Shiloh National Battlefield Park will commemorate the 150 th anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh or The Battle of Pittsburg Landing, as you Yankees may call it. April 6-7, 1862. Seriously, Shiloh is an outstanding Park with a great tour by car or bike or mc, or by foot, as many do. (about 7-9 miles?) Here in the South, most folks just pull over and let mcs pass so they can rubberneck and stop as needed without a rear bump. I never go on big days like the one coming up because of crowds, but was there on my Savage yesterday. If you are interested be sure to come. There are usually cannon firings, musket demos, a short film shown hourly that really cements the battle in your mind as you tour later. a self guided tour that can take 45 minutes or two days. Cannons abound with more than 60 at the hornets nest. It is chilling to see the line of cannons and look across the field a couple of hundred yards away where human targets lay in the Sunken Road. Shiloh church is recreated beside a practicing Methodist church. The Peach Orchard and Bloody Pond have their story as well. I have photos of me on the same cannon year after year as I grew up here 50 miles away. My wife calls it My Cannon, but I have yet to figure a way to get it home without imposing on the already strained prison system.   To me Shiloh is a quiet, almost sacred burial ground, more than a battlefield. I am particularly touched when I see the small American flags placed in the National Cemetery on Holidays. It is a functioning cemetery, and I have a friend buried there. Anyway. come on down and experience our hospitality. Memphis is 100 miles west, Selmer, Tn is about 25 miles, Iuka, Ms is 40 miles South, Jackson, Tn is about 40 miles north, Rooms will be full. Register early. BTW admission is about $4/vehicle, more for buses, groups, etc, but very modest considering the sheer size and upkeep required. Plan to come. You'll come back.    

Boofer and Kris

Ya'll must not be too far off.  (Nice to have fellow Savage/S-40 folks near-by).

I'm here in Lynchburg,Tn. if ya ever get this far east I'd be glad to show ya around the area.

That first weekend in April sounds interesting!   I'll see if my Scout Troop is interested in going, if so - the Van will have to be the "Order-of-the-Day" unless too many want to go then the Bike can turn into the overflow vechile.   Last time that happened the debate got hot on who would get to ride the back of the Savage.   Its all in fun .   Thanks for the tip.

For you Rebs -

Although I've lived my entire life in Ohio, I am what would have been known as a Southern sympathizer.  I simply beliueve in the right of self determination .

I have never figured out why most people call it the Civil War.  As a history major, the name is totally incorrect.

A civil war occurs when two or more factions are competing for the control of a country.  That was not the case in our conflict.  The South simply wanted to be independent of the Union.

So, to me, the two best titles would be either The War Between the States, or The War For Southern Indepence.  Either is politically neutral and far more correct than calling it the Civil War.

Civil War - a fine example of an oxymoron.

Did you know there were 3 times as many northern yanks killed as southern rebels.

The numbers I settled on after all these years: 600,000+ dead with about 150,000 yankees and around 75,000 Rebels. It is my understanding that most young men died of disease. They were farm boys, never exposed to the germs we grow up developing immunity from. I remember Ken Burns' documentary stating that 20% of Mississippi's budget went to prosthetic devices after the war. There is a sight at Shiloh where one of the first, if not the first, field hospitals of the war was set up.

Lost Artist, I have no problem with "Civil War", but I believe Confederate soldiers were excluded from being buried in the Shiloh Nat'l Cemetery at the time of the war. I need to research this since I forgot why.  

MM, I just saw your post. Please go to www.shiloh150.org. Maps, registration, the works. Shiloh is about 25 miles north of Corinth. You can also check The Daily Corinthian newspaper, er, daily as the time gets closer. MM, you are about 150 miles from Shiloh, give or take.  

MMR, if you look at the state map, find Memphis, go north on Hwy 14 to Rosemark. Probably an hour and a half to two hours from Shiloh. Have never been there, haven't finished checking out the local battlefields and encampment sites. Turned up some horse teeth and a couple more rifle bullets this weekend in the garden.

Lisa's grandmother's grandfather was President Davis' personal military courier. We still have his double barrel caplock 16g shotgun in the manor house.