Preservation at the Battle of Shiloh

From the American Battlefield Trust 2023 April Calendae.

SHILOH, TENNESSEE

The Battle of Shiloh began on the morning of April 6, 1862, when Confederate soldiers poured out of the nearby woods and struck a line of Union soldiers encamped near Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River.

The resulting carnage was unprecedented, causing both sides to realize the magnitude of thye war.

The Trust has protected more than 1,300 acres of the battlefield, including land that witnessed the initial Confederate assaults against the Union camps.

--Old Secesh

Galena's 45th Illinois Infantry-- Part 2: Action at Fort Donelson and 'Baptism of Fire'

On February 1, 1862, the 45th was assigned to the Second Brigade, commanded by Colonel W.H.L. Wallace, First Division, commanded by  General John  A. McClernand.

On February 2, the regiment left Cairo with General Grant's Army for the Tennessee River and on the 4th reached Camp Halleck, four miles below Confederate Fort Henry.  On the evening of the 6th, the regiment marched into Fort Henry after its abandonment by the Confederates.

On Feb. 11th, they moved toward Fort Donelson and on the 13th took position on the right of the Union line.  That afternoon, the 45th received its "baptism of fire."  In other words, they "saw the elephant."  The regimet saw plenty of action at Fort Donelson and lost two killed and 26 wounded.

Afterwards, the 45th remained in camp at Fort Donelson until March 4, when it marched to Big Sandy River mouth and took boats up the Tennessee River, arriving at Savannah on March 11.  There they remained until March 25.

Saw the Elephant Indeed.  --Old Secesh