Category: Travel
-
A Tennessean Union Death
Jasper Newton Bare, my first cousin 4th removed from our grandparents Samuel Fry and Nancy Blythe, died in the first Battle of Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign: Battle of the Resaca. Jasper was one of 158,787 soldiers, including his younger brother James., on what became the second bloodiest battle of Sherman’s march to the sea. I found…
-
New Orleans when it wasn’t easy
“…respectfully request for a pardon of six hours a day for the purpose of exercising in New Orleans” wrote Lt Henry M McClendon as a prisoner in the U. S. Customs House in New Orleans. A neighbor to my 2xgreatgrandUncle George M. Hill. both men had been captured, Henry on Nov 22, 1863 at Camp…
-
“Mud Fort” at Sabine Pass
Driving east to Louisiana Civil War sites from Galveston last week I still had Confederate General, “Prince John” B. Magruder on my mind. Hoping to see more ocean/river than tourist streets/restaurants I was eager to explore https://thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/sabine-pass-battleground I was not disappointed. Just as before-the-Civil War, I was greeted with the confluence of railroad to move…
-
Spurs on a Cotton-Clad
“Veterans of the New Mexico desert and mountains, the wild Texas cavalrymen sharpshooters needed no urging,” in the wee hours of the morning of New Year’s Day 1863. Where? Galveston Island. Specifically, Kuhn’s Wharf (now Fisherman’s wharf). Sibley/Green’s 7th Texas Cavalry had vengeance, not pleasure on their minds. My 2greatgrandUncle George M. Hill, and his…
-
Arkansas Post National Memorial
I’m heading north on The Great River Road alongside the Mississippi River. Arkansas has several stops on the Road that gave me pause to reflect not just on the history of this state, but of this area’s importance since 1682. I’ve spent thousands of hours over the years exploring our National Parks, and lands. Do…
-
Salt, Coal & Chemicals
A week in Charleston, West Virginia proved to me, once again, that I often find surprises in unexpected places. My 86-year-old mother lived here in 1941. Her father was an engineer for Union Carbide, which should have been a clue that this capitol city of 50,000 people located at the confluence of the Elk and…
-
Military Musings
I’m into my fourth day of exploring Charleston, WVA. I extended my stay to the end of the week because the folks at the State Archives are wonderful. I can also walk the town to explore its history, food, and music. And after 35 days, my butt is tired of sitting on a train, or…
-
Waxhaw Settlement
I’m touring the Waxhaw region, an area nestle between Charlotte, NC and Lancaster, SC west to the Catawba River. This is the land of the Scot-Irish, and a few Germans, originally called the “Waxhaw Settlement” who made these forested hills their own. The Yamasee War of 1715 killed the remaining Waxhaw tribe (and many other…
-
Wagon Trains & Buckypaper
I’m flying east across the USA from Seattle, Washington. I’ve brought along my copy of the National Trails System Map, compliments of the National Park System and my friend Joey McBayer. I switch between the paper version and staring out the window at the mountains, lakes, mesas, valleys, and hundreds of miles of land that…
Solivagant USA 