Even before the Battle of Shiloh, this was an important landing.
Merchants of Corinth, Purdy, and the adjacent country received most of
their merchandise from boats which tied up at this point. When the boats
went back downstream, they were laden with passengers, cotton, and
produce which had been transported to the Landing over the roads which
converged here.
When the Union armies began preparations for the move against Corinth,
Pittsburg Landing was selected as the concentration point because of its
good camp sites and the good roads which led to the Confederate
stronghold. The Army of the Tennessee, with the exception of Lew
Wallace’s 3d Division, debarked at Pittsburg Landing. General Buell’s
army, brought to Grant’s aid under the stress of battle, arrived at the
field on such a large number of transports that the Landing would not
accommodate them. Consequently, all of the riverbank within the Union
lines was used as a boat landing.
[Illustration: _Excursion boat departing from Pittsburg Landing._]
Because of the importance of the Landing, the engagement was called
“Battle of Pittsburg Landing” in most Northern newspapers and reports.
The Southern name “Battle of Shiloh” is now almost universally accepted.
_National Cemetery_
Shiloh National Cemetery was established in 1866 and embraces an area of
10.2 acres. In the cemetery are interred 3,695 bodies, two-thirds of
whom are unidentified. Besides the Union soldiers killed in the Battle
of Shiloh, the cemetery holds many of the dead from nearby battlefields.
In addition, a number of those who served in the Spanish-American War,
both World Wars, and one from the Revolutionary War are buried here.
Only two Confederates are buried in the cemetery. Both died while being
held as prisoners of war.
The Wisconsin Color Guard Memorial is located at the east end of the
cemetery on the bluff overlooking the Tennessee River. Another
interesting feature of the cemetery is the pyramid of 32-pounder cannon
erected by the United States Government to mark the site of the tree
used by General Grant as headquarters on the night of April 6.
_How to Reach the Park_
Shiloh National Military Park is situated on the west bank of the
Tennessee River at the intersection of State Highways Nos. 22 and 142.
It is 13 miles east of U.S. No. 45, and 5 miles south of U.S. No. 64.
[Illustration: _Graves of six Wisconsin color bearers, overlooking
Tennessee River._ In Shiloh National Cemetery.]
_Administration_
Shiloh National Military Park is administered by the National Park
Service of the United States Department of the Interior. A
superintendent, whose address is Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., is in
immediate charge.
_The Park and Related Areas_
Shiloh National Military Park, containing about 3,730 acres of Federal
land, was established by act of Congress in 1894. At the time of its
establishment only Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
Ga.-Tenn., had been dedicated in memory of the western campaigns of the
War Between the States. In subsequent years other national military
parks dealing with the Civil War in the West have been established.
Those most closely related to Shiloh are Vicksburg National Military
Park, Miss., and Stones River and Fort Donelson National Military Parks,
Tenn.
_Visitor Facilities_
An exhibit room and library are located in the administration building,
situated near Pittsburg Landing. They may be visited by the public every
day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Here are to be found interesting relics,
books, and maps relating to the Battle of Shiloh and the Civil War. Free
literature concerning this area may also be secured at park
headquarters. Orientation and historical talks are given daily by
members of the park staff. Free guide service is usually available.
Special service is provided for groups and organizations if arrangements
are made in advance with the superintendent.
[Illustration: _Administration building._]
_Shiloh Inspires Writers_
For the first two or three decades following the Battle of Shiloh many
literary men, following the dictates of popular demand, based their
compositions, both prose and poetry, upon events of that bloody battle.
Since Shiloh was significant for the bravery of the young untrained men
of the North and South alike, writers frequently wrote about the young
and otherwise undistinguished soldiers rather than the time-worn theme
of the brave and gallant leaders. The drummer boy, often a mere lad who
had run away from home to seek adventure in the ranks, became the
subject of some of the most popular literature of the day. Many of these
productions were based upon incidents which actually happened during the
engagement, but those destined to become most famous were drawn largely
from the imaginative minds of the authors.
[Illustration: _“The Drummer Boy of Shiloh,” written in 1862, was
one of more than 300 songs published by Will S. Hays._]
[Illustration: The Drummer Boy, Page 1]
[Illustration: The Drummer Boy, Page 2]
THE DRUMMER BOY.
BY WILL. S. HAYS.
INTRODUCTION. Andante. Moderato.
On Shiloh’s dark and bloody ground
The dead and wounded lay;
Amongst them was a drummer boy,
Who beat the drum that day.
A wounded soldier held him up
His drum was by his side;
|: He clasp’d his hands, then rais’d his eyes,
And prayed before he died. :|
2. Look down upon the battle field,
Oh, Thou our Heavenly Friend!
Have mercy on our sinful souls!
The soldiers cried, “Amen!”
For gathered ’round a little group,
Each brave man knelt and cried.
|: They listened to the drummer boy
Who prayed before he died. :|
3. “Oh, mother,” said the dying boy,
“Look down from Heaven on me,
Receive me to thy fond embrace
Oh, take me home to thee.
I’ve loved my country as my God;
To serve them both I’ve tried.”
|: He smiled, shook hands—death seized the boy
Who prayed before he died. :|
4. Each soldier wept, then, like a child,
Stout hearts were they, and brave;
The flag his winding sheet, God’s Book
The key unto his grave.
They wrote upon a simple board
These words: “This is a guide
|: To those who’d mourn the drummer boy
Who prayed before he died.” :|
5. Ye angels ’round the Throne of Grace,
Look down upon the braves
Who fought and died on Shiloh’s plain,
Now slumb’ring in their graves!
How many homes made desolate?
How many hearts have sighed?
|: How many, like that drummer boy,
Who prayed before they died. :|
Samuel J. Muscroft’s play _The Drummer Boy of Shiloh_, written in 1870,
was apparently based upon “what might have been” rather than facts. The
play—a pleasing mixture of drama, pathos, and comedy—was staged in
cities and towns all over the Northern States for almost 40 years. It
was ordinarily staged as a home-town production rather than by
professional actors and actresses—a factor which tended to increase its
popularity. In fact, contemporary accounts say that the play was second
in popularity only to _Uncle Tom’s Cabin_.
Numerous poems about Shiloh were of immediate, if not lasting,
popularity. Herman Melville, author of _Moby Dick_ and _Typee_,
attracted by the multitude of inviting subjects presented by the Civil
War, turned to Shiloh for inspiration. “Shiloh,” published 4 years after
the battle, is one of his most famous poems of the War Between the
States era.
“The Men of the West” by Richard Coe; “Our Boys who Fell at Shiloh” and
“General Albert Sidney Johnston” by H. Pleasants McDaniel; and “The Old
Sergeant” by Forceythe Willson are typical examples of the trend in
poetry immediately following Shiloh.
Song writers of the period also looked to Shiloh for the themes of their
melodies. The most successful endeavor in this field was made by Will S.
Hays in “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh.” Like the play by that name, the
song is undoubtedly based upon fancy rather than facts. The title was
chosen because of its certain musical quality and not because of its
connection with any incident of the engagement. Hays, a correspondent of
the _Louisville Democrat_, wrote the song in 1862 while the story of the
battle was still news rather than history. It is not known whether he
was at the battle of Shiloh or whether his sympathies were with the
North or the South. However, his song immediately became famous
throughout the country and remained popular for a number of years.
The song and the play, “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh,” may possibly be
credited with the creation, or at least the perpetuation, of the popular
legend about “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh.” After the publication of these
works several claimants to the title came to the fore. Needless to say,
these men had not been killed at the battle, but each maintained that
his presence at the engagement as a youthful drummer had inspired the
authors. From time to time, as years passed, newspapers in widely
scattered sections of the country announced “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh
Dies.” A recent study by Ray H. Mattison, former historian at Shiloh
National Military Park, proved that many of the claimants were
ineligible for the designation. In the final analysis, John Clem, “The
Drummer Boy of Chickamauga,” was found to have the strongest claim to
the Shiloh title.