SHILOH NATIONAL MILITARY PARK NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

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REPORT SUMMARY loss of life was staggering: 23,746 soldiers had On April 6-7, 1862, On April 6–7, 1862, Union and Confederate been killed, wounded, or were listed as missing. Confederate and Union forces fought forces clashed in what many consider to be the Fighting in May at nearby Corinth added nearly each other at first major battle of the American Civil War. At 6,000 more casualties, and the two-day Battle of Pittsburg Landing in dawn on April 6, Confederate soldiers surprised Corinth, fought October 3–4, 1862, increased what came to be Union forces encamped on the banks of the the carnage by 7,200 more soldiers either killed, known as the Battle Tennessee River at Pittsburg Landing. The Battle wounded, missing, or captured. Americans on of Shiloh. of Shiloh, as it came to be known, was named both sides of the conflict realized the war would for Shiloh Meeting House, a log church in the not end quickly, and would claim more lives area of the fighting. When the battle ended, the than anyone had imagined. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

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Often referred to as the most secluded and Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, 23 miles best-preserved battlefield in the United States, southwest of Pittsburg Landing. Currently, more Shiloh National Military Park was established in than 4,100 acres within the park’s authorized 1894. It lies on the western bank of the boundary (which exceeds 7,000 acres) are feder- Tennessee River near the unincorporated ally owned. The Park Service, with the assistance community of Shiloh, Tennessee, protecting the of the Civil War Preservation Trust, is pursuing lands where Union and Confederate forces negotiations to acquire 1,000 or more acres of fought April 6–7, 1862. Located approximately the remaining nonfederal acres held within its 110 miles east of Memphis, the park includes legislated, authorized boundary at Shiloh Shiloh National Cemetery as well as the new battlefield. Another 800 or more acres currently Corinth unit, in Mississippi, which includes the owned by the Friends of the Siege and Battle of

Corinth are authorized to be donated to the SHILOH NATIONAL MILITARY PARK Corinth unit (fee simple) sometime in 2009. In AT A GLANCE addition, another 130 acres of authorized lands at Corinth are under negotiation for future addition to the park. • Historical markers: More than 800 monuments and markers, Hundreds of monuments, markers, and 4,000 headstones, and 227 cannons are sobering reminders of cannons commemorate the soldiers who fell at the historic events that occurred on the lands within Shiloh Shiloh. Shiloh National Cemetery, as well as National Military Park. mass Confederate burial trenches, serve as final • Shiloh Meeting House: The battlefield is named for a simple resting places for thousands killed in the Civil log church, known as the Shiloh Meeting House, which was War battle. The cemetery also contains the located here in 1862. While the original church was destroyed bodies of soldiers of later wars and their 35 during the war, it was later rebuilt. Four acres on which the spouses. The cemetery and mass Confederate church sits are privately owned by the Shiloh United Methodist graves are not the only hallowed ground here; arks Church and Cemetery. The church continues to serve an active the park also protects the Shiloh Indian congregation. Mounds National Historic Landmark, contain- ing a burial mound and extant cultural • Shiloh Indian Mounds: Designated a national historic land- resources of a Mississippian culture that thrived mark in 1989, the prehistoric Mississippian village and temple ar National P on the riverbank 1,000 years ago. mounds are archaeological evidence of a chiefdom that The interpretive center located in Corinth, thrived on the banks of the Tennessee River 1,000 years ago. s Civil W Mississippi, is the most recent addition to the One of the finest effigy pipe artifacts in existence was park. This state-of-the-art facility, opened in unearthed here. The landmark is unique on account of its pris-

2004, is the recommended orientation point for tine condition, having been protected by establishment of the ennessee’ T visitors to Shiloh and includes interactive national military park in 1894. It remains the only location in the exhibits, a multimedia presentation on the world with an intact Mississippian village. The physical remains Battle of Shiloh, and a video on the subsequent of more than seven dozen collapsed prehistoric wattle and Siege and Battle of Corinth. In contrast, the daub houses are clearly visible within the site. Along with six aging facilities and infrastructure of the Shiloh ceremonial or temple mounds, evidence of a defensive Battlefield Visitor Center in Shiloh, Tennessee, palisade, and a burial mound, the site remains the finest repre- struggle to meet visitor needs. sentative resource in the nation to interpret and preserve the In addition to a wealth of cultural treasures, remnants of a prehistoric culture long deceased. the park also protects six ecosystems that harbor • Forests: Since the 1960s, the park has allowed approximately hundreds of mammal, bird, fish, reptile, and 600 acres of land to return to native forest conditions. About amphibian species. Lichen species in the park 200 acres of virgin bottomland oak/hickory forest (rare in number more than 500, including a rare species western Tennessee) remain in the park’s Owl Creek watershed. for the region. The woodlands of the park are These old-growth oak trees represent the last remnants of the threatened primarily by natural events, such as original forest cover from the time of the battle. ice storms in winter. Biologists suggest that mowing practices on the battlefield at Shiloh require re-examination because they could be reducing habitat for birds, reptiles, and amphib- ians, and potentially injuring some species. While the park benefits from a relatively isolated setting, development just outside the borders of Shiloh goes unregulated, and local Note: When interpreting the scores for resource conditions, recognize that critical information upon which the ratings are based is not always available. This limits data interpretation to some extent. For Shiloh, 97 percent of the cultural resources information was available and 63 percent of the natural resources information was available.

RESOURCE CATEGORY CURRENT

CULTURAL RESOURCES

Overall conditions 78 FAIR Archaeology 81 36 Cultural Landscapes 75 Ethnography (Peoples and Cultures) N/A Historic Structures 78 arks History 81 Museum Collection and Archives 75

RATINGS SCALE 0–35 36–60 61–80 81–90 91–100 ar National P CRITICAL POOR FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT

s Civil W NATURAL RESOURCES

Overall conditions 79 FAIR

ennessee’ Environmental and Biotic Measures 79 T Biotic Impacts and Stressors 77 Air 67 Water 87 Soils 83 Ecosystems Measures 78 Species Composition and Condition 85 Ecosystem Extent and Function 74

RATINGS SCALE 0–35 36–60 61–80 81–90 91–100

CRITICAL POOR FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT

The findings in this report do not necessarily reflect past or current park management. Many factors that affect resource conditions are a result of both human and natural influences over long periods of time, in many cases before a park was established. The intent of the Center for State of the Parks is not to evaluate Park Service staff performance, but to document the present status of park resources and determine which actions can be taken to protect them into the future. To better interpret historical events and serve visitors, staff would like to reno- vate the existing NATIONAL PARK SERVICE visitor center at the Shiloh battlefield (exhibit shown here) or construct a new facility.

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commuters heavily use park roads as a route comprehensive assessment methodology (see

between neighboring communities. Managers “Appendix”). Unregulated development of adja- ennessee’ T at Shiloh have made acquiring privately held cent lands has prompted the park to make land lands within the park’s boundary a high prior- acquisition a high priority, and local residents’ ity, to protect them from development. use of park roads as thoroughfares put natural systems at risk. There are also concerns about RATINGS the use of commercial grass seed and mowing Current overall conditions of the known to maintain the historic landscape. cultural resources at Shiloh National Military Park rated 78 out of a possible 100, indicating ADJACENT LAND USE AFFECTS PARK “fair” conditions. The scores for cultural The lands bordering Shiloh National Military resources are based on the results of indicator Park are privately owned and mostly devoted questions that reflect the National Park Service’s to agriculture, forestry, or residential use. own Cultural Resource Management Guideline and Development on these lands has accelerated other policies related to cultural and historical over the last decade, most noticeably along the resources. Funding shortfalls mean that current northern boundary of the park near State staff must juggle a variety of roles, at the expense Route 22, as well as along the southern bound- of interpretation, protection, and maintenance ary near the Tennessee River. Because there are of cultural treasures. no county zoning regulations in place to Overall conditions of the park’s known control development in Hardin County, where natural resources rated a “fair” score of 79 out the park is located, some of the development of 100. Ratings were assigned through an evalu- that has occurred on adjacent land and along ation of park research and monitoring data roads within the park’s authorized boundary is using NPCA’s Center for State of the Parks ill-suited to the quiet, reflective tone of a

battlefield park. Examples include a one-time towns and local residential areas, the park has amusement park (now gone, and the Park no formal gate system with which to close the Service has acquired the property), taverns facility at night and thus limit local traffic to day (with one currently being operated on a loca- use only. The Shiloh United Methodist Church tion adjacent to State Route 22 directly north and cemetery, located on private land within the of the main park entrance), and several trash park, has an active membership that also neces- dumps. Residential development is increasing sitates open access to the park. Hamburg- along the Tennessee River to the south of the Savannah and Hamburg-Purdy Roads are the park and along the southwestern boundary in primary park roads used for thoroughfare and the Shiloh community. meet to form the traditional heavy-use major In addition to undesirable development, northern entryway into the Hamburg commu- 38 logging activities associated with the local nity southeast of the park. During periods of Counce Paper and Pulp Mill, in Counce, flooding the park’s roads offer the only access to

arks Tennessee, occur within a mile of Shiloh. And the small hamlet known as the Bowden recreational and commercial boats travel the community, bordering the southeast corner of waters of Kentucky Lake (i.e., Tennessee River) the current Shiloh battlefield park boundary, along the sector bordering Shiloh battlefield; because Lick Creek south of this community

ar National P recreational boaters can access the park at floods and closes the Hamburg Road. Park Pittsburg Landing. management has considered plans to reconfig- Shiloh’s enabling legislation originally ure park access and add gates, which would s Civil W provided for a park of around 6,000 acres. With limit opening this road only during periods of the addition of the Corinth unit, the park’s high water (approximately five to ten days per

ennessee’ authorized size now exceeds 7,000 acres. To year); the park has also considered issuing gate T date, more than 4,100 acres within this author- access cards or keys to the area residents. When ized boundary are federally owned. To serve as a these ideas were presented publicly in the early buffer between the park and surrounding devel- 1990s, it was evident political support was opment, park managers actively work to acquire lacking, and issues of emergency services, mail the remaining land as is allowed under the deliveries, etc., blocked further attempts to enabling legislation, with lack of funding and implement closing off night access to Shiloh securing willing sellers presenting the chal- battlefield. Until solutions are found, managers lenges. The park has acquired nearly 350 acres face challenges from increased road traffic, auto within the authorized boundary since 1990, accidents, wildlife-vehicle collisions, oppor- and with the assistance of the Civil War tunistic wildlife poaching from park roads, Preservation Trust, is pursuing negotiations for vandalism, theft, overnight parking, noise, and more than 1,000 acres of the remaining acres of pollution. private land that occur within the park’s author- ized boundary. Maintaining a ready source of LAND USE HISTORY AND PARK funds for land acquisition is critical, because the ESTABLISHMENT properties are in private hands, and the oppor- Since native peoples first set canoes in its waters, tunity to purchase could occur at any time. the Tennessee River has been an important The use of roads leading in and out of Shiloh travel route, and early societies thrived along its by adjacent communities creates problems for riverbanks. The Shiloh Indian Mounds National the park. Because local residents and travelers Historic Landmark area of the park was once the have traditionally used roads within the park’s center of a Mississippian culture that occupied a authorized boundary to access neighboring 20-mile-long stretch of the Tennessee River Valley. Artifacts found at the mounds suggest historic Pittsburg Landing and the river valley. that human settlement occurred as early as A.D. Work began immediately to locate the remains 300–400. The mound builders at Shiloh were of the Union soldiers scattered across the more farmers, although hunting, fishing, and gather- than 6,000-acre site, as well as locations along ing still provided a considerable amount of the Tennessee River as far south as the foot of their subsistence, and corn (maize) was their the shoals near Gravelly Springs, Alabama, and most important food crop. Archaeologists northward to Fort Heiman, Kentucky, and Fort believe that the mound builders abandoned the Henry in Tennessee. By 1869, 3,584 bodies had area by A.D. 1400. The Chickasaw, now located been reinterred from no fewer than 565 locali- in Oklahoma, and other southeastern indige- ties. The mass graves containing the remains of nous peoples may be descended from the the Confederate dead buried by the victorious mound-building culture at Shiloh. Union Army in 1862, and originally numbering 39 Euro-American settlers arrived in Hardin perhaps nine to ten such sites, with only five

County, Tennessee—the area of present-day having been located and identified to date, are arks Shiloh—in the early 19th century. By 1840 located elsewhere within the battlefield. approximately 8,000 people, mostly immi- As more Shiloh veterans returned to recall grants from Virginia and North Carolina, the battle and visit the new cemetery, desire to

earned a living farming and logging there. preserve the battlefield increased. While the ar National P The Battle of Shiloh occurred in early April establishment of a park would preserve the site 1862. By 1865, the war had ended, and in 1866, as a gathering place for those who fought there, s Civil W Congress passed legislation establishing it would also serve future generations as a quiet national cemeteries on several Civil War battle- place for reflection and commemoration. On

fields; Shiloh’s cemetery, then officially estab- December 27, 1894, President Grover ennessee’ T lished as Pittsburg Landing National Cemetery, Cleveland signed into law an act to establish was located on top of the bluff overlooking Shiloh National Military Park.

The national ceme- tery at Pittsburg Landing was estab- lished in 1866 for the reburial of Union NATIONAL PARK SERVICE dead from the Battle of Shiloh and addi- tional Union war dead initially buried at more than 500 different locations along the Tennessee River. The cemetery also serves as the final resting place for several hundred American service men and women from more recent conflicts.

KEY FINDINGS construct an orientation shelter, a mile- long interpretive trail, and several • The primary threats to the park’s rural and wayside exhibits at the Shiloh Indian secluded nature are encroaching devel- Mounds. In addition, it recommends opment and adjacent land uses that are development of interpretive programs not compatible with the park’s goals of focusing on participation of women in the interpreting the battle that took place at Civil War, children and the Civil War, 19th- Shiloh and preserving the associated century farm life, and the impacts of the resources. Due to a lack of county zoning battle and war on the local rural popula- ordinances, businesses that may be tion, using the historic William Manse 40 viewed as incongruous with the land- George Cabin as a primary component of scape exist nearby. The Park Service is these programs. The plan also includes a working to acquire key parcels within the proposal for a renovated or new visitor

arks park’s 1894 authorized boundary, in order center at the Shiloh battlefield. to create a natural topographic border • Interpretation of the Shiloh Indian along Shiloh Hill. These properties are Mounds has been lacking, due to road currently privately held and could be sold

ar National P closures necessitated by riverbank (and perhaps developed) at any time. erosion. A long-term, multimillion dollar • The orientation film shown to visitors at riverbank stabilization and highway

s Civil W the Shiloh Battlefield Visitor Center was construction project was completed in created in 1956 and is the oldest film of 2008, reopening visitor access to the this type within the Park Service. A new mounds using the park auto tour route. ennessee’ T orientation film and rehabilitation of the Construction of a one-mile-long interpre- auditorium at the existing Shiloh tive trail through the national historic Battlefield Visitor Center will cost an esti- landmark site has begun, with targeted mated $750,000. completion in fiscal year 2009.

• The Park Service recognizes the need for • The park uses commercial grass seed on an updated general management plan historic fields instead of the natural vari- (the current general management plan eties that would provide better forage was written in 1980) to take into account and cover for native animal species. In additional lands and resources that have addition, biologists suggest Shiloh’s been added to Shiloh National Military mowing regime on some of these fields Park in recent years. Completion of the may be damaging to bird, reptile, and updated plan will depend on Park Service amphibian species. If grass is cut too prioritization and funding. The park’s short, if it is cut at certain times of the administrative history, written in 1954, is in year, or if it is cut in areas near wetlands need of updates covering the years since and without natural transitions, wildlife then. An updated historic resource study suffer from lack of or degraded habitat. is currently under development. The park is cognizant of the wildlife impacts associated with current manage- • The park recently completed drafting its ment techniques, but is also attempting long-range interpretive plan, and it is to provide visitor access and an expected being prepared for publication. The plan visitor experience (i.e., manicured land- details the work now proceeding to scapes), which requires such mainte- nance. There is a desire to address the topic of preservation maintenance and wildlife when the park next updates its general management plan. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • Staffing shortfalls affect visitor services and resource protection at Shiloh. The park has only seven permanent frontline interpretation employees, insufficient to provide daily, on-site programs to the public at two park units in separate states from September through May. The park 41 needs an additional four full-time equiva- lent staff (two at each unit) to address this arks need. Staff must take on additional duties because of the lack of personnel. For example, the park’s chief of interpretation

and resource management also serves as ar National P park historian, cultural resource specialist, volunteer coordinator, and a law enforce-

ment officer because positions are s Civil W

vacant. Because park roads remain open NATIONAL PARK SERVICE to use by commuters beyond normal ennessee’ business hours, Shiloh remains at risk for T vandalism, looting, wildlife poaching, and vehicular damage. In addition, the geog- raphy of the Corinth unit places the majority of parkland there within the city limits, and thus at risk for the same types of resource protection problems. At this time, only two of three law enforcement positions have been filled, and recent law enforcement needs assessments indicate that Shiloh requires three additional full- time equivalent law enforcement posi- tions to effectively protect visitors and Work on Brown’s Landing Road and Riverside Drive was completed in 2008, restoring auto- resources. The park has identified the mobile access to the Shiloh Indian Mounds need for an additional 2.4 full-time equiv- and Dill Branch ravine. The top photo shows alent maintenance staff to care for and Riverside Drive before construction; the repair the park’s thousands of head- bottom one shows the road now. stones, markers, monuments, and cannon carriages. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

• Riverbanks stabilized. When the tence farming, and impacts the war had Tennessee Valley Authority impounded on the surrounding rural community. the Tennessee River to create Kentucky • Visitor center at Corinth opened. The and Pickwick Lakes in the 1930s and ’40s, $9.5 million Corinth Civil War Interpretive portions of the park’s shoreline suffered Center opened in Corinth, Mississippi, in severe erosion, blowouts, and landslides. 2004. Critically acclaimed for its exhibits After landslides in 1997, the U.S. Army on slavery, secession, and the nationally Corps of Engineers proposed a new bank significant Civil War events that unfolded 42 stabilization project, which finally in the region, it is the suggested first stop received much needed congressional for visitors to Shiloh National Military arks approval and agency action. The final Park. The 15,000-square-foot center also stabilization phase was completed in features two audio-visual movie produc- 2008. The entire 1.75 miles of the park’s tions. eastern boundary/shoreline is now

ar National P protected from erosion by rock riprap. • Battlefield monuments repaired and replaced. Since 2003, more than 30 troop • Archaeological mitigation and excava- position markers, missing from the park s Civil W tions completed. In conjunction with the for several decades due to theft or riverbank stabilization project, the park vandalism, have been recast and erected and the Southeast Archeological Center

ennessee’ at their proper locations on the Shiloh T recently completed a $1.6 million archae- battlefield. An additional 50 missing ological mitigation of a prehistoric markers are currently under contract for Mississippian period (A.D. 800–1200) casting. Also, all historic cast-iron markers The preserved temple mound threatened by erosion William Manse (more than 650 of them) are repainted on along the bank of the Tennessee River. George Cabin, the a three-year cyclic program. Shiloh This five-year project constitutes the only surviving struc- acquired 47 new ductile iron cannon ture of the nearly 70 largest and most significant archaeologi- carriages to begin the task of eventually buildings present on cal research at the park since the 1930s. replacing all of the nearly 200 cast iron the Shiloh battlefield These excavations are now complete, during the battle, has carriages, which are more than a century with the volume of information recovered undergone several old and have fallen into disrepair. At an contributing greatly to the understanding restorations since the average (and ever-increasing) cost of park was established. of prehistoric Mississippian culture. $13,500 per new carriage, this is a sizable • William Manse George Cabin restored. financial undertaking that will take many The only remaining building from the years to accomplish. In addition, all aerial period of battle, the William Manse electrical transmission lines located on George Cabin is a prime interpretive the battlefield were removed and resource for the park. Restoration work, returned to underground transmission, completed in 2004, included installation enhancing the scenic and historical view- of a new chimney and roof. The park has shed in the park. used the cabin to support interpretive programs on civilian life, particularly in regards to women and children, subsis- NATIONAL PARK SERVICE THE SHILOH NATIONAL MILITARY PARK ASSESSMENT NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

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CULTURAL RESOURCES— Cultural resources at Shiloh include exten- Monuments through- BATTLEFIELD MARKERS AND sive, relatively undisturbed archaeological out the park, such as the Minnesota MONUMENTS HONOR THE FALLEN resources preserving the history of the battle on Monument shown Shiloh National Military Park scored an the ground where it was fought, hundreds of here, commemorate overall 76 out of 100 for the condition of its monuments and markers on the battlefields, soldiers from various cultural resources, which include archaeology, historic cannon tubes, original Civil War diaries states who fought in cultural landscapes, history, historic struc- and letters in the park’s archives, and the the Battle of Shiloh. The park needs addi- features and archaeological resources associated tures, and museum collection and archives. tional staff to care for This score indicates that the resources are in with the Shiloh Indian mound and village site. its thousands of head- “fair” condition. Threats to the battlefield archaeology and stones, markers, monuments, and cannon carriages.

markers and monuments in the park include Historic resource studies, which provide a vandalism and looting of artifacts, as well as historical overview of a park and identify and natural effects of weather and time. evaluate cultural resources within historic Between 1991 and 2008, vehicle access to contexts, also identify the need for any special and through the mounds site was closed to visi- studies and make recommendations for tors due to riverbank stabilization issues, which resource management and interpretation. involved closing a section of the tour route Shiloh completed a historic resource study in north of the site. Threats to the mounds include 1993 that evaluated historic buildings, struc- looting of artifacts, natural disturbances tures, and objects. An updated historic resource (damage from falling trees during severe storms study has been funded and is currently being and high winds), and the extremely low possi- developed, with a targeted completion date of 44 bility of future stream bank erosion, which from fiscal year 2010. Shiloh’s administrative routine monitoring by the park and the U.S. history was written in 1954 and covers develop-

arks Army Corps of Engineers, appears to have been ment of the park from the 1890s to 1954. A successfully checked by the recent stabilization considerable amount of the history focuses on measures taken along the base of the bluffs the period prior to 1933, the year when along the river. The stabilization measures management of the park passed from the

ar National P enacted have halted further catastrophic Department of War to the National Park Service. blowouts at the base river level; however, given Research is needed to update documentation of the elevation extremes found at Shiloh, the park management since 1933. s Civil W stabilization work does not eliminate the The most recent historical research in the natural repose of the bluff line above the riprap park involved development of interpretive

ennessee’ level, areas which will slowly recede westward, exhibits for the Corinth Civil War Interpretive T with soils slipping down the bluff until the Center. The park collaborated with a multitude formations attain the equilibrium dynamics of professionals, partner agencies, organiza- representative of a natural river shoreline. tions, community planners, business leaders, and stakeholders to develop state-of-the-art HISTORY—HISTORIC RESOURCE exhibits that interpret Civil War issues through DOCUMENTS NEED UPDATING relevant and provocative national, regional, and The events that occurred at Pittsburg Landing, local war events and experiences. The 15,000- Tennessee, during the Battle of Shiloh have been square-foot interpretive center also includes 175 documented and explored at length. Detailed commemorative features (monuments and accounts from officers and soldiers who partici- bronzes), reproductions of earthworks, two pated in the battle exist, among them reports by multimedia audio-visual productions, and Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and other high- interactive multimedia exhibits. ranking Union and Confederate officers. Shiloh’s chief of interpretation and resource Journals, kept by women who assisted in management also serves as park historian, makeshift hospitals in Corinth, have also been cultural resource specialist, and volunteer coor- preserved. These memoirs, published regimen- dinator (overseeing the work of 500 to 600 tal histories, soldier diaries, scholarly works, volunteers annually); supervises and coordi- historic maps, objects in the park’s museum nates all compliance, research, and science; and collection, and documents in the archives help coordinates with the park’s cooperating associa- the park staff interpret historical events by tion. This staff member also continues to providing firsthand accounts of the grueling perform the duties of a field law enforcement conflict and its aftermath. officer because a number of positions responsi- ble for performing these functions have been artifact, a large stone pipe carved in the shape of vacant for years due to funding shortfalls. He a kneeling man, was found at “Mound C.” Now has written and published numerous articles on display in the Tennessee River Museum in and essays detailing the battles at Shiloh and Savannah, Tennessee, this effigy pipe is made of Corinth, and he has produced a visitor’s guide the same distinctive red stone and is carved in to the Battle of Shiloh and an audio tour for the the same style as a number of human statuettes Shiloh Battlefield that is available on CD. The from the Cahokia chiefdom, located near East park superintendent and the historian worked St. Louis, Illinois. together to prepare an informative guide to the Survey work in the winter of 1933–34 Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. Recently, revealed numerous small, round mounds at the a former staff member published a book titled Shiloh site, the remains of wattle and daub This Great Battlefield of Shiloh: History, Memory, houses. These structures featured vertical post 45 and the Establishment of a Civil War National walls interlaced with branches (wattle), which

Military Park. were then coated with a thick layer of clay arks The park has an extensive living history (daub). A palisade wall, also made of wattle and program and also offers a variety of interpretive daub, protected the site. Because the land bulletins dealing with topics such as women in containing the mounds has been protected the Civil War, slavery and the causes of the Civil within the park for more than a century, and ar National P War, slaves as soldiers, Mexican Americans as because the Shiloh site has never been disturbed From 2001 to 2006, soldiers, and battle fortifications. by the plow, the daub of collapsed walls still the Park Service and s Civil W stands. Shiloh is one of only a handful of sites a host of partners excavated “Mound ARCHAEOLOGY—SHILOH INDIAN in the Eastern United States where remains of A,” a temple mound

MOUNDS SITE TO REOPEN prehistoric houses are still visible on the ennessee’ threatened by T Shiloh National Military Park’s premier archae- ground’s surface. erosion. Data gath- ological resources are the preserved Civil War Located along the Tennessee River, the site ered through this battlefields and earthwork features comprising has suffered from extreme erosion. Since 1991, work continue to enhance under- the sites protected at Shiloh and Corinth, as well both riverbank stabilization and road construc- standings of the as the Shiloh Indian Mounds National Historic tion needs led to closure of the road to Shiloh park’s prehistoric Landmark, evidence of a prehistoric Indian Mounds. In 2008, the park completed a Indian mounds. Mississippian culture. The mounds are also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The mounds represent what is left of a town—known as a chiefdom, due to the pres- ence of a political and spiritual leader—that NATIONAL PARK SERVICE occupied the high Tennessee River bluff at the eastern edge of the Shiloh plateau 1,000 years ago. Six of these mounds, rectangular in shape and flat-topped, probably served as foundations for important buildings, which may have included a council house, religious buildings, and residences of town leaders. The southern- most mound is an oval, round-topped mound in which important people were buried. The first archaeological excavation at Shiloh took place in 1899, when the site’s most famous joint riverbank stabilization and road construc- sufficient support for the park’s archaeological tion project for the 1.3 miles of the park auto needs, given the lack of funding for projects. tour roadway connecting Shiloh Indian Night-time looting threatens archaeological Mounds National Historic Landmark to the artifacts at the battlefield, particularly metal arti- visitor center area. The site is again part of the facts representing the Civil War period, with park auto tour, augmented with an interpretive three dozen reported incidents from 1998 to trailhead shelter and mile-long interpretive 2008. Only one attempted looting incident hiking trail scheduled for completion in 2009. within the area comprising Shiloh Indian In conjunction with the riverbank stabiliza- Mounds National Historic Landmark has been tion project, the park and the Southeast documented, and this occurred in the mid- Archeological Center (SEAC) also recently 1990s, involving a temple mound previously 46 completed a $1.6 million archaeological mitiga- excavated and completely restored during the tion of “Mound A,” one of the temple mounds Frank H. H. Roberts civil works investigation of

arks threatened by erosion. The project team 1934. Thus, the damage from this one incident included SEAC employees, contracted techni- only affected backfill material used to rebuild cians, university students, and volunteers. This the mound at the conclusion of the earlier civil five-year project (2001–2006) involved exten- works excavation. Resources within Shiloh are at

ar National P sive consultation with tribal leaders of the particular risk because the grounds are not Chickasaw Nation and others. Considered one secured with gates at the close of park hours. of the largest archaeological field projects ever Although the park staff maintains an aggressive s Civil W conducted by the Park Service, the excavations attitude in enforcing the Archaeological are now complete, but study continues on the Resources Protection Act of 1979 and protecting

ennessee’ data recovered in this important mitigation the park, managers know looting is a constant T investigation. threat, with some incidents likely going undis- In addition to the Indian mounds, the park covered and unreported. To address the contains pristine historic archaeological sites problem, the park has requested an operational that relate to the period of the Civil War. Of the funding increase to add three more full-time law more than 70 buildings known to have existed enforcement rangers that would increase patrol on the battlefield in 1862, only one remains— coverage by a minimum of 4,000 hours annu- the William Manse George Cabin, which has ally. However, the request remains unfunded. been restored and is maintained where it was Shiloh staff have gone to great lengths to relocated shortly after the battle. All of the mitigate the threat of looting. By working with remaining building sites save five have yet to be the Southeast Archeological Center, and by positively identified and are unmarked on the including local and regional metal-detecting battlefield. clubs in organized archaeological investigations Funding is currently unavailable for further conducted in the park, managers involve the archaeological research at Shiloh. Important community and members of the public in projects—identification of missing Confederate archaeology projects while educating partici- mass graves and other war burial sites, an pants about resource protection. Besides teach- archaeological condition assessment of new ing sound stewardship principles, inviting lands associated with the Corinth unit, and metal-detecting enthusiasts to participate as further investigation to locate the unmarked park volunteers in events monitored by Shiloh period home sites—remain undone. The park and the Southeast Archeological Center permits does not employ a full-time archaeologist. the park to conduct significant research at According to resource managers, SEAC provides minimal cost. The War Department built this cemetery lodge in 1911 to replace a structure destroyed by a NATIONAL PARK SERVICE tornado 1909. It was built to house and provide an office for the cemetery’s super- intendent. Today this historic structure serves as the park’s administrative head- quarters. 47 arks ar National P s Civil W

HISTORIC STRUCTURES—MONUMENTS While the landscape at Shiloh today closely ennessee’ T THREATENED BY VANDALS, WEATHER, resembles conditions at the time of the battle, AND NEGLECT virtually all of the structures that existed in April Shiloh’s List of Classified Structures (LCS), an 1862 were destroyed during the battle. Three inventory of prehistoric and historic structures, structures related to the battle remain: a farm totals 226 and includes the prehistoric Indian road known as the Sunken Road, which defines mounds, three original structures dating to the a line of battle occupied by Union troops; time of the battle, park roads, structures that General Grant’s Last Line, which contains the have been erected at the park since the battle, only surviving earthwork erected during the including many associated with the national battle; and the William Manse George Cabin. cemetery: the cemetery house, constructed by The cabin was moved from its original location the War Department in 1911, the cemetery wall, in Perry field at the northern end of the battle- headstones, a metal gate, and stairs. Of the field to its current site a short time after the park’s 226 historic structures, 191 are in “good” battle, to replace the cabin the George family condition, 34 are in “fair” condition, and one lived in prior to the battle (which was burned structure’s condition is rated “poor.” The struc- during the battle). The park’s long-range inter- ture listed in “poor” condition was actually pretive plan recommends that the cabin be used documented and removed from the park in as part of an interpretive program on rural civil- 1996, though it still persists on the list of classi- ian life, focusing particularly on women and fied structures. The park was placed in the children, farming, and the impacts the battle National Register of Historic Places in 1966, had on the surrounding community. Evidence and boasts 186 individual historic structure list- of additional home sites and structures (i.e., ings in the register. underground features and associated artifacts) The United Daughters of the Confederacy provided funds that allowed the park to NATIONAL PARK SERVICE recast and replace missing bronze features on the Confederate Monument.

48 arks ar National P s Civil W ennessee’ T dating to the antebellum period also exists, but five years, and 12 have undergone major at present, except for five of the more than 70 restoration, repair, and rehabilitation actions cited to be on the battlefield in 1862, the since 2000, including the Sherman, Peabody, remaining sites and structures have neither been Prentiss, Stuart, and Tuttle headquarters monu- identified nor authenticated. ments; Gladden, Johnston, Raith, Wallace, and The most prevalent historic structures at Peabody mortuary monuments; the Iowa State Shiloh (162 of the total listed) are the many Memorial; and the Confederate Monument. In monuments that commemorate states and the case of the Iowa State Memorial, the park significant individuals who participated in the received funding from the Iowa legislature to battle. These monuments not only memorialize recast and replace missing bronze features; the the Battle of Shiloh, but also represent the United Daughters of the Confederacy funded a period prior to World War I when state-spon- similar action for the Confederate Monument. sored commissions and veterans worked A number of monuments have missing features together to erect such monuments throughout that were broken or stolen decades ago. Some of the nation. The park’s bookstores, operated by these missing features have been recovered in Eastern National, offer visitors a map that details recent years: One of the two granite cannon the locations of 156 monuments and 650-plus tubes from the 14th Ohio Battery Monument markers that interpret the battle, and all monu- were found buried in a barnyard 50 miles from ment details and locations are also organized in the park, and the inscribed iron brigade head- a computerized, searchable database. quarters star from the Tuttle monument was All monuments requiring joint and point discovered north of Nashville and has been work have received this treatment in the past restored to the Tuttle headquarters structure.

Although none of the park’s structures have and involved an unsuccessful attempt to remove been documented through historic structures a tube from the carriage onto a pickup bed. reports due to the costs associated with produc- Local residents use roads within the park ing these reports, staff use myriad other (including busy State Highway 22) to access the resources to guide the treatment and use of rural communities surrounding Shiloh. Two historic structures. These reference materials nearby drinking establishments add to the include the Southeast Cultural Resources problem, as customers drive to and from these Preservation Center’s document titled businesses by passing through the park. In addi- Preservation of Division, Brigade, and Mortuary tion to vandalism, incidents of damage from Monuments, the Shiloh National Battlefield Park vehicular collision with monuments have Historic Monument Survey Report prepared by occurred. Middle Tennessee State University, and a 2004 Park visitors on foot can also damage 49 preservation plan for the William Manse George resources, although much of the damage is

Cabin, as well as other materials prepared by the unintended. For example, careless leaning on or arks Park Service and university graduate students. To stepping on a monument may cause it to break. further supplement reference materials, the park The park works to educate the public about recently submitted a request for funds to inven- resource stewardship, but more rangers are tory and document historic structures. needed to stem intentional and unintentional ar National P Because the grounds are not secured with damage to monuments and markers. Three law gates at the close of park hours, Shiloh is at enforcement and four interpretive rangers (two s Civil W particular risk for vandalism or theft of cultural for each unit) would permit an aggressive resources. In the past vandals have painted or public contact program across the park.

marked (using blunt or sharp objects) graffiti The passage of time and the effects of ennessee’ T on monuments, torn down traffic and park weather also threaten monuments. Bronze information signs, damaged or destroyed monuments and markers require annual clean- picnic-area bathroom facilities, and purposely ing and cold wax treatments; masonry on state shattered the glass on the front door to the monuments requires regular care; and plaques visitor center. This type of behavior has also should be repainted every three years. The park occurred, although on a far limited scale, at has had a difficult time implementing a regular Corinth, where vandals scarred monuments in maintenance program, in light of its small staff the Corinth center courtyard by climbing over and lack of a sufficient cultural resource mainte- the wall after hours to ride skateboards in the nance budget. Given the other responsibilities closed area. As for theft of resources, Shiloh has associated with park operations, the park has experienced several incidents, including stolen been unable to devote any personnel solely to position markers; bronze tablets and features care for monuments, markers, and cannons. removed from monuments; cannon balls Instead, the park uses trained rangers, mainte- removed from the Confederate mass graves and nance staff, and, in some instances, volunteers the headquarters monuments; and on two occa- to maintain the monuments. Contractors sions the actual theft of cannon tubes from their complete major preservation and rehabilitation carriages. One of these thefts was completed at projects. Using contractors is often expensive, as night and the gun was recovered through inves- evidenced by the $50,000 recently spent to tigation, but only after the violators had ground paint all of the park’s historic markers. The park off the cannon’s important foundry numbers has requested an additional 2.4 full-time equiv- and inspection stamps. The other cannon theft alent employees to boost its ability to care for incident occurred during a winter afternoon monuments, markers, and cannons. CULTURAL LANDSCAPES—ADJACENT men buried in these trenches remain nameless, LAND USE THREATENS LANDSCAPE as swift disposal of the overwhelming number CHARACTER of bodies took precedence over identification. Cultural landscapes encompass natural and The trenches are marked by a simple row of human-made features, illustrating the ways cannonballs. people have altered and adapted to their The Shiloh Indian Mounds are another of surroundings through time. Park staff, with the park’s prominent cultural landscapes. They assistance from the Park Service’s Southeast are a group of nearly eight dozen prehistoric Regional Office, are in the process of preparing Indian mounds and houses identified as some a cultural landscape inventory for Shiloh of the most significant physical remains of pre- National Military Park. Eight landscapes have Columbian culture in existence. Evidence shows 50 been identified so far. that the mounds date beyond 600 years ago, The national cemetery is one of the park’s before the inhabitants of the area had contact

arks most visited and visible cultural landscapes. with European trade goods. Established in 1866 for the burial of Union Due to the park’s isolated location and the dead from the Battle of Shiloh, it contains 3,572 surrounding low population density, there has graves of Union soldiers (identities of 2,370 are been little disturbance to the landscape. Park

ar National P unknown), as well as interments from recent staff work to maintain undisturbed areas and The remains of more than eight dozen military engagements, such as the Vietnam War. restore those that have been altered by farming, houses, six large Park staff help family members locate ancestors construction that is incompatible with the s Civil W temple mounds, and buried at the cemetery. historic viewscape, or neglect. But outside the one burial mound are The cemetery, while honoring the dead, also park, incompatible use of adjacent private prop- evidence of a pre-

ennessee’ evokes a sense of sacrifice and tragedy, as do the erty threatens the character of the cultural land- T Columbian culture that once inhabited mass Confederate graves in the park. The cruel scapes at Shiloh. (See “Adjacent Land Use the Shiloh plateau. realities of war are particularly evident here; the Affects Park.”) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE None of the cultural landscapes at Shiloh have been evaluated through cultural landscape reports, the primary guides for treatment and use of cultural landscapes, though as with historic structures, the park uses a host of other NATIONAL PARK SERVICE reference materials to guide landscape preserva- tion and use. Cultural landscape reports cannot be done until the ongoing cultural landscape inventory is finished. The park has established landscape rehabilitation goals that include restoring damaged or missing battlefield markers and monuments; replacing defective 51 replica artillery carriages; re-establishing historic roads, fields, and orchards; and removing non- arks native vegetation. Funding for all of these proj- ects has been requested. In the case of markers, three separate castings have been funded during the past six years, with the first completed, the MUSEUM COLLECTION AND This historic photo ar National P second in progress, and the third awarded. ARCHIVES—PARK PROTECTS MORE shows steamboats tied up at Pittsburg These three projects will place seven dozen THAN 477,700 ITEMS Landing a few days s Civil W markers back in the park (replacing original Shiloh’s museum collections are varied, and after the Battle of markers lost to theft or simply damaged beyond include archaeological objects and field records, Shiloh. The boat in

repair by human activity, such as vehicle acci- as well as hundreds of items related to the 1862 the center is the ennessee’ T dents), as well as cast and erect a handful of Shiloh Battle, such as pocketknives, belt Tigress, which served as General Ulysses S. markers the original park battlefield commis- buckles, combs, pipes, firearms, and a Civil War Grant’s floating head- sion was unable to develop on account of artillery collection. Natural history items such as quarters. funding constraints. an herbarium, insect specimens, and mammal In addition to replacement of missing skins are also part of the collections. The park is markers, all of the historic cast-iron markers also fortunate to have an extensive collection of have been repainted (twice) since 2005. Shiloh documents, such as letters and diaries, written acquired 47 new ductile iron cannon carriages by those involved in the battle. The Southeast to begin the task of replacing the roughly 200 Archeological Center (SEAC) manages the brittle, century-old, cast-iron carriages, which majority of the park’s archaeological items. In have decayed over time. And in 2002, all aerial sum, Shiloh’s collections exceed 477,700 items. electrical transmission lines on the battlefield The exhibit quality at the park has been were removed and replaced underground, greatly enhanced with the addition of the new enhancing the historic and scenic character of (2004) Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. the battlefield. Though both visitor centers (Shiloh and While no historic architect is employed by Corinth) include displays of museum objects, Shiloh, the park receives assistance from staff the careful attention that has been given to the at the Park Service’s Southeast Regional Office. planning of the Corinth unit has resulted in a As the park is still in the process of formally far superior storytelling experience. Currently, identifying cultural landscapes, assistance Corinth is the recommended orientation point from regional staff meets the park’s needs at for visiting Shiloh. The park’s long-range inter- this time. pretive plan includes a proposal for a new visitor center or rehabilitation of the existing at SEAC or at the park that chronicle the initial facility at Shiloh, which would allow the park to Park Service administrative period at Shiloh better interpret the significance of the battle in would help to fill in gaps in its administrative the overall context of the war and display more history. Cataloging these documents is impera- objects from its museum collections. tive for their ultimate use in this regard. The park has met 97 percent of applicable While Shiloh does not employ a curator, due standards in the Park Service’s Checklist for the to lack of funding and personnel, its versatile Preservation and Protection of Museum staff step in as needed to serve as museum tech- Collections, but deficiencies remain. The park nicians. lacks a collection storage plan and an inte- grated pest management plan for museum and ETHNOGRAPHY (PEOPLE AND 52 archival objects. Exhibit cases also show secu- CULTURES)—PARK CONSULTS WITH rity and preservation vulnerabilities, such as CHICKASAW NATION

arks deteriorating seals that permit small insects to Historic records do not indicate that any enter the interior of the cases. The park’s American Indian people inhabited the Shiloh primary collection storage facility lacks a fire- area when European and American settlers suppression system. arrived; thus, the park does not have an

ar National P Shiloh’s Automated National Catalog ethnography program. Due to the lack of an This coat and gloves worn by Captain System database is well on its way to being up- ethnography program, the Center for State of Daniel Matson, who to-date, with 62 percent of the collection cata- the Parks did not assess or rate this cultural s Civil W served in an Iowa loged and entered into the system. The major- resource category. infantry regiment at ity of items that are entered in the database are The Chickasaw Nation, now completely the Battle of Shiloh,

ennessee’ in “good” or “excellent” condition. Most of the located in Oklahoma, represent one of the T represent his later war service material remaining to be cataloged is stored off primary groups in existence today that share commanding a site at SEAC, and constitutes the remainder of commonalities with the mound builders who battery in the Fourth the artifacts, soil and carbon samples, and once lived at Shiloh. For this reason and U.S. Colored Heavy records and archives related to the recent because the land upon which the park sits was Artillery. They are part of the park’s Mound A investigation. ceded by the Chickasaw Nation through treaty, museum collection. The park’s 1995 collection management plan the park has maintained a relationship with recommends updating Shiloh’s scope of collec- the Chickasaw Nation and continues to tions statement (SOCS). (The current SOCS, consult with them on matters relating to the dated 1985, was prepared in a format no longer mounds, especially archaeological projects. used by the park system.) The plan also places a The park has established a memorandum of priority on inclusion of the Indian Mounds in understanding—one of the first of its kind NATIONAL PARK SERVICE the SOCS. within the Park Service—with the Chickasaw About 20 percent of the park’s 168,381 total council of elders that guides the handling of archival items have not been cataloged. Most of any human remains discovered at the mounds the backlogged items are stored at SEAC and are site. The park also presented the tribe with a field records and reports associated with the replica of the remarkably intact effigy pipe Mound A excavation, as well as some park discovered at Shiloh in 1899. administrative documents representing early Park Service interpretive efforts and resource management of the park. SEAC staff will catalog these items as the facility’s schedule and other responsibilities allow. Any existing documents NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

53 arks ar National P s Civil W ennessee’ T

NATURAL RESOURCES—FORESTS noise, and the risk of collisions between The Shiloh battlefield AND FIELDS HARBOR MANY SPECIES wildlife (e.g., deer) and vehicles. is located in a rural setting. Part of the The park supports a diverse array of plant battlefield is The assessment rated the overall condition of and animal species, and habitat conditions composed of historic natural resources at Shiloh National Military are better than at times in the past. Even so, agricultural fields Park a 79 out of 100, which ranks park researchers conducting surveys have noted present in 1862, resources in “fair” condition. (The Corinth that certain field maintenance practices nega- roughly half of which are currently unit of the park was not included in the tively affect some wildlife. These practices managed through an natural resources assessment, due to its urban may be limiting the size of populations of agricultural hay lease location.) species living in the park, and they may also program using local The battlefield is located in a rural setting, be limiting the use of the park by additional farmers. bordered by four small, unincorporated wildlife species. communities totaling fewer than 125 people. Although the population density is low, public access to park roads contributes pollution, Staff plant trees in one of the park’s historic orchards, important features of the cultural land- NATIONAL PARK SERVICE scape present in April 1862 when the momentous battle was fought here.

54 arks ar National P s Civil W ennessee’ T

PLANTS AND LICHENS—NATIVE SPECIES “vulnerable”—at moderate risk of extinction. DOMINATE MOST COMMUNITIES The five communities at Shiloh classified as G2 Shiloh National Military Park is composed of or G3 are: White Oak/Red Oak Dry-Mesic Acid mixed hardwood forest and historic agricultural Forest; Southern Red Oak Flatwoods Forest; fields. A 2004 vascular plant inventory identi- Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain Chinquapin fied 27 separate plant communities within Oak/Mixed Oak/Hickory Forest; Central these two broad vegetative types. Only one of Interior-Upland-Cherrybark Oak Forest; and these 27 plant communities is dominated by Interior Forested Acid Seep. non-native species. Park uplands are dominated by oaks—white While no federally listed threatened or (Quercus alba), willow (Quercus phellos), south- endangered plant species are found at Shiloh, ern red (Quercus falcata), post (Quercus stellata), five plant communities identified in the 2004 and blackjack (Quercus marilandica)—as well as study warrant special attention, due to shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), American elm NatureServe Global Conservation Status rank- (Ulmus americana), eastern red cedar (Juniperus ings for some of their species. A G2 ranking virginiana), shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), and defines a species as “imperiled”—at high risk for black walnut (Juglans nigra). Ravines in the park extinction due to restricted range, few popula- are dominated by sweetgum (Liquidambar tions (often 20 or fewer), steep declines, or styraciflua), American sycamore (Platanus occi- other factors. A G3 ranking defines a species as dentalis), tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera), and American basswood (Tilia americana var. hetero- broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus) provide phylla). The park’s bottomlands are dominated food and habitat for grassland birds, and by cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda), sweetgum, benefit both game and non-game wildlife and river birch (Betula nigra). species. Virtually all forest currently growing on the Since 1862, the park’s landscape has battlefield dates to the years after the battle changed: About 160 acres of open fields have itself due to land use practices predating park disappeared as a result of advancing forest or establishment, park management policies, and agricultural use, while other fields increased in natural forest succession. Only a handful of size, between 1862 and 1894, due to additional old-growth trees that actually date to the battle forest clearing by residents. The original park period (primarily oak and hickory) remain in commission began the process of restoring the the Owl Creek bottomland, in approximately landscape to conditions at the time of the battle, 55 200 acres of Virgin Bottomland Oak/Hickory by restoring the roads, woodlots, and defining

Forest (a plant community rare in western the original field boundaries. This work has arks Tennessee). These old-growth trees represent continued with brief interruptions throughout the last remnants of the original forest cover the park’s history. In an effort to return the land- (i.e., trees that were present at the time of scape to its original battlefield appearance, battle) at Shiloh. beginning in the 1960s, approximately 600 ar National P The remainder of the park includes 24 acres of cleared areas have been allowed to historic fields, maintained as part of the battle- return to native forest conditions. Since 1992, s Civil W field landscape. Although row crops are no two historic fields (Stacy and Larkin Bell Fields), longer cultivated in the fields, due to risk of soil which had been completely encroached on by

erosion and the need for pesticides, the park forest, have been cleared. To rehabilitate the ennessee’

Peach blossoms T leases 270 acres of fields to local farmers who historic fields, park staff used heavy equipment, bring color to the grow hay and millet crops. Park staff and chain saws, and hand tools to physically remove battlefield landscape. The trees must be farmers who hold leases mow fields and other trees, tree stumps, and brush. Only the most carefully managed grassy areas to maintain the landscape as it mature hickory and oak trees were preserved as because they are appeared at the time of the 1862 battle. Mowing part of the effort to re-create historic conditions; prone to damage grass very short, mowing in wetlands, and the trees also benefit wildlife. from insects and mowing to the forest edge without a buffer zone A vegetation study, begun in 2006, is under pathogens. Recently the orchard has all alter bird habitat, and biologists conducting way to characterize and map the vegetation of suffered only minor inventories at Shiloh believe these practices all park units in the Cumberland Piedmont damage from these contribute to the low occurrence of grassland Network (CUPN), of which Shiloh is a part. threats. and shrub-scrub bird species in the park. A 2006 This project will result in a comprehensive vege- study of reptiles and amphibians in the park tation database providing spatial data and also identified mowing practices as hazardous mapping capabilities for individual parks, to these species (see the “Wildlife” section for including Shiloh. Shiloh’s vegetation map is

details). expected to be completed this year (2009). NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Some fields managed by the park are seeded Another CUPN project identified and docu- with non-native tall fescue (Schedonorus mented the park’s wetlands. phoenix) or fescue species (Festuca spp.) and Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon). The park’s use of commercial, non-native grass seed is also thought to contribute to the dearth of certain bird species; in contrast, native grasses such as

NATURAL AND HUMAN-CAUSED DISTURBANCE AT SHILOH

Shiloh National Military Park’s ecosystems Fire. Human-caused fire has played a are susceptible to change from a variety of central role in shaping the landscape at disturbances. While some are considered Shiloh. According to historical records, natural, others are human-caused or human- much of the forested area in the park was accelerated. open range maintained by 19th-century settlers through fire and livestock grazing. Natural Events. Flooding in the park occurs During the War Department’s administra- 56 at least once every three years in low-lying tion of the area from 1894 to 1933, fire was areas near the Tennessee River, as well as in used extensively to maintain open areas the Owl Creek watershed. In 1954 heavy and pastures. Prescribed burning ended in

arks rains washed away more than 20,000 cubic 1933 when the Park Service took over yards of Tennessee riverbank soil, sloughing administration. away vegetation and large trees. The historic Lightning-induced or human-caused fires Pittsburg Landing site along the river was are of concern, as they are considered a ar National P destroyed at that time. Some flooding has threat to the park’s historic forest landscape been human-caused—park staff believe that and Civil War resources. The current fire the channelization of Owl Creek in 1975 (off- policy is immediate suppression. Fuel loads s Civil W site) has increased flooding events in have increased significantly since controlled wetlands in the park. burning ended in 1933. For years, park staff

ennessee’ Two major ice storms in 1951 and 1994 have used mechanical fuel reduction activi- T downed many trees at Shiloh. Hundreds of ties to reduce accumulated fuel loads near trees were destroyed and thousands were cultural resources and along the park’s urban damaged by the 1951 storm; in the 1994 interface with adjoining private lands and storm, 8,100 trees were killed or heavily residential areas. The park maintains a fire- damaged. Areas damaged from the ice break along the full extent of its exterior storms have since recovered. boundaries. Controlled burns to reduce Chinese privet and Japanese honeysuckle Pathogens and Pests. Some pathogens and maintain open wooded areas for battle- and pests are associated with the non- field interpretation are also being consid- native peach trees in the park’s small peach ered, but removal of these species remains orchard, which is a historical part of the mechanical and with topical treatments, battlefield landscape. The orchard patch using the Southeast Exotic Plant consists of approximately eight acres of Management Team. trees of varying ages. The trees are prone to damage from insects, such as the Fragmentation. Twenty-three miles of peachtree borer (Synanthedon exitiosa), roads (paved and unpaved) and 18 miles of and pathogens such as bacterial leaf spot hiking trails fragment the park’s forest cover (Xanthomonas campestris pv. pruni), and (see map on page 34). Maintaining the fungal peach canker (Cytospora leucos- park’s cultural landscape requires modifica- toma and C. cincta), but recently the tion of some roads to resemble the historic orchard has suffered only minor damage road system present during the battle of due to these threats. Shiloh. Planning is ongoing to realign some historic roads, remove asphalt from nonhis- toric roads, asphalt some gravel roads, and reconstruct the Brown’s Landing/Dill Branch Road damaged by erosion of the Tennessee River. The improvements are NATIONAL PARK SERVICE expected to have short-term impacts, such as disturbing soil and vegetation, and temporarily displacing some wildlife. In the long term, the modifications will improve natural conditions, resulting in additional cover and habitat. 57 Dams and Riverbank Alteration. The

Shiloh Riverbank Stabilization Project has arks been a high priority in the park for nearly four decades. When the Tennessee Valley Authority impounded the Tennessee River to create Kentucky and Pickwick Lakes in ar National P the 1930s and ’40s, portions of the park’s shoreline (as well as areas outside the park) s Civil W suffered severe erosion, due to increased water currents, the rise and fall of the river, and the removal of shoreline vegetation to ennessee’ T eliminate obstructions to navigation; major landslides occurred in 1973 at the Shiloh Indian Mounds. Since 1984, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), in cooperation Visitor Impacts. Visitor impacts to natural Flooding and erosion with the Park Service, has developed and resources at Shiloh are limited to soil along the Tennessee River have been a initiated several stream bank protection erosion and soil compaction along hiking problem at the park and restoration plans at Shiloh. After addi- trails, at driving tour stops, and existing for decades. This tional landslides in 1997, the COE road pull-off areas. picture shows flood- proposed a new bank stabilization project ing at Pittsburg to halt further erosion on 5,700 feet of Poaching. Wildlife poaching occurs at park Landing in 2001. The Shiloh Riverbank edges year-round. White-tailed deer are shoreline. The final stabilization phase was Stabilization Project completed in 2008, resulting in a new most often targeted, but other animals such was completed in causeway to replace the existing Browns as wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) are also 2008, measures that Landing Road/Dill Branch Road causeway, poached. To counter this activity, the park should protect the park’s riverbank from as well as improvements to a box culvert in has initiated a public awareness and educa- further catastrophic the Dill Branch that drains into the tion program, stepped up its limited law erosion. Tennessee River. The entire 1.75 miles of enforcement capacity, and works coopera- the park’s eastern boundary/shoreline is tively with area Tennessee Wildlife now protected from erosion by rock riprap. Resources Agency officers to monitor the park and protect wildlife from poaching. well as the open water of the Tennessee River, provide important foraging habitat for bats. A 2003–2004 bird inventory detected a total of 186 species, representing only 59 percent of NATIONAL PARK SERVICE the 315 species that might be expected to occur in the area. The numbers and diversity of grass- land bird species was less than expected for Shiloh, leaving researchers to speculate that the park’s mowing practices could affect available habitat. A historic field near Corinth and Reconnoitering Road, one that includes a mix of 58 native grasses and is mown less frequently than other fields, was found to contain the most

arks field-obligate species—birds that depend on open fields, such as grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum). The study noted that important bird and amphibian habitat also

ar National P The park is home to WILDLIFE—WIDE VARIETY OF ANIMALS exists in the beaver ponds paralleling the 186 species of birds. FIND SANCTUARY Tennessee River near Riverside Drive (Browns Some of them make Shiloh National Military Park is home to 37 Ferry Road). This wetland area provides nesting s Civil W their homes in unusual places, such mammal, 186 bird, 51 fish, and 41 reptile and habitat for some birds and attracts a multitude as this cannon tube. amphibian species. A survey conducted in 2007 of migrants in spring and fall; waterfowl may be

ennessee’ suggests that overall mammal populations are viewed here in winter. Several breeding pairs of T abundant at Shiloh, with no significant bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) hunt in the changes observed since a previous study in park, and the first successful bald eagle nesting 1984. However, some populations of animals on record in the park occurred in early 2008. such as beaver (Castor canadensis) and river Reptiles and amphibians are important otter (Lontra canadensis) have increased. Top- components of the park’s terrestrial and aquatic level mammal predators at Shiloh include ecosystems. A 2006 inventory identified bobcat (Lynx rufus), coyote (Canis latrans), red Shiloh’s mowing practices as hazardous to fox (Vulpes vulpes), and gray fox (Urocyon reptile and amphibian species, and suggested cinereoargenteus). The most common large that some species of snakes and turtles were herbivores in the park are white-tailed deer being maimed and killed by mowing machin- (Odocoileus virginianus), whose regional popu- ery. Additionally, mowing into the marshy areas lations have increased; park staff have noted of ponds creates turbidity in the water and spikes in deer populations, which are believed reduces canopy over these wetlands, causing to be due to development pressures on adja- more rapid evaporation due to exposure to cent land, as well as natural climatic events direct sunlight. such as flooding or drought that force deer to A baseline study of fish species conducted seek temporary food and shelter at Shiloh. from 1995 to 1997 along Shiloh’s small spring- Shiloh provides suitable habitat for at least fed streams found 51 species. All were native, seven species of bats. One species, the gray bat with the exception of one species—yellow perch (Myotis grisescens), is federally listed as endan- (Perca flavescens). The study concluded that the gered. Permanent water bodies in the park, such streams originating within Shiloh are biologi- as the Owl Creek wetlands and Bloody Pond, as cally diverse and have intact ecosystems. NON-NATIVES SPECIES—SOME in high impact/heavily used visitor areas are PLANTS AND ANIMALS ARE OUT OF treated with poison bait, but they are less easily PLACE AT SHILOH controlled in the park’s natural areas, where Eighty-eight species of non-native, invasive treatment is applied to nests located along roads plants occur in the park; 16 have been singled and inside the open fields, particularly the out as posing the greatest threats to native edges, where this species prefers to build its species and ecological communities. These habitations. species are considered aggressive due to their After Bloody Pond was pumped completely ability to outcompete and replace native species. dry for maintenance in 1989, it was stocked Invasive plant management is a priority at with fish—yellow perch, bluegill (Lepomis Shiloh. The park recently partnered with the macrochirus), dollar sunfish (Lepomis margina- 59 Southeast Exotic Plant Management Team, tus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), headquartered at Blue Ridge Parkway. In 2006, and grass carp or white amur (Tenopharyngodon the team treated wisteria (Wisteria frutescens), idella)—to consume aquatic vegetation and arks Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), mimosa pond debris, and to control undesirable insects. (Albizia julibrissin), crepe myrtle (Hagerstroemia Bluegills and sunfish were stocked specifically indica), and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera to control mosquito larvae; largemouth bass japonica) at four separate locations in the park. were stocked to control the sunfish population, ar National P In addition to treating non-native plants, the and white amur were introduced to consume park addresses concerns relating to nine-banded the vegetation in and around the perimeter of s Civil W armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), feral dogs the pond. Yellow perch appear to have been in Nine-banded (Canis familiaris), and stinging fire ants with the other stocked species. Biologists armadillos were first

(Solenopsis wagneri). believe that the introduced fish species are nega- ennessee’ recorded at Shiloh in T Nine-banded armadillo populations, first tively affecting the pond’s amphibian popula- 1975. Park managers recorded in 1975, are increasing in the park. tion through predation. Eliminating all but the are concerned the animals could disturb Sometime in the 19th century, populations of white amur could be a solution, as only the cultural landscapes amur are important for their role in preventing this animal began to move north from Mexico, and archaeological through natural range expansion. The animals the pond—an important cultural resource— sites by burrowing root and burrow, which has park managers from being overgrown by vegetation. and rooting. concerned that they will disturb cultural land- scapes and archaeological sites. Staff routinely report both feral dogs and cats in the park. Feral dogs have been known to travel in packs that pose threats to park visitors and wildlife. Hardin County does not operate an animal shelter, so park staff adopt feral animals themselves or, if the animals pose a JOHN AND KAREN HOLLINGSWORTH/USFWS threat, the law enforcement rangers shoot indi- vidual animals or entire packs. Stinging fire ants are considered a public safety concern and a possible threat to terrestrial wildlife in the park. The ants sting people, sometimes eliciting allergic reactions, and they can kill native ground-nesting birds and amphibians and reptiles. Fire ant populations AIR AND WATER QUALITY—OZONE the Tennessee River on its eastern boundary (to LEVELS PUT PLANTS AT RISK low-water mark), and other smaller tributaries The Park Service does not directly monitor air and streams, many of which are in excellent quality at Shiloh; instead, data from monitor- condition. Staff from the Cumberland ing sites in other national parks that are part of Piedmont Network sampled water from 2004 to the Park Service’s 14-park Cumberland 2006 at eight sites in the park, as part of a long- Piedmont Network, as well as data from other term water-quality monitoring program. Water federal and state-operated sites, are used to temperature, pH, specific conductance, extrapolate air quality at Shiloh. Regional air dissolved oxygen, acid-neutralizing capacity, quality is also monitored under the Clean Air and fecal coliform (E. coli) tests were performed. 60 Status and Trends Network (CASTNet) and The main parameter of concern was the low through the Interagency Monitoring of level of dissolved oxygen found at the Glover Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) (Tilghman) Branch watershed. The dissolved

arks program, both funded through the oxygen at the Glover Branch site dropped below Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state standards on several occasions. While the other agencies. According to analyses of data exact causative agent has not been fully identi- from these sources, long-term trends indicate fied, researchers consider this to be a natural ar National P pollution is decreasing and visibility is improv- condition. ing, although ozone remains an issue. While relatively isolated from population RESEARCH AND MONITORING—MANY s Civil W centers, Shiloh is affected by emissions from a SURVEYS UNDER WAY pulp and paper mill in nearby Counce, Shiloh is one of 14 parks participating in the

ennessee’ Tennessee. While emissions from the pulp mill Cumberland Piedmont Network (CUPN) Vital T are considered low and are no longer moni- Signs Monitoring Program. Ongoing CUPN tored by EPA, odor from the mill is sometimes studies at Shiloh include a vegetation classifica- Permanent water noticeable in the park. Agricultural operations, tion and mapping survey, a wetland delineation bodies in the park, such as the Owl Creek motor vehicles, commercial shipping, and recre- study, and the creation of geo-referenced data- wetlands and Bloody ational boating in the region also contribute bases for mapping purposes. Future monitoring Pond (shown here), as pollution to the airshed. through the network is expected to provide well as the open water A study conducted by the Cumberland information on vegetation communities, non- of the Tennessee Piedmont Network in 2004 found that ozone native plants, forest pests, and landscape River, provide impor- tant foraging habitat levels at Shiloh put plants at high risk of leaf dynamics. The University of Memphis and the for bats. damage. Currently, 13 ozone-sensitive species University of Arkansas are conducting baseline occur in the park—six of these plants serve as research on macroinvertebrates and myceto- bioindicators (species indicative of ecosystem zoans (slime molds). A report on the park’s health): redbud (Cercis canadensis), white ash aquatic insects, conducted by the U.S. (Fraxinus americana), tuliptree (Liriodendron Geological Survey, will be completed in 2009.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE tulipifera), American sycamore, black cherry And through cooperation with the University of (Prunus serotina), and American elder (Sambucus Memphis, a new mammal survey has been canadensis). Plants at Shiloh will be monitored completed. for foliar ozone damage this year (2009), through the Cumberland Piedmont Network’s Vital Signs Monitoring Program. In addition to the Owl Creek watershed and Bloody Pond, water resources at Shiloh include NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

61 arks ar National P s Civil W ennessee’ T

STEWARDSHIP CAPACITY do not cover all costs. Important projects Volunteers dressed in remain undone at Shiloh, due to funding short- period clothing teach park visitors about FUNDING AND STAFFING—SHORTFALLS falls. A new orientation film and rehabilitation rural farm life during HINDER RESOURCE PROTECTION of the auditorium at the Shiloh Battlefield the Civil War era. Stewardship capacity details how well equipped Visitor Center will cost an estimated $750,000; the Park Service is to protect the parks. The most $2 million is required to construct a mainte- significant factor affecting the park’s ability to nance facility to support the Corinth unit. In protect its resources is the funding a park addition, the park needs funds to acquire the receives from Congress. The operational budget remaining acreage authorized by Congress. for Shiloh National Military Park was $2.19 Because of staffing vacancies and shortfalls, million in fiscal year 2008, an increase of current employees at Shiloh have taken on addi- $360,000 from 2007. While the park’s budget tional responsibilities to provide services and has increased slightly each year, the park has protect resources. Five of 15 permanent posi- grown in size and complexity with the acquisi- tions in the Interpretation and Resource tion of the Corinth unit, and budget increases Management Division, commonly referred to as ment needs assessments indicate that Shiloh needs three additional full-time equivalent law enforcement positions to effectively protect visi- tors and resources. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Because they are saddled with other duties beyond interpretation, the staff of seven perma- nent interpretation rangers is able to meet the demand for special programs for school groups and history organizations from September through May, but is unable to give the general public the same range of day-to-day programs 62 that are provided from May through August when temporary personnel beef up the interpre-

arks tive division. The park needs an additional four full-time equivalent staff (two at each unit) to address this need. The park has also identified the need for 2.4

ar National P full-time equivalent staff to care for and repair its thousands of monuments, markers, and cannons. s Civil W Recently, a new organizational format was approved for the park. It includes the addition

ennessee’ of three supervisory personnel—one for law T enforcement and two for interpretation (one each for the Shiloh and Corinth units). These new positions will lighten the supervisory responsibilities for the park’s chief ranger, allowing him to focus on strategic planning and program management. Funds are needed to hire these approved positions.

PLANNING—KEY DOCUMENTS NEED Costumed inter- the Ranger Division, are vacant. Four of the REVISION preters provide positions have been vacant for more than two Several key management plans guide protection programs for park years; one of them (the park historian) has been of resources at Shiloh; some of these are seri- visitors. But with only seven permanent unfilled for seven years. In addition, the facility ously out-of-date. Because of the recent legisla- interpretation manager position was recently vacated due to a tion expanding the park to include land rangers, the park is retirement and took six months to fill. During resources in Mississippi, updating plans is unable to provide the the time positions are vacant, remaining staff extremely important. Shiloh’s general manage- same range of must take on additional duties. Recent vacancies ment plan (GMP) was written in 1981. The park programs from September through in law enforcement resulted in the park’s chief has documented the need for a new plan, but May as it is able to ranger being forced to work two separate two- must wait its turn on the Park Service-wide GMP provide with the help month periods without any days off. At this priority schedule. Shiloh’s resource management of seasonal staff from time, only two of three law enforcement posi- plan, last updated in 1999, describes the status May through August. tions have been filled, and recent law enforce- of the park’s natural, cultural, and historical resources, discusses threats to its resources, and 2002 to 2005 to explore the development of a provides recommendations for corrective action. long-range interpretive plan for Shiloh. The The Park Service is phasing out resource manage- resulting plan has been completed and is under- ment plans in favor of resource stewardship going final preparations for publication. strategies. The park is awaiting permission and funds to begin a resource stewardship strategy. RESOURCE EDUCATION—MORE STAFF, Shiloh’s land protection plan (2002) is more NEW ORIENTATION FILM NEEDED current, and describes how the park intends to Interpretive staff at Shiloh present numerous protect the resources within its authorized formal interpretive walks, talks, and demonstra- boundaries, laying out management priorities, tions throughout the year—intermittently from needs, and means to acquire additional lands September through May (off-season), and daily for this purpose. from Memorial Day through mid-August. In 63 The park’s fire management plan (2003) addition, the park offers special events (22 in outlines Shiloh’s fire management activities. 2007), many involving group-sponsored living arks Shiloh’s current fire policy calls for immediate history programs and demonstrations depicting fire suppression, but the park is considering various aspects of Civil War history. In 2007, 833 limited use of prescribed fire as a management formal interpretive programs were delivered to tool to reduce the risk of wildland fires and 33,609 visitors, both on-site and at other loca- ar National P manage non-native and invasive species. tions such as schools. Another 27,244 people Finally, three workshops were held from were reached through informal interactions. s Civil W

Students gather next to an interpretive ennessee’

water feature at the T Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center NATIONAL PARK SERVICE to participate in a ranger-led education program on the causes and conse- quences of the Civil War. The Shiloh Battle story is the primary theme History” water feature punctuates the stories told interpreted in the park. Subordinate themes in the center exhibits, and provides visitors with include the Indian mounds story and the envi- the opportunity to reflect upon the importance ronmental story. Natural resources themes of the Civil War and the significance that local interpreted focus on birding, wildlife, and events had on the history of the nation. The foliage. courtyard also provides a contemplative atmos- Interpretation at the park is also carried out at phere for visitors to come to an understanding the two visitor centers. The Corinth facility in of the war’s issues, consequences, meaning, and Mississippi is a shining example of a modern significance to their lives. National Park Service visitor center. It includes In contrast to the Corinth facility, the Shiloh the Battle of Shiloh walk-in mini-theater, which Battlefield Visitor Center in Tennessee could use 64 offers a compelling audio-visual reenactment some improvements. For example, the educa- presentation of the two-day battle, which was tional film shown to visitors dates to 1956. A

arks actually filmed on the historic Tennessee battle- new film and rehabilitation of the auditorium field. The walk-in Corinth mini-theater provides would cost $750,000. The park’s long-range interpretation of the 1862 siege and battle of interpretive plan includes a proposal for reno- Corinth, told from a modern perspective that vating the existing visitor center or building a

ar National P relates the story of the military events portrayed new visitor center at Shiloh. against a backdrop of modern views of the exist- ing cultural resources (landscapes, buildings, EXTERNAL SUPPORT—VOLUNTEERS s Civil W etc.), with the use of historic photos, maps, and AND PARTNERS HELP PROTECT graphics. In addition to traditional exhibits, the RESOURCES

ennessee’ Corinth center provides visitors with the oppor- For the past decade, Shiloh has been able to T Volunteers help park tunity to explore and learn more about the meet management goals through a steady and staff accomplish a people of the region and the war events they dedicated volunteer work force. Volunteers host of projects. In experienced through the use of interactive multi- assist staff with interpretation, especially 2007, 582 volunteers provided 7,364 service media programming. A commemorative court- through living history programs. They also hours to the park. yard with the thematic “Stream of American contribute hours on resources management projects (both natural and cultural), staff visitor service information stations, and assist with crowd and traffic control during special events. In 2007, 582 volunteers provided 7,364 service hours to the park. While the park does not NATIONAL PARK SERVICE employ a volunteer coordinator, the chief of interpretation and resources management has taken on this additional responsibility. Strong partnerships with other agencies and organizations benefit the park. Eastern National, Friends of the Siege and Battle of Corinth, Friends of Shiloh Battlefield, the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, and the Civil War Preservation Trust are among the groups that have served enthusiastically as advocates for resource protection, contributing money, land, and volunteer services to Shiloh.