Posted on 06/22/2005 9:43:16 PM PDT by quidnunc
Now that it's officially summer, here's my advice to parents who want to continue teaching their kids during the next two months and learn something themselves: visit Civil War battlefields. I probably overdid it with my own children, visiting about 35 in all, but here are my top five:
1. Gettysburg (July 1863)
Much as I'd like to make a surprise choice, there's no avoiding Gettysburg's primacy and sadness, with over 50,000 soldiers becoming casualties over three days.
Driving and walking this Pennsylvania battlefield explains much: the big rocks of Devil's Den were indeed devilish, and the awesome difficulty of "Pickett's Charge" across a vast expanse, sloping slightly uphill makes it seem that Robert E. Lee's hope that day was for God to intervene. (That's what Michael Shaara suggested in his fine novel, "The Killer Angels"; it's well worth reading before a Gettysburg visit.)
2. Antietam (September 1862)
The 30-acre Maryland cornfield through which soldiers charged and countercharged is still a cornfield; the farm road worn down by erosion and called Sunken Road until it gained a new name at the battle, Bloody Lane, is also a good place to meditate on 23,000 casualties incurred in one day.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
I live on land that the Battle of Franklin (Tenn) was fought on. I've seen some strange things but hear even more.
I think ghosts are playing with my electronic devices. Some, like one phone, will make noises like someone is pushing buttons. The phone will go "click..bzzzzzzzz" like the speaker was turned on and then quickly stop.
Darryl Worley has a great song called Shilo...very accurate lyrics referring to the battle. Worth listening.
or, "that unpleasantness between the states"
I live on the extended battle site in Franklin. It was very bloody. Bodies at the Cater House were stacked 3-5 deep. Columbia Ave., then a dirt road, in fron of the house was a river of blood.
Almost every single house, church and public building in the area was used as a hospital and the blood stained wood floors are there to this day. Over 6,000 men died along with the most higher up officers the Confederacy ever lost in the entire war.
The worst part was the total waste of it all. The war was almost over and the vast majority of these men, on both sides, were going home. Totally needless. A total shame.
This has been one of the best threads I've read lately - thank you all for your contributions. I certainly didn't mean to help sidetrack discussion of the fields themselves with their associated paranormal phenomenon, but too much weirdness persists around them for easy dismissal.
A&E had a documentary on this where some good ol' boy agreed to give a bunch of reenactors a lift into town (Gettysburg proper) in the back of his pickup. When he slowed down to let them out none of them were there. Then there's the incident mentioned by an earlier poster where a tourist thought he was gabbing with a reenactor only to find that guy vanish. It seems that there's either circumstances that tie human souls to areas of extreme stress and trauma
or time itself is not always as linear as our sanity requires.
Another poster mentioned great violence on Lookout Mountain. Just a year after my Chickamauga experience I camped out for several weeks halfway up the mountain where an Indian cave was close to a stream - nary a nightmare or vision at all. Perhaps some of us are more receptive to that stuff than others at certain stages of development. People who are serious about learning more about paranormal phenomena should focus on the Civil War battlefields and the people who live around them.
OK, now you've mentioned Lookout Mountain. That brings up one of the few the direct links I have to my family history and the Civil War. My great-grandfather fought in that battle for the Union. (He had left home at an early age and joined the Union Army while his father and brothers fought for the Confederacy.)
The battle was hard fought and getting up that mountain was no easy task. According to his report, the horses were gripping roots with their teeth to try to get up the mountain.
I grew up in western Nebraska, far from any Civil War battlefields, but now I live just one hour from Lookout Mountain. If there are places to camp there, I might have to look into that.
To take a contemporary example, Turkey recognizes North Cyprus as an independent nation but no one else does. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was a much lesser country than Turkey. So, claiming that the CSA was a sovereign nation based on the recognition of an obscure German principality is a pretty weak case.
I agree...it is weak, but nevertheless a case. :)
You know, whether I think you're right or not about the causes of the war (I do agree incidentally), that isn't what this tread was originally about.
This was supposed to be about historic battlefieds and the feelings people get when they visit them. Having been to Vicksburg I can agree with what others have said; it's borderline spiritual the feelings you get when you spend any time at all there.
Many brave men on both sides fighting and dying for what they thought was right. Valor that's totally gone now in American life.
That's really what this thread was about. I wish all Civil War threads here were about the men who fought it, not the politics or who's right or wrong that created it.
Regards;
I responded to a dubious proposition was asked to refrain and have. However it looks as though interest has waned.
My great-great-granddaddy also fought at Shiloh with the 18th Alabama infantry...and survived. Married the daughter of his best friend, a fellow soldier.
"My great-great-granddaddy also fought at Shiloh "
I really must go there some day.....
http://www.politicaloutreach.com/Outreach/cwpt/ActionAlert.asp?strAction=link&lngAlertID=99
(April 10, 2004) The Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) isn't getting the message. In February, Mansfield Battlefield was identified as one of the most endangered battlefields in America because of SWEPCO's mining operation.
In response, SWEPCO officials shrugged and kept on digging. Large parts of the battlefield have already been destroyed, and Dolet Hills is seeking a permit to mine on 58 additional acres.
Today, only 12 percent of Mansfield is protected from development. Of the 177 acres preserved and maintained by the state of Louisiana, 134 acres were acquired through a grant from CWPT.
Louisianans and other concerned citizens need to let SWEPCO know that its mining operation is destroying hallowed ground.
Take Action: The Friends of Mansfield have been created to help create awareness against SWEPCO's operations. Please help the Friends of Mansfield by writing to Louisiana Lt. Governor Blanco today. Please note: your letter will be most effective if you personalize the sample attached below.
Sample Letter Preview:
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Recipent's Name Recipent's Address City, State Zip
Decision-Maker
I urge you to take immediate steps to protect America's Civil War heritage at Mansfield Battlefield by denying the Dolet Hills Mining Company their permit application to destroy an additional 58 acres of this important landscape.
Large parts of this Civil War battlefield have already been forever destroyed by the lignite mining operation already underway by Dolet Hills (owned by the utility giant AEP-SWEPCO). This inappropriate use of America's historical landscape continues to be the most serious threat to the battlefield. To allow Dolet Hills to dig into an additional 58 acres of our American heritage is unthinkable and their permit must be denied.
Mansfield Battlefield is important to Louisiana, and to all Americans, and should be protected for present and future generations. Events highly significant to the shaping of our nation happened there, and risk being forgotten forever if the mining operation is expanded.
In March 1864, Union General Nathaniel Banks - intent on wresting control of Louisiana and Texas from the Confederacy - began a protracted, two-month campaign up the Red River Valley. Unfortunately for the inept Banks, his opponent was Confederate General Richard Taylor. On April 8, at Mansfield, Taylor struck elements of the Union army at Sabine Crossroads, forcing the startled Federals to quickly fall back. The Union Army was routed from the field. Taylors victory at Mansfield marked the end of Banks invasion and Federal dreams of taking Louisiana out of the war. One out of five men who fought at Mansfield became casualties.
This short summary alone demonstrates the need to protect what we still can. Underscoring the importance of this site, Mansfield Battlefield has been ranked as a Priority II, Class A battlefield by Civil War Studies Advisory Council.
Sadly, today, only 12 percent of the battlefield is protected.
Of the 177 acres preserved and maintained by the state of Louisiana, 134 acres were acquired through a grant from the Civil War Preservation Trust, an organization I strongly support.
We cannot afford to allow another 58 acres to be taken away. This is hallowed ground where men fought and died, and should be given due respect.
Please deny the Dolet Hills Mining Company's permit application. Thank you for listening to my views. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Your Name Your Address City, State Zip
The Civil War Preservation Trust
1331 H Street N.W. Suite 1001
Washington, D.C. 20005
202-367-1861
info@civilwar.org
You really need to contact Art Bell.
Gettysburg is definitely tops. But Fredericksburg was also terrific. And i liked Shiloh too. 2 cents.
ping
Can't add any more than what I related, but the weirdness (according to locals I was aquainted with back then) is far more prevelent at night around certain sites like the tower. Ask around about the "haint" called Red Eyes.
Best of luck on your book.
Your granddad's farm abutted the battlefield. It would be a great tour.
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