In ancient Israel Shiloh was the place where the Tabernacle containing the Ark of the Covenant was during the Judges period.
Some scholars think the word means peace.
For many Americans it now brings to mind one of the bloodiest battles in our nation's history. This battle which raged around Shiloh Church near Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River was claimed as a victory by both the Union and the Confederacy. In many ways it was a loss for both sides. It was a loss of innocence since, after Shiloh, nether side could realistically expect that the war would end quickly or that the virtue of their cause would sweep them to a quick victory. It was a terrible loss of young men's lives and vitality, a greater loss of life and more wounded than in all wars our nation had fought before the battle took place.