This site has been most helpful in my research regarding civil war ancestors and so I address this question to the more learned among you. I confess to quite a bit of tunnel vision in my ongoing research. I've focused mainly on those infantry/calvary regiments to which my ancestors belonged (43rd, 36th, 28th, 11th, 10th, 8th, etc). And while I've read biographies of Lee and Stonewall Jackson, Nathan Bedford Forrest and The Gallant John Pelham (as well as a few on William Tecumseh Sherman-haruuuumph-Grant and the "venerable" Lincoln) I must confess to something here that's puzzling me.
Since Shiloh is the next battle site my husband and I plan to visit, I pulled up the "Confederate order of Battle" off the web. All ready with my printer and pencil and paper to list those ancestors of ours who fought at Shiloh. And I found.........not one. Army of Mississippi. Albert S. Johnston and P G T Beauregard presiding. John C. Breckenridge in charge of the reserve corps (former Alabama govenor, yes?) Alabama Folk were real scare on the ground, tho. 4th, 7th, 16th and a couple of Batterys. So....why am I stuck on the proximity thing?
Logically, I KNOW that there were other battles fought just before, just after and Alabama regiments were there but---I'm thinking this is early 1862. Why weren't MORE of them there instead of----elsewhere? And Tennessee was the WESTERN theatre, for goodness sake. That is soooo hard to wrap your mind around a hundred and fifty years later.
Would anyone have a book they might suggest (or a website) that follows Alabama thru those pre and post civil war years. Kind of a step by step (are you smarter than a fifth grader?) deal?
I'm STILL a renk amatuer, guys!
Thanks for the input.