Fraley Field from the Union perspective, Shiloh National Military Park
SHILOH BATTLEFIELD TOUR STOP #7
The Fraley Field stop on the battlefield tour of Shiloh National Military Park is where the first shots of the Battle of Shiloh took place. From the parking area for Fraley Field, look for a trail marked by a Union and a Confederate tablet. Fraley Field is located a couple minutes’ walk down this trail. You will be following in the footsteps of the Union troops who were sent out to see if they could find any Confederates in the area.
Short path leads to Fraley Field at Shiloh National Military Park
Information panels are located at the end of the trail. The panels have maps detailing the fighting that took place in the area, but to keep track of where you are in the overall scheme of things, be sure to bring the park brochure with you and reference that map as well.
Fraley Field Battle map
Forward Union troops had become quite antsy by April 5th. Many were certain they had seen Confederates and heard bugles and drums. However, Union commanders reassured them that all they were seeing were scouts. Convinced the generals were wrong, Union Colonel Evert Peabody decided to send out a patrol of his own without informing General Benjamin Prentiss. He sent roughly 250 men of the 25th Missouri Infantry under the command of Major James Powell to look for Confederate forces. About 3 AM on the 6th, the group departed down what is now known as Reconnoitering Road.
Around 5 AM, Powell’s men saw three Confederate horsemen on the Corinth Road and exchanged fire. The Union troops then advanced towards the farm of J. C. Fraley where they encountered two more small units of Confederate infantry. A barrage of Confederate muskets from Major Aaron Hardcastle’s 3rd Mississippi Infantry Battalion erupted from the trees. Powell’s men returned fire, and the skirmish lasted about an hour until Hardcastle retreated into the forest. What Powell and his men did not know was that the Confederate Third Army Corps awaited in the very same forest. Shortly after that, 9,000 men under General William Hardee emerged and began their march across Fraley Field. Powell’s men immediately retreated back to Peabody’s camp (Peabody would be killed during the first day of fighting). The Battle of Shiloh had begun.
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Last updated on February 3, 2022
