Western Swing: Day 02 (part two!)

When I spent the day at Shiloh last week with Kris White, Garry Adelman, Parker Hills, and Tim Smith, we shot so much material that we had to divide it into two days. You can see part one from Shiloh here. In fact, we shot so much material we started to run out of time and daylight!

My thanks to the American Battlefield Trust for allowing me to tag along. Here’s a look at today’s videos:

Very early on in the battle, both sides realized that the terrain at Shiloh was going to make for a difficult conflict. General Parker Hills details the intriguing action between Confederate forces under Brigadier General Adley H. Gladden and Union forces under Col. David Stuart.

Learn about Albert Sidney Johnston’s style of leadership on the field from General Parker Hills of Battle Focus and Dr. Chris Mackowski of Emerging Civil War.

While leading his troops on April 6, 1862, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston was shot in the leg, and due to nerve damage from the wound he did not know the severity of his injury until it was too late. Johnston remains the highest-ranking American officer to be killed in combat.

Over the course of the almost 160 years since the Battle of Shiloh, specific locations on the battlefield have become more popular than others. Dr. Timothy B. Smith (Tim Smith of the West) and General Parker Hills dissect what made these spots famous and whether or not they are worthy of the attention that they receive from visitors.

Smith is a professor at UT Martin and Hills comes to us from Battle Focus Tours.

Located on the banks of the Tennessee River, Dill Branch served as crucial terrain for Ulysses S. Grant at the end of the first day’s fighting at Shiloh. The Union’s position on the high ground allowed them to hold off Confederate attacks and regroup for the morning. General Parker Hills of Battle Focus Tours details the landscape.

Today, Pittsburg Landing and the Shiloh National Cemetery serve as two of the most scenic locations on the Shiloh Battlefield. Learn more about the Federal landing at shiloh as well as the fighting that took place where the cemetery now stands.

Garry Adelman is the Chief Historian at the American Battlefield Trust. General Parker Hills runs Battle Focus Tours and Dr. Timothy B Smith is an author and a professor at UT Martin.

After pushing the Confederate Army off the field at Shiloh, Ulysses S. Grant ordered Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman to move southwest towards Corinth to learn more about the condition of the Rebel Army. He quickly runs into Nathan Bedford Forrest, whose men are protecting a Confederate field hospital. The “official” end of the Battle of Shiloh ensued. In 2012, the members of the American Battlefield Trust preserved 250 acres of the Fallen Timbers battlefield.

 



3 Responses to Western Swing: Day 02 (part two!)

  1. You guys were blessed with nice weather during your tour. I enjoyed the insights of the the various historians. Even after studying this battle for years. I picked up some new information.

  2. tighter than a tick on the back of a dog (or something close to that) as a description of Grant’s last line on Sunday night. The Fallen Timbers footage is special.

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