The reports of the enemy show that their condition at the end of the first day was deplorable; their losses in killed and wounded had been very heavy, and their stragglers had been quite as numerous as on the National side, with the difference that those of the enemy left the field entirely and were not brought back to their respective commands for many days.  On the Union side but few of the stragglers fell back further than the landing on the river, and many of these were in line for duty on the second day.  The admissions of the highest Confederate officers engaged at Shiloh make the claim of a victory for them absurd.  The victory was not to either party until the battle was over.  It was then a Union victory, in which the Armies of the Tennessee and the Ohio both participated.  But the Army of the Tennessee fought the entire rebel army on the 6th and held it at bay until near night; and night alone closed the conflict and not the three regiments of Nelson’s division.

The Confederates fought with courage at Shiloh, but the particular skill claimed I could not and still cannot see; though there is nothing to criticise except the claims put forward for it since.  But the Confederate claimants for superiority in strategy, superiority in generalship and superiority in dash and prowess are not so unjust to the Union troops engaged at Shiloh as are many Northern writers.  The troops on both sides were American, and united they need not fear any foreign foe.  It is possible that the Southern man started in with a little more dash than his Northern brother; but he was correspondingly less enduring.

The endeavor of the enemy on the first day was simply to hurl their men against ours—­first at one point, then at another, sometimes at several points at once.  This they did with daring and energy, until at night the rebel troops were worn out.  Our effort during the same time was to be prepared to resist assaults wherever made.  The object of the Confederates on the second day was to get away with as much of their army and material as possible.  Ours then was to drive them from our front, and to capture or destroy as great a part as possible of their men and material.  We were successful in driving them back, but not so successful in captures as if farther pursuit could have been made.  As it was, we captured or recaptured on the second day about as much artillery as we lost on the first; and, leaving out the one great capture of Prentiss, we took more prisoners on Monday than the enemy gained from us on Sunday.  On the 6th Sherman lost seven pieces of artillery, McClernand six, Prentiss eight, and Hurlbut two batteries.  On the 7th Sherman captured seven guns, McClernand three and the Army of the Ohio twenty.