Eastern Tennessee - Knoxville - Atomic Bomb!

[giradman]

Great shots, especially the last one.

Thanks - let me just clarify that all of the pics in these last posts are from searching the web, but I can be persistent & diligent! Dave

 

[The OB]

Thanks - let me just clarify that all of the pics in these last posts are from searching the web, but I can be persistent & diligent! Dave

Regardless, just great pictures to enhance your very interesting exposition of your neck of the woods. Most enjoyable!
Andrew

 

[giradman]

Pidgeon Forge & Gatlinburg

From Knoxville traveling southeast (see map a few posts ago) will bring you first to Sevierville, then Pidgeon Forge, and less than 10 miles to Gatlinburg at the entrance to Smoky Mountains Park. Pidgeon Forge & Gatlinburg are the tourist centers (some might say 'traps'?) of the area w/ numerous attractions and places to stay, varying from large chain resorts (as the one shown below) to mountain resorts, hotels, and small cabins. Pidgeon Forge activities include numerous (and large) shopping outlets, musical shows of various types, and of course Dollywood named after the country music legend, Dolly Parton, a native of the area. The graphic map of Dollywood shows the type of attractions offered at this theme park.

Gatlinburg is surrounded by mountains and skiing is popular in the winter, but during the summer a variety of gondolas & ski lifts can transport one to the top of the mountains for spectacular views. Susan & I have just been to these resort towns a few times in the past - many of these activities will interest younger adults and families more than 'senior citizens' like us; however, if you are planning a trip to the area and have kids, then these towns are well worth researching, especially if time is limited. Dave

P.S. Not completely through w/ 'Eastern Tennessee' - Chattanooga (the third largest city in TN) is in the south near the Georgia border - I'll add a few posts based on a previous visit.
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[The OB]

Thanks Dave, I enjoyed this latest segment in your marvellous exposition of your home State and surrounds. The name of Gatlinburg prompted me to seek info about whether there was a connection re the Gatling gun, predecessor of the modern machine gun, used in the Civil War. Town and gun named after two different guys, but your presentations do give food for thought. Thanks
Andrew

 

[giradman]

Thanks Dave, I enjoyed this latest segment in your marvellous exposition of your home State and surrounds. The name of Gatlinburg prompted me to seek info about whether there was a connection re the Gatling gun, predecessor of the modern machine gun, used in the Civil War. Town and gun named after two different guys, but your presentations do give food for thought. Thanks

Hi Andrew - thanks for the comments - as you already stated the two 'Gatlings' were different men, but your thoughts piqued my interest to review the inventor of the precursor to the modern machine gun.

Richard Gatling was born in North Carolina (his dates in the pic below) and moved much in his life, became a M.D (but never practiced) and was considered an inventor - he invented his eponymous gun in 1861, the same year the Civil War started. He lived (and is buried) in Indianapolis, so I kind of see him as a kindred soul, i.e. North Carolina, doctor, and inhabitant of the capital city of Indiana where my son lives, also a NC native. Dave
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[giradman]

Seiverville & John Sevier - a BONUS for those interested!

As to Andrew's previous inquiry about the name of Gatlingburg, I thought that a short discussion of Sevierville (a town just north of Pidgeon Forge and thus a little nearer to Knoxville). John Sevier (1745-1815) was born in Virginia, and was an American soldier, frontiersman and politician, and one of the founding fathers of the State of Tennessee; he played a leading role, both militarily and politically, in Tennessee's pre-statehood period, and was elected the state's first governor in 1796. Sevier served as a colonel in the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780, and commanded the frontier militia in dozens of battles against the local Indians (Cherokee & Chickamaugas) in the 1780s and 1790s.(Source).

He is probably best remembered as one of the leaders of the Americans against mainly Royalist militia under the leadership of Major Patrick Ferguson at the Battle of Kings Mountain - the British were defeated and Ferguson killed; the battle took place on October 7, 1780 and is described HERE for those interested - General Cornwallis delayed his plans to enter North Carolina to recoup his losses; further delays occurred at the Battle of Cowpens and then the Battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781 - all of these delays eventually led to Corwallis' entrenchment in the fall in Yorktown, Virginia giving the French Navy the opportunity to extend the blockade from the sea and George Washington and his French Allies to do the same on the land - the British surrender ended the Revolutionary War in October, 1781 although the Peace Treaty was not effective until two years later - all of these sites can be visited (Kings Mountain & Cowpens are located in South Carolina very near the NC border). Dave
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Battle Kings Mountain & Overmountain Men

Just wanted to add a map of the tremendous trek that John Sevier took 'over the mountains' (red line in the map below) to join forces w/ the North Carolina militia (yellow line) in Morganton (just off present day I-40 HW), and then together to march to Kings Mountain - a short quote below emphasizing that the Revolutionary War in the South was often a bloody & deadly civil war between neighbors and even families (Source). Dave

North Carolina backcountry militiamen made a major contribution to this important battle, which was significant for several reasons. The Battle of King’s Mountain was the only battle in the American Revolution in which the long rifle played a decisive role. The Patriot side were volunteer militia with no Continental officers or soldiers involved. The Patriot forces had all arrived on horseback, and last, the battle was an armed conflict between Americans, truly a “civil war.”

 

[giradman]

Chattanooga Tennessee & Chickamauga National Battlefield!

Well, I left this thread unfinished, i.e. did not cover another important east Tennessee city in the southeastern portion of the state, i.e. Chattanooga - yet another wonderful area to visit for so many reasons; the fourth largest city in the state and also like Knoxville on the wonderfully tortuously winding Tennessee River which dips below the southern boundary of the state then re-enters near the Mississippi border above which the Battle of Shiloh occurred to finally end in the Ohio River.

Chattanooga is beautifully situated between mountains & ridges and was an important railroad intersection at the time of the American Civil War (in both the north-south & west-east directions) and critical to control after the fall of Vicksburg (early July 1863) on the Mississippi River; the city was important for the Union effort in its movement into Georgia and then to Atlanta - below a map of the area w/ a couple of added red arrows - one on HW 64 (our entrance from southwestern North Carolina to the city) and another on Chickamauga in northern Georgia. The major Civil War battles in the fall of 1863 occurred at Chickamauga initially (September of that year) and then in Chattanooga - these battles will be the topics of two subsequent posts because of the importance of the city as the 'Gateway to the Deep South'.

The city is beautifully situated on a bend(s) of the Tennessee River (see pic below w/ Lookout Mountain - important later - in the background; also a pic of the 'Incline Railroad' to the top of that mountain); museums, boat rides, and the Tennessee Aquarium w/ some wonderful sites (pics of the famous water tunnel and a manatee). If you are visiting the eastern part of this state, then a stop in this city is mandatory! Will continue w/ a discussion of the Civil War events in late 1863 in the western front - Dave

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[The OB]

Chattanooga Tennessee & Chickamauga National Battlefield!

Well, I left this thread unfinished, i.e. did not cover another important east Tennessee city in the southeastern portion of the state, i.e. Chattanooga - yet another wonderful area to visit for so many reasons; the fourth largest city in the state and also like Knoxville on the wonderfully tortuously winding Tennessee River which dips below the southern boundary of the state then re-enters near the Mississippi border above which the Battle of Shiloh occurred to finally end in the Ohio River.

Chattanooga is beautifully situated between mountains & ridges and was an important railroad intersection at the time of the American Civil War (in both the north-south & west-east directions) and critical to control after the fall of Vicksburg (early July 1863) on the Mississippi River; the city was important for the Union effort in its movement into Georgia and then to Atlanta - below a map of the area w/ a couple of added red arrows - one on HW 64 (our entrance from southwestern North Carolina to the city) and another on Chickamauga in northern Georgia. The major Civil War battles in the fall of 1863 occurred at Chickamauga initially (September of that year) and then in Chattanooga - these battles will be the topics of two subsequent posts because of the importance of the city as the 'Gateway to the Deep South'.

The city is beautifully situated on a bend(s) of the Tennessee River (see pic below w/ Lookout Mountain - important later - in the background; also a pic of the 'Incline Railroad' to the top of that mountain); museums, boat rides, and the Tennessee Aquarium w/ some wonderful sites (pics of the famous water tunnel and a manatee). If you are visiting the eastern part of this state, then a stop in this city is mandatory! Will continue w/ a discussion of the Civil War events in late 1863 in the western front - Dave

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Another great read Dave and what a wonderful area, this one. Loved the evocative names of Chattanooga, Chickamauga....marvellous! And from your comment "Chattanooga...an important railroad intersection at the time of the America civil war..." you have tied in (before my time, but was it by Glenn Miller?) the tune in my head, that classic number "Chattanooga choo choo". Great photos too
Andrew

 

[giradman]

Another great read Dave and what a wonderful area, this one. Loved the evocative names of Chattanooga, Chickamauga....marvellous! And from your comment "Chattanooga...an important railroad intersection at the time of the America civil war..." you have tied in (before my time, but was it by Glenn Miller?) the tune in my head, that classic number "Chattanooga choo choo". Great photos too

Hi Andrew - yep, the song w/ the Glenn Miller band - for the lyrics follow the link below for a performance by the famous Andrews Sisters:

Chattanooga Choo Choo

Dave

 

[giradman]

Chickamauga National Military Battlefield

The Battle of Chickamauga was fought September 19-20, 1863 and involved the second highest number of casualties in the Civil War (Gettysburg, a 3-day battle, being tops, July 1-3, 1863). The Major Generals in charge were William Rosecrans for the North and Braxton Bragg for the South. The battle was named for the Chickamauga Creek, which flows into the Tennesee River near Chattanooga.

On the second day, the Confederates nearly routed the Union army w/ James Longstreet’s attack driving back a third of the Federals including Rosecrans himself. But Major General George Thomas assuming overall command of the remaining northern forces held strong allowing the Union army to retreat into Chattanooga - he obtained the sobriquet ‘Rock of Chickamauga’ - on a personal note, Thomas was a Virginian who decided to stay w/ the Union; he was ostracized by his family and none of his relatives attended his funeral (1870) as they never forgave him for his loyalty to the Union and not to Virginia.

The battle is considered a Confederate victory, but w/ tremendous carnage - a total of 37,000 casualties (nearly a third of the two armies) - the numbers killed, wounded, or missing are listed below.

58,000 Union soldiers engaged. 1,556 killed, 9,749 wounded, 4,774 missing. Total 16,079.

66,000 Confederates engaged. 2,673 killed, 16,274 wounded, 2,003 missing. Total 20,950.

The pics below are all from the web (but carefully chosen - ) - the map shows the actions on the second day; the large black arrow that I added is the location of Horseshoe Ridge & Snodgrass Hill were George Thomas literally saved the Union army (painting of him also below); images of the creek and a bridge; and stop No. 8 on the auto tour (cell phone discussions can be dialed up) showing the Snodgrass cabin, which served as a hospital, and is near where Thomas held his ground. Dave
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[giradman]

Chattanooga Battles - Lookout Mountain & Missionary Ridge

After the Union defeat at the battle of Chickamauga, the federals retreated to Chattanooga, Braxton Bragg’s army besieged the city threatening to starve the Union forces into surrender; his Confederate troops established themselves on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, both having excellent views of the city (see the attached pics from Lookout Mountain which is 1800 ft above the Tennessee River). In mid-October, Major General US Grant (in command of all Western Union Armies) reinforced Chattanooga & replaced Rosecrans w/ Major General George Thomas. By November, Grant and Major General William T. Sherman arrived in the city w/ further reinforcements.

The Battles of Chattanooga occurred on November 24-25, 1863 (see map - black arrows show both locations). On November 24, General Joe Hooker and his Union soldiers were able to move up Lookout Mountain and captured the site - the top of the mountain was shrouded in clouds and the battle at the top could not be seen from the city and became known as the Battle Above the Clouds - Susan & I took the incline railway up the mountain in mid-morning and indeed the fog obscured the view - now mostly a residential area (and likely expensive!) - the fog cleared by noon and we had gorgeous views of the city.

The following day, Grant’s forces assaulted Missionary Ridge w/ the Confederates commanded by Braxton Bragg. The Union soldiers were relentless in climbing the ridge and took out the first pit of southern rifles and w/ the disaster at Chickamauga in their minds continued up the ridge (even after being ordered to stop) and reached the top completely scattering the running southern boys! The Generals @ the bottom were dumbfounded by this fairly ‘easy’ victory. Below the casualties and subsequent results of the battles (from Wiki) - Grant was called to Washington, D.C. by Lincoln and was given command of all Union Forces and promoted to a Lieutenant General (the last officer to hold that rank was George Washington) - Grant’s new opponent was in Virginia, i.e. Robert E. Lee - the Civil lasted one more year.

Casualties for the Union Army during the Battles for Chattanooga (Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge) amounted to 5,824 (753 killed, 4,722 wounded, and 349 missing) of about 56,000 engaged; Confederate casualties were 6,667 (361 killed, 2,160 wounded, and 4,146 missing, mostly prisoners) of about 44,000. Southern losses may have been higher; Grant claimed 6,142 prisoners.

The Confederate enthusiasm that had risen so high after Chickamauga had been dashed at Chattanooga. One of the Confederacy's two major armies was routed. The Union now held undisputed control of the state of Tennessee, including Chattanooga, the "Gateway to the Lower South." The city became the supply and logistics base for Sherman's 1864 Atlanta Campaign, as well as for the Army of the Cumberland, and Grant had won his final battle in the west prior to receiving command of all Union armies in March 1864.

Pics below: 1) Map of the battles (see black arrows); 2) Several views from Lookout Mountain (second w/ Civil War reenactors); 3) Graphic of the 'Battle Above the Clouds'; 4) Graphic of the Union charge up Missionary Ridge; and 5) US Grant (bottom left w/ cigar) looking up the ridge! Dave
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[scifan57]

Here's a civil war era map of the Battle of Chattanooga.

Here's a civil war battle map of the Battle of Lookout Mountain on the 24th of November.

 

[giradman]

Here's a civil war era map of the Battle of Chattanooga.

Here's a civil war battle map of the Battle of Lookout Mountain on the 24th of November

Thanks Scifan.. for putting up the Civil War era maps of the battles of Chattanooga - cartography was critically important during that war - probably the most famous cartographer/topographer was Jedediah Hotchkiss - his maps of the Shenandoah Valley were crucial to Stonewall Jackson's success in his Valley Campaign of 1862. For those interested, checkout the Library of Congress's Civil War Maps - Dave
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[scifan57]

I got the maps from this Civil War app that commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. It's called The Civil War Today.

 

[giradman]

NEW TRIP! Eastern TN Mountains, Cumberland Gap Park, Gatlinburg and Environs!

Susan & I just returned from a 4-night trip to the Eastern Tennessee mountains - my main goal was to visit the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, but we wandered into the nearby towns, especially Gatlinburg and also the Smoky Mountains.

Just a few maps w/ this post for geographic orientation - the first map is the drive from home to Christopher Place, our small mountain inn for four nights - located near Newport, TN and about 45 minute drive to Gatlinburg and 1 1/2 hr north to the Cumberland Gap, all upcoming posts. The second map is a close-up of eastern Tennessee showing the location of the inn relative to the three main tourist towns and Cosby near the short Foothills Highway and the recreational area into the Smoky Mountains; again some upcoming posts. Dave

P.S. I took I-40 (dark blue line) almost completely there, about 3 1/2 hours - made it back home yesterday in 3 hours (traffic was going 80 mph!).

P.S.S. Knoxville (major topic in this thread) is just an hour away west, as is Asheville, North Carolina east, both traveling on I-40.
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