The Chickamauga Battlefield Today…&..Yesterday

Linking to FRIDAY’S FENCES

On the way to Florida (READ POST) we stopped for the night in Ringgold,Georgia. There was just enough daylight for a quick tour of The Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Park.

In 1890, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was the first such site created by Congress.

The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863,involved the second highest number of casualties in the war following the Battle of Gettysburg. (click on link to read Gettysburg post)

The purpose of this post is to be a quick visual “walkabout” of the area with a few facts (that I wasn’t aware of) thrown in.

In Chickamauga's torn and smoky woodlands, nothing was simple.If you are interested in the details of this very complicated battle CLICK…

The battlefield is covered with monuments and informational plaques explaining the battle:: EXAMPLE::

Many years before the Civil War battle, the Cherokee Indians, after many battles, had named the stream that runs thru the battlefield  "The River of Death" or Chickamauga.

 

During the Spanish American War, more American soldiers died during training on the Chickamauga Battlefield than during all the fighting in Cuba and the Caribbean during that four month war in 1898.

With his brigades deployed in column, Brig. Gen. Henry Clayton's was the first to hit three Federal brigades around the Brotherton Farm. They fired until their ammunition was gone.

Today the   Battlefield is home to some wild turkeys. They even have a Wild Turkey 5 Mile Run.

A great place for some jogging. As a matter of fact the The Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon, in its 33rd year, is run through the nation's oldest military park. Known as the "most family-friendly" marathon, the runner-up for "most scenic" marathon, and third for best overall marathon.

After the fighting, a Confederate soldier ominously wrote, "This...is the death-knell of the Confederacy." Sometimes you win the battle but loose the war… READ MORE

The “Soldier” below spent about eight hours in the car driving from Lancaster,Ohio (Home town of General Sherman) and then a few hours walking/driving around the battlefield.

It was time to take this “Trooper” for some chow and a good nights rest at the Ringgold Hampton Inn on Battlefield Parkway(thumbs up)……We appreciated the hospitality..

CLICK to read a little more about General Sherman and Lancaster,Ohio

Technorati Tags: Chickamauga,Chattanooga,National Military Park,Civil War,QUALITY TIME,LANCASTER,OHIO

ANTIETAM BATTLEFIELD and the BURNSIDE BRIDGE POST

One more suggestion: Make sure to see the movie “LINCOLN”..Maybe one Congress isn’t all that different from another…LOL

Click on photo to watch Official Trailer…..Linking to FRIDAY’S FENCES

Old Lady & The Farmer For Funny Monday.

A Quality Time Post For Funny Monday

A farmer stopped by the local mechanics' shop to have his truck fixed.

They couldn't do it while he waited, so he said he didn't live far and would just walk home.

On the way home, he stopped at the hardware store and bought a bucket and a gallon of paint.

He then stopped by the feed store and

picked up a couple of chickens and a goose. However, struggling outside the store, he now had a problem, how to carry all his purchases home.

While he was scratching his head, he was approached by a little old lady who told him she was lost. She asked, 'Can you tell me how to get to 1603 Mockingbird Lane ?'

The farmer said, 'Well, as a matter of fact, my farm is very close to that house. I would walk you there, but I can't carry this lot.'

The old lady suggested, 'Why don't you put the can of paint in the bucket, carry the bucket in one hand, put a chicken under each arm, and carry the goose in your other hand?'

'Why, thank you very much,' he said and proceeded to walk the old girl home.

On the way, he said 'Let's take my short cut and go down this alley. We'll be there in no time.' The little old lady looked him over cautiously and then said, 'I am a lonely widow without a husband to protect me. How do I know that when we get in the alley you won't hold me up against the wall pull up my skirt, and have your way with me?

The farmer said, 'Holy smokes, lady! I'm carrying a bucket, a gallon of paint, two chickens, and a goose How in the world could I possibly hold you up against the wall and do that?'

The old lady replied, 'Set the goose down, cover him with the bucket, put the paint on top of the bucket, and I'll hold the chickens.

Have a great day A Quality Time Post For Funny Monday

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Andersonville National Historic Site

Andersonville National Historic Site,Deadline,Pigeon Roosts,Shebangs,Providence Spring,Raiders,Regulators

Thanks for stopping by.

Andersonville Prison: National Prisoner of War Museum: Andersonville National Cemetery. For the purpose of this post we will concentrate on Andersonville Prison & Cemetery.

On our way to Florida we took a side trip to Andersonville National Historic Site and I am so glad we did. During the war, 45,000 prisoners were received at Andersonville prison, and of these 12,913 died. When you are standing in the middle of the prison  (basically an open field) this is a very sobering thought.

The prison, which opened in February 1864,originally covered about 16.5 acres  of land enclosed by a 15-foot (4.6 m) high stockade. In June 1864 it was enlarged to 26.5 acres . The stockade was in the shape of a rectangle 1,620 feet by 779 feet . There were two entrances on the west side of the stockade, known as "north entrance" and "south entrance.

This shows the low ground in the middle of the prison and the creek running thru it.

The outer row of white posts represent: STOCKADE

The DEADLINE represents the inner row. If a prisoner touched or crossed the DEADLINE they were killed by the sentries located in the pigeon roosts.

STOCKADE with PIGEON ROOSTS…………………………….

Many prisoners were without shelter and constructed crude dwellings known as "shebangs," made from various items including cloth, mud bricks, tree limbs, and brush.

The Miracle of Providence Spring:::::

“Stockade Creek was the name for the pitiful stream which ran through the lower third of the prison ground. With the exception of several small wells dug by prisoners, it was Andersonville’s only source of water; but before it ever entered the prison it was befouled by the cooking and contamination from the adjacent Confederate guards’ camp outside the stockade. The low banks and areas all around Stockade Creek became a vast and fetid morass in a very short time, for it was also used as the prison’s open latrine.”

August 13, the great cloud appeared.

Suddenly, there came a thunderous, deafening roar. From men who knew the sound all too well, it was said to be like the explosion of a thousand cannon.

“At the place where the fiery lightening struck there was another tremendous explosion, and a stunning eruption of earth and steam filled the air. Instantly, torrents of fresh water gushed from the blasted, broken ground, pouring forth and coursing into the prison. This awesome water was cool and clean, and its flow was to become a permanent thing.”

  “To know the story of the Miracle of Providence Spring is to understand that there remain accessible, powerful mysteries and rarified spaces where rare things have occurred, and where they continue to resonate on what can only be described as hallowed ground – at least at a place called Andersonville.” Read the whole story by  Richard Salzberg

When Linda and I stood at Providence Spring a true feeling of awe came over us and the word awe doesn’t adequately describe the “feeling.”

A quick bite to eat and then Andersonville National Cemetery. (Linda and I really enjoy a good picnic.)

“Despite the  conditions which existed in the prison camps of both sides, the Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia has come to symbolize the worst of all of the camps.It serves to represent the very worst aspects of America’s vicious war between countrymen and brothers.”

Read about The “RAIDERS” & “REGULATORS” inside the prison CLICK…I had not heard this story. Another post will be dedicated to the National Prisoner of War Museum.

Joe Todd reporting from the land of cotton. In summary, I will return to Andersonville Prison if at all possible just to be able to stand in the middle of the prison and at Providence Spring..IT IS SPECIAL

Technorati Tags: Andersonville National Historic Site,DEADLINE,PIGEON ROOSTS,shebangs,Providence Spring,RAIDERS,REGULATORS

Take the time to visit Our World Tuesday

Andersonville National Historic Site,Deadline,Pigeon Roosts,Shebangs,Providence Spring,Raiders,Regulators