150th Battle of Shiloh

Confederate Command Structure
At the beginning of the War many Southerners put their faith and trust in one man to lead them through the War. It was not Robert E. Lee but rather Albert Sidney Johnston. Other well known Confederate leaders were at the Battle of Shiloh, such as; William J. Hardee, Braxton Bragg, Patrick Cleburne, John Hunt Morgan, Joe Wheeler, and Nathan Bedford Forrest.

For the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh we will have Major General Tom Doss of the Armies of Tennessee commanding the Confederate units. General Doss has been overall commander of the Battle of Shiloh for the 138th, 140th, and 145th Anniversary Reenactments. His leadership and experience will lead us into the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh.

Union Command Structure
Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant had already gained a little bit of a reputation at the first part of the War. After the fall of Fort Donelson, General Grant became known as Unconditional Surrender Grant. He now set his sights on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad in Corinth, Mississippi. For now though, he was at Pittsburg Landing in Tennessee. When the battle began, he was caught by surprise. He had refused to believe that a sizeable Confederate force was in the area, and they had finally arrived. It was up to other Union Generals to save the Army of the Tennessee, mainly William T. Sherman. Other Union Generals in the area included Lew Wallace, who would later write Ben Hur, and attempt to take down the well known Post-War Outlaw, Billy the Kid.

For the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh we will have Brigadier General Earl Zeckman of the Military Division of the Mississippi commanding the Union forces. General Zeckman has been a leader of Union portrayals in the Western Theater and has helped to put on the reenactments of the Atlanta Campaign. His leadership and experience will lead the Union forces through the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh.

The Land
The Battle of Shiloh was fought on Pittsburg Landing in Tennessee, near Shiloh Church not far from Savannah, Tennessee. Most of the original battlefield is now Shiloh National Park.

The 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh will be held in Counce, Tennessee only six miles from the Park. The site was chosen after General Tom Doss and the Armies of Tennessee resurrected the event which had died off after the 135th Anniversary (nicknamed "Mudloh") which ended in disaster due to the rain. The new site has proven itself through twelve years, being the location for the 138th, 140th, and 145th Anniversary Battles.

Originally Counce, Tennessee had been listed as Hardin County, the very same county that the original Battle of Shiloh took place. Through modern rezoning of Counties and Cities, the site is now in McNairy County, Tennessee. Others may remember the previous events also being in Mitchie rather than Counce. This is due to rezoning as well, as the site is now listed in Counce (according to Maps). It was also closer to Counce rather than Mitchie.

The event address is 145 Possum Trot Road, Counce, Tennessee.

The March to Pittsburg Landing
After the fall of Fort Donelson in 1862, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston ordered all Confederate Troops to gather in Corinth, Mississippi. Once prepared, he gathered his forces and marched from Corinth, Mississippi to Pittsburg Landing along the Tennessee River in Tennessee. He was determined to stop the advance of Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant at Pittsburg Landing in order to prevent the capture of Corinth, Mississippi and the vital Memphis & Charleston Railroad.

For the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh this march (open to participants of both Shilohs) will be reenacted by various organizations determined to preserve the history of that March. They will march from Farmington, Mississippi (site of the 150th Battle of Corinth) to our event site in Counce, Tennessee. To participate in this march contact Keith Willingham at unclekeith16@aol.com or call at 256-394-2807.

Friendly Fire!
At the beginning of the War Between the States, many Confederate units still wore blue uniforms. This was especially true of the Louisiana units participating in the Battle of Shiloh. Units such as the New Orleans Guard were victims of a horrifying fact of war; Friendly Fire. The New Orleans Guard took off their dark blue jackets and turned them inside out for the second day's battle. Better to have the lining of the jacket showing than the dark blue!

For the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh this friendly fire incident will be reenacted. Reenactors participating in this scenario will wear their blue uniforms even though they will be portraying Confederate Infantry. On the first day's battle (Saturday) they will be fired on by other Confederate units recreating the Friendly Fire. For the second day's battle (Sunday) they will wear their blue uniforms inside out. To participate in the Friendly Fire please contact Captain Matthew Joe Mallory at matthew.j.mallory@gmail.com.

Pledged Participants
Units from various organization such as the Armies of Tennessee, Alabama Division, Military Division of the Mississippi, Army of the French Broad, States Rights Volunteers, Southern Guards Brigade, and more have pledged to attend the 150th Battle of Shiloh, hosted by the Armies of Tennessee. This is a list of those who have pledged to attend so far. This is not a list of registered participants.

Click here for list of pledged participants