Shiloh National Military Park

Shiloh National Military Park preserves the site of the Battle of Shiloh, one of the largest and bloodiest engagements of the American Civil War, fought on April 6 and 7, 1862, in Hardin County in southwestern Tennessee. The two-day battle resulted in approximately 23,746 combined Union and Confederate casualties and ended a Confederate attempt to drive Union General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee from the field. The park encompasses 4,200 acres of wooded Tennessee countryside, historic earthworks, artillery positions, a national cemetery, and more than 650 monuments and markers. The primary visitor experience is a 9.5-mile self-guided auto tour with 16 numbered stops, each accompanied by wayside markers and audio guide narration available at the visitor center or via the NPS App. The tour begins at Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River — where Union forces camped on the eve of battle — and proceeds through key sites including the Hornet's Nest, a Union defensive line where Brigadier General Benjamin Prentiss's division held Confederate attacks for several hours before being captured; the Sunken Road, a farm lane that became a critical feature of the first day's fighting; Bloody Pond, where wounded soldiers from both sides reportedly gathered; and the Peach Orchard, where fighting among blossoming trees became embedded in Civil War oral tradition. The Shiloh National Cemetery adjoins the park and contains 3,584 Union graves, 2,359 of which are identified. A Confederate mass burial site is also marked on the battlefield. The visitor center museum features weapons, uniforms, artillery pieces, and a documentary film covering the battle's tactical arc and strategic significance. Ranger-led programs run on weekend afternoons in the warmer months. The park is remote — 110 miles east of Memphis via US-64 — and warrants a dedicated half-day or full-day visit.