"With lucid prose, Smith has successfully bridged the frustratingly elusive gap between exhaustive scholarly research and good storytelling. . . . A well-narrated story of battle that has too often been overshadowed by the engagements that followed it. By placing it in context, Smith convincingly argues that Shiloh was one of the most critical contingency points of the war."—Journal of Southern History
"Smith has provided an easily accessible narrative on how the Battle of Shiloh unfolded. His balanced treatment of both days of combat and his emphasis on how the terrain impacted the proceedings presents an authoritative text valuable for both historians and Civil War enthusiasts."—Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
"Smith’s study is unquestionably the new standard treatment of the Shiloh battle. It is very highly recommended reading."—On Point: The Journal of Army History
"Only the dead know Shiloh better than Tim Smith."—Civil War Times
"Smith’s exhaustive and uniquely complete study is the first truly great treatment and is unquestionably the new standard bearer of Shiloh battle histories."—Civil War Books and Authors
"One of the nation's leading Civil War historians, Tim Smith has produced what may be his best work yet. This volume is the definitive book on the critical battle of Shiloh. Its stirring prose and exhaustive research will stir the historical imagination of scholars and the general public both."--John F. Marszalek, Executive Director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association's Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library at Mississippi State University
"Well written, highly readable, and a great improvement over previous studies, this is easily the most comprehensive account yet written of the Battle of Shiloh, and it's hard to imagine it being superseded within the next several decades. Indeed, this may still be the definitive account when the battle's bicentennial rolls around."--Steven E. Woodworth, author of Shiloh: Confederate High Tide in the Heartland
