Paying our respects in Shiloh

Paying our respects in Shiloh

Before moving on I need to digress for a brief moment to discuss “Fighting” Joe Wheeler. General Joe had quite a career which accounts for all the dams, parks and roads named after him in this area.  Although he was born in Georgia, he later lived in and represented Alabama in congress.  A West Point graduate, he is one of the few Confederate soldiers buried in Arlington Cemetery having served in both the Confederate and United States armies. He got the nickname “Fighting Joe” early in his career as a young Lieutenant fighting in Indian skirmishes in New Mexico. During the Civil War he served as a General for the Confederacy in Tennessee and Alabama. After the war he served in congress and then as a General in the Spanish American war. A hero for all Americans, it is fitting that his story is remembered.

On to Shiloh…….

We probably picked the coldest day this fall to make our visit to the National Battlefield at Shiloh.  This was just fine with Steve who didn’t want to go anyway. Thankfully most of the tour is by car so we could limit our exposure to the freezing temps and avoid lingering.

Shiloh was one of the early massively bloody battles in the civil war.  The Confederacy would have won this battle and seriously dented the Union and Grant’s forces, but they decided to rest for the night feeling confident that the enemy was in retreat. While they were definitely retreating – (or some might even say – deserting) – there were thousands of reinforcements on the way.  The night of rest gave these more seasoned troops time to cross the river (the Tennessee at Pittsburg landing) and turn the tide of the battle in favor of the Union.

Over the three day battle both sides suffered losses and injuries numbering more than 23,000. On a sunny if chilly day it was hard to make real the hardships endured by all the combatants.  We drove the tour and watched the film and mourned the many lives lost wondering if any lessons have been learned from all this sacrifice.

Slightly subdued but hungry we visited the Catfish Hotel – which is really a restaurant –In the early days most visitors came by boat , the story goes, and if they stayed too late in the day, they had to remain overnight since travel on the river after dark was dangerous. Although the restaurant came highly recommended – the meals came out fried, fried and fried.  We managed to quell our hunger and take home dessert for dinner.

 NOT!