Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee
"No soldier who took part in the two-day engagement at Shiloh ever spoiled for a fight again. We wanted a square, stand-up fight and got all we wanted of it." – Union Veteran
Shiloh National Military Park, a hallowed ground established on December 27, 1894, stands as a solemn testament to the brutal realities of the American Civil War. Located in southwestern Tennessee, the park meticulously preserves the site of the Battle of Shiloh, a ferocious clash that unfolded in April 1862. However, the park’s significance extends beyond this pivotal battle. It also encompasses the grounds where the siege, battle, and subsequent occupation of Corinth, Mississippi, a vital railroad junction, took place. Furthermore, within the park’s boundaries lie two additional sites of profound historical importance: the meticulously maintained Shiloh National Cemetery, the final resting place for thousands of soldiers and their families, and the ancient Shiloh Indian Mounds, a designated National Historic Landmark that whispers tales of a civilization long past. This combination of Civil War history and pre-Columbian heritage makes Shiloh National Military Park a unique and evocative destination.
The Battle of Shiloh: A Crucible of Fire (April 6-7, 1862)
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, unfolded in Hardin County, Tennessee, marking a critical juncture in the Western Theater of the Civil War. By mid-February 1862, Union forces had secured a series of strategic victories at Mill Springs, Kentucky, and Forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee. These successes opened a path for a Union invasion along the Tennessee River, threatening to sever vital Confederate rail lines, including the Memphis & Charleston and Mobile & Ohio railroads.
Faced with the imperative to safeguard these crucial arteries of supply and communication, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston, the supreme commander in the West, consolidated his scattered forces around the town of Corinth, Mississippi. This location served as a strategic crossroads where the Memphis & Charleston and the Mobile & Ohio Railroads intersected, making it a linchpin in the Confederate defense of the region.
In March, Major General Henry W. Halleck, commanding U.S. forces in the West, initiated a coordinated advance, deploying armies under Major Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Don Carlos Buell southward with the objective of crippling the Southern railroads. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee ascended the Tennessee River by steamboat, landing at Pittsburg Landing, approximately 22 miles northeast of Corinth. Here, Grant established a base of operations on the elevated terrain west of the river, positioning his forward camps roughly two miles inland, centered around a humble log church known as Shiloh Meeting House. Halleck had explicitly instructed Grant to avoid engaging the Confederates until the arrival of Buell’s Army of the Ohio, which was marching overland from Nashville. The combined Union force would then proceed to capture Corinth, effectively disrupting Confederate railroad communications in the West.
Aware of the Union’s intentions, General Johnston devised a bold plan to strike Grant’s army at Pittsburg Landing before Buell’s reinforcements could arrive. On April 3, 1862, Johnston set his troops in motion. However, torrential rains and the logistical challenges of moving a massive force – including men, artillery, and heavy wagons – across muddy roads significantly hampered the advance. By nightfall on April 5, Johnston’s Army of Mississippi, numbering nearly 44,000 men, had finally deployed for battle approximately four miles southwest of Pittsburg Landing.
At the break of dawn on Sunday, April 6, the Confederates surged from the woods, unleashing a devastating assault on the unsuspecting Federal camps around Shiloh Church. Grant and his army of nearly 40,000 men were caught completely off guard. Despite the initial shock, the Federals swiftly rallied, and a brutal struggle ensued on "Shiloh Hill." Confederate brigades slowly gained ground throughout the morning, forcing Grant’s troops to retreat, fighting fiercely from defensive positions at Shiloh Church, the Peach Orchard, Water Oaks Pond, and within a dense oak thicket that would later be known as the Hornets’ Nest.
Despite achieving surprise, Johnston’s forces soon became as disorganized as the Federals. The Southern attack lost its coordination as corps, divisions, and brigades became entangled. In the midst of supervising an assault on the Union left in the mid-afternoon, Johnston was struck in the right leg by a stray bullet. The wound proved fatal, and Johnston bled to death, leaving General P.G.T. Beauregard in command of the Confederate army. Grant’s battered divisions retreated to a fortified position extending west from Pittsburg Landing, where massed artillery and rugged ravines provided natural defenses for their front and flanks. The fighting ceased at nightfall, leaving a scene of unimaginable devastation.
During the night, reinforcements from Buell’s Army of the Ohio began arriving at Pittsburg Landing. Beauregard, unaware of Buell’s arrival, planned to deliver the final blow to Grant’s army the following day. However, on April 7, Grant launched a counterattack. The combined Union forces, now numbering over 54,500 men, relentlessly hammered Beauregard’s depleted ranks, which barely mustered 34,000 troops. Despite launching a series of desperate counterattacks, the exhausted Confederates were unable to halt the increasingly assertive Federal advance. Forced back to Shiloh Church, Beauregard skillfully withdrew his outnumbered command and retreated towards Corinth. The exhausted Federals did not pursue.
The Battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing, had ended. The cost was staggering: a combined total of 23,746 men killed, wounded, or missing – a casualty count exceeding that of all previous American wars combined. The ultimate control of Corinth’s crucial railroad junction remained uncertain. The Shiloh National Military Park stands as a testament to this sacrifice.
Major General Henry W. Halleck, recognizing the strategic significance of Corinth, deemed its capture more important than the complete destruction of the Confederate armies. Reinforced by another army under General John Pope, he cautiously advanced southward from Tennessee. By late May, he had entrenched his three armies within cannon range of the Confederate fortifications defending the strategic crossroads. Despite being reinforced by Major General Earl Van Dorn’s Trans-Mississippi Army, Beauregard withdrew south to Tupelo, Mississippi, abandoning the most viable east-west rail communications line in the western Confederacy.
Federal efforts to secure the Mississippi Valley stalled in the late summer of 1862, prompting Confederate leaders to launch counteroffensives across multiple theaters. Armies led by Generals Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith invaded Kentucky. Simultaneously, troops under General Van Dorn boldly attacked the heavily fortified Union garrison at Corinth, considered the "linchpin" of Federal control in northern Mississippi. One of the most bitterly contested battles of the war, Van Dorn’s assault was decisively repulsed after two days of intense fighting on October 3-4, 1862, resulting in nearly 7,000 more Confederate and Union casualties.
Although overshadowed by the failure of Robert E. Lee’s Confederate invasion of Maryland, Van Dorn’s defeat and Bragg’s retreat from Kentucky after the Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862, instilled discouragement in Richmond, Virginia, and relief in Washington. More significantly, Van Dorn’s defeat at Corinth – the last Confederate offensive in Mississippi – significantly weakened the only mobile Southern army defending the Mississippi Valley. This paved the way for Major General Ulysses S. Grant to launch a relentless nine-month campaign to capture "the fortress city" of Vicksburg and regain control of the Mississippi River.
The Hornets’ Nest: A Focal Point of Valor and Controversy
Within the broader context of the Battle of Shiloh, the struggle for the Hornets’ Nest stands out as a particularly intense and well-documented episode. Often compared to iconic engagements like Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg, Bloody Lane at Antietam, and the Stone Wall at Fredericksburg, the Hornets’ Nest holds a prominent place in Civil War lore.
Located in the center of the Shiloh Battlefield, this area witnessed heavy combat on both days of the battle. On the first day, three Union divisions defended a line along a little-used farm road that traversed the land owned by J.R. Duncan. The Duncan family’s small cotton field, bordering the road to the south, became a critical point on the battlefield, offering open fields of fire and road cover. Fierce fighting raged in the Hornets’ Nest area, with the determined defenders repelling no fewer than eight distinct Confederate attacks. The name "Hornets’ Nest" originated from the Confederates, who likened the sound of enemy bullets to swarms of angry hornets.
After observing the repeated failures of attacks against the position, Confederate General Daniel Ruggles assembled a line of artillery consisting of as many as 62 guns and concentrated its fire on the Federal line. Under the cover of this intense bombardment, the Confederates encircled the Hornets’ Nest, eventually capturing General Benjamin Prentiss and more than 2,200 of his troops late in the day on April 6.
Almost immediately after the battle, key participants began portraying the action at the Hornets’ Nest as the central event of the engagement. Defenders of the area, such as Brigadier General Benjamin Prentiss, argued that their tenacious stand against numerous Confederate attacks bought valuable time for General Ulysses S. Grant to establish a final line of defense. Over time, historians expanded upon these accounts, solidifying the Hornets’ Nest’s reputation as a pivotal point in the battle. Shiloh National Military Park commemorates the bravery displayed here.
However, contemporary historians have challenged this traditional interpretation, questioning the true significance of the Hornets’ Nest in the overall outcome of the battle. Evidence suggests that the Hornets’ Nest did not experience the heaviest fighting at Shiloh. A document compiled in 1867 by laborers tasked with locating bodies on the battlefield indicates that the highest concentrations of dead were found on the eastern and western sectors, with relatively fewer casualties in the center, where the Hornets’ Nest was located.
Casualty figures for the units engaged in the Hornets’ Nest further support this argument. Colonel James M. Tuttle’s brigade of four Iowa regiments, which held the Hornets’ Nest and the road in front of Duncan Field, sustained 235 killed and wounded – a number lower than that of some individual regiments in other parts of the battlefield. Furthermore, troop positions indicate that the Hornets’ Nest was not a critical area for much of the day. Colonel Thomas W. Sweeny’s Union brigade of six regiments in Duncan Field, north of the Corinth Road, lacked sufficient space to deploy effectively. As a result, only two regiments were actively engaged, while Sweeny held the remaining four in reserve.
As the Union line began to crumble on either side of the Hornets’ Nest, Sweeny dispatched his reserve regiments to reinforce more critical areas. He sent two Illinois regiments to the Peach Orchard sector and another to aid Major General John A. McClernand to the north. Only one regiment was sent to support the Hornets’ Nest. Had the Hornets’ Nest been a truly critical point, Sweeny likely would not have diverted his regiments elsewhere. Additionally, troop position tablets indicate that minimal action occurred in Duncan Field, as Confederate officers, wary of the dangers of charging across open ground, sought cover during their attacks. Duncan Field, despite being the site of numerous alleged Confederate charges, lacks Confederate tablets denoting troop positions.
If the Hornets’ Nest was not the decisive point in the Battle of Shiloh, why did it become so prominent in historical accounts? The answer lies in the post-war narratives of the Hornets’ Nest veterans, who emphasized their role in the battle and asserted that their sacrifice provided Grant with the time needed to establish a final line of defense. Division commander Brigadier General Benjamin M. Prentiss authored a widely circulated report after the battle, highlighting his and his troops’ contributions. Even decades later, veterans continued to champion the Hornets’ Nest as the central event of Shiloh.
While these revised interpretations may downplay the Hornets’ Nest’s overall significance, they do not diminish the valor and sacrifice displayed in that area. The Hornets’ Nest was undoubtedly a scene of intense combat, where many brave men lost their lives amidst a hail of gunfire. The area remains an important part of the battlefield, and its story continues to resonate with visitors to Shiloh National Military Park.
Following the Battle of Shiloh, Union troops advanced into Corinth, Mississippi, leading to the Siege of Corinth between April 29 and June 10, 1862. After General P.G.T. Beauregard evacuated the town, the Union consolidated its position, bringing an end to the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers Campaign.
The Union victory at the Battle of Shiloh resulted in an estimated 13,047 Union and 10,699 Confederate casualties. Among the fallen was Confederate Army commander General Albert Sidney Johnston, who was killed on April 6, 1862. He remains the highest-ranking American military officer ever killed in action.
The battle also significantly altered military tactics on both sides. Realizing that no position was truly secure without fortifications, soldiers were increasingly required to dig trenches and construct defensive works.
Shiloh National Cemetery: A Sacred Resting Place
Established in 1866 by the War Department on the Shiloh Battlefield, the Shiloh National Cemetery serves as the final resting place for soldiers who perished in the Battle of Shiloh and other operations along the Tennessee River. Originally known as the "Pittsburg Landing National Cemetery," it was renamed "Shiloh National Cemetery" in 1889. The cemetery contains the remains of 3,584 Civil War dead, 2,359 of whom are unknown. In the fall of 1866, workers exhumed bodies from 156 locations on the battlefield and 565 locations along the Tennessee River. Wooden headboards initially marked each grave, but these were replaced by granite stones in 1876 and 1877. Tall stones mark the graves of known soldiers, while shorter, square stones denote the unknown.
A stone wall was erected around the cemetery in 1867, and ornamental iron gates were added to the entrance in 1911. A superintendent cared for the cemetery until it was officially integrated with Shiloh National Military Park in 1943. The result of this meticulous labor was described by one observer as "the most handsome cemetery in the South."
While initially established as a Civil War burial ground, Shiloh National Cemetery now contains the remains of soldiers from later American wars, including World War I and II, Korea, and Vietnam. There is also a memorial to a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. The total number of interred individuals in the cemetery is 3,892. Although officially closed in 1984, the cemetery still hosts an average of two or three burials per year, primarily widows of soldiers already interred.
The cemetery is a place of profound reverence, honoring the sacrifices of American soldiers throughout history. Inscribed on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery are the words, "Here Rests in Honored Glory, An American Soldier, Known But to God." Thousands of known and unknown American soldiers rest in national and private cemeteries worldwide, including Shiloh National Cemetery.
Among those interred at Shiloh are six Wisconsin color-bearers, all killed in action while carrying their regimental standards into battle. Nearby lies Captain Edward Saxe of the 16th Wisconsin, the first Federal officer killed in the battle, and teenage drummer boy John D. Holmes of the 15th Iowa. Interspersed among the Union soldiers are two Confederate soldiers, their pointed tombstones standing in stark contrast to the rounded stones of the United States soldiers. In the newer sections of the cemetery, memorials honor more recent American soldiers, including a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. Many gravestones simply bear a number, representing soldiers whose identities remain unknown. Shiloh National Military Park preserves this sacred space.
Except for the two Confederates, all those interred in the national cemetery are United States soldiers. Regulations stipulate that only United States military veterans can be buried in national cemeteries. As Confederates were technically not United States personnel, they have traditionally been buried elsewhere.
As a result, the Confederates who died at Shiloh were not disinterred from their battlefield graves. They remain on the field in several large mass graves and many smaller individual plots. As many as eleven or twelve mass graves exist, but the park commission could only locate five. These five are now marked, with the largest being at Tour Stop # 5.
Shiloh Indian Mounds: Echoes of a Prehistoric Past
Approximately 800 years ago, a thriving town occupied the high Tennessee River bluff at the eastern edge of the Shiloh plateau. A wooden palisade enclosed seven earthen mounds and numerous houses between two steep ravines. Six mounds, rectangular with flat tops, likely served as platforms for important buildings, including a council house, religious structures, and the residences of the town’s leaders. The southernmost mound is an oval, round-topped mound used for the burial of the town’s leaders or other important figures.
This town served as the center of a society that occupied a twenty-mile stretch of the Tennessee River Valley. Around 1200 or 1300 A.D., the inhabitants migrated out of this area, possibly to locations further upriver that are now submerged under Pickwick Lake.
Since the Shiloh society disintegrated centuries before the advent of written records, its relationship to later societies like the Choctaw, Chickasaw, or Creek Indian tribes remains uncertain.
Archaeologists classify the society centered at Shiloh as a "chiefdom." The chief held the position of the most important political leader and religious figure. A council composed of elders and respected community members likely shared power with the chief. Close relatives of the chief would have enjoyed a privileged status, with some being buried in "Mound C."
The residents of the Shiloh site were primarily farmers, with corn serving as their staple crop. They also cultivated squash, sunflowers, and less familiar crops such as goosefoot, marsh elder, and may grass. In addition to cultivated crops, they consumed various wild plants and animals, including hickory nuts, acorns, deer, fish, turkey, and small animals like raccoons, rabbits, and squirrels.
In addition to the Shiloh site, the chiefdom encompassed six smaller towns, each with one or two mounds, and scattered farmsteads on higher ground in the river valley. On the river’s eastern bank, in Savannah, Tennessee, another palisaded settlement with multiple mounds once stood. While some of the Savannah mounds were built approximately 2,000 years ago, the site was reoccupied around the same time as the Shiloh site. Whether these two towns were occupied simultaneously remains unknown. Modern development in Savannah has obliterated most of the prehistoric sites.
The Shiloh chiefdom had neighboring chiefdoms in what is now Alabama, Mississippi, and western Tennessee. Most chiefdoms occupied portions of the major river valleys, such as the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers. Some neighboring chiefdoms were hostile to the Shiloh chiefdom, while others were linked by political alliances. Archaeological evidence of these alliances survives in the form of "prestige goods" exchanged as tokens of friendship. Political ties existed with the powerful chiefdom at Cahokia, near St. Louis. In contrast, there is no evidence of political ties to chiefdoms in central Tennessee.
The first archaeological excavation at Shiloh occurred in 1899 when Cornelius Cadle, chairman of the Shiloh Park Commission, dug a trench into "Mound C." There, he discovered the site’s most famous artifact: a large stone pipe carved in the shape of a kneeling man. This effigy pipe, now on display in the Tennessee River Museum in Savannah, Tennessee, is made of the same distinctive red stone and carved in the same style as several human statuettes from the Cahokia chiefdom in Illinois.
Survey work in the winter of 1933-34 revealed numerous small, round mounds at the Shiloh site, each approximately one foot high and ten to twenty feet in diameter. These mounds represent the remains of wattle-and-daub houses, with walls of vertical posts interlaced with branches (wattle) coated with a thick layer of clay (daub). Each house had a fireplace in the center of the floor. A palisade wall made of wattle and daub protected the site.
The early inclusion of the mounds area within the Shiloh National Military Park boundary has shielded the site from modern development. Because the plow has never disturbed the Shiloh site, the collapsed walls’ daub still stands as low rings or mounds. Shiloh is one of the few places in the eastern United States where the remains of prehistoric houses are still visible on the ground’s surface.
Shiloh National Military Park: A Legacy Preserved
Congress established Shiloh National Military Park on December 27, 1894, to commemorate the Battle of Shiloh. Originally under the War Department, the park was transferred to the National Park Service in the Department of the Interior in 1933. Currently, the park encompasses over 4,200 acres. The Corinth Battlefield Unit comprises approximately 240 acres, with the potential for expansion to 800 acres.
In addition to preserving the site of the Battle of Shiloh, the park commemorates the subsequent siege, battle, and occupation of Corinth, Mississippi. It also protects the Shiloh National Cemetery and the Indian Mounds. Shiloh and Corinth both feature visitor centers. A 12.7-mile auto tour route with 20 stops guides visitors through the Shiloh Battlefield. The park provides a battlefield map and commentary for each stop. The entire route is accessible to school buses.
Shiloh and Corinth host several living history events throughout the year, primarily from April to October. The major annual event is the Battle of Shiloh anniversary living history demonstration. The park is open year-round except on Christmas Day.
More Information:
Shiloh National Military Park
1055 Pittsburg Landing Road
Shiloh, Tennessee 38376
Shiloh Battlefield Visitor Center – (731) 689-5696
Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center – (662) 287-9273