Shiloh National Battlefield

Shiloh, meaning "Place of Peace" in Hebrew.
American Civil War National Battlefield. Tennessee. It was the first major battle of the war occurring in 1862. 24,000 men were killed, wounded or missing after 2 days of fighting.

Basically, the North had penetrated to southern Tennessee. The south gathered up 20,000 men to attack to push the North back. The North held the line in the Hornets Nest before getting surrounded and 2,000 surrendered. But the Northerners stand, that withstood 11 attacks and 162 cannons lined up 400 yards away, gave time for the rest of the North to dig in behind them and also allow reinforcements to come in.
The next day, with the added troops, the North took back all the ground it lost the day before and more as the South turned and retreated.
Another lost opportunity to severely cripple the South by the North not attacking the retreat?
Also, the South made some tactical errors that could have swung the battle...like starting the battle one day before, which would have meant the reinforcements would not have been there to swing the battle. Interesting.

Rode the bike for the tour...13 miles and took me 4 hrs. at a very leisurely pace and covered it all. 20 official stops.

The line the North held, called the Hornets Nest.


Day 2.
From the homeland, WI.

The death of the highest ranking officer America ever lost on a Battlefield. Leg wound, died of loss of blood.

Shiloh total Casualties. Missing? Deserted?
Something interesting I found from further reading:
President Grant died (throat cancer) deep in debt after being defrauded by Ferdinand Ward, a business partner of his son Ulysses. But Grant's wife Julie was saved from bankruptcy when his memoirs were published and earned hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The day before I arrived the first eagle chick hatched. 30 minutes before I got there the 2nd chick hatched. Watched the male and female race out the river and return a few minutes later with some lunch for the chicks, fish from the near by Tennessee River.

Shiloh Indian Mounds burial grounds. Was never plowed under like most mounds across the country. It was preserved mainly due to the Battlefield was preserved. Was inhabited from 1,000 AD to 1450 AD.
Largest mound is right on the Tennessee River.
The Village Commons taken from the River Mound.
25 ft of elevation.

National Cemetery. Originally, all the dead were buried out on the battlefield. One mass grave of Rebel deaths is ported (not proven) to contain 700 bodies. Then the North was moved to a National Cemetery. This was the primo spot....all men from WI tombstones.