Today, October 13th, we visited the Stones River National Battlefield which we had been to once before. It had left a lasting impression on us so we decided to visit again. Of the 81,000 troops in the area, over 23,000 were killed, wounded or captured solders in the three day battle, many of the wounded would later die from their wounds.
The main reason for a major battle in the area was because of the barge traffic on the Cumberland River in Nashville and the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. Whomever controlled these would be able to move and fight successfully in the states west of the Appalachians.
This is a view of the area called the “Slaughter Pen”. Imagine the troops trying to move through this rocky terrain with horses and cannon.
Some of the trenches still remain in the area.
This monument was built in 1863 by survivors of the Hazen Brigade just 6 months after the battle. The stones were laid by the solders themselves. It is the only remaining monument built during the Civil War by soldiers who fought in the battle.
They sure have some big leaves in the area. I told Sandy to not get any ideas as that was not a fig leaf.
We finally got to the Stones River. It was in this area that the Confederates made their last attempt to win the battle. There were 58 Union cannons on a hill to the right and the Confederates were coming from the left. As they attempted to cross the river at McFadden's Ford the cannons opened fire and killed over 1,800 Confederate in a matter of minutes. Not one Confederate soldier made it across the Stones River.
A selfie at the campsite. We were able to sit outside very little as we had a lot of rain while down here. We managed to get out sightseeing during the breaks in the rain.
This picture was taken on October 10th, notice where the water is on the shore. The water level is at 490.95 feet.
This is October 13th and the water is edging towards us.
This picture is from October 14th. We had 1.65 inches of rain yesterday the 13th and an additional .72 inches of rain on the 14th.
Today the 14th we visited the Travellers’ Rest House. The house was originally part of a 1,050 tobacco plantation and residence for the Overton family and became a Confederate Headquarters after the Battle of Franklin in 1864. After the Civil War the Overtons continued to live at Travelers Rest and committed to providing services for disabled Confederate veterans. The property was divided into six tracts in 1899 for their children as directed in Colonel Overton’s will. The house remained in family hands until 1946. Today, only the house and 70 acres remain, due in part as a donation from the adjacent Louisville and Nashville Railroad. The walls of this home have witnessed much history both on the Union and Confederate sides of the Civil War.
When we got back to the campground the water had risen some more. The water level was now 492.75 feet.
And the wind was picking up as our neighbors learned the hard way as it blew their awning up over their trailer. Their experience brings back memories of our own awning experience and those of some of our fellow camping friends.
On Wednesday morning we woke up to water lapping at our door step. The water level is now at 494.6 feet and rising. Although we had no rain overnight it’s starting to rain at 8 AM and predicted to rain all day. So we packed up and headed for home. In the 5 days we were in Nashville we had 3.33 inches of rain and in the last 60 hours we were there the reservoir rose almost 4 feet. The area where we took our selfie shot just three days before is now under water.
I’m sorry, but I could not lean back in the seat any further as Sandy tried to get a picture of the Arch in St. Louis. Sandy said my nose reminded her of the profile of Mt. Rushmore, it must have been George Washington.
Until next time,
Dave and Sandy
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