Chattanooga

Next stop was Chattanooga as we wanted to make a visit to the Chickamauga Battlefield, which is about 10 miles south of Chattanooga.

The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18-20, 1863 during the Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia.  It was the first major battle of the war fought in Georgia and the most significant U.S. defeat in the Western Theater, and it involved the second-highest number of casualties after the Battle of Gettysburg.

President Lincoln believed that taking Chattanooga was as important as taking Richmond.  Many wonder why this small town of 2,500 was as important as taking the capital of the Confederacy.  The small city lay on the banks of the Tennessee River where it cut through the Appalachian Mountains, allowing four major railroads to converge.  If the Union captured Chattanooga, it could cripple Confederate supply lines and strike at the industrial heart of the Confederacy.

In 1890, Congress authorized the creation of the nation's first National Military Park, encompassing the Chickamauga and Chattanooga battlefield sites.  The park was dedicated in 1895.  National Military Parks and battlefields were administered by the War Department until 1933 when they were transferred to the National Park Service.

It is always interesting to see the weapons used at the time.

Very patriotic inside the center.

And so many things to see.

A noteworthy exhibit is a rare and beautifully restored battery wagon that belonged to the Chicago Board of Trade Battery, one of the Federal artillery units at Chickamauga.  Battery wagons carried supplies of all types that were needed to maintain artillery.

This tree trunk, taken from the battlefield, shows the ferocity of the projectiles that flew between the lines.  Iron and lead from bullets, shells, and canisters riddled the Chickamauga forest.  Sections of trees with embedded projectiles were strewn on the battlefield.

One of the displays in the Claud and Zenada Fuller Collection of American Military Shoulder Arms.  This collection of 346 rifles and muskets has weapons from about the 1600s to the beginning of the 20th century and all are in beautiful condition.  A lot of different muskets and rifles were used in the Civil War, from various arms manufacturers, and the collection appears to have one of every type from every gun maker.

Springfield Rifle Model 1866 in the middle below.

The Spencer repeating rifles and carbines lever-action firearms were the world's first military metallic-cartridge repeating rifle, and over 200,000 rifles were manufactured between 1860 and 1869.  The Spencer repeating rifle was adopted by the Union Army, especially by the cavalry, during the Civil War but did not replace the standard issue muzzle-loading rifled muskets in use at the time.  Among the early users was George Armstrong Custer.

Lt. General James Longstreet first fought in the western theater at Chickamauga.  He was later defeated attempting to besiege Knoxville.  He and his men returned to Virginia to rejoin General Lee for the spring campaign of 1864.

There is an eight stop driving tour to see the major sites within the park.  Along the drive are about 1400 monuments to various units and individuals on both sides, plus informative signs describing the fighting and actions that occurred at those locations.  Most of these were placed by veterans of the battle.  Since the park was authorized just 25 years after the war ended and the battlefield had changed little, the veterans were able to accurately place the signs and monuments.

The Florida Monument was erected in 1912-1913.  Inscription:

This monument has been erected in memory of the soldiers of the State of Florida who took part in the battle fought here September 19-20, 1863 whether they fell in battle or lived to render further services to their state and country.

We've seen a lot of battlefields and my reward is, typically, lunch.....so we drove into downtown Chattanooga to find a place to eat and came across this.

The shape of the building was intriguing and since it was right across the street from a large public parking lot, we decided this was the place.

The Pickle Barrel is on Warehouse Row and attracts a mix of young students, bikers and tourists.  They have a lot of pickle items on the menu but we passed.  But it was a fun place and on this day it was not crowded at all.  In fact, the area seemed very quiet for mid day in downtown.

We talked to the server and she told us about the "Mocs" and their upcoming football game.  Mocs?  Huh?  She then explained to us that the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (Mockingbird is the state bird of Tennessee) was just down the street so, of course, we HAD to go.

When the Methodist Episcopal Church began to explore the possibilities of developing a central university in the South, Chattanoogans came forward to work with the church in this effort and became UTC in 1866.

For 83 years, the University was private.  Three years after its founding, the University consolidated with another religious church-related school, East Tennessee Wesleyan University of Athens, under the name of Grant University.  In 1907, University of Chattanooga became the name.

In 1969, the University of Chattanooga and a junior college, Chattanooga City College, merged and affiliated with the University of Tennessee and became UTC.  Pledged to the service of the nation, the University of Tennessee has become a statewide system of higher education comprised of four primary campuses.  

Uh-oh......HATS!

Of course, he bought one

We've seen a lot of battlefields over the years and each time we visit we remember those who fought here.

Happy birthday, Jimmy!

Today is Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday - the only president to ever have lived to be 100 years old.  We were recently in his home town of Plains, Georgia so it only seems fitting to post this today.

Plains is just a short drive from Andersonville so we continued our drive to see where Jimmy Carter was born and raised.  Our first stop was Plains High School which is now the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site.

Plains High School was built in 1921 at the cost of $50,000.  For many years, this institution served as the primary center for education, offering grades one through eleven, with students graduating after the eleventh grade.  Plains High School did not include a twelfth grade until 1952.  The high school played a pivotal role in the lives of both Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter - Jimmy Carter received his diploma in 1941 and Rosalynn graduated valedictorian in 1944.

After serving as a school for many decades, Plains High School closed its doors in 1979.  However, its legacy lives on as it has been transformed into a park museum and visitor center.  These spaces offer a glimpse into the past, providing an authentic sense of what education was like during the Carter's school years.

I wonder if Jimmy or Rosalynn sat in this classroom.

Or participated in a special event in this auditorium.

There were also some Carter memorabilia on display.

This poem to Rosalynn is sweet.

As most presidential libraries have, there was an Oval Office display.  We took the opportunity to place a few calls.

From there we were off to Jimmy Carter's Boyhood Farm.

This home was owned by Earl Carter, Jimmy's father, and dates back to 1928 when it came under the Carter's ownership.  For over two decades, Earl Carter cultivated a variety of crops, including corn, cotton, peanuts and sugar cane, as well as a large family garden.  Jimmy called this place home from the age of four until he left for college. 

One of Jimmy Carter's earliest and most vivid memories revolves around the day they moved into their new home.

"The front door was locked when we got there, and daddy realized that he had forgotten the key.  He tried to raise one of the windows that opened onto the front porch, but a wooden bar on the inside let it come up only about six inches.  So he slid me through the crack and I came around to unlock the door from the inside.  The approval of my father for my first useful act has always been one of my most vivid memories."

Earl Carter sold the farm to T.R. Downer in 1949 and the Downer family owned the property until 1994 when the National Park Service purchased it.

In 2000, the Boyhood Farm underwent a restoration process to recreate its appearance as it was before electricity was installed in 1938.

We walked up to the home to look around.  It was interesting that at no time did we see anyone, not even a guide or park ranger, anywhere on the property.

Jimmy's two sisters, Gloria and Ruth, shared this bedroom.  For birthdays and other special occasions they had sleepover company.  After falling asleep, guests would awaken and sometimes go into hysterics when the train came by the front of the house at about 2:00 a.m.  It sounded terrible, as if the train was coming right through the house.

Phew, glad to see there was a bathroom with running water.  We'd seen an outhouse on the way in.

The Boyhood Farm continues to thrive with the same agricultural spirit.  The farm is home to honeybees, goats, chickens, mules, and farm cats, all contributing to the authentic farm atmosphere.  Crops are still grown periodically throughout the year, which includes sugarcane, cotton, corn, tomatoes and, of course, peanuts, a crop closely associated with the Carters.

These pecan trees belonged to Jimmy Carter's mother, "Miss Lillian."  His father, "Mr. Earl", planted the grove soon after the family moved here in 1928.  Each fall, Miss Lillian harvested and sold her pecans in nearby Americus.  The extra income provided her with household spending money throughout the rest of the year.

If you look closely in the upper left corner you can see Jimmy's handprints that he placed in the concrete as a young child.

As we drove into "town", we made a stop at the cemetery.  When Jimmy dies (he stated he wanted to live to 100 - he made it!), he will join Rosalynn (who is being held "in waiting") at their home in Plains where Jimmy lives today.

Our last stop was "downtown" Plains where they are very proud of their favorite son.

In the center of town is the Plains Depot, a living testament to the town's rich history.  Constructed in 1888, it stands proudly as the oldest building in Plains, having witnessed over a century of change and growth.  Originally, the Plains Dept played a vital role in the community, serving as both a freight and passenger depot until 1951 when passenger service was discontinued.

In 1976, the Plains Depot took on a new role in town's history when it became the center for Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign.  During this time, approximately 10,000 people a day flocked to Plains, eager to learn more about the candidate.  It was at the Plains Depot that many state primary victories and, ultimately, the historic presidential victory were celebrated.

We walked across the street to the Carter Warehouse.  

It was a great stop and so glad that we can celebrate Jimmy today.

Happy 100th birthday, Jimmy!!!