|p=116}}</ref> Brigadier General Thomas Crittenden's division from Buell's army began arriving at 9:00{{nbsp}}pm, and two hours later the entire division was at the landing. Eventually, Buell would have nearly 18,000 men available for the battle.<ref name="Gudmens116"/> The Union line from west to east consisted of the divisions commanded by Lew Wallace, Sherman, McClernand, Hurlbut, Crittenden, and Nelson. Prentiss' division was effectively destroyed, and Tuttle was behind the line trying to reorganize W.H.L. Wallace's division.<ref name="Gudmens116"/>

Earlier in the day, Colonel [[James B. McPherson]], Grant's chief engineer, asked Grant if preparations should be started for a retreat. Grant's response was: "Retreat? No! I propose to attack at daylight and whip them."<ref name="Daniel249-250">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|pp=249–250}}</ref> Buell met with Sherman at sunset, and learned that Grant planned to attack at sunrise. An understanding was made that Grant would have the west side of the line, while Buell would plan his own attack on the east side. Despite Grant's seniority, Buell considered himself independent, and Grant chose not to consult with him that evening.<ref name="Daniel265-266">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|pp=265–266}}</ref> Sherman found Grant resting under a tree around midnight, and said: "Well, Grant, we've had the devil's own day, haven't we?" Grant replied: "Yes. Lick'em tomorrow, though."<ref name="Daniel266">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=266}}</ref>