Shiloh National Military Park marks the end of Summer with a Bang
SHILOH, Tenn.—It’s cannonball time for the Shiloh National Military Park. We have the details on an event that was sure to get your blood pumping.
The Shiloh Park is demonstrating Civil War artillery procedures and they’re not afraid to end the summer with a bang.
With Labor Day just around the corner the Shiloh National Park is letting the cannon roar for the weekend.
“It’s the end of the summer with Labor Day and we’re just shooting a canon to just send summer off with a bang,” said T.J. Jones, Volunteer Shiloh member.
They do two firings per demonstration for individuals to get the full experience.
“We see a lot of kids and a lot of younger people coming in wanting to know, did they really do it like this? Are your uniforms hot? You know, just things like that. There’s a lot of people that there minds are still open to learn about our history and our past,” Jones said.
Each demonstration lasts twenty minutes and the goal is to teach others how someone living in the 1860’s would have prepared for battle.
“I grew up studying history and coming to this place. It’s just an honor to come here and volunteer and be a part of this crew,” Jones said.
The event was aimed to show visitors how crews would manipulate the weapons, projectiles, and procedures of the cannons used during the Civil War.
According to park officials, the 6-pounder field piece featured in the demonstration was the most common field artillery used in the Battle of Shiloh.
“Just teaching history, just teaching about the Civil War artillery and how it worked back then,” Jones said.
A national park service report shows that in 2023, 372,000 visitors came to Shiloh National Military Park. These visitors went on to spend $24.9 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 347 jobs, and had a cumulative benefit of $29.7 million.
Join Shiloh for a second day of cannon firing demonstrations.
Sunday morning at 11 or in the afternoon at 1, and again in the evening at 2:30.
To learn more about Shiloh National Military Park, visit the website at www.nps.gov/shil/index.htm
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