Union (foreground) and Confederate artillery exhibit at Woolf Field

SHILOH BATTLEFIELD TOUR STOP #13

Driving Union troops back nearly a mile on the first day of fighting at Shiloh (April 6, 1862) was a major victory for the Confederate army, but in the process the troops became disorganized as the day went on. By noon, Union reinforcements had joined generals Sherman and McClernand’s men, and taking advantage of the chaos, they were able to mount a counter attack on the Confederate left flank. Launching from near Jones Field a little ways to the north, the Union was actually able to push the Confederates back to the Woolf Field area. However, by mid-afternoon, the Confederates had once again overwhelmed the Union forces, and Sherman and McClernand began a retreat northwards, eventually settling on the other side of Tilghman Branch (creek) well beyond Jones Field.

Woolf Field area battle map, April 6, 1862

At the Woolf Field stop on the Shiloh Battlefield Tour, there are both Confederate and Union artillery exhibits, each aiming in different directions. This illustrates the point that both armies controlled the area on April 6th.

Confederate position at Woolf Field at 11:30 AM on April 6, 1862, was overrun by Union troops by noon

There is also a short trail that leads to one of five mass Confederate graves at Shiloh National Military Park. Since the Union was the victor, it became responsible for treating the Confederate wounded and burying the Confederate dead. Not wanting to put much effort into the task, bodies were piled into mass graves. Overall, 1,728 Confederate soldiers died in the battle.

Trail at Woolf Field leads to a Confederate mass grave, Shiloh National Military Park

On the trail to the Confederate grave are monuments dedicated to Ohio and Illinois infantry units that fought in the Battle of Shiloh.

22nd Ohio Infantry Memorial at Shiloh National Military Park

The mass grave itself is marked the same as all Confederate mass graves a Shiloh, with granite blocks topped with cannonballs and a monument dedicated to those six feet below. Per records made at the time of the battle, there are more than five mass graves, but their locations have been lost to time.

Confederate mass grave near Woolf Field at Shiloh National Military Park

Confederate mass grave near Woolf Field at Shiloh National Military Park

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