1862 Matz Map of Union Positions at the American Civil War Battle of Shiloh

This is a separate issue 1862 Otto H. Matz map of Union positions during the American Civil War Battle of Shiloh in southwestern Tennessee. The map depicts the battlefield, which fell on the north side of the Tennessee River near a place called Pittsburg Landing. Here, only Union positions are illustrated, with different notations for their positions in the morning and evening of April 6th and the morning and evening of April 7th. Very little else is noted. Rivers and creeks are illustrated and labeled, along with fields, which bear to other information.

The Battle of Shiloh

The battle, which took place over two days, April 6-7, 1862, was the bloodiest battle in the war, and American history, until the Battle of Antietam in September. General Grant and his men had followed the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee, then a Confederate state, and had encamped near Pittsburg Landing. The following morning, a Confederate force, under the command of General Albert Sidney Johnston surprised Grant's Union troops and nearly routed them. However, Johnston was mortally wounded while leading a charge, and his second-in-command P.G.T. Beauregard took over in his place. Beauregard made the decision not to continue to press the advantage as night fell, electing to continue battle in the morning. Fortunately for Grant, a division of his army and General Don Carlos Buell and his Army of the Ohio arrived overnight. On the morning of April 7th, it was Grant's turn to launch a surprise counterattack and regained the upper-hand. Due to heavy casualties, low food and ammunition, and the loss of the all-important initiative, Beauregard was forced to withdraw and retreat to Corinth, Mississippi, where another battle would take place six months in the future.

This map was drawn by Otto H. Matz from surveys conducted by Colonel George Thomas, Chief of the Topographical Engineers in the Department of the Ohio. It was lithographed by Charles Robyn and Company of St. Louis and published in 1862. While represented in institutional collections, this map is rarely seen on the market.