Wanted: a good written Shiloh intro

lupaglupa

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I'm going to Shiloh for the first time in a few weeks and would love a good intro to the battle to help me understand how things unfolded. Any recommendations? I can't tackle anything really long at this late date (bad planning, I know...). I have tremendous respect for the park service and imagine their materials on-site will be great. But reading about something beforehand always helps me so I thought I'd try and find a good article or (short) book before I go. Thanks in advance for any help you experts can give!
 
But reading about something beforehand always helps me so I thought I'd try and find a good article or (short) book before I go. Thanks in advance for any help you experts can give!
I'm sure there are any number of good articles, so I'll let others chime in there, but if it's books...and I don't really know how long is too long in your opinion...but two old standby's are: Shiloh: Bloody April by Wiley Sword and Shiloh: In Hell Before Night by James Lee McDonough. There has been more recent scholarship on the battle, but either of those would serve you well IMHO...
 
@lupaglupa the Wisconsin at Shiloh has a really good intro about the battle cited below*
Another good source is Illinois at Shiloh^
Perhaps the best source is David Reed's The Battle of Shiloh and the Organizations Engaged+(page 13-23) which is a must read for anyone wishing to visit the Park.
All of these sources are easy and quick reads for a great base to know about the battle. If I can be of further assistance please let me know
Regards
David

*https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t70v90b1q&view=1up&seq=77
^https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t3qv3nb5n&view=1up&seq=49
+https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=utk_utpress
 
One suggestion , since it was fought over control of Corinth , on your way in make a quick trip through Corinth and go in that way . ( Ample signage for directions ) . Will give you a feel for troop movements and what they went through . Best of luck to you . Hopefully see you there .
 
I'm going to Shiloh for the first time in a few weeks and would love a good intro to the battle to help me understand how things unfolded. Any recommendations? I can't tackle anything really long at this late date (bad planning, I know...). I have tremendous respect for the park service and imagine their materials on-site will be great. But reading about something beforehand always helps me so I thought I'd try and find a good article or (short) book before I go. Thanks in advance for any help you experts can give!

Here's a decent quick overview of the battle:

 
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I'm going to Shiloh for the first time in a few weeks and would love a good intro to the battle

Just an Introduction?

Well, Grant gave up the route going down the Mississippi River and turned his forces to go "down" the Tennessee River. After taking Fort Donelson, he continued as far as he could take his armada and landed at Pittsburg Landing. The river further south was shallow and rocky. Grant gathered his forces and established his base there, while waiting on General Buell to arrive from Nashville. This delay gave time for the Confederates to bring in forces scattered from Arkansas to Tennessee/Kentucky border and some down in Mississippi. The Confederates were able to pull off a surprise attack on Grant early on the morning of 6 April.

There.
 
One suggestion , since it was fought over control of Corinth , on your way in make a quick trip through Corinth and go in that way . ( Ample signage for directions ) . Will give you a feel for troop movements and what they went through . Best of luck to you . Hopefully see you there .

Already planned! But I didn't ask for a book on Corinth since I've read a fair amount about it already. I had ancestors at Corinth but they luckily missed Shiloh.
 
One of my favorite places to visit, have fun & enjoy! Hopefully will be a nice Fall day to see the park.

I agree with the referenced book "In Hell Before Night" by James Lee McDonough as a very good read that isn't an overwhelming sized book by any means.

Or if you were wanting to keep it simple, go to Youtube and search "Shiloh Fiery Trail", which I believe is the redone video that was made in recent years, that is also shown at the Visitors Center at the Park. Very informative, indeed.
 
One of my favorite places to visit, have fun & enjoy! Hopefully will be a nice Fall day to see the park.

I agree with the referenced book "In Hell Before Night" by James Lee McDonough as a very good read that isn't an overwhelming sized book by any means.

Or if you were wanting to keep it simple, go to Youtube and search "Shiloh Fiery Trail", which I believe is the redone video that was made in recent years, that is also shown at the Visitors Center at the Park. Very informative, indeed.
Shiloh: Conquer or Perish is the most recent detailed study and gives more scope to the second day than do the other books but Tim Smith's 2012 book is especially good on the terrain and how it dictated much of the way the fight unfolded on April 6. Tim served with the NPS at Shiloh before joining the U of Tennessee system. Strongly recommended
 
Shiloh: Conquer or Perish is the most recent detailed study and gives more scope to the second day than do the other books but Tim Smith's 2012 book is especially good on the terrain and how it dictated much of the way the fight unfolded on April 6. Tim served with the NPS at Shiloh before joining the U of Tennessee system. Strongly recommended
Very true, although I'm not sure one could get through all of that in a short time frame, given how incredibly detailed that book is as a military study. I especially enjoy that book regarding the 2nd day of fighting in providing the most detail on solely that topic.

Gotta love all of Tim Smith's work over the years. I have that book of his, along with his Corinth & Fort Donelson/Fort Henry book as well (the Corinth book I've finally gotten around to reading a little bit). It's always a treat to join him with the Shiloh Discussion Group for his annual topic related tour at Shiloh, even though I haven't been able to attend for the last couple of years.
 
I'm going to Shiloh for the first time in a few weeks and would love a good intro to the battle to help me understand how things unfolded. Any recommendations? I can't tackle anything really long at this late date (bad planning, I know...). I have tremendous respect for the park service and imagine their materials on-site will be great. But reading about something beforehand always helps me so I thought I'd try and find a good article or (short) book before I go. Thanks in advance for any help you experts can give!
Shiloh - In Hell Before Night by James Lee McDonough is a good and relatively short introductory-type work. I'll also offer my own thread on the battle if you're reading on your computer: https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-battle-of-shiloh-tennessee-april-6-7-1862.156549/
 
Greetings from The Volunteer State; since this is your first visit to Shiloh, you don't need to be burdened down with too much detail about the battle (you can do that later at home with some of the books already mentioned; I have most of them). A basic knowledge of the ebb and flow of the battle is what I think you are asking for. I have a book entitled "Shiloh 1862: The Death of Innocence" by James Arnold. It is a size that would be easy to carry and is about 95 pages long. It flows well, has lots of illustrations (both contemporary and modern) and several maps that are easy to understand. I checked with Amazon, and they have it in paperback for $19.95. If I were visiting the battlefield for the first time, this is the book I would take with me. Enjoy your visit.
 
Very true, although I'm not sure one could get through all of that in a short time frame, given how incredibly detailed that book is as a military study. I especially enjoy that book regarding the 2nd day of fighting in providing the most detail on solely that topic.

Gotta love all of Tim Smith's work over the years. I have that book of his, along with his Corinth & Fort Donelson/Fort Henry book as well (the Corinth book I've finally gotten around to reading a little bit). It's always a treat to join him with the Shiloh Discussion Group for his annual topic related tour at Shiloh, even though I haven't been able to attend for the last couple of years.
We agree on all that. A good guy, to boot. I'd add his Champion Hill book, his Rea Horse Soldiers, and his history of the Shiloh battlefield. His upcoming book on the Vicksburg assaults (due out "early" in 2020) should be up to standards. You're right about the detail in his Shiloh book, but I think his unique mapping style is still worthwhile for somebody to look at - especially the "hour glass" shaped map near the beginning. Makes it easy to see why the battle unfolded as it did and why the Johnston/Beauregard tactucal plan was faulty.
 
Greetings from The Volunteer State; since this is your first visit to Shiloh, you don't need to be burdened down with too much detail about the battle (you can do that later at home with some of the books already mentioned; I have most of them). A basic knowledge of the ebb and flow of the battle is what I think you are asking for. I have a book entitled "Shiloh 1862: The Death of Innocence" by James Arnold. It is a size that would be easy to carry and is about 95 pages long. It flows well, has lots of illustrations (both contemporary and modern) and several maps that are easy to understand. I checked with Amazon, and they have it in paperback for $19.95. If I were visiting the battlefield for the first time, this is the book I would take with me. Enjoy your visit.
Another useful tool is the Battlefield Trust U youtube video. It has an activated map feature which shows the development of the battle in a very graphic way.
 
The best source for a trip to Shiloh is the Shiloh National Battlefield website. Not only are there excellent descriptions of important aspects of the battle, you will also be able to schedule your trip around ranger led tours. There is nothing like taking in the terrain with someone who is intimately familiar with the lay of the land. Just looking at maps just isn't the same.
 
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