Why Shiloh remains a contested battle

Shiloh challenged contemporary expectations because the western theatre's war of manoeuvre had produced slaughter. Grant's later reflections reject the simple claim that the Union army survived only because Albert Sidney Johnston died. He argued that Johnston's need to lead a reluctant brigade showed neither universal Union demoralisation nor unbounded Confederate confidence. Disputed orders to Lew Wallace and Henry Halleck's repeated efforts to sideline Grant make the battle's command history especially contentious. After Shiloh, Halleck removed Grant, and Lincoln intervened against efforts to discard a successful commander.