Research Paper Outline

Research Paper Proposal

Name: Randy Ozbirn

Class: HIST 406

Title: Battle of Shiloh: How it Affected the Civil War

Subject: Battle of Shiloh

Thesis Statement: The Confederacy could have scored a major victory with the Battle of Shiloh. However, with the loss by the Confederacy and the huge loss of human life by the Union, as well as huge losses by the Confederate armies, leaders on both sides knew that the Civil War would not end quickly. As campaigns in the West were being won by the Union, the Battle of Shiloh would ultimately be blamed. The Battle of Shiloh would be the first battle where the Union was in the West. General Grant, of the Union armies, trooped his army toward the west and camped on high ground. They were attacked by surprise by the Confederates. This was one of the bloodiest battles won by the Union. There was much importance and significance of the Battle of Shiloh during the overall war effort.

Outline:

A. Introduction – The Battle of Shiloh

1. Generals who were involved in the Battle of Shiloh

2. Campaigns leading up to the battle

3. Key victories by the Union prior to the Battle of Shiloh

4. Cities and States involved

5. Pittsburg Landing

B. The Campaign

1. Henry Wager Halleck

2. Fraley Field

3. Peabody Brigade

4. Buckland Brigade

C. The Counter Offensive

1. General Albert Sidney Johnston

2. General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard

3. Army of the Mississippi

4. Federal Colonel Charles R. Woods

5. Brigadier General Benjamin F. Cheatham

D. The Surprise

1. Savannah

2. Sherman

E. Conclusion

1. A Crucial Mistake

2. The Hornets’ Nest

3. A Fatal Wound\

4. The Lost Opportunity

5. A Mass Surrender

Sources (you need at least 5):

Civil War Trust: Shiloh, http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/shiloh.html, (accessed October 20, 2012).

Daniel, Larry J., Shiloh: The Battle That Changed the Civil War, Touchstone: Simon & Schuster, 1997.

Groom, Winston, Why Shiloh Matters, The New York Times: The Opinion Page, April 6, 2012.

National Park Service: Battle of Shiloh, http://www.nps.gov/shil/historyculture/shiloh-history.htm, (accessed October 20, 2012).

Sword, Wiley, The Battle of Shiloh, Eastern Acorn Press, 1978.

Randy This looks great and, believe it or not, this is one of the few battle studies I have seen proposed by the class!  I am looking forward to your work, for admittedly, Shiloh is one of those battles I need to know more about.  I would work on developing another point for your outline, and that being the aftermath/consequences, which is perhaps the most important part of any battle. What was gained, and what was lost at Shiloh? Why should we know about it, 150 years later?  It is important to include your thoughts to these questions.