Editing Battle of Shiloh (section)

===Early morning===
[[Image:Col-Everett Peabody.jpg|thumb|upright=0.5|right|[[Everett Peabody]]|alt=American Civil War officer with long goatee standing with sword]]
Early Sunday morning on April 6, five of Grant's six divisions were camped between the Shiloh Church area and the Tennessee River. Sherman's division was the first to occupy the Shiloh area, so his four brigades were camped near the main approaches to Pittsburg Landing. Colonel [[David Stuart (brigadier general)|David Stuart]]'s brigade was on the Union left (east side of battlefield) near the Hamburg-Savannah Road and a ford. To the west in the Shiloh Church area, Sherman's other three brigades formed the Union right. They covered the Pittsburg–Corinth Road and the Owl Creek Bridge over the Hamburg–Purdy Road.<ref name="Daniel131">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=131}}</ref> In between Sherman and Stuart was Prentiss's division, and between the Shiloh Church area and the Tennessee River were the divisions of McClernand and Hurlbut. To the north and closest to Pittsburg Landing was W.H.L. Wallace's division.<ref name="Esposito32">{{harvnb|Esposito|1959|p=32}}</ref> Lew Wallace's division was at Crump's Landing, {{convert|5|mi|km|spell=in}} downstream (north) of the Union campsites.<ref name="Eicher222"/> His mid-March mission had been to damage a railroad. While on this railroad raid, his men learned that a large Confederate force was nearby. Because of this Confederate force, Wallace's division remained near Crump's Landing.<ref name="Gudmens83">{{harvnb|Gudmens|Combat Studies Institute (U.S.), Staff Ride Team|2005|p=83}}</ref> Grant was further north at his headquarters in Savannah. Nelson's division from Buell's army had reached Savannah, but Buell's other divisions were still marching.<ref name="Eicher224">{{harvnb|Eicher|2001|p=224}}</ref>

The Shiloh camps did not form a defensive line, and no entrenchments were made because nobody expected a fight at that location.<ref name="McPherson408"/> The inexperienced divisions of Sherman and Prentiss were the most forward (closest to Corinth) of the group.<ref name="McPherson408"/> Only a few [[Picket (military)|pickets]] were in place—despite a small skirmish taking place on April 4.<ref name="Eicher223">{{harvnb|Eicher|2001|p=223}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Union Colonel [[Ralph Pomeroy Buckland|Ralph P. Buckland]] was involved in the skirmish.<ref name="Scott89">{{harvnb|Scott|1884|p=89}}</ref> Sherman dismissed the April 4 incident as a conflict with a [[reconnaissance]] force.<ref name="Shaara8">{{harvnb|Shaara|2006|p=8}}</ref> Sherman, like the other commanders, had been ordered to be careful to not do anything that would start a battle before Buell's army arrived.<ref name="Daniel138">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=138}}</ref> He also dismissed more sightings and incidents on April 5.<ref name="Daniel137">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=137}}</ref>|group=Note}} After hearing reports concerning sightings of Confederate soldiers in the Shiloh area, Colonel [[Everett Peabody]], commander of the First Brigade from Prentiss's division, became concerned. Around midnight on April 5, Peabody ordered Major James E. Powell to take three companies of the [[25th Missouri Infantry Regiment]], and two companies of the [[12th Michigan Infantry Regiment]], on a [[reconnaissance]] (a.k.a. scout) to Seay Field where the sighting had been made.<ref name="Daniel142">{{harvnb|Daniel|1997|p=142}}</ref> Prentiss was not informed, and Powell's men advanced from their camp southwest down a farm road that led to the Pittsburg-Corinth Road.<ref name="Cunningham144">{{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=144}}</ref>