This was the end of day one of the bloodiest battle on the North American continent up to that time. It was April 6, 1862, at a place along the banks of the Tennessee River called Pittsburg Landing. It would be one of the most significant battles of the Civil War. Historians know it as the Battle of Shiloh.

Reconciliation begins with forgiveness—that sweetest and most profound of virtues…Forgiveness is the sincerest form of love. It is also the costliest and often most difficult.

As the sun set over the beautiful Tennessee countryside, a tiny voice cried out. A baby girl, Wilma, premature and weighing only four and a half pounds, became the 20th child born to Ed and Blanche Rudolph, the result of Ed’s two marriages. Two more children would come later.