Shiloh National Military Park
The site of a profoundly important battle and a significant turning point in the Civil War.
Site Details
Pin location is approximate.
1055 Pittsburg Landing Rd
Shiloh, TN 38376
Family Friendly?
Yes
Visitors Per Year
125,000
The Visitors’ Center has accessible and very informative displays that cover the origins of the war, the events leading up to the battle, the course of the battle itself, the aftermath, and both the main actors and ordinary soldiers on both sides. There is no bias in these presentations. There are two short films running regularly that describe and dramatize all the above in a balanced way. Prominent are the heroics, endurance, and suffering of soldiers on both sides of the conflict. The horrors of the battle are presented but without anything unduly disturbing. Slavery is presented as the main issue at the start of the war, but most of the information, by far, is about the battle and the war.
There are no guided tours, but there is an audio tour that can be accessed through the National Park Service website. Visitors can drive around the sprawling battlefield. The signage is clear and plentiful, providing general and detailed information. There are places to pull over, with numbered stops corresponding to the map available at the Visitors’ Center. Much of the drive is through wooded areas and is pleasant.
There was no evidence of bias or inaccuracies in the displays or signage. Instead, there is a very balanced presentation of the people, tactics, turns of fortune in the battle, and grand strategy on both sides of the war. Even a well-informed visitor will learn much. Of particular interest may be quotes from personal letters, memoirs, and diaries of commanders, ordinary soldiers, nurses, and surgeons.
There is no apparent ideological bias.
Shiloh was a bloody battle, and so some items in the displays, photographic or textual, are necessarily and directly related to death and suffering. None of these, however, is especially graphic or gratuitous.
The battlefield is lovely, providing plenty of room for children to run around and many pieces of artillery and monuments for them to examine.
The Battle of Shiloh (and the closely related battle at Corinth) was the most significant engagement in the North’s campaign to control the Western Theater (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee) and was one of the most important in the Civil War. The immediate objective was the railroad junction at Corinth where north-south and east–west lines intersected. These were crucial for connecting industrialized Nashville to armies farther south and for transporting and supplying the Southern armies in the west. Prior to the battle, there were smaller engagements aimed at controlling the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, which were also significant transportation and supply routes. The North’s ultimate aim was to control use of the Mississippi.
It was a terribly bloody battle, with both sides suffering great losses. Among the over 100,000 troops involved, over 20,000 were killed or wounded. While other generals were casualties of the battle, none was more significant than the death of the commanding general in the Western Theater, Albert Sidney Johnston, which was a major blow to the entire Confederate army.
If visitors wish to extend their visit to sites related to this very significant clash between the North and the South, they should consider visiting the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, which covers Shiloh as well as the battle at Corinth. The well-organized displays are rich with information and more thorough than the ones at Shiloh.
Owned By: National Park Service
Operated By: National Park Service
Government Funded: Yes
Did you know?
There were more American casualties during the battle at Shiloh than in all previous American wars combined.
Recommended Reading
- Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson
Reviewed By
Stephen Wirls
Professor of Philosophy at Rhodes College
The opinions expressed above are those of the Reviewer who is providing a good-faith historical assessment to educate the public. Reasonable opinions can vary, and the Reviewer’s opinion is not necessarily the opinion of The Heritage Foundation or its affiliates.