The Flickr Civilwarbattlefield Image Generatr

Green Door in BNW

Much of the Old Natchez Trace had been abandoned by the start of the Civil War. However, the war did leave its mark on the Trace, as it did upon the rest of the South, as soldiers marched, camped, and fought along portions of this historic old road. Just a 5 minute walk on the Old Trace from the parking area along the Natchez Trace Parkway takes you to the grave sites of 13 unknown Confederate soldiers...a mute reminder of bygone days and of the great struggle out of which developed a stronger nation.

Were they some of Shiloh's wounded who retreated here in 1862 to die beside the Natchez Trace? Did they serve under the daring General Nathan Bedford Forrest who passed this way in 1864? Or were they guarding the Tupelo headquarters of General John B. Hood's Army of Tennessee near the end of the Civil War? We may never know. However, tradition holds that the unknown graves belong to Confederate soldiers who marched and camped along this stretch of the Old Trace. Perhaps they died of wounds, or the lingering hunger, poverty, and sickness in the army camps. Their simple grave markers face backwards - toward the Old Natchez Trace - so travelers might read and remember.

Note - the original grave markers may have borne names, but they disappeared long ago. In 1940, Senator Theodore Bilbo of Mississippi arranged for marble headstones but they were stolen. The National Park Service erected the headstones now in place like the one seen in the photograph above.

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

The morning of February 14 dawned cold and quiet. Early in the afternoon a furious roar broke the stillness, and the earth began to shake. Andrew H. Foote's Union gunboat fleet, consisting of the ironclads St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Carondolet, and the timberclads Conestoga and Tyler, had arrived from Fort Henry via the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers and were exchanging "iron valentines" with the eleven big guns in the Southern water batteries. During this one and one-half hour duel the Confederates wounded Foote and inflicted such extensive damage upon the gunboats that they were forced to retreat. The hills and hollows echoed with cheers from the southern soldiers.

The Confederate generals-John Floyd, Gideon Pillow, Simon Buckner and Bushrod Johnson-also rejoiced; but sober reflection revealed another danger. Grant was receiving reinforcements daily and had extended his right flank almost to Lick Creek to complete the encirclement of the Southerners. If the Confederates did not move quickly, they would be starved into submission. Accordingly, they massed their troops against the Union right, hoping to clear a route to Nashville and safety. Both Confederate and Union soldiers fought furiously on the morning of February 15; the Union Army grudgingly retreated by the afternoon. Just as it seemed the way was clear, the Southern troops were ordered to return to their entrenchments-a result of confusion and indecision among the Confederate commanders. Grant immediately launched a vigorous counterattack, retaking most of the lost ground and gaining new positions as well. The way of escape was closed once more.

Floyd & Pillow turned over command of Fort Donelson to Buckner and slipped away to Nashville with ~2,000 men. Others followed cavalryman Lt. Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest across swollen Lick Creek. That morning, Feb. 16, Buckner asked Grant for terms. His answer was short and direct: "No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted." Buckner surrendered.

Soon after the surrender, civilians and relief agencies rushed to assist the Union Army. The U.S. Sanitary Commission was one of the first to provide food, medical supplies, and hospital ships to transport the wounded. Many civilians came in search of loved ones or to offer support. Although not officially recognized as nurses, women such as Mary Bickerdyke and Mary Newcomb, cared for and comforted sick and wounded soldiers.

With the capture of Fort Donelson and its sister fort, Henry, the North had not only won its first great victory, it had also gained a new hero--"Unconditional Surrender" Grant, who was promoted to major general. Subsequent victories at Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga would lead to his appointment as lieutenant general and commander of all Union Armies. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox would send Grant to the White House.

After the fall of Fort Donelson, the South was forced to give up southern Kentucky and much of Middle and West Tennessee. The Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, and railroads in the area, became vital Federal supply lines. Nashville was developed into a huge supply depot for the Union army in the west. The heartland of the Confederacy was opened, and the Federals would press on until the "Union" became a fact once more.

"Fort Donelson will hereafter be marked in Capitals on the maps of our United Country..."
~Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant was becoming quite famous as he wrote these words following the surrender of Confederate Fort Donelson on Sunday, February 16, 1862. The Union victory at Fort Donelson elated the North, and stunned the South. Within days of the surrender, Clarksville and Nashville would fall into Union hands. Grant and his troops had created a pathway to victory for the Union.

Information above borrowed from the National Park Services website for Fort Donelson found here:
www.nps.gov/fodo/planyourvisit/thebattleforfortdonelson.htm

Fort Donelson was officially listed on the NRHP on October 15, 1966. The original documents submitted for listing consideration can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/be7de9eb-cec0-4ef2-940d-8...

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the link below: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

March 7–8, 1862
4,300-acre battlefield
23,000 soldiers fought on these fields
The Union was outnumbered. 16,500 to 10,500

Union suffered over 1000 casualties while the south suffered over 2000.

Known as the Battle That Saved Missouri for The Union

Pea Ridge Battle Field - DSC_6836- 2024 12 15a

Fort Pulaski, under construction from 1829 to 1847, was one of a chain of brick coastal fortifications in the eastern United States. On Cockspur Island in the mouth of the Savannah River, it guarded the city of Savannah from water-borne invasion. The main fortification is a five-sided (truncated hexagon) brick structure, with 7½-foot-thick outer walls two tiers high and approximately 350 feet long on each side. Opposite the gorge face is a triangular demilune with sides approximately 400 feet long. The fort and its demilune are separated by, and completely surrounded by, a wet moat approximately 40 feet wide and 7 feet deep (seen in the photograph above). Extending from the fort in all directions over an area of roughly 100 acres is a system of dikes and drainage ditches. All of the above elements were designed and built as an integrated, militarily interdependent unit. All other historic structures on the island are in some way associated with the fort, but were not necessary to its operation as a defensive work. The fort is in excellent condition due to extensive restoration in the 1930's by the National Park Service. Its exterior remains unaltered. The interior was altered only by the installation of electricity, rest room facilities, and removable exhibit cases & storage areas in the gorge wall.

Fort Pulaski is the best preserved and most original of a system of eastern coastal forts designed by the French military engineer Simon Bernard, while in the employ of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Its massive brick walls, backed by heavy piers, and case-mated rooms reflected the continuing search for security against increasingly large caliber smooth-bore cannons of the period. The best military engineering principles, finest joinery, and masonry techniques of the day were used in its construction. Yet the siege and rapid reduction of Fort Pulaski in 1862 by heavy rifled artillery of the Federal Army, which had no precedent at the time, immediately made obsolete all masonry forts everywhere. Most of the construction features and extensive siege damage are still visible, and are interpreted to the visiting public today.

The Fort Pulaski complex was determined to be significant for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 15, 1966 in the areas of architecture, engineering, and military history of the United States of America. Although the fort embodies nothing new since Roman times in the way of architectural principles, the craftsmanship exhibited in its construction is outstanding, and it is one of the best surviving examples of North American fort architecture and engineering. It is far more significant in terms of military history. Built as it was, to withstand the heaviest of smooth-bore cannons of the day, the fort quickly fell under the punch of rifled artillery. This successful test siege immediately changed the course of military architecture and history forever.

All of the information above was found on the original documents submitted to the NRHP for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/17b19096-6db2-44be-b1e...

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D5000 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

Fort Donelson National Military Park and Cemetery are contained within a 554-acre tract of land located approximately one mile west of Dover, county seat of Stewart County, Tennessee. The National Cemetery was established under the War Department in 1867 and Fort Donelson became a National Military Park on March 26, 1928. In 1933, responsibility for the care and protection of the Park and Cemetery passed from the War Department to the National Park Service. Based on information provided in the original documents submitted to the National Register of Historic Places, Fort Donelson is eligible for listing consideration based on three criteria: A - property that is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; B - property that is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; and C - property that embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. Fort Donelson's commemorative history is evident in the designed memorial landscape of the national cemetery and in the well-preserved earthworks, buildings, and monuments erected and protected on this 130-year-old battlefield. The oldest features of the battlefield are the original earthworks associated with the Civil War and the Dover Hotel, with both of these historic resources also being listed in the NRHP.

Fort Donelson was officially listed on the NRHP on October 15, 1966. All information above was taken from the original documents submitted for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/be7de9eb-cec0-4ef2-940d-8...

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the link below:
www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/