I love these videos and appreciate all the little stories that you give us that would take hours and hours of reading to know. That's the value of tour guides. I've been to Shiloh several times over the last 5 years and it does take walking the ground and not trying to learn it all at once. I found myself there in April one year, a week after the anniversary, it was vacant and in the middle of a drenching rain. I was walking on the lane along side Duncan field when a round of thunder ensued and I felt like it was Ruggles battery opening up on me! Those are the experiences that you never know you might encounter. Everyone.... GO THERE!
Dr. Tim, In April I steered my 27th school group across this hallowed ground. 25 of them were TN history classes, the last two groups from South Carolina. I grew up across the river in the Nixon Community and have kinfolk buried in the Nat'l Cemetery, my Grandmother's baby brother, Parker Fondren, who was killed north of Rome in 1944. There's no place like Shiloh and when folks ask me what to read to find out about it I just tell' em find everything you can get your hands on by Tim Smith and study it. Thank you for being straightforward. It helps me sort it out for them. Shiloh is a place in which it seems like someone touched you from behind and when you turn around, they're not there but not far away....
I have been to several Civil War battlefields, Gettysburg, Chicakmauga, and Chancellorsville and the chief thing that really got me about certain locations is the terrain. I see trees in modern photos and film and have thought okay well those weren't there then so no problem. But the reality is that there WERE tree lines/woods etc that these battles were fought in and through and it blows my mind thinking about how on Earth they did it. Thinking in terms of having clear fields of fire it boggles the mind wondering how these battles transpired. No wonder we often read about the confusion of battle in so many of these engagements. Attacking up hills under fire, slugfests in heavily wooded areas etc. All the more reason to realize just how nasty this war was.
One of the things to remember is that the underbrush back then wasn't like how it is today. Many farm animals were free to graze in those woods so for the most part a lot of them were cleared out. Now this isn't true for places without major farms like Shiloh and Chickamauga, where the undergrowth (while still managed) was still pretty thick. So yeah, imagine fighting in that kind of terrain, in wool uniforms back then. Rough.
This is a great series! I am planning to visit the battlefield in a couple months with my family and with great info from these videos can bring the place to life.
Cool information was part of the 150th of shiloh. The unit I was part of fought at Shiloh. 1st chicago light artillery battery A one of our original guns still sit on the field by the bloody pond. Part of Willard artillery under whl wallace. On this note. I had an ancestor on my mothers side that was there with wallaces zouaves. 11th indiana I believe. He was discharged after being wounded. Where he got wounded I'm not sure. He lost a foot.
This is really interesting - the survivorship bias. In the areas that were so brutally contested that everyone involved dies there, there aren't going to be enough reports or veterans left over to tell us how important that area was. So necessarily we're going to see more reports by surviving officers and memories of veterans in the places where more of the participants actually survived just by a law of averages.
I really appreciate this because of my great great grandfather was in the 59th OVI company H and I know they were in the vicinity of where the bloody pond is, but on day 2. My great great uncle was killed at this location as well. I been trying so hard to try and find out exactly where they were at but can't find alot.
Awesome and interesting narratives...i just finished videos 1-16/ Im excited about the other ones coming up. So hard to imagine ALL those troops from both sides squeezed in that area. Im curious if any of the battlefields here get searched for artifacts....
My school took a tour of the Bloody pond in the 1960s. We were told it was red because it still had the blood of soldiers from the battle. They may have added red dye back then.
Did my second full “tour” yesterday, 7/08.2024.. brought my 2 kids and 2 pets and we just walked and walked. Through the woods, down the ravine to Johnstons death site, walked the sunken road and hit by knees at the spot the north surrendered at the hornets nest
I really love these videos and watch all of them. However, I do feel like they took a bit too much effort to not talk about areas like the Hornet's Nest instead of just describing what actually happened there. I really wanted to hear about what occurred there from the experts but got more discussion about why it was an overblown event. Surely, something interesting and important must have happened at Shiloh after Johnston died and before the Union troops established a solid line at the landing.
I love these videos and appreciate all the little stories that you give us that would take hours and hours of reading to know. That's the value of tour guides. I've been to Shiloh several times over the last 5 years and it does take walking the ground and not trying to learn it all at once. I found myself there in April one year, a week after the anniversary, it was vacant and in the middle of a drenching rain. I was walking on the lane along side Duncan field when a round of thunder ensued and I felt like it was Ruggles battery opening up on me! Those are the experiences that you never know you might encounter. Everyone.... GO THERE!
What we need more of today. The Truth. Thank you guys and glad to see you are enjoying it .
Just watched this 15th video of this series. All informative and great history.
Dr. Tim, In April I steered my 27th school group across this hallowed ground. 25 of them were TN history classes, the last two groups from South Carolina. I grew up across the river in the Nixon Community and have kinfolk buried in the Nat'l Cemetery, my Grandmother's baby brother, Parker Fondren, who was killed north of Rome in 1944. There's no place like Shiloh and when folks ask me what to read to find out about it I just tell' em find everything you can get your hands on by Tim Smith and study it. Thank you for being straightforward. It helps me sort it out for them. Shiloh is a place in which it seems like someone touched you from behind and when you turn around, they're not there but not far away....
All great Shiloh battlefield videos.
I have been to several Civil War battlefields, Gettysburg, Chicakmauga, and Chancellorsville and the chief thing that really got me about certain locations is the terrain. I see trees in modern photos and film and have thought okay well those weren't there then so no problem. But the reality is that there WERE tree lines/woods etc that these battles were fought in and through and it blows my mind thinking about how on Earth they did it. Thinking in terms of having clear fields of fire it boggles the mind wondering how these battles transpired. No wonder we often read about the confusion of battle in so many of these engagements. Attacking up hills under fire, slugfests in heavily wooded areas etc. All the more reason to realize just how nasty this war was.
One of the things to remember is that the underbrush back then wasn't like how it is today. Many farm animals were free to graze in those woods so for the most part a lot of them were cleared out. Now this isn't true for places without major farms like Shiloh and Chickamauga, where the undergrowth (while still managed) was still pretty thick. So yeah, imagine fighting in that kind of terrain, in wool uniforms back then. Rough.
You absolutely MUST walk a field off the beaten path to understand and appreciate what the commanders faced.
Yay, yall showed my great great great great grandfather's cabin
This is a great series! I am planning to visit the battlefield in a couple months with my family and with great info from these videos can bring the place to life.
Cool information was part of the 150th of shiloh. The unit I was part of fought at Shiloh. 1st chicago light artillery battery A one of our original guns still sit on the field by the bloody pond. Part of Willard artillery under whl wallace. On this note. I had an ancestor on my mothers side that was there with wallaces zouaves. 11th indiana I believe. He was discharged after being wounded. Where he got wounded I'm not sure. He lost a foot.
Watching them all!!
This is really interesting - the survivorship bias. In the areas that were so brutally contested that everyone involved dies there, there aren't going to be enough reports or veterans left over to tell us how important that area was. So necessarily we're going to see more reports by surviving officers and memories of veterans in the places where more of the participants actually survived just by a law of averages.
I have been to all major CW battlefields. Shilon is my favorite. You all are doing great.
I really appreciate this because of my great great grandfather was in the 59th OVI company H and I know they were in the vicinity of where the bloody pond is, but on day 2. My great great uncle was killed at this location as well. I been trying so hard to try and find out exactly where they were at but can't find alot.
Awesome and interesting narratives...i just finished videos 1-16/ Im excited about the other ones coming up. So hard to imagine ALL those troops from both sides squeezed in that area. Im curious if any of the battlefields here get searched for artifacts....
My GreatGrandfather was with the 58th Illinois, and was surrendered by Prentiss here. Spent time in several Prison camps until Paroled.
55th IL. here under Stuart.
My school took a tour of the Bloody pond in the 1960s. We were told it was red because it still had the blood of soldiers from the battle. They may have added red dye back then.
Did my second full “tour” yesterday, 7/08.2024.. brought my 2 kids and 2 pets and we just walked and walked. Through the woods, down the ravine to Johnstons death site, walked the sunken road and hit by knees at the spot the north surrendered at the hornets nest
Can I ask if you are able to employ technology such as ground penetrating radar to maybe identify features on the battlefield?
First mention of "the bloody pond" was in 1895!? Wow, how would have thought!?
I really love these videos and watch all of them. However, I do feel like they took a bit too much effort to not talk about areas like the Hornet's Nest instead of just describing what actually happened there. I really wanted to hear about what occurred there from the experts but got more discussion about why it was an overblown event. Surely, something interesting and important must have happened at Shiloh after Johnston died and before the Union troops established a solid line at the landing.
Crossroads is the heaviest fighting
Myths are powerful even the Alamo?
What fun is it if we can't call you out for being totally WRONG! Lol
The hornets nest has been over romanticized?
Buells division the army of the Ohio?