Guide to the Battle of Shiloh

Shiloh was the first Civil War battlefield that I ever visited. It was a moving experience, as I viewed the Bloody Pond, the Hornet's Nest, and so on. But I really didn't know much about the ground before my family and I traversed the battlefield. This was the first real monster battle of the Civil War, surpassing anything that had come before. My memory recalls a statement by a Union soldier at a later battle, when he said something like "I haven't been so bad scared since Shiloh." On Page ix, we get a sense of the vision of this book: "This guide is designed to help you enjoy this experience at Shiloh. The stops are arranged to present the most important phases of the battle as it developed. . ." This volume would be very helpful as one treks across the battlefield, to make sense of how events unfolded. The book itself starts off with a brief introduction that provides context for what comes next. The heart of these volumes is a combination of maps and where one should stop and the words of commanders from both sides, describing--from their perspective--what happened during the battle. The comments from actors begin on page 11 with Major General U. S. describing the situation before the battle began. Then (Pages 23-25) we see General P. G. T. Beauregard's description of the early stages of the Confederate effort. The orders guiding the Confederate forces' movement toward Shiloh are outlined on pages 25-31. The plan itself had some flaws in it that unfolded as the battle progressed. There are many points of interest in this depiction of the battle. One key event was the stout defense at the Hornet's Nest, where Prentiss' troops (and those of other Union units) held off the Confederate onslaught long enough for the other parts of Grant's tattered forces to redeploy. Pages 139-156 provide a number of reports from officers outlining their views as to what actually happened. On pages 177 and thereafter, the second day is described. Both forces were disorganized after the first day of the battle. Some of General Buell's Union troops arrived on the field as well as one of Grant's divisions, under Lew Wallace (author, later, of the novel "Ben-Hur"). As the next day began, Grant ordered a counterattack. With the new, fresh troops, the outcome was almost foreordained. Beauregard's troops (the commanding general, Albert Sidney Johnston, had been killed in battle on the first day) finally withdrew, leaving the field to Union forces. Two concluding sections close out the book--a lecture on the battle given in 1910 by Major Eben Swift; a segment on the controversy over why General Lew Wallace arrived at the battlefield late. Fi9onally, the always useful "Order of Battle," where we see which units fought here by both armies as well as the names of commanders at or above brigade level and where we see the casualty reports. This was the first monster battle of the Civil War, surpassing earlier clashes such as Wilson's Creek and First Manassas. This

Dozens of photographs, drawings, maps, and a comprehensive index make this an excellent guide to the battle of Shiloh. In addition to actual military reports, the editors provide explanatory information that helps clarify the reports. With input from the National Park Service, this handbook is an excellent tourbook for the visitor to Shiloh Battlefield Park, and a fine way for the reader at home to come to appreciate the importance of Shiloh. It is well-organized, with listings of the forces involved, a recapitulation of casualties broken down by brigade AND division, and a comprehensive index to track down specifics.

The Shiloh battlefield guide is the fifth of many Civil War guidebooks and maintained the standard started in the Gettysburg guide. The book covers the first big battles of the American Civil War and a Battlefield Park that is the closest to the veteran's vision of "their" battle park. Shiloh is a confusing battle with a story that is being rethought by the experts; this is not a battle history as such. My recommendation is to read Cunningham's book "Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862" before visiting the field. This is best of the very few guidebooks on the battle and is an option to employing a guide or purchasing a park driving tour. The series format is directions to a point on the field, orientation, a general lesson on what happened in your view, followed by first person accounts of the action. These guides are designed using the general staff training concept of a Staff Ride. This is when a class is taken to a historic location, discuss what happened and see how the terrain influences the event. Staff Rides are designed to be intensive "on the ground" training coupled with physical observation in the hopes students will gain experience for later use. I am not saying this to frighten you away from this guide but to tell you this is not a walk about and look at the monuments type of guide. This guide will have several pages devoted to the action at this point. It may contain a critique of the local commander's actions with possible alternates. My experience is that reading the book prior to my visit works best. This allows me more time observing the field and less time reading the book. Of the tour options, a professional guide is usually the best but most expensive choice. The park driving tour is the best choice for a quick trip through the field to get the kids passport stamp. This book is the best choice for a serious student of the battle looking for a detailed explanation.

This is the second battlefield guide in the Army War College series that I have used on a tour. I found it an indispensible aide to understanding how the battle unfolded. The guide arranges the stops on the tour in a logical manner, and the selected descriptions of the battle by participants do an excellent job describing the combat. I highly recommend this guide to anyone touring the field. I recommend that you use it in conjunction with the Trailhead Grpahics map of the battlefield, to ensure you have an accurate understanding of the terrain.

My husband and I recently returned from our honeymoon touring Civil War battlefield & presidential sites in TN, KY, IL, GA & IN. In May 1999, we toured eight of the crucial battlefield sites (Gettysburg, Antietam, Manassas, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Fredricksburg & Harpers Ferry). What we now know from using these indispensible guides, has made us ready to go back to the sites visited in May for the in-depth tours of the battlefields. This guide proved to be everything we as two Civil War purists could have asked for. As the throngs of uneducated tourists stopped by each site using the NPS map given at the visitors center, we enjoyed a peaceful, nearly pristine view of Shiloh. The NPS maps offer a quick driving tour, stopping at all the major points in the easiest way to get you around and out of the park not taking into effect that you are constantly crossing over day 1 and 2 activities without a true understanding of how the battle unfolded. These brilliant guide books turned a 1 hour driving tour into a 5 hour comprehensive study of all events, including tactical and armory information. Beginning with the approachment of troops, to th first shots fired, to what other battalions were doing as the battle ensued, this chronological tour is a necessary edition to anyone wanting to understand the real Shiloh. We found ourselves on back roads in the woods, off the tourist path, following an old wagon supply road to a marker tucked neatly inside the mass of wilderness. We cannot imagine touring a battlefield any other way, and again only wish our first views of the ones witnessed in 1999, were able to provide the depth we so much enjoyed with these. If there is one criticism, the quotes were helpful helping us peer into commanders and soldiers minds, butproved to be a bit cumbersome at times. The guide for Chickamauga/Chattanooga seemed to taper on the quotes and instead offered "vignettes" which proved a bit more interesting and put an alternate view of skirmishes on place. Do not let this deter you in any way from selecting this book if a trip to Shiloh is in your plans. You will not be disappointed and I recommend it overwhelmingly over the NPS option.