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[OM] Shiloh Reenactment Photos

Subject: [OM] Shiloh Reenactment Photos
From: "mike m." <mnmitch@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 08:30:41 -0700
Last weekend was the 140th anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh,the first
major battle of the American Civil War. Around 5000 reenactors gathered
at a location about 5 miles from the actual battle site and performed
two mock battles. These people take this stuff seriously and come from
all over the country to participate. I wandered the camps for several
hours before the "battle" on Saturday and talked with people from as far
away as Green Bay Wisconsin. The next day, after a half day fishing trip
with my Dad, I visited the National Park that is the actual battle site
and wandered through the blooming dogwood trees thinking about the men
that died and suffered on a beautiful spring day 140 years before. 
For those of you not familiar with the battle, there is the Hornet's
Nest, where a group of determined men from Iowa and Illinois held off 12
Confederate attacks over the span of seven hours, to finally be
assaulted with a 62 cannon barrage and overran and forced to surrender.
The Peach Orchard, a 10 acre peach orchard that was in full bloom at the
time of the battle and defended by Union solders. A pitched battle raged
there for hours with the bullets cutting the peach blossoms from the
trees and covering the bodies of the dead with the beautiful pink
blossoms. The Bloody Pond, adjacent to the Peach Orchard where the
wounded and dying from both armies crawled  for a drink of water,until
the water was stained red with the blood. And finally Shiloh
Church,which means "the place of peace" site of heavy fighting on the
first day of the battle. Albert Sidney Johnston, the commander of the
Confederate forces was killed on the first day of battle by a minie ball
that severed his femoral artery. A simple tourniquet would have saved
his life, but moments before he was wounded, he had ordered his personal
physician to another part of the battlefield to attend wounded Union
soldiers that had been captured and needed medical attention. His act of
kindness cost him his life.
After 2 days of fighting, the total casualties for both sides was almost
24,000 men dead, wounded and missing. It exceeded the total casualties
of the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and The Mexican War combined. 
Here are a few images of the people and events and a few of the Park
itself. 

http://www.ilikeitout.com/Shiloh

All these were taken with the E-20. I also shot a roll of Velvia, but
the place I normally process my slide film has gone out of business and
I haven't had time to find another processor. I'll post those at a later
date if they're worth looking at. 

I also have a new found respect for Mathew Brady.

later,
mike m.

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