Bloody Pond at Shiloh National Military Park

SHILOH BATTLEFIELD TOUR STOP #19

Bloody Pond at Shiloh National Military Park is located near the Peach Orchard, the scene of heavy fighting on both days of the battle. This pond was used by Union and Confederate troops as a source of drinking water and a place to wash wounds (which probably doesn’t make drinking it a wise decision). According to witnesses, the water turned red from all of the blood.

Union artillery exhibits and tablets are located at Bloody Pond. The cannons next to the blue tablet mark the position of Willard’s Battery on April 6, 1862, before its men retreated to Pittsburg Landing later in the day. The cannons near the round, yellow tablet mark the position of the Army of the Ohio (Union) on the second day of fighting. These were General Don Carlos Buell’s reinforcements that arrived the night of April 6th and turned the tide of the battle on the 7th, bringing on a Union victory.