Shiloh

The Battle of Shiloh was the first real indication of what the cost in blood of the Civil War might be. The concept of war on both sides was still a romantic one. Thoughts of great deeds and personal heroism were bolstered by the swashbuckling attitudes of the officers and by the stirring new tunes of glory. By April 1st, 1862, almost a year after the opening shots of the Civil War had been fired at Fort Sumter, the war had spread across almost the entire southern half of the divided nation. Major battles had been fought from Virginia to Florida in the east and to Southern Missouri in the west. And although the battles of 1st Bull Run in Virginia, Wilson’s Creek in Missouri, Gulf Islands in Florida, Forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee, and Pea Ridge in Missouri had been bloody enough, they had given little indication of the carnage that was to come. Then came Shiloh! Within a single week, all the horrors of war would be brought home to both nations in an avalanche of death and destruction. Over the two days, Union casualties numbered more than 13,000, Confederate casualties were in excess of 10,500; a total of more than 23,000 were killed, wounded, or missing.

“Shiloh!” There’s something magical about the name. It can conjure up a thousand tales of heroism or tragedy. Today, the wild beauty of this isolated field of war is overwhelming. The air on a summer’s day is often still and heavy and the silence is broken only by the dull buzz of insects. Pittsburg Landing is now a National Cemetery, the Hornets’ Nest a pleasant country walk, and the Peach Orchard blooms again each spring. The Bloody Pond teams with tiny fish and the old oak tree under which General Albert Sidney Johnston died is now only a rotted stump.

This is a book that will take you back to those brave and desperate times, bringing vividly to life the story of the battle, along with the personalities and deeds of the men who fought and died. The progress of the battle is followed from the perspective of the generals who shaped events and from that of the common soldiers, who died by the thousands.

SHILOH is also a practical field guide to what you will find at the site today, complete with maps, photos and walking and driving tours.