A Ride in the Rain

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

We decided to take a ride today and I do not think either one of us is sure why. Maybe just so we could say we visited at least one National Park while we were parked here for two months.  There is a lot of Civil War History in the area and we have taken a couple of rides. The last time we checked the information center was still closed so we have not been able to go into places to get any information about the area. Plus, to be honest we have not really been in the "lets be a tourist mood". We actually talked about that on our way over to this National  Military Park. About half way there the sky opened up and the rain came down hard but we decided to keep going. As you will see as you scroll down I did manage to take a couple of pictures. Luckily we had some paper towels in the Jeep so I was able to wipe up the rain that came in after each picture.

In the end we are glad we took the ride because we did learn some valuable information for the next time we visit and we really want to do just that. I am going to share that information here for two reasons. The first one being so we remember and the second one is in case you are going you might find what we quickly realized valuable. First, not sure what time the Visitor Center opens as the information is not currently on their site but we need to arrive at that time. This park is large and riding around we could see there is a lot to take in and one day will probably not be enough time to see everything. Secondly, the first stop needs to be the Visitor Center for a map and any other information available. We passed signs with numbered tour stops so we are guessing this may be a self-guided tour and we need to get that information. Thirdly, wear good walking shoes and not sandals. As we road around we could see that a lot of the monuments and information signs are not accessible from a vehicle.

Battle of Shiloh

The Battle of Shiloh was a battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union force known as the Army of the Tennessee had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and was encamped principally at Pittsburg Landing on the west bank of the Tennessee River, where the Confederate Army of Mississippi launched a surprise attack on Grant's army from its base in Corinth, Mississippi. Johnston was mortally wounded during the fighting; Beauregard took command of the army and decided against pressing the attack late in the evening. Overnight, Grant was reinforced by one of his divisions stationed farther north and was joined by three divisions from the Army of the Ohio. The Union forces began an unexpected counterattack the next morning which reversed the Confederate gains of the previous day.

In the end the Union Army won the Battle of Shiloh (also called the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) forcing the Confederate Army to withdraw from the battlefield. When it was over the Union casualties (dead, wounded, and missing) were approximately 13,000 and Confederate casualties were about 10,700. It was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War and in fact in American history up to that time. (information taken from the internet) 

One of the many monuments we saw
today. This one is near the visitor center.

There are a lot of signs like the one below and the
ones explained in this picture.

At the top of these steps is a US National Cemetery near the
visitor center.  I took the next two pictures from the road.

There are quite a few canyons on display.

Leaving the Shiloh National Military Park we headed back towards Corinth . On the way back we decided to take a detour and check out the Pickwick Landing State Park and the Pickwick Dam. Not sure why but the only picture I took of the park is the one below. The sites in this campground are thick with trees. Each site has a paved parking place and it looked like water plus electricity was available at each site. There was a picnic table at each site and they were on a paved squares which I think would be nice. Unfortunately, we could not see a site that would be large enough for us to pull into. 

I did not take any pictures of the dam but just past it there was
a tourist stop consisting of several buildings. This one had
the sign Carvings on the front. Tom spotted big foot.

On the road  between Corinth and Shiloh there
are several signs like this. 

That was our afternoon ride in the rain. That rain though lighter at times stayed with us right up until a couple of hours ago. The good news is the Jeep did make it out of Mississippi today. The Shiloh National Military Park is in Tennessee. Tomorrow we will be packing up; we are more then ready to move north Thursday morning.

Hope everyone is still doing well and staying safe and healthy.

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.