"Bill's Excellent Adventure!"

3/7/07 - Wed - (It's getting late and I'll probably add more tomorrow.)

As you can tell I've made some changes to the template for the blog. I like these colors better. I think they are easier on the eye.

Well, I started out going to one civil war battleground and found myself going on the right road but the wrong direction! That's alright, I found a really interesting battlefield called the Ft. Donelson Battlefield way up almost in Kentucky and about 30 miles to the west of Clarksville, TN. It was a nice drive with lots of open space. It was a pleasant change after almost a week around Nashville and all its traffic. I actually drove about 100 miles one way, met some nice people and had a Starbucks, at my lunch, toured the site and drove back.

Drove back alright. Right smack into rush hour traffic in Nashville. Took me about an hour to go about 15 miles back to the hotel! At one point, I could hardly see daylight...I was surrounded by semi rigs!

The fort, maintained by the National Park Service, has a really nice 15 minute movie about the battle that took place in 1862. While not a major battle, it was defining in its own way. It was the first breach of the confederate line by the Union and started the process of the collapse of the south. None other than Grant himself lead the attack and combined with the incompetency of several Confederate generals (apparently political appointees with little or no combat experience) made rather swift work of a fort that was hastily fortified. They also brought in about a dozen wood clad and iron clad war ships and pounded the fort position mercilessly. Union had some 21,500 troops in place with 13,089 Confederates. I think the Union dead numbered about 500 with Confederate dead counting 257. All total about 10% on each side were killed, wounded or missing.

The Rebels drove back the union on one flank only to have one General countermand his own order and ordered them to retreat! Several Generals took off and fled, one by boat, and let the rest to ward off the attack. In the still of the night on the third day, most of the Confederates were gone.

The surrender itself was something in its own right. It took place at the Dover Hotel (see pics). Grant earned the nickname Unconditional Surrender Grant (i.e., US Grant) as he took no quarter with his former West Point classmate and friend who was left commanding the Brigade left behind and who offered several conditions. Grant said no and added that he was prepared to start the attack with all vigour (those are my words). By the way the Rebels during and after the war remarked about how well Grant treated their captives. Due to this battle Grant began to rise quickly in Union status.

Another interesting fact is that the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers flow north! Never knew that. Once this fort was taken, it opened the "river super highway" for the North to move troops and supplies unimpeded deep into southern territory hence facilitating the North's war effort.
That's all for now...we'll see what I remember in the morning.

Plan on taking some time tomorrow (Thursday), to do laundry and take it easy (and not burn gas!) After all, what's the rush!

See ya'll (see, I haven't left all of NC behind!)