Another obligatory stop when we visit Granddad is Shiloh battlefield. Here, I have some of my earliest memories of getting excited about history. Last April, we attended the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the battle. Before nightfall, rangers and volunteers had lit a candle for every casualty of the battle--24, 746 total. These candles, protected by paper bags, lined the roads meandering through the battlefield. It took us nearly two hours to complete the tour in the car, all the while listening to the soundtrack to the Ken Burns Civil War documentary. At first, I didn't know what to expect from the commemoration--I guessed it would be loud and tacky with "Dixie" playing in the background (even though the South lost the battle.) It was nothing like that. Instead a candle for every casualty--simple, quiet, and powerful. It was perfect.
But there should have been one more candle--one for Russell, Thomas's stuffed green frog that was lost when we were traipsing about the battlefield earlier in the day. To look for our lost friend, we searched in all the places we had been: "The Hornet's Nest," "The Peach Orchard," "Grant's Last Line"--but poor Russell remained Missing in Action.
This year, we of course went back to the battlefield to look for Russell again. But alas, he was no where to be found. I told Thomas that he was either taken prisoner or he hopped off to "Bloody Pond" to live out the rest of his life. And as with so many Civil War soldiers, there exists no photograph of Russell.
Mamaw and Thomas looking for Russell at the "Hornet's Nest"
Could Russell have hidden in a cannon?
Looking for Russell at "Bloody Pond"
Re-enactors firing a cannon. Watch out, Russell!
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