Shiloh National Military Park

Shiloh National Military Park memorializes the costliest battle in the western theater of the U.S. Civil War. The park is out of the way so it’s not despoiled with encroaching commercialism like other military parks such as Gettysburg. We started our tour with the 50 minute video shown in the visitor center. The film is superb in quality of production and informational content. It provides a good overview of the military campaign and provides context for the drive through the battlefield.
Union General Grant’s Army of Tennessee has been wreaking havoc for the Confederates in the western theater. The Confederates realize that they must stop Grant and gather troops from across the South at the rail center of Corinth, Mississippi. Confederate General Johnston learns that Grant has gathered his army near Pittsburg Landing along the Tennessee River and recognizes that the Confederates’ best chance for defeating Grant is before Union General Buell arrives with his Army of Ohio. On the first day of the battle, the Confederate forces surprise the Union army, overrun their encampment around Shiloh and push them back to Pittsburg Landing. However, the Confederates fail to secure victory on the field that day. Buell’s army arrives overnight with reinforcements and Grant takes the offensive the next morning defeating the Confederates who withdraw to Corinth.
The driving tour takes you around the battlefield in a more or less chronological order. The park contains many monuments and memorials to the military units involved in the battle. Using the map in park brochure, the ebb and flow of the battle is described on the tour. Markers indicate the advance and withdrawal of troops each day. The brochure describes the significant engagements along the route and how they affect the flow and outcome of the battle.
The Shiloh National Military Park provides an excellent experience of this important battle and should not be missed.

Well maintained, and eerily beautiful considering what happened here… As always knowledgeable Rangers who put up with ALL my questions.

A handsome, well preserved, and important site, but they could do more to engage visitors.
I grew up in Pennsylvania and visited the Gettysburg battlefield many times. One of the coolest relatively recent additions is the audio tour. You can take a self-​guided auto tour using a CD that narrates the events of each stop. It is really well done, and in my opinion the best way to see that park. Here at Shiloh, the auto tour has only a map for accompaniment, with a two-​sentence blurb for each of the twenty stops. Some of the stops have additional signage, some don’t. At a few, there is little to see besides a field or a creek or a ditch… so one tends to stop the car, get out, look around for a moment, say «Mmm hmm» and get back in.
Don’t get me wrong – the park is great; it’s well maintained and there are numerous monuments and memorials. It’s just that I would like a little more to see and do than just drive the trail. Maybe the site is too remote and doesn’t get enough visitors to justify further bells and whistles. I do truly appreciate what the NPS does and trust that they spend their budget wisely. In any case, the Shiloh battlefield is still worth seeing.
One other thing rubbed me the wrong way: the ranger insisted that I watch the film. His demeanor was aggressive and off-​putting, and to boot the film was forty minutes long! I hadn’t planned to spend even a fraction of that time at the visitor center. The video was quite good, with solid narration and high production values. However, if you are already familiar with the story of the battle (as I was from previous reading and the equally good but much shorter film at the Corinth Interpretive Center), it adds nothing to your experience but mood as you set out for the battlefield tour.
So my recommendation is definitely to come – but first go to Corinth, an excellent museum in its own right with a must-​see memorial out back (
). Take in the exhibits, watch the video, then drive up to Shiloh. Pick up the map from the visitor center, skip the film, and do the driving tour. This is the best use of your time across both attractions.

Very smartly done.
Even if a person doesn’t get all that excited about the idea of visiting an old battlefield, I believe this would find it’s way into the interest of most people. I went here free of bias, expectation or any preconception whatsoever but I do gravitate towards war-​themed shows and movies so there’s a latch-​on there that I have.
I love this place. It’s an at your own pace, self-​guided tour of driving your car for a minute or two, getting out to the first stop, reading the plaques, surmising the scene in front of you with your own imagery then driving to the next stop. and all the stops (somewhere around 20 of them) are numbered in chronological order of how the battle unfolded but they’re aren’t in a continuous line. Instead, you cross the lines on the map of where you think you should be going, you backtrack, you skip ahead, you begin to see the same people in their cars and almost make a game out of it.
This a very low-​stress manner in being presented a serious moment in American history and it works. What adds so much to it all is just how pleasant the land and scenery is all around. ‘Pleasant’ was the operative word that continuously popped into mind for me, you could go here just for the scenery alone. It’s all so hard to put down from your hands. I left wondering if I did enough since I didn’t have time to go to every stop.
You can walk anywhere you want in the whole park and you should take a few sojourns here and there. Walk through the cemetery esp. if that’s your thing. I saw one headstone of an army guy who was in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, holy crap! The cemetery has some inviting topography and hence, solitude to it.
Right by the cemetery is the headquarters with a sort of museum which succeeds well with it’s displays, you can try on reality-​based uniforms of either side.
This is one of few places in the east (anywhere east of Denver is what I call the east!) that I would like to return to with someone I know.

Wonderful park! Friendly staff! A must see!

Well laid out, and more importantly, well preserved battlefield. Don’t miss the approx 40 minute-​long video setting up the battle. It was well done, and helped make sense of this widely ranging battlefield.

Just an amazing and quiet place. The grounds are beautifully kept and it is easy to get around and see the major sights. We arrived at about 9:00 and it was still a little foggy, which made the quiet cemetery a little spooky. There is a wonderful drive that you can follow all around the park, seeing the major sights and the Indian mounds that are in the same area.
The man in the bookstore was very knowledgeable and friendly. I knew a little bit about the battle but after visiting the Visitor’s Center (they have a small museum) and the man at the bookstore, I felt I had learned a lot. There isn’t a ton of walking so it is a great place to bring kids.

Shiloh was spectacular. This is the fourth civil war battlefield under the National Parks Service that I’ve visited. The others were Pea Ridge (Arkansas), Wilson’s Creek (Missouri), and Vicksburg (Mississippi). I must say that Shiloh is the most impressive of this group in my opinion.
The large park is in pristine condition. It holds hundreds of monuments and markers, as well as many cannons. There is a driving tour that begins at the visitor’s center. The tour winds back and forth around and across the park for probably 10 or 12 miles. There are 20 different stops that are identified on the tour guide map. These include the infamous hornet’s nest, peach orchard, and bloody pond sites. The park was deserted early this morning in late November. I had the whole area pretty much to myself until later in the day. Wish I could have been here for the re-​enactment earlier this year.
There is a new film playing in the visitor’s center that runs 49 minutes. Absolutely worth watching if you’ve got the time. There is a separate book store adjacent to the visitor’s center. It offers about the same selection as I’ve seen at the other parks. The national cemetery is behind the book store. I believe only Union soldiers are buried here, which seems to be the norm at national cemeteries associated with the civil war. The Confederate dead were either buried in 4 or 5 mass grave trenches, which are identified on the tour map, or they were later removed after the battle was over and interred elsewhere.
The Shiloh Military Park is comparatively isolated in a rural area. The closest towns offering hotel/​motel accommodations are Corinth, Mississippi (to where the Confederate army retired after this battle) or in Savannah, Tennessee. Both are about 20 miles away from the park in opposite directions. There are no restaurants or fast food in the area either. There is one convenience store/​gas station on the way back to Corinth. There are soda machines located behind the book store, but you won’t see them unless you take a walk through the cemetery. They are otherwise hidden from view. If you plan on spending much time here, particularly in the hot summer months, I would very strongly recommend bring plenty of liquid refreshment with you and a snack too.
The Corinth Civl War Interpretive Center near downtown Corinth is a must-​see also. In fact, it is far superior than what little bit is on display in the visitor’s center at the park. It provides exhibits and information not only on the Battle of Shiloh, but also on the Seige of Corinth and the Battle of Corinth that occurred in the months following the Confederate defeat at Shiloh.

I’m a big WW2 Pacific theater history buff. I must admit that I only know the basics about the American Civil war. A young waitress at BB King’s told me about this place— I was pleasantly surprised that younger people are aware and interested in history.
Sobering place. I spoke to a park ranger who told me that, since TN straddled the Northern and the Southern armies during the 1860s, cousins and brothers from around here fought on both sides of the conflict on this very ground. He tells me that some family members still won’t talk to each other… gosh, this is 2011. This is why war should never happen… but knowing how tribal we all are, it will always happen.
The Battle of Shiloh was one of the first major battles of the American Civil War. It went on for two-​days with about 65,000 Union troops under Ulysses S. Grant and Buell and 44,000 Confederates under Albert Sidney Johnston (killed in the battle) and P.G.T. Beauregard. 24,000 were killed, wounded, and missing. Guess what? After 2 days, neither side could claim they won. The battlefield is named after Shiloh Methodist Church, a small log church near Pittsburg Landing.
It’s hard to imagine this much blood shed. It looks so peaceful now near the TN River. Places like Pittsburg Landing, Bloody pond, Peach Orhard, massed artillery points and rugged ravines makes this place look like a tough place to hike even without people taking shots at you.
The park is 110 miles from the Memphis airport.

Outstanding site. I am a sucker for history & this place is just the ticket. My family’s only complaint, and I KNOW we aren’t alone, is there’s no food sold here. I can understand why they don’t want this place to get trashed, but perhaps they could put a Subway or something just outside the entrance? And maybe a little snack bar? Just a thought…

I’ve been to many civil war battlefields and this is a very good one… both from a historical perspective and how it is presented today and organized for the visitor. It is a bit off the beaten path, but well worth it. Unlike some other battlefields this one has not been infringed on or surrounded by commerce of today. As an adjunct you should also go to the Corinth Interpretive center in Corinth, MS, which frames the battle of Shiloh in the cultural environment of the times. This is a must see add on to the park.

If you want to step back in time to one of the darker times in American History, you must visit Shiloh National Military Park located in the Southeast corner of Tenn. It was here on April 6 – 7 1862 that the opposing armies of the North and south clashed in a fierce battle that claimed over 23,000 casualties.
Start out at the visitor’s center where there’s a small museum of artifacts that have been found on the roughly nine mile’s of park and watch the antiquated 1957 short film of the battle. It’s kind of corny but the park ranger said if the film was made today it would cost $ 700,000 to make!
The map of the battleground is comprehensive and easy to follow. yes, a car is essential but if you’re in good shape, you could walk it. there are many monuments/​plaques along the way, some are off the main road and you’ll need to get out and walk.
Most impressive for me is The Hornet’s Nest, now a quiet field, where a tremendous battle raged the first day. The replica of the Shiloh church (the original was destroyed after the battle) sits next to a newer church. It’s a one-​room log cabin that you can go into. The Manse George cabin, which sits on the edge of the Peach Orchard (another bloody battle site) is the only original structure from the time of the battle.
The most somber site if the Bloody Pond, a small, shallow pond that sits behind the Peach Orchard. It was here that wounded, dying men from both sides came to drink from its waters amid the carnage, dying its surface red. Ghosts sightings have been seen here as well as other places in the ark.
For those who appreciate Native American culture, check out the Mississppi Mound Builders mounds, built around 700 – 800 years ago.
They still stand impressive even though time and erosion has reduced them to a smaller size.
The bookstore located adjacent to the visitor’s center is a nice place to pick up books, CDs and T-​shirts. A great way to spend the day at one of America’s many historic sites.