In Hardin County, Tennessee, Mancil
Milligan was tending his garden one day in the year 1934. Chances are he didn't
give much thought that day to the Shiloh Battlefield grounds which lay a very
short distance away from the garden he was tending. For the past 70 years Shiloh
had re-assumed its namesake, Place of Peace. (Shiloh is the Hebrew word for
Place of Peace) Suddenly, Mancil's spade struck upon an object only slightly
buried in the soil. More digging resulted in the discovery of human remains.
Mancil had just found and brought to light the unmarked gravesite of nine long
forgotten Federal soldiers buried in a mass grave. The finding of the grave
caused great excitement and interest among area residents and the science and
historical community. A team of pathologists rushed to examined the remains and
discovered one of the soldiers in the grave was a woman. Careful examination
revealed a mini ball lodged close to the rib cage indicating she may have died
from a shot to her vital organs. Unfortunately, the identity of this "Lady
Soldier of Shiloh" will likely never be known. Nor will the exact circumstances
surrounding her death. But, to many people, this was proof that women served in
the Civil War and some indeed died because of it.
It was said for a time that
Shiloh had the distinction of being the only battlefield upon which a female was
killed in action during that war. However, it must be stated that others have
been documented. The story of "Emily" is the first that
comes to mind.
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