Shiloh National Military Park ⓘ

By mid-February 1862, United States forces had won decisive victories in the West at Mill Springs, Kentucky, and Forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee. These successes opened the way for invasion up the Tennessee River to sever Confederate rail communications along the important Memphis & Charleston and Mobile & Ohio railroads. Forced to abandon Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, supreme Confederate commander in the West, moved to protect his rail communications by concentrating his scattered forces around the small town of Corinth in northeast Mississippi—strategic crossroads of the Memphis & Charleston and the Mobile & Ohio.

In March, Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck, commanding U.S. forces in the West, advanced armies under Maj. Gens. Ulysses S. Grant and Don Carlos Buell southward to sever the Southern railroads. Grant ascended the Tennessee River by steamboat, disembarking his Army of the Tennessee at Pittsburg Landing, 22 miles northeast of Corinth. There he established a base of operations on a plateau west of the river, with his forward camps posted two miles inland around a log church called Shiloh Meeting House. Halleck had specifically instructed Grant not to engage the Confederates until he had been reinforced by Buell's Army of the Ohio, then marching overland from Nashville. Once combined, the two armies would advance on Corinth and permanently break western Confederate railroad communications.

General Johnston, aware of Federal designs on Corinth, planned to smash Grant's army at Pittsburg Landing before Buell arrived. He placed his troops in motion on April 3, but heavy rain and difficulties encountered by marching large columns of men, artillery, and heavy wagons over muddy roads, delayed the attack. By nightfall, April 5, his Army of the Mississippi, nearly 44,000 men present for duty, was finally deployed for battle four miles southwest of Pittsburg Landing.

At daybreak, Sunday, April 6, the Confederates stormed out of the woods and assailed the forward Federal camps around Shiloh Church. Grant and his nearly 40,000 men present for duty were equally surprised by the onslaught. The Federals soon rallied, however, and bitter fighting consumed “Shiloh Hill.” Throughout the morning, Confederate brigades slowly gained ground, forcing Grant's troops to give way, grudgingly, to fight a succession of defensive stands at Shiloh Church, the Peach Orchard, Water Oaks Pond, and within an impenetrable oak thicket battle survivors named the Hornets' Nest.

Despite having achieved surprise, Johnston's troops soon became as disorganized as the Federals. The Southern attack lost coordination as corps, divisions, and brigades became entangled. Then, at mid-afternoon, as he supervised an assault on the Union left, Johnston was struck in the right leg by a stray bullet and bled to death, leaving Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard in command of the Confederate army. Grant's battered divisions retired to a strong position extending west from Pittsburg Landing where massed artillery and rugged ravines protected their front and flanks. Fighting ended at nightfall.

Overnight, reinforcements from Buell's army reached Pittsburg Landing. Beauregard, unaware Buell had arrived, planned to finish the destruction of Grant the next day. At dawn, April 7, however, it was Grant who attacked. Throughout the day, the combined Union armies, numbering over 54,500 men, hammered Beauregard's depleted ranks, now mustering barely 34,000 troops. Despite mounting desperate counterattacks, the exhausted Confederates could not stem the increasingly stronger Federal tide. Forced back to Shiloh Church, Beauregard skillfully withdrew his outnumbered command and returned to Corinth. The battered Federals did not press the pursuit. The battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing, was over. It had cost both sides a combined total of 23,746 men killed, wounded, or missing, and ultimate control of Corinth’s railroad junction remained in doubt.

Halleck, recognizing Corinth’s military value, considered its capture more important than the destruction of Confederate armies. Reinforced by another army under Gen. John Pope, he cautiously advanced southward from Tennessee and, by late May, entrenched his three armies within cannon range of Confederate fortifications defending the strategic crossroads. Despite being reinforced by Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn’s Trans-Mississippi Army, Beauregard withdrew south to Tupelo, abandoning the most viable line of east-west rail communications in the western Confederacy.

Federal efforts to recover the Mississippi Valley stalled in the late summer of 1862, and Confederate leaders launched counteroffensives in every theater. Armies led by Gens. Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith invaded Kentucky, while troops under Van Dorn boldly attacked the heavily fortified Union garrison at Corinth, “linchpin” of Federal control in northern Mississippi. In one of the more bitterly contested battles of the war, Van Dorn was decisively repulsed, following two days of carnage (October 3-4) that claimed nearly 7,000 more Confederate and Union casualties.

Although overshadowed by the failure of Robert E. Lee's Confederate invasion in Maryland, Van Dorn's defeat, coupled with Bragg's retreat from Kentucky after the battle of Perryville (October 8), caused discouragement in Richmond and relief in Washington. More significantly, Van Dorn's defeat at Corinth—the last Confederate offensive in Mississippi—seriously weakened the only mobile Southern army defending the Mississippi Valley. This permitted Ulysses S. Grant to launch a relentless nine-month campaign to capture “the fortress city” of Vicksburg and recover the Mississippi River.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That in order that the armies of the southwest which served in the civil war, like their comrades of the eastern armies at Gettysburg and those of the central west at Chickamauga, may have the history of one of their memorable battles preserved on the ground where they fought, the battlefield of Shiloh, in the State of Tennessee, is hereby declared to be a national military park, whenever title to the same shall have been acquired by the United States and the usual jurisdiction over the lands and roads of the same shall have been granted to the United States by the State of Tennessee; that is to say, the area inclosed by the following lines, or so much thereof as the commissioners of the park may deem necessary, to wit: Beginning at low-water mark on the north bank of Snake Creek where it empties into the Tennessee River; thence westwardly in a straight line to the point where the river road to Crumps Landing, Tennessee, crosses Snake Creek; thence along the channel of Snake Creek to Owl Creek; thence along the channel of Owl Creek to the crossing of the road to Purdy, Tennessee; thence southwardly in a straight line to the intersection of an east and west line drawn from the point where the road to Hamburg, Tennessee, crosses Lick Creek near the mouth of the latter; thence eastward along the said east and west line to the point where the Hamburg Road crosses Lick Creek; thence along the channel of Lick Creek to the Tennessee River; thence along low-water mark of the Tennessee River to the point of beginning, containing three thousand acres, more or less, and the area thus inclosed shall be known as the Shiloh National Military Park: Provided, That the boundaries of the land authorized to be acquired may be changed by the said commissioners.

SEC. 2. That the establishment of the Shiloh National Military Park shall be carried forward under the control and direction of the Secretary of War, who, upon the passage of this Act, shall proceed to acquire title to the same either under the Act approved August first, eighteen hundred and eighty-eight, entitled “An Act to authorize the condemnation of land for sites of public buildings, and for other purposes,” or under the Act approved February twenty-seventh, eighteen hundred and sixty-seven, entitled “An Act to establish and protect national cemeteries,” as he may select, and as title is procured to any portion of the lands and roads within the legal boundaries of the park he may proceed with the establishment of the park upon such portions as may thus be acquired.

SEC. 3. That the Secretary of War is hereby authorized to enter into agreements whereby he may lease, upon such terms as he may prescribe, with such present owners or tenants of the lands as may desire to remain upon it, to occupy and cultivate their present holdings upon condition that they will preserve the present buildings and roads and the present outlines of field and forest, and that they only will cut trees or underbrush under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, and that they will assist in caring for and protecting all tablets, monuments, or such other artificial works as may from time to time be erected by proper authority.

SEC. 4. That the affairs of the Shiloh National Military Park shall, subject to the supervision and direction of the Secretary of War, be in charge of three commissioners, to be appointed by the Secretary of War, each of whom shall have served at the time of the battle in one of the armies engaged therein, one of whom shall have served in the Army of the Tennessee, commanded by General U.S. Grant, who shall be chairman of the commission; one in the Army of the Ohio, commanded by General D.C. Buell; and one in the Army of the Mississippi, commanded by General A.S. Johnston. The said commissioners shall have an office in the War Department building, and while on actual duty shall be paid such compensation out of the appropriations provided by this Act as the Secretary of War shall deem reasonable and just; and for the purpose of assisting them in their duties and in ascertaining the lines of battle of all troops engaged and the history of their movements in the battle, the Secretary of War shall have authority to employ, at such compensation as he may deem reasonable, to be paid out of the appropriations made by this Act, some person recognized as well informed concerning the history of the several armies engaged at Shiloh, and who shall also act as secretary of the commission.

SEC. 5. That it shall be the duty of the commission named in the preceding section, under the direction of the Secretary of War, to open or repair such roads as may be necessary to the purposes of the park, and to ascertain and mark with historical tablets or otherwise, as the Secretary of War may determine, all lines of battle of the troops engaged in the battle of Shiloh and other historical points of interest pertaining to the battle within the park or its vicinity, and the said commission in establishing this military park shall also have authority, under the direction of the Secretary of War, to employ such labor and services and to obtain such supplies and material as may be necessary to the establishment of the said park under such regulations as he may consider best for the interest of the Government, and the Secretary of War shall make and enforce all needed regulations for the care of the park.

SEC. 6. That it shall be lawful for any State that had troops engaged in the battle of Shiloh to enter upon the lands of the Shiloh National Military Park for the purpose of ascertaining and marking the lines of battle of its troops engaged therein: Provided, That before any such lines are permanently designated the position of the lines and the proposed methods of marking them by monuments, tablets, or otherwise shall be submitted to and approved by the Secretary of War, and all such lines, designs and inscriptions for the same shall first receive the written approval of the Secretary, which approval shall be based upon formal written reports, which must be made to him in each case by the commissioners of the park: Provided, That no discrimination shall be made against any State as to the manner of designating lines, but any grant made to any State by the Secretary of War may be used by any other State.

SEC. 7. That if any person shall, expect by permission of the Secretary of War, destroy, mutilate, deface, injure, or remove any monument, column, statues, memorial structures, or work of art that shall be erected or placed upon the grounds of the park by lawful authority, or shall destroy or remove any fence, railing, inclosure, or other work for the protection or ornament of said park, or any portion thereof, or shall destroy, cut, hack, bark, break down, or otherwise injure any tree, bush, or shrubbery that may be growing upon said park, or shall cut down or fell or remove any timber, battle relic, tree or trees growing or being upon said park, or hunt within the limits of the park, or shall remove or destroy any breastworks, earthworks, walls, or other defenses or shelter on any part thereof constructed by the armies formerly engaged in the battles on the lands or approaches to the park, any person so offending and found guilty thereof, before any justice of the peace of the county in which the offenses may be committed or any court of competent jurisdiction shall for each and every such offense forfeit and pay a fine, in the discretion of the justice, according to the aggravation of the offense, of not less than five nor more than fifty dollars, one-half for the use of the park and the other half to the informer, to be enforced and recovered before such justice in like manner as debts of like nature are now by law recoverable in the several counties where the offense may be committed.

SEC. 8. That to enable the Secretary of War to begin to carry out the purpose of this Act, including the condemnation or purchase of the necessary land, marking the boundaries of the park, opening or repairing necessary roads, restoring the field to its condition at the time of the battle, maps and surveys, and the pay and expenses of the commissioners and their assistant, the sum of seventy-five thousand dollars, or such portion thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and disbursements under this Act shall require the approval of the Secretary of War, and he shall make annual report of the same to Congress.

From the bald eagle to the tiny ruby-throated hummingbird, Shiloh is home to a diverse group of bird species. Within the course of a year, 186 different species of birds have been documented within the boundaries of the park. The Tennessee River, which borders the park on the eastern side, is a popular flyway for waterfowl, raptors, songbirds during spring and fall migration. The vast array of plant life from trees to grasses provides shelter and food for these birds. Transient birds, or birds that strictly migrate through the park, include the common loon, double-breasted cormorant, cerulean warbler, warbling vireo, and dickcissel. In the summer months, such birds as the barn swallow, northern parula, yellow-billed cuckoo, orchard oriole, chimney swift, and blue-grey gnatcatcher nest and fledge young. During the cold season, the brown creeper, yellow-bellied sapsucker, dark-eyed junco, yellow-rumped warbler, northern harrier, and sharp-shinned hawk call Shiloh home. Year-round bird residents include the mockingbird, cardinal, red-tailed hawk, chipping sparrow, eastern bluebird, great-horned owl, red-bellied woodpecker, and northern bobwhite.

Shiloh: Fiery Trial Winner: 1st Place, Special Jury Award Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival 2013 NPS Photo/Mekow Museums/Interpretive Centers: Both the Shiloh Battlefield and the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center have large exhibit spaces dedicated to showing visitors the tools of war, the people who used those tools, and the effects of their use.

NPS Arrowhead Logo NPS Download the new official NPS App for FREE! The NPS App is the only way to hear the Shiloh Audio Driving Tour. Go to the Shiloh page and follow the tour route and hear the action taking place on the battlefield. Find it in your App Store and Google Play.

Museums/Interpretive Centers: Both the Shiloh Battlefield and the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center have large exhibit spaces dedicated to showing visitors the tools of war, the people who used those tools, and the effects of their use. Audio Visuals/Films: Both the Shiloh Battlefield and the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center have excellent films and displays. Shiloh Battlefield shows the award-winning film, Shiloh: Fiery Trial daily. The Corinth Center has two short modern, state of the art films - one on the Battle of Shiloh and one on the Battle of Corinth, and a new movie entitled Corinth: A Town Amidst War . Self-Guided Auto Tour: The Shiloh Battlefield has a 12.7 mile auto tour route with 22 tour stops at such famous places as the Peach Orchard, the Hornets' Nest, and the General Albert Sidney Johnston death site. An audio tour is available by downloading the Official NPS App on your mobile device. Visitors may also take auto and walking tours of Civil War Corinth, MS. This route includes surviving Civil War fortifications, homes used by Civil War Generals, and portions of the Corinth Battlefield. Ranger Programs : The park staff at Shiloh Battlefield conducts ranger-led interpretive programs during the peak season generally from Memorial Day to Labor Day. A schedule will be available at the Visitor Center front desk. Living History : Both Shiloh and Corinth host several living history and special events throughout the year, mostly from April to October. Go to our park calendar for a schedule. Special Events : Numerous special events are held each year at both sites. These programs include in-depth hiking tours, live music concerts, natural resources programs, and special evening events. For Kids : Both Shiloh and Corinth have Junior Ranger programs for kids. Contact a park ranger to find out how to become a Junior Ranger . We also host several Kids Camps throughout the summer. Kids will learn and have fun. Please check our calendar for upcoming events. Outdoor Activities : Check out this page for more outdoor activities to enjoy at Shiloh and Corinth. America's National Parks Book Stores: They are an official non-profit partner of the National Park Service dedicated to supporting the educational mission of Shiloh National Military Park.