Shiloh Battlefield

As I mentioned before, because I had neglected to turn my clock back to central time, I arrived at the battlefield an hour or more before anyone else, including the park rangers. I didn't let that stop me; I just drove through the park trying to follow the prescribed route so I wouldn't miss anything.

The main object of the exercise was photography. I've read enough about Shiloh to have a good handle on what went on. I just wanted to see the park with few people around and take advantage of the early morning light.

The symbolism of the cannons distributed about the park seems at odds with the peace and serenity of the park today, nearly 150 years after the battle.

The log cabin above is Shiloh Church, which gave its name to the battle. Much of the battle took place in the immediate vicinity. The structure was destroyed shortly after the war ended and this cabin was erected on the original site in about 1875. There is a new church nearby begun in 1929; it was completed and dedicated in 1952.

Wandering around as I was, without a map, I apparently missed the road that would've taken me to the bluffs overlooking the Tennessee River. I knew the river was over there on the other side of these trees, but I never found my way over there. But I enjoyed sharing my morning in the park with the many deer and turkeys.

Most of these shots could just have easily been taken at Pea Ridge, Arkansas (Elkhorn Tavern). The Battle of Pea Ridge took place at the same time as Shiloh (in April 1862) about 400 miles west. I visited Pea Ridge early one morning in 2008. My great great grandfather, Samuel Langston, was wounded there on the second day at Pea Ridge.

The cannon shots at these battlefield parks always remind me of my favorite television production ever - Ken Burns' Civil War mini-series. And that, of course, was based on my favorite history book ever - Shelby Foote's Civil War Narrative.

 

I like the monuments which incorporate statuary best, but some of the lesser monuments are equally impressive in their stonework. The wide distribution of the monuments scattered across the large well-manicured acreage of some of the parks emphasizes the immensity of the struggle and honors the participants on both sides.

A Fine Visit

It was a wonderfully peaceful visit. Tony and Donna know that I'll come back every chance I get. (I've been doing it for 45 years now.) I usually like to get a family photo or two when I visit, but I don't always remember. Then, of course, every now and then someone will have his eyes closed or something and I'll have no fallback.

In this case, the "family" photograph should have been Tony and Donna with Satchel. But Satchel decided somewhere along the line that he doesn't like cameras, or having his picture taken. So in this shot, Murphy is standing in for Satchel. But, in the interest of full disclosure, Murphy was clowning around; he laid down and turned away at the last minute, then laughed at me. Well, maybe I imagined that. Fortunately, I'd taken another picture a couple seconds before (before Donna was ready) and was able to combine the two shots so everyone appears to be paying attention.

Here's Satchel, later in the day. He's been for a walk with Donna and couldn't be bothered to leave the room when I pulled out the camera - he just glared at me. Maybe next time I visit Satchel will cut me some slack. He's a handsome fellow - and photogenic, whether he realizes it or not.

This shot of Murphy is my payment for his standing in for Satchel in the first shot. He's a handsome pup too, but he should work on curbing his naked ambition. I tried to explain to him that all fame was fleeting. . . but he just wanted me to "make him famous".

A Fog on the Marsh - II

Just how many ways can you crop a scene and maintain the interest of your audience? I don't Don't know. . . maybe we'll find out with this post. The importance of the composition of each shot is paramount, I think. The balance has to be there. The foreground is the easiest thing to change, whether you move the viewpoint, or height, or adjust the angle slightly. Whatever the answer is to the question posed above, I do know there's not a lot you can write about such similar scenes without losing the audience. . .

In these two shots, note the 2 birds on the left light pole (Yeah, I know. . . BIRDS again!)

I may have been wrong about the birds. The whatever-it-was on the left is probably a bird, but I'm thinking it looks at least a little bit like a lobster. . .

Okay, false alarm. It was a bird after all.

Now they're both gone - and we're left with just pictures of the dock, the marsh, and the fog. Oh! And the memories.