astonishment of his questioner, that he did not intend to retreat
but to attack at daylight the next morning with every man at his
disposal, leaving no reserves.

Such was Grant at one of the darkest moments of his career. Behind
him lay the battered remnants of regiments, screening a welter of
confusion and fear; before him stretched the blood-soaked field of
Shiloh held by the confident Confederate host; while at his elbow
stood anxious officers, well satisfied to have saved the army from
destruction and ready to point out a convenient line of retreat.
All his surroundings, in fact, were calculated to discourage him
and the intense pain of his injured leg, which allowed him neither
rest nor sleep, was a severe strain upon his nerves. Yet he would
not yield to weakness of any kind. He was responsible for the
position in which the Union army found itself and he determined to
retrieve its fortunes. Therefore, all night long while reenforcements
were steadily arriving, he developed his plans for assuming the
offensive, and at break of day his troops hurled themselves against
the opposing lines with dauntless energy.

Meanwhile the Confederates had sustained an irreparable loss,
for Albert Sidney Johnston, their brilliant leader, had fallen.
Moreover, they had no reserves to meet the Union reenforcements.
Nevertheless, they received the vigorous onslaught with splendid
courage and another terrible day of carnage followed. Again and
again Grant exposed himself with reckless daring, narrowly escaping
death from a bullet which carried away the scabbard of his sword
as he reconnoitered in advance of his men, but despite his utmost
efforts the gray lines held fast, and for hours no apparent advantage
was gained. Then, little by little, the heavy Union battalions