General J.E.B. Stuart on Monument Ave, Richmond, VA

   Located along historic Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. This sculpture was done by Frederick Moynihan and unveiled to the public in May of 1907.

CSA Monument, Mulberry, TN

Confederate Monument

   This is part of the Confederate Monument at Greenwood Cemetery in Clarksville, Tennessee.

I am going to focus on Civil War sites for awhile, unless I comes across something more interesting in my travels that I want to highlight here. I am hoping to photograph every Civil War soldier monument in Tennessee(not all are Confederates!). If you know of any that are not well known, please let me know where it is!

Korean War Memorial, Washington DC

Wright Brothers National Memorial

   On December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur, made the first successful controlled flight of an airplane. The first flight was made by Orville and the plane traveled only 120 feet. Wilbur took a second flight 175ft, and Orville took the third flight 200ft. Wilbur made the longest flight of the day on the fourth attempt, going 852ft in nearly a minute of airtime. The accomplishment barely made the news.

Battle of Nashville Dec 15, 1864

   On December 15, 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood's forces were lined up in an arc around the south end of Nashville. The battle began with an attempt to launch a diversion on the far right of the Confederate's line at Granberry's Lunette and then attack full on the left flank. The diversion did not work as the Confederates were ready. However the Union forces were able to overrun most of the positions on the left and capture the redoubts of the Confederates. The South pulled back and reinforced their line of battle along current Harding Place/Battery Lane at Peach Orchard and Shy's Hills, between the Hillsboro Pike and the railroad.

Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia

   Over the days of December 11th to the 15th in 1862, the Battle of Fredericksburg was fought in Virginia. The Confederate Army led by General Robert E Lee were entrenched along a sunken road upon Marye's Heights above the town. In the first days, the Union Army, led by General Ambrose Burnside, made their way across the Rappahanock River on pontoons and in boats. Once they arrived in the small town they were met with building by building skirmishing.

Aftermath of the Battle of Franklin

   Six Confederate generals were dead. The Union army had left Franklin and were headed to join the regiments who were already situated in Nashville, about 20 miles north. The Federals had not lost as many men, but those wounded were left behind. Confederate General John Bell Hood would foolishly pursue them to Nashville where his Army of Tennessee would be devastated on December 15th and 16th.

Gettysburg Address November 19, 1863

   On this day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address. The speech was given at a dedication of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle was just a few months before, in July of 1863. The monument above is marked as the site of the speech, though it was likely not given at this spot. This marker is just inside the cemetery and was placed in 1912. The photo below is the Soldiers National Monument, another site often thought of as the site of the speech, but it was not. The actual site was more likely inside Evergreen Cemetery, which is just over a fence to the east. The Soldiers monument was dedicated in 1869.

October 19th, America's True Independence Day

   Americans in the United States celebrate the Fourth of July every year as Independence Day. But perhaps we should be celebrating on October 19th as well. On this date, in 1781, at a small fishing town in Virginia, the articles of capitulation(surrender) were signed. Inside a farm house owned by Augustine Moore, British Lieutenant General Cornwallis surrendered to future president and commander of American forces, George Washington. Also present and signing the articles were Captain Thomas Symonds, British Navy, and Rochambeau, French commander who had assisted Washington in the final years of the war.

Liberty Tour Day 4: Beautiful Vermont down to Philadelphia

   If you have been reading these each day that I post them, I thank you. If you have stumbled upon this post as a first then welcome. Today I am writing about the last day of our quick four day trip from our home in Tennessee to New England. Arriving in Vermont the night before brought my 'visited states' total to 40. Despite my not feeling well the day before, I had a wonderful time and loved being able to form actual opinions on a place rather than relying on assumptions.

Finally a day trip!

  Hooray, we finally took another day trip! I will add some photos later this morning, but right now I want to write out our basic route.

  We started out driving the new full route of Tennessee State Route 840, which recently opened a new stretch to make it a complete half loop around Nashville.

 

Tuesday's Battle

Tuesday is named for Tyr, the Norse God of War. I believe it is fitting to show photos from the various battlegrounds, mostly Civil War, that I visit.

Today we visit the Stone's River National Battlefield Park, specifically the Hazen's Brigade Monument and Cemetery. Built just a few months after the battle in 1863 to honor those in the brigade of General William Babcock Hazen, men from the 110th Illinois, 9th Indiana, 6th Kentucky and 41st Ohio. They held this area throughout the Battle of Stones River on December 31, 1862. Buried here around the monument are 45 of the men from the unit who fell in battle. The monument has inscriptions on all four faces, including a memorial to 6 officers of these units who were killed at Shiloh in April of 1862.

This photo was taken after a snowfall in February of this year.

Tuesday's Battle

Tuesday is named for Tyr, the Norse God of War. I believe it is fitting to show photos from the various battlegrounds, mostly Civil War, that I visit.

Today's photo is from Manassas National Battlefield Park. The monument is of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who supposedly earned his famous nickname here. It is near the park's visitor center, and in roughly the area where the First Virginia began their attack on Union forces. The artist is Joseph P Pollia and was dedicated at the park in 1940. Some folks call this the "Superman" monument. I can see why. It's one of my very favorites.