U.S. MILITARY CEMETERY AND CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELD-SHILOH

The visitors center for the Civil War battlefield at Shiloh is located near Savannah, Tennessee. We stopped there and saw a 45 minute, excellent film re-enactment of this important, strategic battle before venturing into the park. The U.S. National Military Cemetery is close to the Visitors Center.

A sad but meaningful walk among those who gave all dots the landscape.

It is a reminder that every state was involved in the Civil War when you see Iowa, Ohio, and Michigan on the tombstones.

Markers like this, of the unidentified soldier outnumber those identified of the 3500 men buried here.

Cannon balls and barrels mark this spot where once a huge tree sheltered General Grant.


Positioned cannon are located and pointed in the direction of the battle. The battle ground covers an area of three miles and we drove from stop to stop.  There are many tombstones along the route that  indicate where the bodies fell. The Confederate bodies were buried in two mass graves.

The visitors center has pictures of idealistic young men going off to stand for their country. The youngest soldier in this battle according to historians was 16. Most were aged 21 to 30. The youngest person in the battle was not a soldier.

It is hard to believe this ten-year old boy served as a drummer and marched to war, most likely along with his father. Each regiment had a young drummer as part of the corp, most of them were 12 to 15 years old. Incomprehensible to me.

Visiting the battlefield was meaningful after the film which explained the importance and the strategies both failed and successful of both sides. It re-enacts those people who witnessed, who wrote letters, who survived to tell the tale; and a sad tale of unimaginable carnage is told here. It also makes one remember the word unity that Lincoln spoke so eloquently about at the close of the war. Unfortunately, with his assassination, that unity did not come about and that same problem resonates to this day. History’s lessons are soon forgotten. If you travel along this major waterway, the Tennessee River, make Shiloh a place to stop and remember.

THE MORMONS WERE HERE

Believe it or not, there was once an oasis in Las Vegas, which is how Las Vegas got its name from the Spaniards, meaning, The Meadows. Paiutes lived here for thousands of years before the Spanish came through, moving their goods and cattle from Santa Fe to Los Angeles without having to go all the way back through Mexico to get there.  They formed the Old Spanish Trail. The water here was critical to getting across a barren section of formidable desert.

 A permanent settlement was started by the Mormons  in 1855. They wanted a way station between Utah and Los Angeles. They built a fort here but abandoned it by 1857. They had leadership difficulties, couldn't grow enough food and gave up. But, they had established a Post Office and others soon took up residence here and began ranching. The flag with 19 stars was the first flag that flew over Las Vegas. And the fort pictured above is just a replica from descriptions and pictures of what it looked like. Only a small portion of the original fort remains. 

Helen and Archibald Stewart took up ranching on this spot in 1882. He was killed in a gunfight at the Kiel Ranch two years later. Helen received this message from her husband's killer. Bring horses and a wagon. Come and get your husband. He is dead. She had few choices but to carry on with her three children. She built up the ranch, increased the herds and was honored by the State for being the First Lady of Las Vegas. The town that formed around her ranch of 2000 acres and was officially named Las Vegas in 1893. The Old Las Vegas Mormon State Historic Park is small and easy to do. They only charge $1 to visit. And, on some Saturdays they have Civil War Re-enactments on the grounds.

 

For us, in a gesture of friendship, these Confederate and Union soldiers shook hands.

Jim and I joined the re-enactors and had pictures taken in our costumes.

Avie Ward participates by making the dress that I wore, and presenting the female side of the Civil War Period. She told me that 450 known women soldiers fought in the Civil War. Most likely more than 450, but those that were wounded or killed were discovered to be women. They cut their hair to resemble boys, and because they were smooth skinned, sometimes became spies at the request of their commanders.  To dress up as women was easy for them, of course.

Avie educated me to the intricacies of womens dress and embellishments. The heart around her neck contains a piece of fabric saturated with perfume so a woman could stomach the stink of standing next to an unwashed man with unwashed clothing. She could hold the piece up to her nose and sniff perfume while talking to them.

A flattened and bent spoon was slipped into her waist cincher (I've already forgotten the name for that waist piece) to hold her "reticule" (purse) which carried all of her essentials. A fan, money clip, perfume, and so on. The reticule is hand tatted by Avie, a skill that is almost extinct. I so admire someone who can tat because I tried it a long time ago and failed at tatting. Its beautiful work.

On her opposing side, hangs her "chatelaine". A piece of jewelry in effect, with scissors, thread, needles and other necessaries.

And, a bold woman might carry a derringer in her garter for protection. (Avie's is a small replica). This was such a fun place to visit. Oh, and I almost forgot. I've always heard slot machines called the one armed bandits. In this museum was a cardboard replica of one.