Savannah (Tennessee)

Savannah is the county seat of Hardin County in Western Tennessee. It is a real Southern, conservative, Bible-belt type of town, so if that is your element, you'll be in heaven. But just to the south of here transpired one of the most significant events of the Civil War, that being the Battle of Shiloh. The Union's victory here allowed it to make inroads to the Mississippi Valley that would become a turning point in the war.

• 🌍 Shiloh National Military Park, 1055 Pittsburg Landing Rd, Shiloh (about 9 miles south of Savannah), ☏ +1 731 689-5696. Daily 8am-5pm. On April 6-7, 1862, Confederate and Union forces converged on this site along the Tennessee River near the Pittsburg Landing and Shiloh Church to engage in a long drawn-out battle that would end up being the deadliest up to that point in the war between the North and the South (~23,000 casualties, to be surpassed by the Battle of Gettysburg a year later). But of significance to this conflict was that Ulysses Grant's victory here paved the way for the Union to make an incursion into the Mississippi Valley that would end with a victory at the Battle of Vicksburg and essentially a mortal wound to the Confederacy. Also at this battle, the able Southern General Albert Sidney Johnston was killed, causing Confederate President Jefferson Davis to lament that it "was the turning point of our fate." Highlights of the park include:. (updated Aug 2021)
  • The Shiloh Battlefield Visitor Center - exhibits, presentations, etc.
  • The Shiloh Battlefield - including the Shiloh Church which ironically became like a bloodbath
  • The Shiloh National Cemetery - resting place of many of the dead, including unknown victims
  • The Shiloh Indian Mounds - ironically before the major conflagration even took place, some 800 years ago, these 7 mounds were created by indigenous people on this same site

• 🌍 Tennessee River Museum, 495 Main St, ☏ +1 731 925-2364. M-Sa 9am-5pm, Su 1pm-5pm. Covers distant and more recent history of the area, nicely presented. (updated Aug 2021)
• 🌍 Cherry Mansion, 265 W Main St (may need to contact Experience Savannah for reservation). open by appointment only. A Georgian-style mansion Where Ulysses S. Grant stayed just prior to the Battle of Shiloh. Interestingly, family members from Africa related to Alex Haley of Roots fame also worked here for a time. (updated Aug 2021)

• 🌍 Mollie Monday's, 275 Eureka St, ☏ +1 731 925 9334. Su 5am-2pm, M-Th 5am-8pm, F-Sa 5am-9pm. Has lots of comfort food, including a buffet. (updated Aug 2021)

• 🌍 River Heights Motel, 3950 US-64, Crump, ☏ +1 731 632-4535. Pretty sleepy property but should be okay for a night. $52. (updated Aug 2021)