News Release

New Sites on the old Battlefield

New Tour Stop on the Battlefield

NPS Photo/Mekow

News Release Date: January 19, 2021

Contact: Chris Mekow, 731-689-5696

SHILOH, Tennessee – If you haven’t visited Shiloh National Military Park in the last month, expect to come across a few new additions to the park. New signage has been erected along the driving tour route and more trees have been added to the historic orchards.

At Tour Stop #16 (Tent Hospital Site) and Tour Stop #18 (Peach Orchard Site) new fruit trees were planted on December 28, in the historic orchards by the Shiloh maintenance staff.

In Larkin Bell Field, just south of the Tent Hospital site, a dozen new apple trees now occupy the historic orchard. Union Colonel David Stuart’s regiments camped in this orchard before the Battle of Shiloh, and many of the soldiers left accounts of camping among the apple trees.

In the historic Peach Orchard, dozens of three-year old peach trees of the June Gold variety were resettled in the area. “In the past, we have plated younger trees, but they just were not surviving due to weather conditions and wildlife,” said Maintenance Chief Randy Martin. “We hope that by transplanting these older trees, we will have better results.”

The Peach Orchard was the scene of severe fighting on both days of the Battle of Shiloh. General Albert Sidney Johnston, the commander of all Confederate forces in the Western Theater, would be among those killed on April 6, 1862, in this area of the battlefield.

Features were added to the Shiloh Driving Tour last month including two new stops and accompanying wayside exhibits. In addition, an updated park brochure is available to visitors in the Visitor Center.

Tour stop #13 (Woolf Field) and Tour Stop #15 (Davis Wheat Field) are brand new additions to the driving tour which help further tell the story of the battle. “Our wayside exhibits not only explain the action which took place during the bloody fighting, they also give visitors a sense of place in the big picture of the two-day struggle in 1862,” said Superintendent Allen Etheridge.

Visitors will also notice that new signage has been erected at tour stop #5 (Shiloh Church) which includes the story of both days of fighting in and around this iconic landmark. All tour stops include concrete pads and walkways making these sites completely ADA accessible.

Currently, all facilities at the Shiloh Battlefield and the Corinth Civil War Interpretive are open. Due to COVID restrictions, the number of visitors to the Shiloh Visitor Center is 10 (ten) and the Corinth Center is 40 (forty). The visitor center at Shiloh is open from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm daily with the 45-minute park film “Shiloh: Fiery Trial” shown on the hour, every hour. The Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center is open from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm daily with three films shown throughout the day. The bookstore at Shiloh is open from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm daily.

For more information and updates call the Shiloh Visitor Center at 731-689-5696, go to our website at www.nps.gov/shil, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ShilohNMP, and follow us on Twitter @ShilohNPS.