We knew from our visit here 12 years ago that this was the battlefield to beat and that opinion hasn’t changed. If you could only see one Civil War battlefield this is the one. At 3,997 acres it’s not the largest, but we think it offers the best overall feeling of what a Civil War battle was like. Monuments placed by states for their solders and plaques positioned by the park service all help the visitor picture the battle as it happened. As for cannons, I would bet a few sips of my recently acquired Jack Daniels that Shiloh has more than any other military park.
Of the twenty stops on the tour three were not available due to road construction, so we were not able to visit Bloody Pond, the Peach Orchard or the site where General Albert Sidney Johnson died. Bloody Pond changed hands several times and was used by both sides for drinking water and to bathe wounds. After two days of fighting, it was said the pond was stained red with the blood of both sides.
We did walk down the Sunken Road and into the Hornet’s Nest, where Union troops under Brigadier Benjamin Prentiss withstood an estimated 14 Confederate assaults, giving Major General Ulysses S. Grant time to establish a final defensive line near Pittsburg Landing. All the stops offered insights into how the battle ebbed and flowed over the battlefield.
The National Cemetery at Shiloh occupies a quiet corner of the park overlooking the Tennessee River. With large shade trees and gently rolling land, it is a most suitable resting place for the many that died at Shiloh. Union and Confederate casualties totaled 23,741 for the two days.
Leaving Shiloh we drove 38 miles south to the town of Corinth, Mississippi. Corinth is from where Johnson marched north to attack Grant at Shiloh and to where he withdrew when faced with the Union onslaught. Corinth is actually part of Shiloh National Military Park and doesn’t have a battlefield as such. Rather much of the downtown is a walking tour of old homes and business. We didn’t have time for the tour; however we did stop at an outstanding Visitor’s Center.
We stayed in Corinth for dinner and then had to outrun a thunder and lightning storm back to Savannah. Before closing, Barb reminded me earlier that yesterday I forgot to give her credit for a little housekeeping. So, here goes. After checking into our motel yesterday, I took Barb to Suds Your Duds. We now have clean clothes for a few more days. Tomorrow we are off to Mobile, Alabama. 106 miles today.
Shiloh National Battlefield
Shiloh, Tennessee
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