VOA慢速英语2014 建国史话:格兰特带领联盟取得胜利

 

Grant Leads Union to Victory at Shiloh, but With a Cost 建国史话:格兰特带领联盟取得胜利

From VOA Learning English, this is The Making of a Nation. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

And I’m Christopher Cruise.

Confederate forces won the first major land battle of America’s civil war in July 1861. The Confederates defeated Union forces at Manassas, or Bull Run, in Virginia, less than 50 kilometers from Washington, DC. Union leaders quickly built a large army to defend the capital. 

At the same time, Confederate and Union troops battled in the western United States. One of the Union generals in the west was Ulysses Grant.

Ulysses Grant had fought in America's war against Mexico and had won honors for his bravery. When that war ended, he was sent to an army base far from his wife and children. He did not like being without them. Some say he became depressed¹ and drank too much alcohol. In 1854, he left the army. 

When the Civil War started, the Union needed experienced officers. After Grant successfully organized a group of unpaid² soldiers in Illinois, a member of Congress helped him receive an appointment as a Union general. 

Grant believed he could force Confederate soldiers to withdraw from Kentucky and Tennessee. Then he could march directly into the Deep South -- Mississippi. 

Two Confederate forts stood in Grant's way. The first, Fort Henry, fell easily. At the second, Fort Donelson, fighting lasted several days.

Finally, the Confederate commanding officer asked General Grant the terms of surrender. Grant's answer was simple. "No terms except an unconditional³ and immediate⁴ surrender can be accepted." 

The Confederates gave up Fort Donelson. It was the greatest Union victory since the start of the war. Ulysses Grant was a hero. Newspapers called him "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.

Confederate forces moved south and re-grouped at Corinth, Mississippi. Grant followed with 40,000 men. He stopped about 30 kilometers from Corinth, near a small church called Shiloh Meeting House. There, he waited for an additional force of Union soldiers under the command of Don Buell. 

Confederate General Albert Sydney Johnston was waiting, too. He had more than 40,000 men, about the same as Grant. And he was expecting another 20,000. But when he learned Grant was nearby, he decided⁵ not to wait. On April 6, 1862, Confederate forces attacked and surprised the Union army.

The fighting at Shiloh was some of the bitterest of the war. It was not one battle, but many. Groups of men fought each other across the wide battlefield. From a distance, they shot at each other. Close up, they cut each other with knives. The earth became red with blood. The dead and wounded soon lay everywhere. 

At first, the Confederates pushed Grant's Union army back. But in the thick of the struggle, General Johnston was shot in the leg. The bullet cut through an artery⁶. Johnston bled to death before help arrived. 

By the time the fighting began again the next day, General Buell’s force arrived to help Grant. The Confederate army pulled back. The Union army let it go.

Shiloh. The word itself came to mean death and destruction. Over 100,000 men fought. More than 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing.

One soldier who fought there said: "It was too shocking, too horrible. I hope to God that I may never see such things again." 

At first the North celebrated⁷ the news of its victory. But the public quickly became angry when they learned of the heavy losses. People blamed General Grant. They demanded President Abraham Lincoln dismiss him.

But the president said Grant was too important. “I can’t spare this man,” Lincoln said. “He fights." 

Words in This Story

unconditional - adj. not limited

re-grouped - v. stopped for a short time and prepared for something difficult

artery - n. a tube that carries blood from the heart to all parts of the body

shocking - adj. causing a sudden feeling of horror or disgust

spare - v. give up

1 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

2 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

3 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 artery   

n.干线，要道；动脉

参考例句：

• We couldn't feel the changes in the blood pressure within the artery.我们无法感觉到动脉血管内血压的变化。
• The aorta is the largest artery in the body.主动脉是人体中的最大动脉。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。