Hi everyone! First, a bit of news. Today’s giveaway marks the conclusion of our Civil War Sesquicentennial March campaign. We’ll continue to commemorate the anniversary throughout the coming months, but our official 40-book sweepstakes will close March 31st, 12 a.m. EST. So don’t forget to share it with your friends (to get additional prizes) and then enter to win today’s Free Book Friday by commenting on this post by Sunday, April 1, at 12 :00 a.m. EST.
Wisconsin veterans marching to their monument from Pittsburg Landing, circa 1906.
Today’s freebie, A History & Guide to the Monuments of Shiloh National Park, comes just in time for the 150th anniversary of Shiloh. The Battle of Shiloh took place on April 6-7 in 1862 on the banks of the Tennessee River. General Albert Sidney Johnston marched his army of 40,000 Confederates from Corinth, Mississippi to attack General Ulysses S. Grant’s army encamped at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. The battle ended with General Johnston and several other generals dead or mortally wounded and the Confederate army retreating back to Mississippi. The two days of fighting left 23,746 dead, wounded or missing.
Captain Edward Saxe, the first officer killed during the Battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862. Photo from Wisconsin at Shiloh: Report of the Commission by F.H. Magdeburg.
Yet the history of the battlefield didn’t end with the battle. In 1866, Union veterans worked with the government to create a national cemetery for the Union dead on the battlefield. Later in the 1890s, the War Department and veterans began construction of a battlefield park to memorialize the great battle. By 1900, state governments began erecting large monuments on the park to honor their soldiers and to mark the battlefield positions of their troops.
The monuments at Shiloh—their creation, their construction, and their symbolism—have a history all their own. Most states hired artists to create elaborate monuments carved in granite, marble and bronze. Veteran organizations, families of the veterans, famous veterans and state dignitaries attended monument dedication ceremonies over the years on the battlefield. Today the park has 150 monuments scattered across the four thousand acres of battlefield. Monuments of Shiloh is the only book to date that details the history, creation, and symbolism of these monuments.
The headquarters monument marking the headquarters of General William T. Sherman. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh National Military Park.
Each monument speaks to the state from which it was delivered, forming a tapestry of Union and Confederacy remembrance unrivaled by any other Civil War historic site. Dr. Stacy Reaves, a former Shiloh park ranger, endeavors to tell the story of some of the most storied and unique monuments of the Civil War. Photos come from the Shiloh National Military Park Archives, Tennessee State Archives, private collections and university library collections.
Dr. Stacy Reaves received her Ph.D from Oklahoma State University and is currently adjunct professor of history and geography at Tulsa Community College. With a bachelor’s degree in historic preservation, she has served as a museum director at Sand Springs Cultural and Historical Museum, museum curator at Sapulpa Historical Society, and museum technician at Fort Sill Museum. She worked as a park interpreter and seasonal park ranger at Shiloh National Military Park for five years. Dr. Reaves writing has appeared in The Chronicle of Oklahoma, North and South magazine, Journal of the West and Journal of Military History.
We hope that you’ll enjoy this excerpt from A History & Guide to the Monuments of Shiloh National Park by Stacy W. Reaves. What are your thoughts on Shiloh and the upcoming anniversary?
Shiloh would so end up in our travels with this kind of info!
I spent a wondrous afternoon many years ago on Shiloh Battlefield, and I’ve never forgotten the experience!
Shiloh is an amazing place. Spent 15+ years living there and will always claim it has my home town. The battlefield tells the story of the battle, but the monuments tell the story of the soldiers. This book is tells there story. It is an easy read but is packed with information.
When I was young, my father took our whole family on a month long tour of the Civil War sights. I remember the tremendous loss of people in the battle. That summer is one that I will never forget. Althought we did see many of the important battles like Shiloh, Antiem, Gettysburg and quite few others, it impressed us that a month would not be enough time to see all the battles. That fact alone meant the Civil War covered so many states and affected so many familities that it is impossible to imagine the totality of it.
Although I only live a few hours away, I’ve never made it to Shiloh, but it’s certainly been on my list these past few years. I’m sure it would be a very interesting place to see!
Amazing author. Can’t wait to read the book.
no matter how many times you visit Shiloh park and walked the grounds, you always can feel the spirits of those lost among you. The monuments hold an awe inspiring presences about them, that sends a chilling remind of the history it represents.
Hi everyone! Thanks so much for participating in this week’s Free Book Friday. We were really impressed with all of your thoughtful comments! If you’d like to read more on how folks are honoring the 150th anniversary of Shiloh, check out this article in the Jackson Sun: http://tinyurl.com/7mnh8tx. And congrats to today’s winner, Marion! For everyone else…please be sure to check back for more exciting freebies this Friday.