Shiloh Trip recap

Greetings from Bluff Park, AL. This past weekend the fox patrol finished their BSA 2nd Class requirements! Friday after work sixty-four scouts and leaders from Troop 21 traveled to Shiloh National Park in TN. Saturday morning each of the four patrols went on individual hikes. Our orienteering crew of 13 boys and leaders covered the 10 mile Shiloh Military Trail. The older venture crew hiked the 20 mile Confederate Army Trail. We finished just before dark.

After a quick breakfast the fox patrol started at 08:00. We found and answered the questions from our first 21 monuments traveling the eastern section from south to north. We took a :45 minute lunch break at the Visitor Center next to the National Cemetery. During the afternoon, we traveled north to south covering Shiloh's western section.

The Battle of Shiloh was the turning point in the civil wars western campaign in April of 1862. With Pittsburg landing on the Tennessee river and the intersection of the north-south, east-west railroads, this ground was vital to troop and equipment transport.

One of the 42 monuments we located during our course was the Wisconsin State monument erected in 1905 by the Wisconsin Shiloh Monument Commission. It tells the story of 1 states sacrifice for the preservation and perpetuity of the Union. The men of the 14th, 16th and 18th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantries fought and died during the 6 & 7 of April. Seventy-nine killed, 345 wounded, 203 missing; 627 total.

The day was overcast and cool early. The sun came out about an hour before lunch. During lunch the cold front moved back in with a :30 minute downpour just as we got under cover. When we started back the rain stopped, but the clouds and cold weather stayed. In the deep woods, we had hail two seperate times and the cold rain come back just before we finished in Seay field where the battle began early on the 5th of April. The weather cleared almost as soon as we got back to camp.

Saturday night we had two seperate hugh campfires to warm up and dry out. Dinner was excellent. That night we also retired a US Flag. It was an awesome day.

Mark Lepianka