Like the other major Granite Forests – Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Vicksburg -of the American Civil War, the story on the battlefield told through the monuments consists mostly of one told from the side of the Union. Here, the stories unfold about the main Federal force at Shiloh, the men of the Army of the Tennessee commanded by Ulysses S. Grant.
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Shiloh remains one of the best preserved of American Civil War battlefields. It is also one of the most important, too, for it was here that America – North and South – got a true look at what the human cost of war would actually entail. The two-day battle here – 6-7 April 1862 – proved the costliest in terms of casualties in American history to that date – almost 27,000 casualties for both sides including the life of the Confederate commander General Albert Sidney Johnston – the highest-ranking soldier killed during the entire war.
The carnage from this battle shocked both sides and demonstrated that the war would probably not be decided by one thunder stroke on the battlefield but would persist with much more bloodshed. In fact, eight battles – and innumerable smaller ones – that were larger and bloodier in scope during the three long years lay ahead.
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Shiloh National Military Park sits just north of the border of southwestern Tennessee and northeastern Mississippi. Of the major battlefields of the American Civil War, Shiloh lies farther out of reach to the average tourist than the others. By car, the fields lie two hours by car from Memphis and three from Nashville. As a result, you will not find as many visitors on the spread-out grounds as some of the other Battle parks. It is important to understand the buildup to Shiloh to better figure out why there was even a battle here.
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A recent trip took me to the Caldera de Taburiente on the island of La Palma on the western edge of the Canary Islands. The Canaries – not named for the birds but for dogs the pre-Spanish people kept and ate – are hugely popular destinations for sunseekers from northern Europe. The interesting geology of the islands is not what brings in the plane loads of tourists, though what they seek for a large part, results from geological processes. Beaches, sun and alcohol, not necessarily in that order. Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote all promise kilometers of beaches for the sun-deprived northerners to escape the long winters with.
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For neophytes to the study of the American Civil War, the function played by the pre-war Federal Regular Army before, during and after continues to reside a bit in obscurity. Officers from the antebellum army played large roles on both sides during the war, though they rarely achieved greatness remaining a part of the Federal Regular Army, even if staying true to their oath as army officers. Those officers usually took up new commissions in the many militia units raised by the different States – again on both sides. Rapid promotion and the chance to play much larger roles than they played before the war represented key factors in the exodus. Which comes back to the question, what role did the Regular Army play during the war?
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The number of monuments and marker you can find in some of the National Battlefield Parks preserving American Civil War battlefields can simply numb you. Granite monuments form literal forests inside some National Battlefield Parks from the American Civil War. Each monument does have a story, even those not as fancy, expensive and artistic as others. If you want to see all of them, say in a day or so – a true monumental dash, you will need to put on your running shoes – boots, in some cases, depending on the weather.
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I knew before that a certain Captain George Pickett, a thirty-four-year-old veteran of the Mexican War and graduate of West Point – albeit, last in his class – served on San Juan Island in the Puget Sound just before the American Civil War. What I did not know, was one of his opposites in the whole Pig War ordeal in 1859 was an Anglo-Irish peer by the name of John De Courcy. Like Pickett, De Courcy would figure in the next war, as well. Pickett’s role would be bigger and better known, but De Courcy’s role was big enough for someone involved in command. And not even as a citizen of either side.
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Kennesaw Mountain saw the third time during the American Civil War in which William T. Sherman employed a direct assault upon entrenched Confederate positions. The attack failed as much as his previous two attempts. All through the Atlanta campaign, Sherman had gotten around the Confederate positions set out by Joseph E. Johnston through flanking maneuvers. Sherman wrote to Washington, “The whole country is one vast fort, and Johnston must have at least 50 miles (80 km) of connected trenches with abatis and finished batteries. We gain ground daily, fighting all the time. … Our lines are now in close contact and the fighting incessant, with a good deal of artillery. As fast as we gain one position the enemy has another all ready. … Kennesaw … is the key to the whole country.” For the key, Sherman decided to open it with a direct frontal assault.
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Joseph Hooker, the commander of the Federal Army of the Potomac, stated before the battle of Chancellorsville, “I have the finest army on the planet. I have the finest army the sun ever shone on. … If the enemy does not run, God help them. May God have mercy on General Lee, for I will have none.” Such braggadocio did not go well with Hooker’s Confederate counterpart, Robert E. Lee. Lee kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings and was not at all amused by what he read.
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Lookout Mountain is an amazing place to discover nature, history and enjoy vistas reaching out to a claimed seven states. The Mountain is best explored on foot along its myriad of trails traversing the dense forest slopes of this quintessential Appalachian prominence. Surrounded to the north, east and on top by urbanity, it is easy to forget you are never far from civilization if not for the subtle roar of traffic on Interstate 24 far below.
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