News Release

July 4th Weekend Artillery Demonstrations

Living Historians Fire a Cannon

NPS Photo/Mekow

News Release Date: June 27, 2021

Contact: Chris Mekow, 731.689.5696

On Saturday, July 3, and Sunday, July 4, Shiloh National Military Park will present cannon firing demonstrations in commemoration of the July 4^th weekend. The scheduled demonstrations will be presented by the Shiloh Cannon Crew, firing a 6-pounder gun, across the street from the park visitor center.

“These demonstrations will hopefully allow visitors to get a sense of the destructive power of the weapon and the terrible experience Shiloh soldiers faced when confronting massed artillery,” said Superintendent Allen Etheridge. “The 6-pounder field piece was the most prevalent big gun in the Battle of Shiloh, making up 40% of all the cannon on the battlefield,” Etheridge continued.

On Saturday there will be five demonstrations at 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm. On Sunday, there will be four demonstrations at 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm. Each demonstration will last approximately 20-minutes and include two cannon firings.

All demonstrations are free and open to the public. There is no mask mandate for vaccinated visitors in open spaces. The park visitor center and bookstore are open normal operating hours from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm daily.