Rethinking Shiloh myth and memory / Timothy B. Smith.

Includes bibliographies and index.

"Difficult and broken ground" : the terrain factor at Shiloh -- To conquer or perish : the last hours of Albert Sidney Johnston -- Anatomy of an icon : Shiloh's hornet's nest in Civil War memory -- A case study in Civil War memory : Benjamin M. Prentiss as the hero of Shiloh -- Rewriting history : locating Lew Wallace's route of march to Shiloh -- Secession at Shiloh : Mississippi's convention delegates and their state's defense -- The forgotten inhabitants of Shiloh : a case study in a civilian-government relationship -- A case study in change : the New Deal's effect on Shiloh National Military Park -- History in the making : Shiloh : portrait of a battle fifty years later.

Ulysses S. Grant once remarked that the Battle of Shiloh "has been perhaps less understood, or, to state the case more accurately, more persistently misunderstood, than any other engagement . . . during the entire rebellion." In Rethinking Shiloh, Timothy B. Smith seeks to rectify these persistent myths and misunderstandings, arguing that some of Shiloh's story is either not fully examined or has been the result of a limited and narrow collective memory established decades ago. Continuing the work he began in The Untold Story of Shiloh, Smith delves even further into the story of Shiloh and examines in detail how the battle has been treated in historiography and public opinion. The nine essays in this collection uncover new details about the battle, correct some of the myths surrounding it, and reveal new avenues of exploration. The topics range from a compelling analysis and description of the last hours of General Albert Sidney Johnston to the effect of the New Deal on Shiloh National Military Park and, subsequently, our understanding of the battle. Smith's careful analyses and research bring attention to the many relatively unexplored parts of Shiloh such as the terrain, the actual route of Lew Wallace's march, and post-battle developments that affect currently held perceptions of thatfamed clash between Union and Confederate armies in West Tennessee. Studying Shiloh should alert readers and historians to the likelihood of misconceptions in other campaigns and wars-including today's military conflicts. By reevaluating aspects of the Battle of Shiloh often ignored by military historians, Smith's book makes significant steps toward a more complete understanding and appreciation of the Shiloh campaign in all of its ramifications. Timothy B. Smith teaches history at the University of Tennessee, Martin. His most recent books include The Golden Age of Battlefield Preservation: The Decade of the 1890s and the Establishment of America's First Five Military Parks, Mississippi in the Civil War: The Home Front, and Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, Occupation.

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