This Great Battlefield of Shiloh: History, Memory, and the Establishment of a Civil War National Military Park (Voices of the Civil War) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Traces the history of the establishment of Shiloh National Military Park, arguing that Shiloh veterans purposefully set aside the issues of the Civil War in order to memorialize and honor soldiers from both sides of the conflict, both living and dead. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

"An act of love but also of careful scholarship, This Great Battlefield of Shiloh tells the story of the construction of a National Military Park there and of the people who made it. Everyone interested in the battle will want to read what happened there after the fighting stopped, and anyone interested in the process of reunion after the Civil War will learn that a field of such carnage became a site of reconciliation and nationalism. Timothy Smith works at the Shiloh park, knows its history, and appreciates the larger significance of its story." —Gaines M. Foster, Louisiana State University --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press (September 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572335831
• ISBN-13: 978-1572335837
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,127,650 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HAT'S OFF TO THE AUTHOR!, November 30, 2006

By	Mike Miner (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Great Battlefield of Shiloh: History, Memory, and the Establishment of a Civil War National Military Park (Hardcover)

What a novel approach to one of the Civil War's greatest battlefields and parks! When I first picked the book up off the seller's shelf to flip through it, I thought that it would be a boring rehash of the battle, crunch of numbers, and numbing facts on the park's creation. Never-the-less, I went home and ordered a copy from Amazon. When it arrived, boy, did I discover my preconceived ideas were wrong! I started reading it and never put it down until I was finished. Smith did a superb job of writing what could have been a difficult subject and held my attention throughout. I'll never walk a park again without thinking of the tremendous effort that went into creating it. OK, Mr. Smith, I know your love for Shiloh, and that you enjoy your job there, but you've left me yearning for another volume on Chickamauga, and perhaps another on some of the smaller parks like Stones River that fell short in their creation, and those like Franklin who never made it. The illustrations topped off the superbly handled story. Hat's off to the author, and to the men who made the park possible. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed in this book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful commentary on the creation of a military park, May 19, 2006

By	Anson Cassel Mills (Lake Santeetlah, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Great Battlefield of Shiloh: History, Memory, and the Establishment of a Civil War National Military Park (Hardcover)

This short book tells the story of Shiloh National Military Park from the aftermath of the battle until its transfer from the jurisdiction of the War Department to the National Park Service in 1933. Smith's enthusiasm for the park shines through this revised dissertation, even though his prose is usually more serviceable than exciting.

Attempts to relate the early administrative history of the park to current discussions about historical interpretation--probably only the flotsam of the book's academic origins--are unnecessary because anachronistic. But Smith hits his stride when he begins to discuss his protagonist, David W. Reed (1841-1916), the "Father of Shiloh National Military Park," to whose memory he dedicates the volume.

For those interested in the development of American military parks, there are three important lessons to be gleaned from Smith's book: 1. The federal government was, at least on occasion, capable of dealing prudently and fairly with private landowners when acquiring park property--although it must be admitted that the area around Pittsburg Landing was an economic backwater. (53) 2. Not surprisingly, the winners of a battle tend to be more enthusiastic about commemorating it than the losers. (78) 3. An intelligent and gifted administrator such as Reed, early on the scene, can shape interpretation in such a way as to make full revision almost impossible. For instance, all Civil War buffs know something about the importance of Shiloh's "Hornets' Nest," "Sunken Road," and "Bloody Pond," but these iconic locations now seem to have been as much a creation of Reed's historical imagination as battle reality. (69)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding a Battlefield, April 7, 2005

By	James W. Durney (Tampa Bay area) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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This review is from: This Great Battlefield of Shiloh: History, Memory, and the Establishment of a Civil War National Military Park (Hardcover)

Being married to a Civil War enthusiast can have a down side; my wife calls it "visiting dirt" whenever we stop at battlefields. For the enthusiast, a battlefield can be one of the best places on earth as you see more than words can convey; gain understanding of the what, why and how of the action. You can connect with the men; hear the guns while seeing their view of the battle. Talk to someone who has walked Pickett's Charge, climbed Missionary Ridge or stood looking toward The Sunken Road and you will feel their connection to that event. Each National Military Park is unique and the experience of one is not the same as another. Shiloh, in majestic isolation, is the park closest to what the veterans wanted to tell us about their service. This book is the story not of the battle but of saving the battlefield and determining how that story would be told.

In December 1894 Congress passed an act to "establish a national military park at the battlefield of Shiloh", with a budget of $75,000. This was in response to pressure from veterans who wanted their battle commemorated. From 1862 to 1894, only a military cemetery was in the area. Except for the cemetery, the battlefield had returned to farmland. Whenever a body was found, the cemetery would come out to remove the remains for burial.

This book, details how a small group of men converted several thousand acres of land, thousands of personal accounts and the Official Records into the park we have today. It is great fun to read about this effort and the writing is crisp and easy to follow. The author tells a good story, keeping our attention while generating interest. The amount of detail this small book is amazing as we work through land purchases, mapping the battlefield, placing units amid the chaos of battle while trying to find a place to live and work. It took a strong person to do this and we were blessed with a series of them, each making a unique and necessary contribution to the park.

Monumentation produced a new set of problems as regiments fought the official interpretation preferring their memories. Shiloh went through a series of "battles" with veteran's groups, state lobbies and the War Department that lasted for years. Lastly, the author gives us a glimpse of the emerging question on the Hornet's Nest complete with historical background.

While this is a small book, it is well worth the money. I have gained a real understanding of what was required to build the National Military Parks and will carry that with me each time I visit one.