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Shiloh: The First Great Battle of the Civil War:
A Seminar and Field & Walking Tour - April
18-21 – based in Corinth, MS
with Charles P. Roland, John F. Marszalek and Timothy B. Smith |
Even before it
starts, we suspect that this may become our most memorable program of 2012. Almost 150 years to the day of the first great battle of the Civil War, we will
assemble in Corinth. Mississippi for scholarly presentations on, and a comprehensive
tour of the pristine battlefield of, Shiloh - led by
· Charles P. Roland, the dean of Shiloh scholars and the biographer of
Albert Sidney Johnston;
· John F. Marszalek, the biographer of William Tecumseh Sherman and Henry
W. Halleck, and the Executive Director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association;
· Timothy B. Smith, the leading tour guide of the Shiloh battlefield!
Add in the near-perfect
temperature, the peach blossoms, and the hearty Southern home-cookin’ – and it
doesn’t get any better than this!
But it wasn’t a
springtime idyll on April 6-7, 1862, when Confederates led by Albert
Sidney Johnston and Federals led by Ulysses S. Grant engaged in a
titanic struggle on the fields of western Tennessee. The battle would claim
13,000 Federal and 10,700 Confederate casualties, five times the losses at Bull
Run. Johnston, in whom the Confederacy had placed great hope, was killed. His
loss, and the lessons that Grant and William T. Sherman learned about
the risks of underestimating the Confederates, would affect the operations of
both sides for the rest of the war. Shiloh gave notice that the war would be
destructive beyond imagination, and it would change the course of the Civil War.
On Wednesday evening, we will open in Corinth with a welcome reception. On Thursday morning, after a brief campaign overview, we will hear two
scholarly presentations – Confederate Leadership at Shiloh - by Charles
Roland, and Union Leadership at Shiloh - by John Marszalek.
Then we’ll board our bus and head to the rail depot in Corinth where the tracks
of the Memphis & Charleston and Mobile & Ohio railroads
cross, a location that clearly depicts why the fighting in 1862 came to the
northern Mississippi/southwest Tennessee region. After lunch in Corinth, we’ll
drive to Shiloh National Military Park and begin visiting the sites in the
chronological order of the battle.
On Friday morning, we’ll return to Shiloh and continue to walk the
ground of the first day of the battle. We will visit the site of the mortal
wounding of the great Confederate leader Albert Sidney Johnston. We’ll learn
how P. G. T. Beauregard, Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant showed
themselves to be novices in waging war, making errors of the first magnitude,
either of strategy or tactics. We’ll assess the performances of the soldiers,
Blue and Gray, many of whom were “seeing the elephant” for the first time, as
they fought valiantly at hallowed sites we’ll visit such as the Hornet’s
Nest, the Sunken Road, the Peach Orchard and the Bloody
Pond.
On Saturday morning, we’ll again visit the Shiloh
battlefield, this time to examine the actions of the battle’s second day, a
part of the story that is often overlooked. We’ll complete our battlefield tour
and arrive back in Corinth at about 4:00 PM.
Throughout the program
we’ll host you generously:
· Thursday’s lunch will be at Ryan’s Buffet in Corinth
· on Thursday evening, we invite you to visit our hospitality suite for beer, bourbon, sodas and snacks - and to enjoy the company of our
historian/guides and one another
· Friday’s lunch will be on the banks of the Tennessee River at the fabled Hagy’s Catfish Hotel - you’ll
have a choice of catfish, chicken or country ham - plus hush puppies and
a bevy of tangy sides
· on Friday evening, we’ll
enjoy a delicious dinner at the popular Dinner Bell Steak & Fish restaurant in Corinth – afterwards we’ll be treated to some delightful reminiscences, by the world’s
greatest raconteur, Charlie Roland, of some of his relatives and colorful
characters who lived in Corinth when he was a young man.
· on Saturday we’ll have a picnic lunch on the Shiloh battlefield.
Our bus will be comfortable
and air-conditioned, and the walking involved will not be
arduous – the pace will be sensible and sane. And at all times we will have
a support vehicle nearby the group in case you want to sit out a stretch
or hitch a ride ahead.
We hope you’ll join our outstanding
team of Charles Roland, John Marszalek and Tim Smith for this comprehensive strategic and tactical study & tour of the epic
battle of Shiloh. If you ever have thought about visiting Shiloh, this is
the time and this is the team with which to visit this most pristine
and unspoiled of the major Civil War battlefields. Attendance is limited so please register now. We hope to see you in April, when the temperature is mild, and the flowers and peach blossoms are in full bloom!
Faculty
Charles
P. Roland, the dean of Shiloh
scholars, is the author of many books including Albert Sidney
Johnston: Soldier of Three Republics; An American Iliad: The Story of
the Civil War; My Odyssey through History: Memoirs of War and
Academe and, most recently, History Teaches Us to Hope:
Reflections on the Civil War and Southern History
John
F. Marszalek is Giles Distinguished
Professor Emeritus at Mississippi State University, Executive Director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association and Managing
Editor of the Ulysses S. Grant Papers project. He is the author of many books
including Sherman, A Soldier’s Passion for Order; and Commander of
All Lincoln’s Armies, A Life of General Henry W. Halleck.
Timothy
B. Smith is widely regarded as the
leading tour guide of the battle of Shiloh. He is the author of several books
including Mississippi in the Civil War: The Home Front; The
Untold Story of Shiloh: The Battle and Battlefield; and The Golden Age
of Battlefield Preservation: The Decade of the 1890s and the Establishment of
America’s First Five Military Parks.
Wednesday, April 18
7:30- 8:30 PM Welcome Reception - Hampton Inn Corinth,
Corinth, MS
Thursday,
April 19
8:00 AM Campaign Overview – Timothy B.
Smith
8:30 AM Confederate Leadership at
Shiloh – Charles P. Roland
9:30 AM Union Leadership at Shiloh – John F. Marszalek
10:45AM Bus Departs on Tour
11:00 AM Visit Rail Depot and Crossing
Tracks in Corinth
11:45 PM Lunch at Ryan’s Buffet in Corinth
12:30 PM Depart for Shiloh National Military
Park
1:30 PM Begin Tour of Shiloh battlefield
5:00 PM Arrive Back Hampton Inn
Corinth
5:30-9:00 PM Hospitality Suite Open
Friday,
April 20
8:15 AM Bus Departs on Tour
12:30 PM Lunch at Hagy’s Catfish Hotel
1:30 PM Continue Tour
5:00 PM Arrive Back at base hotel in
Corinth
6:30 PM Dinner at Dinner Bell Steak &
Fish restaurant in Corinth
7:45 PM Some Recollections of Corinth,
Growing Up – Charles P. Roland
8:45 PM Arrive Back Hampton Inn Corinth
Saturday,
April 21
8:30 AM Bus
Departs on Tour of the 2nd day’s battle of Shiloh
12:15 PM Picnic
Lunch on battlefield
4:00 PM Arrive Back Hampton Inn Corinth
q Registration Fee: $495
If You Must Cancel we will refund 100% of your fees paid within 30 days
of your notice.
What is Included in Your Registration:
· the services of expert historians
chosen for their knowledge and experience
· bus transportation to sites as
described
· Thursday lunch at Ryan’s Buffet in
Corinth
· Friday lunch at Hagy’s Catfish
Hotel Restaurant
· Friday dinner at Dinner Bell Steak
& Fish restaurant in Corinth
· Saturday picnic lunch on the
Shiloh battlefield
· Thursday evening hospitality suite
with drinks and snacks
· refreshments and snacks during the
tours
· map & information package
Base Location & Lodging: Our program will be based at the Hampton Inn Corinth, 2107 Highway 72 West, Corinth, Mississippi where we have reserved a block of rooms at the special rate of $87.00 + tax per night which includes a complimentary breakfast. To reserve a room under our block, call 662-286-5949 and identify yourself as a registrant for the CWEA group, Reservation # 80501480.
TRAVELING
TO CORINTH, MISSISSIPPI BY AIR
Memphis
International Airport is the closet airport.
· located about 90 miles from
Corinth
· you will need a rental car to get
to and from Corinth
