march to Raymond

Day one of the trip ended with us oin the Grand Gulf area.  The next morning instead of back tracking all the way down to Grand Gulf to follow the army to Raymond we took a more direct route and meet up with the army halfway there, near Old Auburn.  Then we followed the army on its march toward the battle of Raymond.  Its a nice drive with state historical markers peppered along the way.  Here are just a few.

 

From this spot a portion of the XIII Corps moved north along the road on the left and secured Whitaker's Ford, helping to secure Grant's left flank.

When Grant reached here on May 12 the bridge was burning.  Union cavalry then fought with Confederate cavalry under Wirt Adams and by 11 AM had secured a bridgehead over Fourteenmile Creek and could then move forward.

Not far from the bridge is the Dillon Farm.  Grant spent the evening of the 12th here and learned of the battle earlier that day at Raymond.  He changed his plans here and decided to go to Jackson instead of his earlier plan of a more march more to the north.

Nearby is the family cemetery.

And next to the cemetery is the Natchez Trace.  Although it feels remote the Dillon Farm was near the intersection of two pretty important roads.

Port Gibson

We had a little problem at Port Gibson.  We got turned around and a bit lost.  Then once we did find out the right roads we were discourged by the locals on driving down to the Shaifer House as they were worried about the coming rain.  In retrospect the rain wasn't bad and we probably could have made it but better safe than sorry.

 

The thing these pictures do not do justice to is just how rough the country is.  Deep ravines and roads along the spines of the high ground.  You get a good impression of how hard it would be coordinate a battle when you can't move anywhere near line of sight.

 

 

In the town of Port Gibson was this nice Confederate monument.  Grant reportedly called the town too beautiful to burn.  I think though that he wanted the town as a supply base and didn't want it as a burned out ruin.  We tend to forget but Grant wasn't really living off the land during this portion of the Vicksburg campaign.  He had a long wagon train that was following him.

This was a common scene as we'd pile out of cars near a marker.  We'd all take our pictures, then discuss where we were in the battle, and how it fit into the larger picture of what was happening.

Windsor

 According to some brochures the Windsor Ruins is one of the most photographed places in Mississippi.  We did our part to keep it among the top.

 

Windsor was a big plantation at the time of the battle of Port Gibson.  It wasn't involved in the fighting but served as a field hospital.  These pictures don't do it justice for its size and beauty.  There is a marker that shows what it would have looked like but all that's left is these columns.

The lady at the chamber of commerce told us that this tree was here at the time of the battle and is where the amputated limbs were piled up.  No idea if its true but took a picture of the witness tree just to be safe.

I got a new camera before the trip so I played with the zoom function a bit.  This was a good playground for that.

Grand Gulf

After Milliken's Bend we went south to pick up the battles as Grant crossed the River.  Our order was slightly different, and I'll explain it in a later post but here is Grand Gulf where there was a naval battle as Grant attempted to cross here.  Too much resistance so he knew he needed to find a different crossing point.  There is a great park there and its not part of the NPS so there actually was helpful staff on site and a museum to tour.  Great group of people, and they were very happy to see us.

 

 

There is a trail down to the river where you can get some idea of the bend in the River that was there in 1863 but of course the River has changed course so its not quite accurate anymore.   

Up near the museum is Fort Wade.  There are a variety of markers up here describing the action.

And one can see the remains of the ammunition magazine that the Confederates blew up once they realized they would have to abandon the post.

Just a gun emplacement but gives some idea of the connecting works associated with the fort.

Then you can also drive over to Fort Cobun, which was right where the big turn of the River was, where the term Grand Gulf came from.  Of course the trees are tall and thick so its hard to get a good view of the water, which is no longer part of the main channel but is where it once was.

Through the trees there is some view of the water but is a bit tough to see.

The road down to the River had this great sign showing how deep the worst floods were.  Had my dad stand over there for some perspective.

And detail of the sign.  The stretch from 1922 to 1937 was rough with four floods over 52 feet.  Then of course the government comes in and channels the River to what we know today.  Now the water is  managed, but floods still do happen.

This mill is behind the museum, I put it in here just because I liked the shot.

Study Group

For the last 8 plus years I've been part of the Rocky Mountain Roundtable's study group. Nearly every year we studied a battle or campaign and then followed it up with a trip to that battlefield. In fact following the last trip (Antietam) I decided to start this blog and the first month or so was devoted to recapping that trip. This Wednesday the study group will be going to the Shenandoah Valley and I'll be stuck at my job in Colorado.

In the fall of 2000 we did Shiloh. In 2001 we went to Gettysburg, traveling on October 11th. That was an unique airport experience. We took an extra long study the next year and made the trip in the spring of 2003 to Chickamauga and Chattanooga. In fall 2004 we were in Spotsylvania County doing the four major battlefields in that bloody county; Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spotyslvania Court House. In fall 2005 we were in Middle Tennessee covering Stones River, Tullahoma, Franklin and Nashville. Spring 2007 found us back east again, this time at Antietam, following another extra lengthy study. And now for the first time I'll be missing a study group trip. There is now only one guy who has made every single trip, my dad. A couple guys have only missed one trip, I'll now join that list.

I'm a bit sad. I always looked forward to spending those 4-5 days in the field with a bunch of like minded guys. Our smallest group was 4 and our largest was 13. But we always had a great time. Its one thing to visit the battlefield alone and quite another to be in the company of someone who shares your passion. I've been lucky in that I've had quite a few of those kind of trips because my dad has joined me on many of my other excursions.

I told dad that there are two things I want him to do for me while he's gone. First he has to take a ton of pictures. Second if he gets to Gettysburg (which I think the group will get there) I want him to buy me one of these:

I saw it on Harry's blog and knew right away I had to have one too.

Antietam Video

As promised earlier here is the intro to Mike's Antietam video. He has also loaded his entire movie on his youtube site . It is loaded in 7 parts due to youtube file size constraints but it is all there.

Mike does a wonderful job, I'm not just saying that because he is a friend, he really does have a talent for this, check out his work and I'm sure you'll agree. His entire Spotsylvania County movie is on youtube and he has portions of his Gettysburg and Chickamauga movies on there as well.

Shenandoah Valley Study Group

Next week (October 25th) the Rocky Mountain Civil War Roundtable starts up its next study group. We are doing Jackson's 1862 campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. Should make for an interesting study and a good trip. We do this every year. First we study a battle or campaign in depth. Last year we broke Antietam down into 7 parts (that was just for the fighting on September 17, there were many other meetings covering events before and after). Our Valley campaign study won't be nearly as in depth, partly because there isn't enough source material to break every battle down into multiple meetings and also because if we broke every battle down this study might takes years instead of just 1. We'll conclude our study with a trip to the battlefields to walk them and get a better appreciation for how and why events transpired as they did. This trip will most likely be in October 2008.

I have compiled a reading list for the study group, just some of the major works. I also have a reading list that includes just about every magazine article and book published on the campaign. It's available here. Anyone in the Denver area can join. If you'd like more information about joining us leave me a comment.

Here is our main reading list:
· Allen, William. History of the Campaign of Gen. T.J. (Stonewall) Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Phila: Lippincott, 1880. 175 p.
· _____. Jackson's Valley Campaign of 1862. Richmond, VA: Gartz, 1878. 30 p.
· Armstrong, Richard L. The Battle of McDowell, March ll May 18, 1862: Jackson's Valley Campaign. Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, 1990. 122 p.
· Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Vol. 2. NY: Yoseloff, 1956. . See pp. 278-313 for a series of pertinent articles.
· Beck, Brandon H. Three Battles of Winchester: A History and Guided Tour. Berryville, VA: Country Pubs, 1988. 40 p.
· Beck, Brandon H., & Grunder, Charles S. The First Battle of Winchester: May 25, 1862. Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, 1992. 111 p.
· Clark, Champ. Decoying the Yanks: Jackson's Valley Campaign. Alexandria, VA: Time Life, 1985. l76 p.
· Colt, Margaretta B. Defend the Valley: A Shenandoah Family in the Civil War. NY: Orion Books, 1994. 441 p.
· Ecelbarger, Gary L. “We Are in For It!: The First Battle of Kernstown, March 23, 1862. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane, 1997. 370 p.
· Gallagher, Gary, ed. The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862. Chapel Hill, NC: U NC, 2003. 255 p. Series of essays focusing on command/commanders.
· Kearsey, Alexander H. C. A Study of the Strategy and Tactics of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign l86l l862 With Six Maps. Aldershot: Gale & Polden, 1930. 70 p. .
· Kellogg, Sanford C. The Shenandoah Valley and Virginia, 1861 to 1865: A War Study. NY: Neale, 1930. 247 p.
· Krick, Robert K. Conquering the Valley: Stonewall Jackson at Port Republic. NY: William Morrow, 1996. 594 p.
· Mahon, Michael G. The Shenandoah Valley 1861-1865: The Destruction of the Granary of the Confederacy.
· Martin, David G. Jackson's Valley Campaign, November 1861 June 1862. NY: Gallery, 1988. 184 p.
· _____. Jackson’s Valley Campaign: November 1861-June 1862. Conshohocken, PA: Combined Books, 1994. 223 p.
· Nelson, John H. “’Bombard and Be Damned’: The Effects of Jackson’s Valley Campaign on Hancock, Maryland and Fulton County, Pennsylvania.” McConnellsburg, PA: Keystone, 72 p.
· Phillips, Edward H. The Lower Shenandoah Valley in the Civil War: The Impact of War Upon the Civilian Population and Upon Civil Institutions. Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, 1993. 224 p.
· Standing Ground: The Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley. Strasburg, VA: Shenandoah Pub House, 1996. 217 p. .
· Tanner, Robert G. Stonewall in the Valley: Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Spring 1862. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole, 1996. 599 p. Reprint of 1976 ed w/ revisions.
· Wayland, John W. Stonewall Jackson's Way: Route, Method, Achievement. Staunton, VA: McClure, 1940. 244 p.

Antietam Video

Last night Mike presented his video of the study group's Antietam trip to the Rocky Mountain Civil War Round. It was another fabulous production except for referring to me as Crash in the credits, geez you smash up one car and you get labeled Crash.

He is putting sections of the movie online on his youtube site . The Antietam portions are not up yet but he'll get them up soon (although I don't think it will happen until sometime next week, but I'll keep you informed). Clips from his older movies (Chickamauga, Gettysburg and Spotsylvania County) are already on his youtube site for you to peruse now.

Antietam Video

Some of you might know that this blog started following the Rocky Mountain Civil War Round Table's study group trip to Antietam (geez that's a mouthful). I had too many pictures and stories to share than I could fit in the round table's newsletter (I am the newsletter editor). So I made this blog and since then have branched off into many other topics, but with a lot of battlefield photography. My buddy Mike was my travel partner, though after we blew an engine and wrecked a second car I'm sure we were both wondering who was the bad luck charm, and he put together an amazing video of our travels. He does this with every trip and its mostly a battlefield documentary but does have a segment on the travels.



Next Thursday (October 11) at the round table's monthly meeting Mike will present his video. He also has some clips of older movies available on his youtube site and has promised that Antietam clips will be posted in the near future. I will also have a clip available on here some time next week.

Antietam Sunset

My posts on Antietam have finally come to a close and a sunset seemed a fitting end. I'm not saying this will be my final Antietam post ever, just that for now I'm done. I'll revisit it as a topic in the future as the mood strikes. I'm not sure what tomorrow's post will bring, I might start another group of themed posts or I might be a bit more random for awhile.

These cannons are in the Confederate rear at the Sunken Road. The Piper Orchard is just over the crest. A ranger said that these guns are probably the closest to the spot that Longstreet's staff operated a battery at, but this isn't the spot. Matt, who often acted as our guide, (and a better guide would be hard to find as Matt is always challenging us to think beyond what hindsight tells us, "put yourselves in their shoes and judge the decisions by what they knew when") pointed out that these guns are silhouetted. This is actually a very bad placement for artillery. They provide too good of a target for the attacking infantry. I pointed out that while that is true in their current placement they provide a wonderful sunset shot.

Mike and I got this shot before the group arrived. The rays were breaking through the clouds perfectly. A little crimson can be seen on the horizon. We stayed a bit longer and it never improved beyond this. But I think this is still a pretty nice shot.

Rocky Mtn CW Roundtable at Antietam

As I wrapup my posts on Antietam I thought I'd share some pictures of the fine gentlemen I had the pleasure of sharing the field with.

This is Ray and I walking through a corn field near the tower. I am on the right.
Here is Mike with his camera rig. The harness is designed to minimize vibration and make everything look smooth. The headphones he's wearing were connected to a wireless mic that I wore. It probably took the group a day and a half before they realized I had on a mic.
Here the group is looking towards the right flank of the Union attack on the Sunken Road. A moment before everyone was pointing but I just missed that shot. From right to left its: Jim, just the front part of Bob, Larry, Matt, Ned (behind Matt), Dave, Craig (in the yellow hat) and Ray.
The group trudges down a path along the final attack trail. From right to left its: Ray, Gary, Bob, Wayne, Larry and Matt.
And our group picture taken at Burnside's Bridge. Back row, right to left: Wayne, Jim, Ian, Dave, Bob, Ray, Larry and Gary (my dad). Kneeling, right to left: Nick (me), Mike, Ned, Matt and Craig. A great bunch of guys.

A few more monuments at Antietam

As mentioned in previous posts I am fascinated by the reliefs on the monuments. The regiment added a relief to tell their story better than words could. Some battlefields have more of these than others. It seems to me that Chickamauga and Antietam probably have more of these than most other battlefields.

This one is on the 20th New York's monument near the Visitor's Center and shows the regiment entering combat. They were known as the Turner Rifles, obviously a German name, and there is a second monument to the regiment in the national cemetery.

The Burnside's Bridge area has the largest concentration of these reliefs. This on shows the 11th Connecticut fighting for the bridge.
This one shows the 16th Connecticut crossing the bridge.
And here is the 51st Pennsylvania attacking the bridge.

Maryland Monument

The Maryland monument is one of those striking monuments. It has a nice design and a nice location. I have a ton of pictures of it because it lends itself to great pictures. (Check out the sunrise post for a nice shot of this monument at sunrise) Another thing I like about the monument is that it has multiple relief panels. I always find these fascinating. Often the level of workmanship and artistry is amazing. The panels at Antietam seem to be in much better condition than Chickamauga, which also has quite a few of these.
I think this one is fascinating because it shows two cannon right at Burnside's Bridge. Certainly there were cannon in the area that were part of the fighting but there was never any cannon that close to the bridge, at least I don't recall reading of that. But this way it seems more heroic or a tougher feat to capture the bridge since those cannon were right next to the bridge. The other reliefs I don;t know enough about to say if they contain more inaccuracies. I do find it interesting that everyone in a panel seems to wear the exact same hat.

Irish Brigade Monument

The Irish Brigade monument is another new monument and is one of my favorites. I like it because it has a good amount of information and a wonderful relief on the front showing the brigade going into combat. The back side has a portrait of Brigadier General Thomas Meagher. My only worry is that the monument is in such a prominent location that tons of people see it and there are tons of opportunities for someone to damage the intricate relief. I see these kinds of monuments on many battlefields and after 100 years various parts of the monument have been broken off, I don't want to see that happen here. Here are various pictures of the monument with several focusing on the amazing relief.