I am leaving on the 12th of October for a 4 day trip of Battlefields, etc.

Just my Dad, my Uncle & I........

I hope that you have a great time! Give us a report when you get back!  

Roy Queen  

--Last edited by roy on 2007-10-01 19:23:04 --

Thanks Roy.....

I will do so.

Jaye,

Shiloh doesn’t have scads and scads of monuments, but they do have one that is quite unique.  I don’t have the complete information at hand, but the explanation goes something along these lines:  A Federal soldier named Putnum (spelling may be off) was killed.  His buddies carved his name in a tree at the spot where he was killed.  This carving took place right where the tree came out of the ground.  Years later there was some disagreement about the exact location of Putnum’s unit.  Those veterans went back to the Shiloh battlefield searching for their carved tree.  Their intention was to use that tree as evidence of them having advanced to at least that location.  After a long, long time spent looking they finally found it.  The reason it took so long was the tree had been cut and only the stump remained.  The carving was so low to the ground it was still on the stump.  A bronze (I reckon its bronze) monument in the shape of the stump was made.  It’s easy to miss because it looks just like a stump sitting off on the side of the road.  Ask for directions to the “Putnum Stump.”

I will make a point of it
How are things in Pascagoula?
I was stationed at Ingalls on the east bank in my Navy Days, while my boat was in refit.......

Jaye,

As a Navy man, you'll more than appreciate the USS Cairo at Vicksburg. Just don't try to get her underway. The small items inside the museum are worth a good look, especially the well preserved tinware and galley relics.  The monuments are very nice, and worth parking and checking out up close.  The Illinois monument is my personal favorite. Somehow, I managed to get there twice this year. One of those trips was for a darned good living history.

If you get the munchies while at Shiloh, the nearby Catfish Hotel gets high marks. A fellow can kill a half a day at Shiloh and still not come close to seeing everything. SCAR usually has a living history there each April. The one this year was a battalion level effort at the Hornet's Nest.

Fort Donelson is fun. The water battery is a highlight, but not the only aspect of the site. Walk around a good bit, and talk to the ranger at the VC before setting out, and ask him about any eagle spotting opportunities. The big nest (is there any other kind?) should be visible in the lone tree behind the winter hut. CWPT and the local folks have been working hard to acquire additional property in that area, too. I recall a nice company level LH there in some cool weather, and the lads just weren't happy with hot "mule feed" for breakfast. Hmmmm.  

Never been to Fort Pillow. Tell us how it is when you return!

Jaye,

In a nutshell, the storm worked over Pascagoula.  Wind damage was what you would normally expect for a storm and it certainly caused its share of misery, but water was our main culprit.  I live almost a mile off the beach and we had four feet of water.  After being stationed here you know what an industrial area it is.  People don’t normally think of Mississippi and industry in the same thought.  The refinery (which will soon be the largest in the country) had a dike 28 feet tall.  Water came across their dike and then the dike held in the water.  The chemical plants also flooded.  What washed out of those chem plants was bad news stuff.  The shipyard went under.  The causeway between Pascagoula and Gautier was blown out in several places.  The surge took out the railroad bridges.  There were no houses left on Beach Blvd.  Washington was not much better.  Most everything around the inner harbor is gone.  Chemical run off and sewage made the storm surge worse.  The Biloxi/Ocean Springs Bridge is still out.  All of the bridges here in town have been replaced but one.  Still lots of FEMA trailers.  Two years after the fact, houses are still being demolished and debris being hauled.  People now talk about Katrina like they used to talk about Camille.

Incidentally, you will be interested in knowing when the Cairo was pulled out of the Yazoo River it was soon brought to the East Bank Facility of Litton Shipyard here in town for preservation.  That took several years.  Once that was finished, the pieces were barged back to Vicksburg for assembly.  It is an impressive display they have put together.  It is a “must see” item.  

--Last edited by Curtis Makamson on 2007-10-04 20:35:34 --

Have a great trip TexReb.  We are leaving this Saturday (10/6, just the wife & I) for a trip to Disney where we're meeting our son & his wife since she's never been there.

However, either along the way on probably on the way back I hope to hig Chickamauga, Andernsonville, Picketts Mills and who knows where else!