Beginner Build Help Necromancer

I think that I'd have the most fun playing a melee necromancer, like a death knight or anti-paladin.

I'm looking for advice on how to go about this, or if this isn't a very synergistic idea and if I should instead go with a typical ranged necromancer.

I'd like to be using an energy shield and a good melee ability to fight alongside my minion horde. As a necromancer, the minions are the primary power of the build but I can't seem to figure out what I should be doing alongside them.

Does energy shield make sense for a melee character?

My previous necromancer, which I'm scratching/remaking, utilized Contagion as a primary spell. It felt like DoTs synergized well with the minion horde since I had to do a lot of moving around in order to survive.

I don't know if I want to use a shield, two hander, or dual wield, although I suspect a shield would be the smartest choice since most of my damage will be coming from the minions and it's important to stay alive. What exactly are the differences between the types of shields and how do you build for them properly? Do I need to increase my blocking through the skill tree or is simply equipping one going to suffice in this context?

Any information would be useful. And, it helps to know what choices are bad vs what choices are fine but not optimal. I'd rather play something I enjoy than something that's perfectly crafted, but I want to avoid making poor decisions or at least knowing when a combination is not ideal.