Chickamauga & Chattanooga: My First Impressions

June 16, 2015

Now that I am living in Maryville, TN it is only a two hour trip to get down the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. Even though most of my Civil War studies have concentrated on the eastern theater I have for years wanted to see this particular battlefield. On Tuesday June 16^th I was able to get away for a short trip down to Lookout Mountain and scouted out Point Park, with a hike out to Sunset Rock.

Moccasin Point at Point Park, Lookout Mountain

The only two Civil War Battlefields I have visited to this point have been Gettysburg (on several occasions) and Perryville (once). While there were many different aspects, or specific engagements, within the battle I would still classify them as a single battle. What I am learning about the Chickamauga & Chattanooga is that it was actually several different battles in a campaign that took place around the same area. A couple of other things that stood out to me in this area was the amount of private land and the trail system. Besides Point Park it almost felt more like a hike in the Smoky Mountains than a Civil War battlefield.

Cannons at the Cravens House on Lookout Mountain.

Point Park and Sunset Rock offer a really fantastic view of Chattanooga and surrounding areas. One can get truly amazing vistas from Lookout Mountain with the many different overhangs. Most of the places I have hiked so far in the Smoky Mountain area have too much vegetation to get a clear shot of the land, not so here. The trail system I was on is fairly rugged and not well marked, however they do have parking areas with short walks at the areas I visited if you don’t want to go hiking through the trails.

Checking out the view from Sunset Rock
Lookout Mountain

I have just finished reading Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns (Great Campaigns of the Civil War) by Steven E. Woodworth, who does a really good job of describing the campaign. Though I do have some qualms with his book, which I will save for later, it does give you an overall understanding of the battles. I would really like to take the camper and spend about three days in the area to really get a feel for the park as I did not even scratch the surface of the history it has to offer. There are still places I want to see on Lookout Mountain, then there is Missionary Ridge and of course Chickamauga among other places. So I guess it is a good thing that I now live closer to this park.

UPDATED: September 5, 2015

Liam and I at Point Park,
Lookout Mountain

Well if it keeps taking me this long to finish a blog entry the stories will be outdated. Thanks to Liam’s social studies teacher he had to write a report on the Civil War, so he chose to wright about a battle. Needless to say this lead to a field trip. Dad super excited, Liam and Mary Ellen not so much.

Went back to Point Park, but this time was able to get to Cravens House. I still need to hit up the rifle pits, but I have again saved that for another time. This portion of Lookout Mountain does look more like a typical Civil War battlefield I am use to. Wanted to get to Missionary Ridge but the GPS took us off course and we ended up driving through a portion of Chickamauga. I have to say I am looking forward to spending some time there soon.

Below I have the link to my Chattanooga & Chickamauga photo album in Flickr along with some other links to the NPS page and the Civil War Trust.

Flickr Pictures:

• https://flic.kr/s/aHskaQLjZn

Chickamauga & Chattanooga Military Park:

• http://www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm

Civil War Trust:

• http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chattanooga.html
• http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chickamauga.html

Gettysburg: Buford's Cavalry

I took another sojourn to Gettysburg this May and focused part of the trip on Buford’s Cavalry on June 30^th and July 1^st. This was the day before the actual battle started along with day one fighting. For this trip I read Eric Wittenberg’s book “The Devil’s to Pay”: John Buford at Gettysburg and here a few things I took from it. 

Buford's statue on top of  the
monument dedicated to him.

Buford was on the receiving end of a few fortunate events, but it was mostly his skills as a leader that helped the Union win this particular fight. In staring with the good fortunes the most obvious and what is brought up most often when talking about the Gettysburg campaign was the Confederates missing cavalry. This let Buford scout out the Confederates’ position without a cavalry screen to deal with. He had solid information on the enemy’s positions, and was able to position his defense accordingly.

The other fortuitous event was Henry Heth was first in line and he had a track record of making poor decisions. With Heth’s mistaking Buford for militia and starting the action with only two brigades gave Buford an opportunity to hold positions longer during the delaying action. Because of this the Union was able to secure the high ground. Lee had also given an order not to bring on a major engagement and Heth did the exact opposite.

Let us now move on to Buford and the outstanding job of soldiering he did during the campaign. One of the primary responsibilities of the cavalry during the Civil War was to provide the army with reliable intelligence of the enemy’s movements. Buford was able to do this during the whole march by staying in constant contact with the enemy.  Several engagements occurred on the march to Gettysburg; Aldie, Upperville and Snickerville just to name a few. (1) It was through these engagements that Buford was able to gain intelligence on the enemy.

Even the day before the battle Buford was still scouting out the enemy and pretty much knew where both A.P. Hill and Ewell’s two corps would be coming from. This leads us to our next aspect of soldiering that Buford did really well and that was selecting ground and setting up Videttes on all the different approaches. (2) With the Videttes in place to give warning Buford would put together a masterful delaying action in the hopes General Reynolds could make it up in time with the Army of the Potomac’s I Corp to secure the high ground behind the town.

Buford's monument with General Reynolds in the background.
Those cannons were the original ones that was used in the
action at Gettysburg.

The soldiers did a wonderful job of putting up a fight by falling back orderly behind the next line and in the end they were able to hold until Reynolds came with reinforcements. Because of this the Union was able to hold onto the high ground and eventually win the fight for Gettysburg.

When you go to the actual field one can see the different ridges Buford was able to use in keeping the Confederates at bay. Being able to go to the battlefield always helps me to put things in perspective. One can read all they want but it doesn’t replace boots on the ground. I would also highly recommend this book as it is an easy read with a wealth of information.

Position of Confederate guns during the fighting on
Day One of the battle.

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1. (1)  Wittenberg, Eric J. (2014-10-19). “The Devil’s to Pay”: John Buford at Gettysburg. A History and Walking Tour. (Kindle Locations 706-723). Savas Beatie. Kindle Edition. 
2. (2)  Wittenberg, Eric J. (2014-10-19). “The Devil’s to Pay”: John Buford at Gettysburg. A History and Walking Tour. (Kindle Locations 1314). Savas Beatie. Kindle Edition

Carter Caves State Park: BCT & TBT

For our anniversary this past September my amazingly wonderful wife and I took a trip down to Carter Caves State park in northeast Kentucky.  Of course we did a couple of the cave tours, but the two trails we hiked were more impressive. The canyons and natural land bridges together with rich forest trails made for breathtaking views all around.

My Wife and I under a Natural Bridge
at Carter Caves State Park

The Box Canyon Trail (BCT) is less than a mile, but due to its rugged nature will take you a little while to hike. This trail has the Cascade Bridge along with many vast canyons that are remarkable for this part of the country. This trail also has a section of boulders that makes for a fun yet easy climb. If you are on this side of the park I would also recommend the Cascade Cave tour. It was the better of the two caves we saw, the other being X-Cave.

Box Canyon Trail (BCT)

The Three Bridges Trail (TBT) is a bit longer at 3.5 miles but not as rugged and is actually pretty easy going. This trail features three of the parks natural bridges (Three Bridges Trail…go figure); Smokey Bridge, Raven Bridge and Fern Bridge. Out of the three bridges I would have to say the Fern Bridge is the most scenic. The contrast of the dark rock coupled with the green ferns and moss really stands out. When close to the rock structure you can see an opening at the top, like a naturally made skylight that just adds a whole other element to the view.

The Fern Bridge

The Smokey Bridge is probably the most striking due to its sheer size.  When the bridge first comes into view it is from above, but as you climb down the hill one gets a whole different perspective on how large it is. It is hard to convey the true size of this feature in a picture but with the help of Mary Ellen in the below picture I think one can get a sense.

The Smoky Bridge. See if you
can Spot Mary Ellen

We are planning on going back sometime in 2015 to hike one of the longer trails. The actual campground is in good condition and made for a really nice four day trip. We’re excited to see what that adventure has in store.

Links:

• Flicker – Carter Caves Pictures 
• Carter Caves Trail Map 
• Carter Caves State Park Home page

Middle Prong Trail

The Lower Lynn Camp Falls.

Once again a year has gotten away from me and I am writing about a hike that took place back in June during family vacation. The Middle Prong trail is a fantastic hike that is perfect for a family with little ones. The trail is carved from the rail bed of the old Little River Lumber Company who was the last of the logging companies in the park. The trail follows the Lynn Camp Prong and provides many great cascades, small falls, and several good sized water falls.

In fact the water features are so good that we only got about two-thirds of a mile in a couple hours because I could not stop taking pictures. I am looking forward to getting back there and actually completing the trail and making it to Indian Flat Falls, but I might have to keep my camera in the bag until I get to the falls.

Cascades along the Middle Prong Trail

Below I have listed out some approximate distances with features from the trail. 

·         0.40  Lower Lynn Camp Falls (2)

·         0.45  Cataract (2)(3)

·         0.50  Lynn Camp Prong Cascades (1)

·         0.66  Lynn Camp Falls   (2)

·         1.90  Old rusted Cadillac (2)

·         2.30  Junction w/ Panther Creek Trail (1)

·         3.50  Bridge over Indian Flats Prong (1)

·         3.90  Side path to Indian Flats Falls(1)

Cataract off the main trail.

(1)    Hiking The Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Adams, Kevin; A Falcon Guide; 2003; the Globe Pequot Press.

(2)    www.hikinginthesmokys.com

(3)    Once you pass the Lower Lynn Camp Falls start looking for a little cove. This will lead you off the main trail and leads to a remarkable cataract that is hidden from main trail. I have to say it is well worth the short sidetrack.

Lynn Camp Falls

War of 1812: Mississinewa Battlefield

Back in December of 2009 I had a blog entry titled War of 1812: The Battle of Mississinewa, well this week I finally made it up to the battlefield. It is located in Grant County, Indiana that is about seven miles north of Marion, Indiana. While not a big battlefield one can still gain a perspective of the land and how that affects the flow of battle.

Me next to the battle summary

It was a good time to travel up to the battlefield as the actual campaign took place this time a year with hostilities on December 17th and 18th. There were accounts of quite a bit of frost bite within the US ranks, and if it was anything like when I was there easy to see why. I cannot imagine how cold and miserable it must have been on the ten day march from Greenville, OH (Modern day Columbus) to the target area and back again. I was cold in modern winter wear on the field for around an hour. 

Headstones of  the fallen US troops

Today most of the land surrounding the battlefield is farm land, but the glimpse you get at the battlefield would tell a different story. The terrain would have been small rolling hills, thick vegetation, and swampy. One of the reasons for launching this campaign in the winter was the thought that the marshy areas would be frozen over and easier to pass. Between the cold and the difficulty of the terrain I believe it must have favored the Indians even though the outcome did not.

View of the battlefield terrain

By Civil War battlefield standards this site is not large at all. The battlefield has a couple of monuments one to the Indians and then one for the U.S. troops. There are also headstones for the fallen U.S. troops. In the parking lot there is a large wooden sign that gives a short summery of the campaign as well. Of course I recommend going and taking in actual landscape whenever possible as I feel it gives one a greater perspective of the stories and history of the action.

Monument to the Indians

Monument for the US Troops

For more of a history on the campaign itself you can visit my old blog post. You can also visit Mississinewa 1812 for upcoming events an photos of past ones.

A Climb to the top of Mt. LeConte

I know this entry is a little late but I have been trying to find time to write it since I made the climb back on June 8th and 9th of this year. At present this adventure ranks as one of the best if not the best that I have had. I have done several hikes in the Smokey Mountains from the Chimney Tops to Spruce Falls but this by far was the most challenging and most gratifying of them all.

Rainbow Falls Trail

Mt. LeConte is the third highest mountain in the Smokey Mountain Range, but if you measure from its base to summit it is the highest mountain in the eastern United States at 5301 feet(1). On this hike we chose to go up via the Rainbow Falls trial and after spending the night in the back country shelter we would head back down the Bullhead trail. This worked out perfectly as the two together forms a loop trail and we could end up back at the car.

When we started out on the Rainbow Falls trail the sun was out and the temperature was perfect. The trail is steep the average elevation gain for the Rainbow trail is 579 feet per mile(1). A lot of people were out on the trial but it did not feel overly crowed at this point because it was fairly wide. For the most part a creek ran alongside the trail all the way up to the falls. Rainbow Falls is one of the tallest in the park but the volume of water is not too strong. It is a misty falls that creates almost a silk effect as the water rolls off.

Rainbow Falls

Once past the falls the trail remains fairly steep, but becomes narrower and the brush starts to close in. In some spots one can even feel a little claustrophobic as the brush really closes in around you. This is also where people start to thin out and you feel more secluded. During our ascent from here we only ran into one other person before we reached the LeConte Inn. By this time my knee was on fire and I could already since how sore I was going to be in the morning.

We made our way to the back country shelter that is really nothing more than a wood lean two where they have and upper and lower row wood platforms to lay your sleeping bag on. It is pretty amazing how the scenery changes as you go up. At the top of Mt. LeConte it is very much old forest with beautiful fir trees and spruces. We were able to get some pictures at one of the few clearings and then it started to rain. Just made it to the shelter before it really started coming down, and it didn't stop all night.

Cliff Top View

The next morning it was still raining fortunately it slowed up enough that it was possible to get our picture at the summit of the mountain before packing up and heading out. After filling up with water at the lodge we heading back down the mountain via the Bullhead Trail. This was the first time on a trail in the Smokey Mountain National Park that I didn’t see a single sole. It was Greg and I the whole way down.

Mt. LeConte Summit

There was a continuous rain for half of the decent. It rained so much that at some points the trail seemed like a small creek with water coming up over my boots. Like the last trail it was pretty steep with an average elevation gain of 555 feet per mile(1) which is still hard even though you are going down. One of the highlights on this trail is the long, almost tunnel like, run of rhododendron along the path. Another is two huge rock overhangs that would provide a nice shelter if some nasty weather rolled in. We were also lucking enough to see a small deer on the trail that let us get so close we could almost touch it before it ran off.

The scenery on this hike is amazing and the accomplishment of the challenge gratifying. Though this hike was a difficult one it has been one of my best adventures. I would do it again in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone. I do have to say you will need to be in fairly good shape due to the length and elevation of the trip.

(1) Hiking in the Smokies

A Wintery Expedition to Turkey Run State Park

Saturday March 2^nd was a cloudy cold day, but earlier in the week I had already made up my mind that I was taking Liam to Turkey Run State Park. I have been suffering from cabin fever and felt Liam needed to get away from the television and his video games. I had not been to this park other than to canoe through it back in college. My good friend Greg decided to join us as well.

So I loaded my camera along with Liam into the Jeep, picked up Greg and head out. It still had not warmed up with the temperature hanging around 33 degrees when we pulled into the park around 12:30. We suited up crossed the suspension bridge then headed east on trail three. After passing the Ice Box and taking a few pictures of Liam inside some rock structures we came to the ladders. Liam was really excited the whole week about the prospect of climbing up them and they did not disappoint. When you get to the ladders it is basically a dead end of rock and the only way out without back tracking is to climb up the ladders and walk the rock ledges. Plus today we had a little waterfall as a backdrop to this feature that just added to the scenery.

After the ladders the terrain opened up and became wooden for a while but before long we were once again surrounded by rock walls. We followed a small brook that had become part of the trail and it led us to the Punch Bowl. The Punch Bowl is a little canyon that comes to a dead end with a small waterfall that collects in a little pool. We got a nice group picture here before heading on downstream.

The trail followed the brook on downstream with rock walls to either side. The trail actually became part of the rock wall, but due to ice on the ledges we stuck pretty much to the brook. At one point the brook had cut a thin deep trench that had fast moving water running through it and we had to do the old shuffle with legs and hands out on the rock walls to get through. Once through there were a couple small waterfalls and then the landscape opened up to a wide, high canyon. At this point in the hike it started to snow and you got one of those rare picture perfect nature scenes that will be remembered for time to come.

In the end this was one of those perfect days where everything fell into place. The weather never got too cold other than our hands chilled a few times, the snow made for an exceptionally scenic view, and Liam had a good time not stuck in front of a TV screen. I would highly recommend this park to anybody, but it is fairly rugged with a lot of stairs and climbing that may make it difficult for those who cannot get around too well. The scenery and features of this park make it absolutely breathtaking with it being one of the best hikes in Indiana.