After yesterday’s post on Shiloh, I spoke with my Dad about what “we” (as in the family) had experienced over the years at that particular battlefield. Again, no understatement to say we grew up in between frequent visits to that battlefield. At any rate, Dad passed along some old photos from those family vacations. While we get a lot of “then and now” photos from Gettysburg, not so much from Shiloh. So I thought I’d share.
Here’s a view of the Peach Orchard taken with the family’s old 35mm camera in 1968.
And here is a similar view today.
Forty years ago this tree stood as strong as the memory of A.S. Johnston.
Today it has aged and is unfortunately no more.
Another photo from 1968, this time of the Bloody Pond.
Which has not changed a whole lot in forty plus years.
But this fellow walking on the trails has grown a bit in those same forty plus years.
That’s yours truly at age 1. Yes ONE. Notes on the back of the photo say this was taken on the trail out to Farley Field. Apparently an early supporter of “Park Day” I was busy cleaning up sticks at the park.
And that, I must say, is indeed the earliest recollection that still carry this day – those sticks, that trail, and the battlefield.