OF A BATTLEFIELD AND INDIANS ARE COMING

October 17, 2911

Rich, Carol, Wayne and Francine took Grand Harbor’s courtesy car and went to visit the Shiloh Battlefield.  The Battlefield is a huge expanse of land encompassing some 4,000 acres.  The Union forces wanted to control the western rivers as that would give them a way into the heart of Confederate States.  This would also give the Union forces the heart of the railroad system.  Closing the rivers and the railroads would prevent the South from moving men and supplies quickly to battle fronts.

October 17, 2911

Rich, Carol, Wayne and Francine took Grand Harbor’s courtesy car and went to visit the Shiloh Battlefield.  (1016) The Battlefield is a huge expanse of land encompassing some 4,000 acres.  The Union forces wanted to control the western rivers as that would give them a way into the heart of Confederate States.  This would also give the Union forces the heart of the railroad system.  Closing the rivers and the railroads would prevent the South from moving men and supplies quickly to battle fronts.

Part of the battle took place in a peach orchard.  It was said that there were so many bullets flying that petals from the peach blossoms fell like snow as they were hit by the bullets.

There was a pond where wounded or exhausted soldiers from both sides went to get water or bathe their wounds.  It was said that the water was red from all of the blood that was in it.  Perhaps all the blood is why the water is green today and certainly looks undrinkable.

October 18, 2011

Today was an easy run of some 42 miles from Grand Harbor Marina in Counce, Tennessee to Florence, Alabama.  The weather for October 19 was predicted to be very windy so Rich and Wayne decided it was a good time to get out of town.  There were several other boats that decided to do the same thing.

The trip down the river was uneventful and smooth.  I did notice the very high limestone walls usually on one side of the river and not on the other.  When I asked Rich about them, he said that there was likely an uplifting of the earth at some time way in the past and that the river was forced to follow the course created by the high walls.  The limestone walls also showed how high the river had been in history.  Wow, it was likely 100 feet higher at one point. (1026)

As I pulled into Florence, I saw this collection of colorful Indian tepees on the river bank.  They were located at a trailer park resort ----I kept an eye out for flaming arrows!!