Shiloh National Military Park
The sun was shining in the clear blue sky. A beautifully maintained park with monuments and memorials. The woods were quiet except for sound of leaves crunching underfoot. Yet our minds were racing as we imagined 40,000 Confederate soldiers belting out a Rebel cry as they attacked Union Soldiers on the morning of April 6, 1862 at the Battle of Shiloh. Our minds unable to comprehend the end of the battle - 23,000 casualties strewn across the same fields and woods. Visiting a battlefield is full of mixed emotions - awe, respect, wonder, sadness, appreciation, and resolve. Preservationists strive to preserve these locations so we can experience these emotions and never forget these times in history.
Now is a great time to take your troops to visit one of the many Civil War battlefields and other related historic sites. To celebrate the sesquicentennial, 150th anniversary of the Civil War, many special events and programs have been held starting in 2011 and ending in 2015. According to the Civil War Sites Advisory Committee there were more than 384 significant battles that occurred and more than 10,500 engagements - so visiting all the battle sites might be a little ambitious but there are lots of options! 37 states - Maine to Arizona - have museums or related historic sites. The National Park Service has 71 civil-war locations and there are many sites managed by privately-run organizations. The Civil War Album and Civil War Traveler websites contain over 400 different locations to visit. The most visited Civil War parks are: Gettysburg National Military Park, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Let us know if you visit a military site in each state or if you achieve another related travel goal so we can add you as a Travel Goal Getter Record holder.
Now is a great time to take your troops to visit one of the many Civil War battlefields and other related historic sites. To celebrate the sesquicentennial, 150th anniversary of the Civil War, many special events and programs have been held starting in 2011 and ending in 2015. According to the Civil War Sites Advisory Committee there were more than 384 significant battles that occurred and more than 10,500 engagements - so visiting all the battle sites might be a little ambitious but there are lots of options! 37 states - Maine to Arizona - have museums or related historic sites. The National Park Service has 71 civil-war locations and there are many sites managed by privately-run organizations. The Civil War Album and Civil War Traveler websites contain over 400 different locations to visit. The most visited Civil War parks are: Gettysburg National Military Park, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Let us know if you visit a military site in each state or if you achieve another related travel goal so we can add you as a Travel Goal Getter Record holder.
Battlefields with upcoming 150th anniversary events
 Anniversary of the Battle of the Wilderness and Battle of Appomattox Court House - May 2014 |  Anniversary of the Opening Assaults on Petersburg, National Battlefield, Virginia, June 2014, Other area battles June-September 2014. |
 Anniversary of the the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, June 2014 |  Anniversary of the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee November 2014 |
helpful travel resources
www.creagrus.home.montereybay.com/civil_war_sites.html - A Travel Goal Getter by our standards - Don Roberson visited numerous Civil War sites and compiled details of his visits and selected the 50 Best Civil War Sites.
www.civilwartraveler.com - Civil War sites by state, event calendar, information regarding 150th anniversary activities.
www.civilwaralbum.com - Civil War sites by states. Lots of maps and photos.
www.civilwar.org/battlefields - Battlefield information. Great animated maps.
National Park Service
www.nps.gov/civilwar/places.htm - Civil War Places to Visit
www.nps.gov/features/waso/cw150th/civwarparks.html - 150th Commemoration Information
www.nps.gov/ande/forkids/junior-civil-war-historian.html - Junior Civil War Historian Information
Kids can earn a special Junior Civil War Historian Patch for the 150th anniversary. Kids are required to complete Junior Ranger programs at three participating parks or two parks and one on-line. The activity booklets are excellent, but they do take considerable time to complete so plan to spend extra time at the parks.
www.civilwartraveler.com - Civil War sites by state, event calendar, information regarding 150th anniversary activities.
www.civilwaralbum.com - Civil War sites by states. Lots of maps and photos.
www.civilwar.org/battlefields - Battlefield information. Great animated maps.
National Park Service
www.nps.gov/civilwar/places.htm - Civil War Places to Visit
www.nps.gov/features/waso/cw150th/civwarparks.html - 150th Commemoration Information
www.nps.gov/ande/forkids/junior-civil-war-historian.html - Junior Civil War Historian Information
Kids can earn a special Junior Civil War Historian Patch for the 150th anniversary. Kids are required to complete Junior Ranger programs at three participating parks or two parks and one on-line. The activity booklets are excellent, but they do take considerable time to complete so plan to spend extra time at the parks.
mapped using Travel Goal Getter iPad app
our visit to Shiloh
We visited in Shiloh National Military Park in March 2014. The Park is located in Tennessee near the Mississippi border about 2 hours from Memphis and 3 hours from the Nashville area. We stayed at the nearby Pickwick Landing State Park. The TN State Park has a hotel, cabins, and a campground, a restaurant, and many amenities. The drive to Shiloh was just about fifteen minutes. We arrived at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning and stayed until 4:00 p.m. Most people would probably not spend this much time at the park but our group saw just about EVERYTHING at the park. We toured the Visitor’s Center and watched the film, Fiery Trials. It is a 50 minute film that is very well produced and clearly outlines the movements of the troops during the battle. The majority of our time was spent taking the Battlefield Auto Tour Route. The route is 12.7 miles and has 20 stops. There are audio tours available for purchase but we just used the NPS park brochure which gave brief information about each stop. Our kids did the Junior Ranger Program Booklet that we picked up at the Visitor’s Center. The Booklet asked many questions about monuments and memorials we saw – which made us look for details that we otherwise would have missed. One stop on the tour was the Shiloh Mounds Interpretive Trail which is a 2 mile walk through the woods with informational markers about the Indians who once lived in the area.
We drove over the Tennessee River near Counce, TN and Pickwick Landing and saw Pickwick Dam and the Locks. Due to 9/11 security changes there is no longer a Visitor’s Center – but we got lucky and saw a boat in the locks as we drove over the river.
We drove over the Tennessee River near Counce, TN and Pickwick Landing and saw Pickwick Dam and the Locks. Due to 9/11 security changes there is no longer a Visitor’s Center – but we got lucky and saw a boat in the locks as we drove over the river.
Author: Alicia
Photo Credits:
Battlefield of the Wilderness and Petersburg used under creative commons by Ken Lund
Battle Of Kennesaw by National Park Service
Carter House (Battle of Franklin) used under creative commons by Ron Cogswell
All other photos by Travel Goal Getter
Battlefield of the Wilderness and Petersburg used under creative commons by Ken Lund
Battle Of Kennesaw by National Park Service
Carter House (Battle of Franklin) used under creative commons by Ron Cogswell
All other photos by Travel Goal Getter
