Albert Sydney Johnston was the commander of the Army of Mississippi during the battle of Shiloh. General Johnston was actually commander of the U.S. Department of the Pacific in California, at the outbreak of the Civil War, and was approached by some Californians to take his army and go east to support the Union and help defeat the Confederacy. He resigned as commander of that department after learning of the secession of Texas from the union. Texas, although he wasn’t born there, he considered to be his home state and once they seceeded he felt obligated to join the Confederacy. He then headed to Richmond, Virginia and was appointed general by his friend, and president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis.

After Johnston’s subordinate generals lost Fort Donelson and Fort Henry, in the early part of 1862, Johnston made the move to organize his forces, along with General Beauregard’s who had now joined him, at Corinth, Mississippi. Corinth contained two key railroads for the confederacy at the time, and while Grant was amassing his forces near Pittsburgh Landing, and waiting on Don Carlos Buell’s army to arrive from Nashville, Johnston decided that now would be the perfect time for an attack on the Union army. Thus the stage was set for the Battle of Shiloh.

Once the battle had ensued Johnston came upon some of this forces gorging on food that they had found in the Union camps. By grabbing a cup, and declaring that that would be all of the spoils he would partake in for the morning, he led his army into battle. While most generals would direct troop movements from the rear of the battle, Johnston took it upon himself to lead the troops from horseback, thus putting himself in harm’s way, and it proved costly for him.

After seeing the many wounded troops on the battlefield, both Union and Confederate, Johnston ordered his own personal surgeon off to take care of them. In the meantime, with his surgeon away, he was struck in the popliteal artery by a minie ball that was most likely fired by a confederate. Not knowing the severity of his injury, he continued on, until one of his aides, Islam Harris, who was also the governor of Tennessee at the time, found him reeling in the saddle and asked if he was hurt. The Governor began to look for blood, and none was found at first. Upon removing the General’s boot however, they discovered it filled with blood.

The Governor removed the General from his horse, and drug him to safety down into a ravine, when at 2:30pm, after trying to get some brandy down the General’s throat, General Johnston was dead still possessing a tourniquet in his pocket that could have saved his life.

General Johnston’s death site is another area of Shiloh that had a feeling to it that I just cannot begin to describe. As you walk down into the ravine, the location of his death, there is a distinct feeling such as that at the sunken road. While I can’t describe the feeling, it is one that you never forget. General Johnston’s death was a huge blow to the Confederacy at the time, and some even blame his very death for the loss at Shiloh. Who knows how the battle might have turned out if General Johnston had lived.

The monument you see in this post is actually the location of where the general was wounded, and the plaque you see down in the ravine is the location of his death site, as pointed out by the Governor of Tennessee, who was there at the time of his death.

One incredible experience to be able to stand in that ravine, and wonder how the events that took place there, affected the outcome of the Shiloh battle.

We will never know!

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Since I haven’t wrote a post about my Shiloh experience in quite some time–I figured why not write one today. I love writing these posts because when I sit down and go through the pictures again to get them ready for the post, and also when I’m writing the post, it takes me back to when we visited Shiloh and helps me relive that feeling over again. Now on with a little about Ross’ battery.

Ross’ battery consisted of six Parrot guns and were assigned to the Army of the Tennessee’s 4th division led by Stephen Hurlbut. They were organized mainly in Grand Rapids, Mi, but also had a some men join in Detroit as well. There captain was William H. Ross, thus the name Ross’ battery.

The Peach Orchard at Shiloh was a site that seen some of the most fierce fighting of the entire day. Though the Peach Orchard is treated as a separate area in the Shiloh park it still seen just as fierce of fighting as the Hornet’s Nest did on Sunday, April 6th. The Peach Orchard is actually due East of the Hornet’s Nest along the Sunken Road and was directly along the line that seen the bulk of the day’s fighting. This is where Ross’ battery was positioned on that fateful day.

They originally held a line in the middle of the Peach Orchard, but after the fierce fighting of the morning, and the ensuing Confederate advance, were pushed back to the North and took up a second position to continue trying to hold their line. Unfortunately for these gentleman that line didn’t hold and some were eventually captured after being surrounded in the late afternoon to early evening. General Beauregard himself, commander of the confederate army at that time, was actually wounded by this battery as he took it upon himself to lead the charge through them. There was more fighting over this battery than any battery on the field, and General Beauregard took it upon himself to address that particular issue.

Although the Peach Orchard now is hardly a peach orchard at all, because of the abundance of deer in the park who eat the trees, at the time the men talked about the “peach blossoms covering the ground like snow”. With the bullets flying through the air, and whipping through the peach trees, it caused the blossoms to float to the ground- even covering bodies at the time. The Park Service is actually trying to plant new peach trees in order to bring the orchard back to what it once was.

The Peach Orchard saw a lot of fighting, and Ross’ battery was instrumental in that fighting, and allowed time for Grant to build up his last line of defense. No matter how hard I try, I can still never imagine what it must’ve felt like to stand on that ground and fight. The things those men endured is just incredible.

The first picture you see in this post is a picture from the confederate side looking at the area where Ross’ battery was first positioned. The second picture is a picture of Ross’ battery in their first position of the day. The third picture is my ugly mug at the Ross’ batteries second position of the day, and the others I think all of you can figure out and enjoy!

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The “Sunken Road” at Shiloh seen some of the most fierce fighting of the battle. This sunken road provided somewhat of a shelter, and defensive barrier, for the Union men who were trying to stop the Confederate advance that was happening after their surprise attack on that Sunday morning.

There is some debate as to if this road was in fact sunken. You can find many different accounts that tell both sides of the tale. While I don’t know for sure, since I wasn’t there, I do believe that even the slight depression in the road that is visible to the eye definitely helped the Union soldiers on that fateful day.

The road actually stretches from the Corinth-Pittsburgh Landing road, on the west side, to the Hamburg-Savannah Rd on the east. It snakes along a line behind the “Peach Orchard” that also provided some fierce fighting that first day, and this entire line became what is known as the “Hornet’s Nest”.

To be honest, the Sunken Road was my favorite part of the whole battlefield. It was where the 12th Michigan helped hold the Union line, along with the rest of General Prentiss’ men. They helped to hold off 11 different attacks that the Confederates made, and allowed for Grant to put together his last line of defense, that helped to defeat the Confederates the next day. This area of the battlefield is where the “meat” of the fighting took place, and to know that a unit from Niles, Michigan was actively involved and fighting from this location is amazing. I even got to stand right in the very spot where the 12th Michigan fought valiantly before finally being capture at 5:30pm the first day.

In the picture on the left you can see exactly where on the battlefield the 12th Michigan was located. You can also see, in the other pictures in this post, how the road actually looked where this particular unit fought. There is another picture in this post where I’m standing on a bridge. That bridge is just east of where the 12th Michigan fought and I have never experienced anything quite like I did standing there. The wind was very calm and as we came to this location it picked up quite a bit and had a certain feeling to it. It is hard for me to explain, but it was almost like the wind had a voice and was speaking to us. I can only attribute it to the number of men who perished in this location. I can still feel that wind when I look at these pictures. It is something I will never forget.

There are a few different “Sunken Roads” on Civil War battlefields, but none will ever come close to equalling that of the Sunken Road at Shiloh. A truly humbling and somber experience, yet one that everyone should be able to feel for themselves.

In future posts I will cover some the of 12th and 15th Michigan’s roles in the Shiloh battle in more detail. Stay tuned for those.

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No, this post is not going to be about Mossy Oak or about anything even outdoor related. I guess the events took place in the outdoors, but they aren’t truly an outdoor event. I need to get back on topic though.

I have a confession: I have a new obsession. This isn’t my first obsession, and it probably won’t be my last, but it is by far one of the worst I’ve ever had. I try to leave it alone, but I just can’t. I try to walk away from it, but it always manages to talk to me in this little voice. It begs me to find out more-to keep researching. It will not let me be.

It all started with a song and it has just progressed from there. My newly found Civil War obsession is starting to take over my life. I realized this last night, as the wife and I were walking through a cemetery looking for some specific names inscribed onto a headstone. I had to find these particular gentleman, and it took everything I had to leave and come home empty handed with three of them. What is wrong with me? I used to pick on my Father-in-law for walking through cemeteries in order to complete his genealogical research, and yet here I was trampling through a cemetery, my eyes on full alert for any marker with a star that marked a Civil War veterans grave. If it wasn’t for the wife we might have never left.

I want you all to know that this is very tongue-in-cheek. I honestly love my new obsession and I love the hold that it has on me. I think it is the simple fact of knowing what these men went through, coupled with the easy accessibility to their past, that has brought about this hold on me. I have always been interested in history, but to be able to visit a battlefield like Shiloh, and then be able to find the final resting places of some of those men in your hometown, is amazing and awe-inspiring for me. I feel this deep connection with them even though we have never met. I feel like, by doing this research, and educating myself in this way, that it allows all the sacrifices they made to not be in vain.

I know that the obsession has just begun, and that it will continue for many years to come. I have many post ideas that I have been playing around with, and eventually I will share all of them. My main concentration has been on Michigan’s participation in the Shiloh battle, and I have even been contemplating making a little video of my experience and findings in regards to the Michigan regiments and their involvement.

I’m not sure how Jeff feels about me taking over our outdoor blog with Civil War facts and findings, but for now he just has to get used to it. Plus with Turkey season coming up next week the blog will return to the outdoors soon I’m sure.

Is there a Civil War buffs anonymous support group? I’ll be a proud card carrying member if there is.

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“Somethings changed inside me. It sure can happen fast–standing in the presence of the past”

Those are the words from Darryl Worley’s song Shiloh, and they couldn’t describe any better how I feel after visiting this sacred, yet solemn place. It is one thing to listen to a song about history, or to read a book or website about a historic event, but it is completely another to actually walk the very ground where that event occurred.

I have been a history lover all of my life, because I feel that, if we forget history we are destined to repeat it, and I don’t want to be a part of that. I have read many a book, watched many a movie, and written a couple of papers on historic American events, but never have I actually been able to stand on the ground where those events occurred. I have never felt such pride and sorrow all at one time. I know pride is a strange word to use to describe my feelings associated with Shiloh, but it is true. There is some pride that goes along with the tragedy that happened here. That pride comes from the shear truth, that despite the horrors that took place here, that this and many other civil war battles helped shape this country to what it is today. A country that all of you know I’m very proud of.

The minute we pulled into the park, and stepped out of the car, there was an immediate lump in my throat, and a very distinct feeling in the air. I swear the soft breeze that crosses your face has many hidden voices that lie within it. I could swear that the wind speaks to you at Shiloh. I wish everyone could stop and listen to that wind just once in their life and realize the things that occurred on this ground.

I stood where the 12th Michigan, led by Col. Francis Quinn, stood as they tried to fight off the Confederate surprise attack that Sunday morning/afternoon at the “Sunken road”. I tried to imagine what it must of felt like. My eyes could see the cannon that was Ruggle’s battery, and if I listened close I could almost here the blast from the 62 cannons that were aimed to force them from their line. Just as I was picturing this that soft wind brushed across my face and began speaking to me once again. It is now the only voice, of the men who perished here, whispering its way through the trees. To think I could have been standing in the very spot where some young soldier from my home state lost his life fighting for a cause that he believed in. It is a feeling I will never forget.

I tried to imagine what it was like for all of these men. Some of them had never even saw battle before and for them to be thrust into this scene is simply amazing. I know not how they managed to muster up enough courage to fight on. The thing with the civil war battles is that men, who once could have been friends or relatives, now are on opposite sides fighting for what they think is best for the country. They share very different ways of thought, but yet both are fighting for a cause they think is just: A country that they love. I can not even imagine what that must have felt like.

I saw, and stood, next to the bloody pond where wounded soldiers went to get there last drink of water, and where the sheer number of dead and wounded turned the pure spring fed pond into a dark maroon. Such a solemn place and to try and imagine dead, dying, and wounded men and animals surrounding this silent calm pond was very surreal and I felt an immediate sadness.

I know that I am permanently changed by my visit to Shiloh. I also think, that despite the horrific scene of events that happened here, that this change is for the good. By walking this ground I have been able to take a piece of it with me and that will help me to never forget. A moment in time, when brave men stood to do battle to protect a country that all of us still love so much.

If I close my eyes I can still feel that soft breeze brush lightly across my face. Those voices I, nor any of us, should ever forget.

Author’s note: I have plenty of different posts I can do on my visit to Shiloh. There are many different places at the park that I would love to highlight. I know this is an outdoor site so I wanted to get some feedback from all of you on if you would be interested in a Shiloh series so to speak. Please let me know what you think.

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