Chris The Visitor

May the 4th Be With You!

“…the enemy came upon us in full charge, and, looking up through the smoke of the burning leaves and beyond a washout which connected our ravine, I saw the gray, dirty uniforms of the enemy. I heard their fierce yells, I saw their flags flapping sullenly in the grimy atmosphere. That was a sight which I have never forgotten. I can see the tiger ferocity in those faces; I can see them in my dreams. For what might they not. Have appeared to me, terrified as I was!

“It was at this first point that our blue blue line first wavered. Out of this ravine, over the banks, we survivors poured, pursued by the howling enemy. I remember my horror at the thought of being shot in the back, as I retreated from the top of the bank and galloped as gracefully as I could with the refluent human tide”
~ John A. Cockerill, Drummer Boy of the 24 OH, detached and fighting with the 9 IL

You are looking down the ravine. The Union positions were position at the top of the ravine to the right, retreated down through the ravine and ran towards Pittsburg Landing to the left. See comments for map position.

“The enemy charged up to the very mouths of the guns, causing for the moment the center of our line to waver and fall back, and the battery fell into the hands of the enemy.” … “In an instant men, mostly from Companies H and C, sprang forward, and after a short but desperate struggle, the captured battery was retaken.” ~ Capt C. P. Searle, 8th Iowa.

POSITION: Center of the Hornet’s Nest, Shiloh Battlefield. See comments for map position.

On the evening of November 30, 1864, the Carter House and these grounds stood at the center of one of the fiercest assaults of the Civil War. As darkness fell, over 20,000 Confederate soldiers launched a frontal attack just yards from this home—charging across open fields into the teeth of entrenched Union fire. Deadly hand-to-hand combat commenced here and into the night. Do not pass through without visiting this amazing site.

I’m looking forward to my Visit this weekend to Shiloh National Military Park!

163 Years Ago Today – The Battle of Shiloh
On April 6, 1862, Confederate forces launched an attack near Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, igniting one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Over two days, nearly 24,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing in the woods, fields, and ravines around a quiet country church called Shiloh.

This photo from the “Sunken Road” —one of the most fiercely contested positions on the field. Union troops held the line here for hours under relentless fire in what became known as the “Hornet’s Nest.”

Today, we remember the sacrifice and silence that followed.

Morning on April 6, 1862, the quiet around this humble log cabin shattered beneath the roar of musket fire. Confederate forces surged through these fields in a surprise assault, and this ground—once just farmland—became the scene of chaos and bloodshed.

The second day at Shiloh bled into motion with renewed fury—Union forces, reinforced and resolved, surged forward to reclaim the shattered ground they had lost just the day before. Smoke still hung in the trees, bodies lay where they fell, and the muddy fields were slick with memory.

What had been surprise on Day One became a relentless push on Day Two. The fight wasn’t just to win—it was to take back what had been ripped away.

The land hadn’t rested. Neither would they.

This unique monument marks the location where J.D. Putnam of the 14th Wisconsin Infantry was killed on April 7, 1862, during the second day of the Battle of Shiloh.

Putnam fell at this spot while advancing with his men in combat. His comrades buried him where he fell, using a shattered tree stump as a grave marker—a raw and immediate memorial amid the chaos of war. The original stump became a place of deep significance for the veterans of his regiment.

Decades after the war those same veterans returned and placed this stone replica of the stump to honor his sacrifice. Though simple in design, the Putnam Stump stands as one of the battlefield’s most personal and poignant tributes—a symbol of loss, memory, and the enduring bond between soldiers.

Almost 163 years ago the fields around Shiloh Church thundered with the chaos of war.

What began as a surprise Confederate attack turned into one of the bloodiest battles in American history—marking a turning point in the Western Theater. Over two days in April 1862, more than 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing.

The image I took that I’m sharing today shows the ground where Ruggles’ Battery was formed—a massive concentration of Confederate artillery. It’s believed to be the largest assembly of field guns in the war up to that point, unleashing relentless fire on the Union line at the Hornet’s Nest. The noise alone must have been deafening.

These fields are quiet now. But the memory lingers.

Hello! I explore Civil War battlefields as a visitor to the past - stepping into the silence, walking the same ground, and capturing the stories still etched in the land.

Through immersive video, 360 views, narrated walks, and atmospheric photography, I bring these places to life - so we can see them not as they are now, but as they were then.

I hope you enjoy my page and encourage healthy discussion and engagement. ~ Chris, The Visitor