Forest, Farms, and Creeks

Forest, Farms, and Creeks. Shiloh Battlefield 1862. The battlefield grounds you see today have changed little since the Battle of Shiloh in early April 1862. At that time, about forty farms, an old growth forest, wagon roads, the Tennessee River, and three prominent creeks defined the landscape. Today, the farms are gone, but cleared fields remain. The forest is younger and more dense, but remains in place. The river and creeks running through the steep-sloped ravines are essentially unchanged. Today's paved roads were the wagon roads that linked the river with two nearby railroads. Of the more than 70 log structures, two churches, numerous farmhouses and barns, that dotted the landscape, only one remains today., The community of farmers and their families that lived here, along with their fields and livestock, all suffered through the two days of fighting. Afterward, the battle scars remained long after the last shot was fired., (caption) When the battle began, Sibley tents, like those shown above, covered the landscape. Five division camps for General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee extended from Pittsburg Landing past Shiloh Church, over two and a half miles to the southwest. The Battle of Shiloh was fought in and around this tented military encampment.