In this thrilling narrative account of the first devastating battle of the Civil War, gifted storyteller Winston Groom paints vivid portraits of the key players and epic moments immortalized at Shiloh; moments that would forever change the course of the war and America's understanding of it. From bestselling author (''''Forrest Gump'''') and accomplished Civil War historian Winston Groom, comes a fascinating new account of the 1862 battle Shiloh, the first great and terrible battle of the Civil War. Pitting rising Union upstart Ulysses S. Grant against Confederate firebrand Albert Sydney Johnston, the engagement revealed to both North and South the tragic power of improved 19th - century weaponry and was the first indication on either side that the war was to become a terrible multi - year slog with devastating consequences on both sides. Like his popular Vicksburg 1863, this account of Shiloh promises to place an important battle in context and stand as the most engaging, readable account of events on the shelf for years to come.