The House approved legislation on Monday that U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) championed to preserve key areas where the Battle of Shiloh unfolded during the Civil War by bringing them into the Shiloh National Military Park.
The Shiloh National Military Park Boundary Adjustment and Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield Designation Act, H.R. 88, would modify the boundaries of Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee to incorporate the Fallen Timbers, Russell House and Davis Bridge battlefields. It would also designate the Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield as an affiliated area of the National Park System, which would allow it to receive resources to help preserve it.
“As we look at this legislation that goes around this battlefield, it does preserve the historical legacy of Tennessee, of Shiloh, and of our nation,” Blackburn said on the House floor. “It gives the Park Service the authority that they would like to preserve more than 2,100 additional acres of the historic Shiloh National Military Park.”
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
The Battle of Shiloh was fought on April 6 and 7 in 1862 in one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, where 23,000 Americans died. The Confederate forces withdrew to Corinth, Mississippi, and the outcome of the battle eventually led to the fall of Vicksburg in 1863. This permanently divided the Confederacy and crippled the Southern war effort.
The Shiloh National Military Park welcomes more than 500,000 visitors each year. Expanding the park to include the battlefields will create an even stronger incentive for people to visit the area and learn about Tennessee’s history, Blackburn has said.