Thurs. & Fri., Oct. 1-2, 2026
Pour yourself an extra-large cup of coffee, this is a long post about an action packed two days.
After much planning, it was time for our roadtrip to the Deep South states of Tennessee and Georgia to visit several Civil War battle sites and see Michael and Jacob fight for the Union in the Battle of Franklin Civil War Reenactment being staged in the fair hamlet of LaFayette, Georgia.
Thursday was a day to tie up a few loose ends starting with . . .
. . . a trip to Ventura to buy mini
state flags of Tennessee and Georgia
for Jacob's collection
We just have to return to Ventura
for this at the end of the month
Packed and finally ready, we headed to LAX for the 11:05 p.m. redeye flight to Nashville, Tennessee.
We parked at The Parking Spot
on Sepulveda Blvd.
The Parking Spot's LAX shuttle
was cozy and efficient
Heading to the TSA lines
We sailed through TSA with
no problems at all
Our Southwest filght would NOT
be on-time as scheduled
We had about a 50 minute delay before taking off for the three hour and 45 minute flight to Nashville.
We still made it to Tennessee
BEFORE the crack of dawn
Way before.
Our goal for the day was to
reach the site of the reenactment
before sundown
LaFayette, Georgia is only two hours south of Nashville but we planned on visiting four Civil War battle sites along the drive first.
First stop, Franklin, Tennessee
for coffee at The Feinting Goat
The latte was good but the honey glazed croissant was even better.
After our light repast, we started
our tours of Civil War Battlefields
The Battle of Franklin, Tennesse
"When the Devil Had Full
Possession of the Earth"
A Union Victory
November 30, 1864
Estimated Casualties:
2,000 dead and
9,500 wounded, missing or captured
After the Civil War, as the city of Franklin grew, homes and businesses were erected in several of the key spots on what was once the battleground.
Thus the American Battlefield Trust has been slowly buying said structures in an effort to rehabilitate the battlefield to its original look.
We were on our own as our early arrival in Nashville meant that the Visitors Center did not open for another two hours.
The Carter House was there
on that fateful day in 1864
There were two good signs . . .
. . . explaining this house's roll
in the battle
Outbuilding near the Carter House
Also near the Carter House, this
building took a lot of fire during the day
Jacob is seen peering in through one of those bullet holes.
My photo through the same
bullet hole at the ones in
the opposite wall,
YIKES!
The outside of that opposite wall
John Bell Hood's disastrous
Confederate charge came this way
towards the Carter House
The Union cannons were waiting
for Hood's men
Sitting on a tribute to the hard
working Army mules of long ago
The Union forces set their line
next to the Carter House
That path in front of these cannons
marks the site of the deep trenches
that the Union dug in preparation
for the charge with defensive
breastworks erected behind them
Note the relatively new home that was built on the old battleground.
Lots of battle monuments in
the area, no surprise there
More info on the Federal Battle Line
Laurie crept into my thoughts
To be fair, Old Glory was
draped on the other side
of this veranda
Our stay in Franklin was brief as the site still needs to be resurrected via the purchasing and razing of non-Civil War era buildings, we were off to Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
The entrance to . . .
The Battle of Stones River, Tennessee
Results Tactically Inconclusive
Dec. 31, 1862 to Jan. 2, 1863
Estimated Casualties:
3,000 dead and
22,600 wounded, captured and missing
That tall tree is know as a Witness Tree
That means that it was actually standing it its place during the three days of this battle.
Confederate Cemetery
A lone cannon
Metal cutout of a lone infantryman
Federal Drum in the Visitors Center
The Chaos of Battle, indeed!
Chilling
Doctor's surgery tools
"Hooked bayonets may have been used to
drag decomposing bodies to burial sites."
Serene, pastoral sights abounded
The boys on a stroll
The Slaughter Pen?
We headed to the Slaughter Pen
This rocky terrain is the Slaughter
Pen, so named for all of the bloodshed
A good visit again to a much more traditional battle site.
Time for lunch.
Of course Bojangles got the call!
The Incline Railway up to Lookout
Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee
It leads to a mountain top where amazing vistas are everywhere!
See what I mean?
These two appreciated the views
You can spot six different
states from the peak of
Lookout Mountain
Looking down the Incline
Railway's tracks
I liked this Pumpkin Cairn
About to enter our third Battle
Park of the day
The Battle of Chattanooga, Tennessee
"The Battle Above the Clouds"
A Union Victory
November 23-25, 1863
Estimated Casualties:
2,000 dead and
13,000 wounded, captured and missing
Various forms of Civil War
cannon ammunition
Painting of Lookout Mountain
during the battle
Good looking Union troops
Time to tour the gun inplacements
The New York Monument
The only known Civil War battle monument that honors both the Federal and the Confederate fallen.
The Confederate's position while
extremely strong, was not enough
in the end
JACOB, GET OFF OF THAT!
Back down the mountain,
we were sorely tempted to have
some of their ice cream
It was time to cross the state line into Georgia for our final battlefield of the day.
The Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia
A Confederate Victory
September 18-20, 1863
Estimated Casualties:
3,000 dead and
30,500 wounded, captured and missing
Chickamauga's Visitors Center
Michael taking aim,
AT ME!
Nice state flag display
The Chickamauga Visitors Center houses
the amazing Fuller Gun Collection
But first another tribute to Army mules
A yank about to take aim at . . .
. . . a yelling Reb
The Fuller Gun Collection
Over 300 rare firearms showcasing the 400-year evolution of longarms and sidearms dating from the late 1500s through World War I.
A 17th-century glass hand grenade,
who knew?
In the middle, an 1808 Blunderbuss
An 1822 Musket
On the left, an 1845 Cochrane
Revolving Rifle
An original of the musket copy that
Jacob recently purchased
Another set of cannons lined up
at the Chickamauga Visitors Center
It was finally time to get the boys to their Federal camp in LaFayette, Georgia for their reenactment.
The Federal Camp in part
The skies were ominous
A teepee style tent
The boys slipping into character
Coffee in the morning would taste
good from one of these ancient pots
A Union squad drilling
It was time to let Michael and Jacob do their duties while I slipped off to attend a high school football game in Chickamauga.
Christian Heritage H.S. Lions
4 Wins - 1 Loss
0-1 in Georgia AA Region 7 play
at
Gordon Lee H.S. Trojans
2 Wins - 3 Losses
1-0 in Georgia AA Region 7 play
Nice looking school
Lots of Georgia State Track
and Field Champions
The Trojans warming up
Nice run-through tunnel
The school track records showed
an interesting name
The record holder in the Boys 200 and 400 Meter runs is none other than Braxton Turnipseed.
Great name!
Rain has been in the forecast
all weekend long
A nice setting indeed
Here come . . .
. . . THE TROJANS!
Gordon Lee using the Air Force
Academy's Flexbone Offense
In Lyon, France, Julien Urgenti would be salivating if he saw this offense on display.
Let's take a look at a
Gordon Lee play
FINAL SCORE
Christian Heritage (5-1, 1-1) - 35
Gordon Lee (2-4, 1-1) - 31
As it was getting late and I was tiring, I left the game at halftime to pick up Jacob and bring him back to our motel room for the night.
Michael opted to camp out in the humid conditions with his Union mates.
All in all, WHAT A DAY!
We'll be back at it again on Saturday, stay tuned.
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