Shiloh/Corinth

Shiloh is our last visit.  The battle took place over two days, April 6-7, 1862.  It also, like Chickamauga, is the prelude to another battle, in this case Corinth, Mississippi. Both were Union victories and were part of the amazing string of victories put together by General U.S. Grant.  President Lincoln was very much paying attention to Grant's success because he desperately needed a general in Virginia that would fight. Grant was setting the stage for Vicksburg by defeating every Confederate force in western Tennessee.

Shiloh is another very chaotic battle that surged back and forth over the course of two days.  On the 6th, Grant's army was surprised by the rebel attack and pushed to the north end of the battlefield.  Day one was clearly a Confederate victory.  Day two Grant attacked early and surprised the Confederates and pushed them far to the south and they then withdrew to Corinth and conceded the battle.   The Battle of Corinth would come in October, 1862. The carnage was horrible: 23,476 casualities. Much worse than Manassas/Bull Run.

The battle took it's name from the Shiloh Methodist Church.  Shiloh, ironically, a place mentioned in the Bible, means "place of peace".

The Bloody Pond, named for obvious reasons.

A real surprise!  In the middle of Shiloh Battlefield is Shiloh Indian Mounds National Historic Landmark.  There are some dozen Cahokia mounds dating from about 1300 AD.  The mounds were ceremonial and atop each one sat a small temple.

The Tennessee River from one of the Cahokia mounds.