The Battle of Shiloh was one of the most important battles of the Civil War, and it offers a particularly rich opportunity to study the ways in which different leaders reacted to unexpected challenges. provides a fascinating and fast-paced narrative history of the key campaign and battle in the Civil War's decisive western theater—the heartland of the Confederacy west of the Appalachians. The book emphasizes the significance of contingency in evaluating the decisions of the Union and Confederate commanders, as well as the tenacity displayed by both sides, which contributed to the tremendous bloodshed of the conflict and revealed the depth of Union determination that would ultimately doom the Confederacy. Intended for Civil War enthusiasts as well as scholars of American military history, this work reveals the complex challenges and decisions of leadership and documents how the Confederacy was never as close to scoring a truly decisive victory as its forces were on the first day of the Battle of Shiloh.