We were up at 7:00 am today and off to Cracker Barrel a little after 8:00. Hilton doesn’t have a continental breakfast, so we had to fend for ourselves. Our plan for today was to drive straight through to Savannah, which was about 203 miles. Looking for something to do on the way, we headed northwest on Interstate 24 to Murfreesboro, Tennessee and the Stones River National Battlefield. With 23,515 casualties over a two day period, Stones River had the highest percentage of casualties of any Civil War battle.
We were a little disappointed with the construction around the Visitor’s Center, which kept us from finding a parking space. With nowhere to turn around we started the auto tour. The second stop found us wandering down a path through the trees and limestone outcroppings of The Slaughter Pen. Union forces under Major General Philip Sheridan warded off several determined Confederate assaults and held long enough for other Union forces to form a new defensive line. Sheridan’s losses were heavy; more than one third of his men were casualties in four hours of fighting and all three of his brigade commanders were killed.
After finishing the tour we were able to get into the Visitor’s Center, which was first class. We spent over an hour looking through many rooms filled with details on the battle, as well as artifacts from both Union and Confederate forces.
Across the street was the National Cemetery, which in my book is always worth a visit. Very sobering to see so many small gravestones marching across that quiet space. “Stevens Vermont”, “Wilson Kentucky”, “Chambers New York”, “Daniels Mississippi” and on it goes. Thousands of times. In all there were 23,515 Union and Confederate casualties at Stones River.
Moving from Eastern Time to Central Time gave us an unexpected extra hour, so we took off for Lynchburg, Tennessee and the Jack Daniels Distillery. We spent about an hour looking through the various displays and finally ended up in the store. Bet that’s a surprise. Somehow I came away with a bottle of Gentleman Jack 2010 Limited Edition Twice Charcoal Mellowed sipping whisky.
Finally we pointed the car for west and arrived at Savannah without further deviation. The last part in from Lynchburg was mostly country roads, passing through farmland and horse country. Large southern mansions, complete with two story white columns, lined much of the road. Our motel is the same we stayed in 12 years ago during our last visit to Shiloh National Battlefield Park. And that’s what is on the agenda for tomorrow. 315 miles today.
Stones River National Battlefield
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
No comments:
Post a Comment