1865 Lyon Manuscript Map of the Battle of Shiloh Drawn by a Union Soldier

This is a c. 1865 manuscript map of the American Civil War Battle of Shiloh (April 6 - 7, 1862) drawn by Jehiel D. Lyon, a solider who participated in the battle with the 1st Ohio Infantry Regiment.

Overview of the Map

Oriented toward the south with the Tennessee River on the left, Lyon presents a detailed look at the battlefield. He marks positions of divisions under the command of General William T. Sherman (February 8, 1820 - February 14, 1891), General Benjamin M. Prentiss (November 23, 1819 - February 8, 1891), General Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827 - February 15, 1905), General W.H.L. Wallace (July 8, 1821 - April 10, 1862), and General John A. McClernand (May 30, 1812 - September 20, 1900). Positions of individual brigades are marked as well. Battlefield landmarks, including the Corinth Road, Shiloh Church, the River Road, Owl Creek, and the Peach Orchard (labeled here as 'Peach Tree Field'), are labeled. Other, more ordinary landmarks, such as fields, woods, gulches, thickets, and 'open ground', are labeled as well. An index along the left side marks specific positions of the 31st Indiana Infantry Regiment and the 17th Kentucky Infantry Regiment. A black and red 'X' marks the location of the infamous 'Hornet's Nest', a position along a road now popularly known as the 'Sunken Road'. The position of Grant's army at 6 pm on April 6 is marked by a row of 'X's, while the red line marks the line of battle that day.

The Battle of Shiloh (April 6 - 7, 1862)

The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was fought in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. The battle occurred in southwestern Tennessee and pitted the Union Army of the Tennessee under the command of Major General Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822 - July 23, 1885) against the Confederate Army of Mississippi under General Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 - April 6, 1862). Grant and his army were marching south toward the Confederate stronghold at Corinth, Mississippi, when the Confederate Army surprised them at Pittsburg Landing on the morning of April 6. Fierce fighting ensued and a stiff resistance by a handful of Union troops allowed the rest of the Union force to regroup and withstand the attack. The following day, April 7, Grant and his army counterattacked. This attack forced the Confederates to retreat and ended any Confederate hope of blocking the Union advance into northern Mississippi. The Battle of Shiloh was the bloodiest battle of the war up to that point and saw 13,047 Union casualties (killed, wounded, and missing) and 10,699 Confederate casualties. Today, the battlefield is preserved as the Shiloh National Military Park.

The 1st Ohio Infantry Regiment

The 1st Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Corwin in Dayton, Ohio between August 5, 1861 and October 30, 1861. Enlistments lasted for three years. The regiment left Ohio in November 1861 after a few months of training and guard duty. They went to Kentucky, where they were posted to several different towns. In April 1862, the regiment saw its first combat at the Battle of Shiloh. They then continued on to fight in the Siege of Corinth, the Battle of Perryville, the Battle of Stones River, the Battle of Chickamauga, with Grant ay Missionary Ridge during the Chattanooga Campaign, and with Sherman during the Atlanta Campaign. The regiment was mustered out between September 24, 1864, and October 14, 1864, and some members of the regiment reenlisted in the newly formed 18th Ohio Infantry Regiment. Over the three years of combat, the 1st Ohio lost five officers and 116 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in combat. They fought in twenty-four skirmishes and battles, suffered 527 casualties, and marched 2,500 miles.

The 31st Regiment Indiana Infantry

The 31st Indiana was mustered in on September 15, 1861, with a three-year enlistment. However, they were not mustered out until December 18, 1865. The regiment fought in numerous engagements, including the Battle of Fort Donelson, the Battle of Shiloh, the Siege of Corinth, the Battle of Chickamauga, the Atlanta Campaign, the Siege of Atlanta, and the Battle of Nashville.

Dating and Provenance

The previous owner of the map claims it was composed by one, Jehiel D. Lyon and that it was acquired from his descendants. Lyon was a farmer and carpenter - apparently literate, but from the crude handwriting, not exceptionally well educated. Lyon did participate in the battle and the paper and style are consistent with other maps produced by soldiers of the period. The map was likely drawn shortly after the Battle, near or just after the end of the War, when memories were fresh, hence c. 1865.