- Joined
- Aug 1, 2018
- Location
- Nashville, TN
How soon was that term commonly used to refer to that part of the battle?
Thank you.The term "Hornet's Nest" may very have been coined by Confederates as they described the sound of bullets flying through the air as sounding like angry hornets. Also, the "Hornet's Nest" and the "Sunken Road" actually apply to the same area and in actuality the road was not very sunken at all. It was more of a slightly worn trail and much of the notoriety of the area came from Union General Benjamin Prentiss who used his defense of the area to bolster his reputation. Ole Miss who is the moderator of the Shiloh Forum and his cohorts may be able to expound more on the subject.
Great work, thanks!Unfortunately, "Chronicling America" is down for maintenance right now, [edit to add: no relevant results at Chronicling America from 1862 -1870] So I decided to search Georgia newspapers. Search was for "hornets nest" on same page with word "Shiloh." No relevant results prior to 1880. Only these three relevant results between 1880 and 1890, although the Soldiers' Graves one was reprinted in numerous papers.
View attachment 309416
The Bainbridge Democrat. (Bainbridge, Ga.), July 29, 1886, page 1.
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The Herald and Advertiser. (Newnan, Ga.), April 25, 1890, page 8
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Athens Weekly Banner. (Athens, Ga.), April 29, 1890, page 8.
I think one can make a compelling argument that David Wilson Reed, one of the first (the first?) superintendent at Shiloh, greatly enhanced the sunken road/Hornet's nest idea. He was a veteran of the 12th Iowa (which fought in the sunken road/"Hornet's Nest" area). His presentation of the battlefield persists to this day in the tour route, etc. Since his regiment fought in the sunken road/Hornet's nest, he made that area of the battlefield a focal point of the tour. This, in turn, has influenced the historical view of the battle.