A book..

If you have any interest in the battle of Shiloh you need to get Shiloh: Conquer or Die by Timothy B. Smith. I've read every book ever written on the battle and this one does by far the best job of explaining the battle of them all. Shiloh can be quite confusing to study, especially when you try to link the various parts of the battle to how they affected the overall outcome. The way Smith organizes things by breaking the battle into geographical area and by time is masterful. He also spends more time on the second day than perhaps all the others combined. It's a must read for the student of Shiloh. The maps alone are worth the price. They are down to the regimental level.

Sounds very interesting. I wonder if I can find it on Amazon.

Thanks for the tip, Liverpool. I may have to check that out.

Since you're into Civil War stuff, this is a book that I bought 2 decades ago, but was destroyed during Katrina, and it is a really cool collection of major battle maps with hand-drawn illustrations of how each event took place. It's a good one.

http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Maps-Ci.../dp/0831713720

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Originally Posted by BeardoMSU

Thanks for the tip, Liverpool. I may have to check that out.

Since you're into Civil War stuff, this is a book that I bought 2 decades ago, but was destroyed during Katrina, and it is a really cool collection of major battle maps with hand-drawn illustrations of how each event took place. It's a good one.

http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Maps-Ci.../dp/0831713720

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I think I may have that around here somewhere.

Tim Smith was a ranger at Shiloh for six years. He now teaches history at UT Martin. This is his eleventh book on the Civil War. One of the main features of the book that I forgot to mention: Smith heavily analyzes the effect of terrain on the battle. The obvious ones that are apparent to anyone who visits the field are of course there, but there are some not so obvious terrain features that he brings into the discussion. I have walked that groud countless times and some of them I had never really noticed before. Superb book.

Shiloh is a really nice park if you ever get to visit it. Plus there's a seriously good fried catfish place right next door.

I have spent many hours walking that ground. It's one of my favorite places on the planet. I've been to all the major grounds of that war except Chickamauga. Shiloh is by far the best preserved. You are right about the Catfish place. It's called Hagey's Catfish Hotel. They serve a lot of stuff but the catfish is so good I've never eaten anything else there.