Shiloh - Day 33 - Savannah, TN

Thursday we spent most of the day at Shiloh, which we had passed several days ago on the Tennessee River.

Looking North on the Tennessee as viewed from Shiloh

The two day battle that took place here on April 6-7, 1862 resulted in 23,746 casualties making it the 6th bloodiest battle of the Civil War.  It was also a strategic victory for the Union forces that eventually gave them control a month later of an important rail head at Corinth, MS.  Shiloh, which paradoxically means "place of peace," is also cited as the battle that caused Americans on both sides to realize that this was going to be a long and bloody war.

The park, officially called Shiloh National Military Park, is in itself extraordinary; 4,000 acres with 14 miles of roads preserved to the extent possible like it was on the day of the battle.   Equally impressive is the signage that enables you to visualize that battle as it progressed.  Outside the Visitor Center are five plaques (see photo below).  The first three explain the forces arrayed including casualties.  The fourth, and largest explain how to visualize the placement of the forces.  The fifth deals with Congressional Act that facilitated the park's amazing preservation.

Visitor Center with helpful explanatory plaques

Note: Casualties included killed, wounded and missing.  Civil War casualties are often mistakenly cited as the number killed.  At Shiloh this number was around 4,000 as stated on the explanatory plaques.

There are 229 original civil war cannons, which due to my National Guard service as an artillery officer are always of special interest.

At Shiloh, Brigadier General Ruggles arrayed 62 cannon on the first day of battle to neutralize a powerful Union position called the Hornets Nest.  This was the greatest number of cannons seen on an American battlefield up to that time.  Their use enabled the Confederates to capture the 2,200 Union soldiers leading them to believe that they were going to be victorious.  The reality turned out to be just the opposite.  The brave troops who held that position enabled General U.S. Grant to build strength for attack the following day that drove the Confederates from the field.

Piled cannon balls are also used to mark to headquarters of the general officers.

Diana and Kodi

One of these particularly markers is particularly significant as it marks the site where General Albert Sidney Johnston died.  Johnston was commander of the Confederate troops at Shiloh and the highest ranking American officer to die in combat.

The Shiloh battle is so immense and involved that it would be fruitless to for me to try to explain it.  That said, the Confederate Memorial did an extraordinary job of symbolically explaining the battle from the Confederate viewpoint.  The link is worth reading.

Confederate Memorial

We took lots of photos.  Click here to see what we saw.

Post Script: Speaking of battles, we had one the day before when the technician from Aqua Yacht Harbor replaced the AC water and bilge pumps.  A simple job was made difficult and time consuming by Sea Ray's marine architects who design boats without regard for the repairs that will most certainly be needed as the boat is used.  It took three hours to replace the pumps.  Better than half the time was spent removing the batteries and the battery mount to get at the pumps.  Total cost: $1,082 including parts and labor. 

Special event: I used the Caribe RIB (dingy) to speed over to Aqua Yacht Harbor at 25 miles per hour on a flat lake to obtain a plastic hose connection that was inadvertly broken as the technician reinstalled the water pump.  Great fun despite the light rain at the time.

Good news: We fixed the problem during a very rainy day.

Weather Summary: Rainy days: 5. Sunny days: 29.

Pumps located under removed battery box

 Written by Les (next day)