Complete information about the Shiloh National Military Park is now on National Park Planner!
Shiloh National Military Park in Shiloh, Tennessee, preserves the battlefield on which Union and Confederate forces fought a two day battle early in the Civil War on April 6-7, 1862. With huge losses on each side, the country realized that it was in for a long and bloody conflict. After the first day of fighting the Rebels had driven Union troops back to their original landing point at Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River. With victory in hand, the Confederate commanders decided to rest the troops overnight and finish off Grant and his army in the morning. However, fresh Union reinforcements arrived that night and the next day’s anticipated Confederate victory turned into a demoralizing defeat. The Confederate living and wounded retreated back to Corinth, Mississippi, a strategic railroad town that was key to controlling what was at the time the southwestern United States.
The Military Park includes locations in both Shiloh and Corinth, which is about 25 miles south of Shiloh. The Shiloh unit of the park includes a Visitor Center and small museum, a gift store, the Shiloh National Cemetery, and the preserved battlefield. A tour road leads visitors to various points of interest.
The Corinth battlefield is not as well preserved, for much of it was within city limits and was developed at the time the park was created in 1894. However, parcels of the battlefield that lie outside the city have been purchased over the years and were added to the park 2000. Many of these sites simply mark locations where events took place or preserve a few Union and Confederate trenches, so most will only be of interest to true Civil War buffs. Only the Corinth Contraband Camp site offers much in the way of exhibits. However, the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center is far superior to the Shiloh Visitor Center. It is the “Visitor Center” that should be at Shiloh and if you really want to learn about the battle before venturing out onto the battlefield, it would not be a bad idea to start your visit here. It is only a half hour drive between Corinth and Shiloh.
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