"The Single Bullet Theory"
The Confederacy might have won it's war for independence early on had it not been for the bullet that struck General Albert Sidney Johnston in the afternoon of the first day of the Battle of Shiloh. He was the highest ranked of the four top generals of the new nation. Rank and theater of operation were awarded by seniority and that determined by date of commission out of West Point. Johnston was well liked by his troops and their motivation and moral couldn't be higher on the eve of battle.
Major General Ullysses S. Grant had been landing troops and supplies at Pittsburg Landing for several days as the North's Tennessee Valley Campaign aimed to take Corinth, Mississippi, the big railroad junction farther south. But Grant's security had been lax. Incredibly, sporadic reports of possible enemy activity in the woods all around the area either never reached higher officers or were ignored. No major resistance was expected. So when the Confederates burst out of the woods that clear Sunday morning April 6, 1862, Grant's future as an Army commander might have been ended.
The Confederate onslaught caught the Yankees by surprise and rolled their whole chaotic lines back toward the Tennessee River. General Johnston was bold enough and would have finished his attack by carrying it on through the night. But a stray bullet struck him in the knee at around 1:30pm and he bled to death within an hour. The general who assumed command merely held ground which allowed General Grant to regroup, reinforce, and counterattack the next day. Thus, Shiloh is generally seen as a victory for the North and bolstered Grant's reputation as a winner. Brigadier General Sherman, latter to become Grant's right hand man, was nearly killed in this battle, too, as Confederate troops surprised and fired on his horseback scouting party.
Generals Grant and Sherman might have been captured or at least disgraced enough to have prevented their later appointments had General Johnston lived. But the same bullet that killed General Johnston saved General Grant. Grant learned from his errors. He would never again be so careless.
Application For Today:
We Christians and Conservatives became lazy when we should have maintained careful watch over our government. We were lax while the enemy (communists!) waited to pounce. They busted out of the woods in 2008 and overwhelmed our positions. We fell back in chaos and confusion. But fortunately, this time, the enemy has shot himself in the foot. He "acted stupidly". His Cap And Tax, and his Health Care Fiasco, etc. have stalled his advance. We have counterattacked, but if a situation like this ever occurs again, we may not be so lucky.
--RPC, Sunday September 13, 2009