Improvements Have Come To Shiloh National Military Park
By NPT Staff - January 20th, 2021 1:30am
National Parks Traveler
Visitor improvements recently made to Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee and Mississippi include new signs along tour routes in the park and fruit trees added to orchards to recreate how the landscape appeared during the Civil War.
At Tour Stop #16 (Tent Hospital Site) and Tour Stop #18 (Peach Orchard Site), 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 Col. 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 planted in the area.
“In the past, we have planted 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. Gen. 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 in December, 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 that 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 Shiloh Superintendent Allen Etheridge.
Visitors will also notice that new signage has been erected at tour stop #5 (Shiloh Church) explains the story of both days of fighting in and around this iconic landmark. All tour stops include concrete pads and walkways to make these sites completely ADA accessible.