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History
2019
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Today
we start the rest of the ride to follow in JKP's footsteps. I have Frost
already packed and ready to roll on to the Cracker Barrel on I24 for breakfast. |
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As I make my way
across Nashville the traffic is light and Mr. Sun is just starting to peak
his head over the horizon. |
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This
Cracker Barrel is out near LaVergne which puts us past all the morning traffic
coming into town. |
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As usual, Sissy
is early just like me - which is predictable. When we were raised up, we
were always taught to never be late. If you are late, you are wasting somebody
else's time so we got in the habit of being early pretty early in life. |
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After talking about
the rest of the trip over hen fruit and pig meat, we settle up and head
toward Murfreesboro where JKP fought at the Battle of Stones River. The
incoming traffic will turn into a parking lot in about an hour. |
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When I was doing research to
find JKP's location at this battle, it was a series of fortunate coincidences
colliding to give me that information. The commanding general, Patrick
Cleburne set up his headquarters in the McCulloch house. Fortunately,
I found an article about the efforts of a preservation group trying to
save the house from demolition. After close examination, they decided
there was not enough of the original house left so it was torn down to
build condominiums. But the good thing was that they gave the street address
of the house so I could locate it. Then I found the battle order which
gives which units fought under the direction of Cleburne which included
the 17th of Tennessee (JKP's unit). From studying the previous records
I knew that the 17th and the 23rd always fought side by side. Then I found
notes from LT. Colonel Keeble, commander of the 23rd confirming they marched
right through the yard of the house -
Battle order - 17th was
the third of four brigades under Cleburne
Cleburne's Division
MG Patrick R. Cleburne
Third (Johnson's) Brigade
BG Bushrod R. Johnson
17th Tennessee: Col Albert S. Marks (w), Ltc Watt W. Floyd
23rd Tennessee: Ltc Richard H. Keeble
25th Tennessee: Col John M. Hughs (w), Ltc Samuel Davis
37th Tennessee: Col Moses White (w), Maj Joseph T. McReynolds (k), Cpt
Charles G. Jarnagin
44th Tennessee: Col John S. Fulton
Jefferson (Mississippi) Artillery: Cpt Putnam Darden
23rd Tennessee Infantry
Stone's River after battle report:
Report of Lieut. Col.
R. H. Keeble, Twenty-third Tennessee Infantry.
JANUARY 5, 1863.
The following report
of the part taken by the Twenty-third Tennessee
Regt. in the battle of Murfreesborough is respectfully submitted:
Having been changed from
the right to the left wing on the evening
before the battle, its position was in an open field, the left resting
upon
the road leading to the McCulloch house. On the morning of the battle,
the brigade and division made a right-wheel, in doing which it passed
the house above referred to and continued to wheel and march until its
course was almost at right angles with the one it held the evening
before, marching in its wheel through a large corn-field and a meadow.
This placed JKP somewhere in
the yard of the house on the first day of the battle.
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So the
first order of business this morning is to visit the site of the McCulloch
House. I have to wonder if that tree was there that morning as it appears
to be pretty old growth. |
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Right across the
street is what would have been the front yard of the plantation house where
the men marched through. |
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Andy graciously
takes a picture of Sissy and me once again standing with 100 yards of where
our great, great grandfather marched off to a battle - a battle where 42%
of his unit would be killed. |
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Matching the old
battle maps to modern maps is a real challenge but I'm pretty sure I have
located the modern location of where JKP was at the end of the battle. |
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It's hard to be
sure about this since the road route has probably changed some since that
day, but we park to get a shot. |
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This would have
been an open field on that day because the growth before us is all 'new'
growth judging by the size of the trees. |
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Because the position
of the farthest advance is close to the Stones River Museum, we visit it
next. |
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This one is a little
easier to figure out because I know the railroad has not moved since those
days. And chances are the Nashville Turnpike has stayed pretty much in the
same place. There is an old building there that appears to be of the correct
age and was probably used by one side or the other as cover when the bullets
started flying. |
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Next we head for
the museum to see what else we can learn about the bloody Battle of Stones
River. |
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Fortunately, we
find some nice shady parking spots as the temperature is already on the
rise. |
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It's a nice museum,
but much smaller than we expected given the significance of this particular
battle. It was one of the most costly battles during the Civil War when
measured in terms of loss of life and the wounded. Over 81,000 men clashed
here starting on New Year's Eve, 1862. 23,525 men were killed, wounded or
captured at the end of the battle - close to 30 percent of those on the
field. |
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It was a battle
over the control of the railroads and the path to the city of Nashville
which would give the victorious army control of the Cumberland River, a
vital link for supplying troops for the war. |
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They have several
interesting exhibits like this one showing what a typical soldier's tent
was like. Not much protection considering this was during the heart of the
winter in 1862. |
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One thing I was excited to
see was a picture of Sam Watkins from Mount Pleasant, Tennessee near where
I grew up. After the war, he wrote a series of articles for the local
newspaper from his recollections of the war. The articles were later combined
into a book called 'Company Aytch' which gives a unique perspective
of the war from a man that was a simple foot soldier. As he says in his
writings -
The histories of the
Lost Cause are all written out by "big bugs,"
generals and renowned historians, and like the fellow who called a turtle
a "cooter," being told that no such word as cooter was in Webster's
dictionary, remarked that he had as much right to make a dictionary as
Mr. Webster or any other man; so have I to write a history.
But in these pages I do not pretend to write the history of the war.
I only give a few sketches and incidents that came under the observation
of a "high private" in the rear ranks of the rebel army. Of
course,
the histories are all correct. They tell of great achievements of great
men, who wear the laurels of victory; have grand presents given them;
high positions in civil life; presidents of corporations; governors of
states; official positions, etc., and when they die, long obituaries are
published, telling their many virtues, their distinguished victories,
etc., and when they are buried, the whole country goes in mourning and
is
called upon to buy an elegant monument to erect over the remains of so
distinguished and brave a general, etc. But in the following pages I
propose to tell of the fellows who did the shooting and killing, the
fortifying and ditching, the sweeping of the streets, the drilling,
the standing guard, picket and videt, and who drew (or were to draw)
eleven dollars per month and rations, and also drew the ramrod and tore
the cartridge.
His unit fought in many of
the same battles as the 17th Tennessee Infantry where JKP was assigned.
This is his observation of part of this particular battle -
Now, another fact I will
state, and that is, when the private soldier was
ordered to charge and capture the twelve pieces of artillery, heavily
supported by infantry, Maney's brigade raised a whoop and yell, and
swooped down on those Yankees like a whirl-a-gust of woodpeckers in a
hail storm, paying the blue coated rascals back with compound interest;
for when they did come, every man's gun was loaded, and they marched upon
the blazing crest in solid file, and when they did fire, there was a
sudden lull in the storm of battle, because the Yankees were nearly all
killed. I cannot remember now of ever seeing more dead men and horses
and captured cannon, all jumbled together, than that scene of blood and
carnage and battle on the Wilkerson turnpike. The ground was literally
covered with blue coats dead; and, if I remember correctly, there were
eighty dead horses.
Wilkerson Turnpike was our
second stop of the day.
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Two places mentioned in the
battle histories are the Slaughter Pen and Hell's Half Acre
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All three of Sheridan's
brigade commanders were killed or mortally wounded and many Federal units
lost more than one-third of their men. Many Confederate units fared little
better. Union soldiers recalled the carnage as looking like the slaughter
pens in the stockyards of Chicago. The name stuck. By 10 a.m., many of
the Confederate objectives had been achieved. They had captured 28 guns
and over 3,000 Union soldiers.
The carnage as described
by J. Morgan Smith of the Thirty-second Alabama Infantry prompted soldiers
to name the field Hell's Half Acre.
"We charged in fifty yards of them and had not the timely order of
retreat been given - none of us would now be left to tell the tale.
Our regiment carries two hundred and eighty into action and came out with
fifty eight."
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There were so many
dead after the battle, that those tasked with burying them used a bent bayonet
for hooking and dragging dead bodies to mass graves. |
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This is the uniform jacket
of Private Henry Hall who was killed when a cannon ball ripped both his
legs from his body on the last day of the battle. This is a letter written
to his mother by a friend and fellow soldier -
Manchester Tenn, Feb
9th 1863
Dear Mrs. Hall
As an opportunity offers itself to send a letter through to you. I conclude
to write you feeling it a duty to give you information in regard to Henry,
who you have doubtless been informed met his fate on the field of Murfreesboro.
He was killed almost instantly by a cannon ball passing through both thighs,
severing his legs from his body, on Friday the 2nd of January. It being
almost dark and us being compelled to retire from the field, I am sorry
to say his body fell in the hands of the enemy. I did not see him myself
after he was killed, we was seperated during the battle.
I heard he was killed before the battle was over and tried to recover
his body, but could not find it. I was very much grieved to leave him
on the field, but under the circumstances it could not be otherwise. Henry
and myself have associated together for several years and I always found
in him a kind and faithful friend.
You can imagine, Mrs. Hall, how much I am grieved for him, but we should
not morn now he is dead. The hand of God has cut him down, and I hope,
taken his soul from this world of sorrow to Himself above, where he may
enjoy eternal bliss.
You must not grieve for Henry, but only think of the thousands of mothers
in your condition made so by the implacable enemy who seeks to destroy
our liberty and enslave us. Your son died a martyr, nobly laying down
his life for his country. He was a good boy and a good soldier. He will
ever live in the memory of his comrades, whose fortunes it may be to survive
this bloody war.
I will close as I believe I have written all of which I know of the subject,
painful as it is for me to speak or even think of. Virgil was wounded
slightly, but has recovered entirely and is in good health.
From Yours Truly
H.F. Nuckols 4th KY
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Outside is a typical
cannon like the one that killed Private Henry Hall. |
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Some of the most
deadly and fierce fighting took place ... |
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in the field in front of us.
One thing we do begin to understand after visiting several of these battlefields
is just how arrogant and uncaring the Confederate General Braxton Bragg
was in real life. He often sent his men across open fields against fortified
positions with no concern about casualties. Bragg treated them as if they
were expendable resources, seldom did reconnaissance work to determine
the enemy locations and plans, always blamed someone else when his plans
failed and then did not understand why his officers and men did not respond
quickly to his orders. (I feel certain that I have often encountered his
'descendants' in many corporate settings.) One of the few times his forces
won the battle, he could not believe that the Union forces were still
there. After all, he won the battle (of course at great cost of men and
resources), so they should have left. He was quick to severely punish
any soldier for any reason that he decided to use. An excerpt from "Company
Aytch" by Sam Watkins tells us -
Well, here we were, again
"reorganizing," and after our lax discipline on the road to
and from Virginia, and after a big battle, which always disorganizes an
army, what wonder is it that some men had to be shot, merely for discipline's
sake? And what wonder that General Bragg's name became a terror to deserters
and evil doers? Men were shot by scores, and no wonder the army had to
be reorganized. Soldiers had enlisted for twelve months only, and had
faithfully complied with their volunteer obligations; the terms for which
they had enlisted had expired, and they naturally looked upon it that
they had a right to go home. They had done their duty faithfully and well.
... From this time on till the end of the war, a soldier was simply a
machine, a conscript. It was mighty rough on rebels. We cursed the war,
we cursed Bragg, ... All our pride and valor had gone, and we were sick
of war
Union generals were pretty
quickly removed if they did not gain success on the field. We find out
that Bragg was a good friend of Confederate President Jefferson Davis
which explains why he was not removed until it was too late to do any
good.
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As we make our way back out
to our rides, we see a car with two lovely poochie dogs, Daisy and Tucker.
They immediately sense that I am a practiced dog petter and allow me to
minister to them. Tucker says -
"I'll give you 30 minutes
to stop that" or at least that's what I understand him to say. Their
human tells us that they are both rescue dogs and it sure looks like they
have finally found a good home.
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But we have more
things to see and do so we mount up and proceed on to Hoover's Gap, the
next place of engagement for the 17th Tennessee and JKP Lowrance. |
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Locating his actual location
on this battlefield was a real challenge. His unit played more of a supporting
roll in this battle. But with some very careful topological work, I have
located the site that his unit occupied during the battle. It is about
1 1/2 miles from the center point of the action, on the hilltop to our
left. Sissy and Andy, who probably have better sense than me, decide they
will pass on climbing over a barbwire fence and tramping up a steep hill
through waist high undergrowth.
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So with a grunt
and a growl, I'm off like a duck after a June bug. The hillside has not
been cut in a long time so it makes for some very difficult walking. At
least I will be able to 'see' my footsteps when I come back down. |
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When I reach the
top after much huffing and puffing, I look behind me and see an old roadway.
This would have been the way that they came to the top of this hill given
where they were before the battle started. |
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I also see an old
pathway to my left so other troops may have joined them by that access. |
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As I look forward,
I see the view that they would have had looking toward the enemy on the
next hill top. |
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Since I have no
picture taker but me, this will have to be a selfie. But at least I know
that with 100 yards of where I am standing, JKP was here on that day on
June 24, 1863. |
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Going down is not
much easier than climbing up, but I finally make it back to road without
having a major heart attack. But I do have to sit down and pull off all
the 'sticktites' that have decorated my riding pants as I do not want to
transfer them to the inside of my overpants. |
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With that bit of
business taken care of, and many assurances from Sissy and Andy on how glad
they were they didn't follow me, we are off to the main battle site. |
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On the top of the hill that
was the Union main position, is an original family cemetery. As was the
custom in the area in those days, grave sites were marked by carefully
stacked stones on top of the grave. Also on this hilltop is the first
Confederate Cemetery in the United States.
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Here is the story -
The Beech Grove Confederate
Cemetery
High atop a hill, with the Confederate battle flag flying proudly in the
breeze, nestled between the hustle and bustle of busy Interstate 24 and
U.S. 41 just about halfway between Murfreesboro and Manchester, is the
first Confederate cemetery to be established after the War Between the
States. It also holds the distinction of being the final resting place
for 50 unknown Confederate soldiers who were killed at the Battle of Hoover's
Gap, where Spencer Repeating Rifles were first used by Union troops. Despite
the changing character of surrounding lands evolving into twenty-first
century icons, the integrity of this small cemetery, and the tranquility
of that place in time, still exists today.
The following is a letter published in the Manchester Times newspaper
in 1904 by Civil War veteran and former resident of Beech Grove, William
Hume, which tells the story of how the cemetery came into being -
Dear Friend and Comrade,
As you are aware, nearly every man able to bear arms in the First, Second,
and Third Districts of Coffee County, and in the adjoining districts of
Rutherford and Bedford Counties, was in the Confederate Army, and made
the best of soldiers.
In the spring of 1866, quite a number assembled at Beech Grove, and reports
were made that many Confederate soldiers had been hastily buried in the
fields and pastures nearby, and in some instances the graves were so shallow
that portions of the remains were showing. These men all having lately
returned to their homes-with fences and stock to a great extent destroyed
or stolen and the country devastated-at once agreed to have all these
bodies of Confederate soldiers taken up and given a suitable resting place.
They selected the top of the hill in the old graveyard on the Manchester
Pike, near the Rutherford County line, and in full view of the Manchester
Pike, on the land owned by David Lawrence. They then had a nice walnut
coffin made for each and re-interred there, putting head-boards on each
grave, but being unable to put any name, as all were unknown. They also
put a nice paling fence around the graves.
This was done by the people there at their own expense, never having called
on any other section for help, and was the first Confederate Soldiers'
graveyard in the South that I have any knowledge of.
The majority of these veterans and their fathers who did this work are
dead. Possibly Stokley Jacobs, Bud Jacobs, and Henry Bivins could give
you some information in regard to this.
I think it is due your country to have this honor, as it was done at a
time when the Confederate soldier did not occupy the position in the State
of Tennessee and the United States that he does today, and was entirely
the work of love for fallen comrades.
Yours,
Wm Hume
Manchester Times, March 25, 1904
At the time this cemetery was chosen as the final resting place for these
fifty unknown Confederate soldiers, there were a few family graves, including
one Revolutionary War Soldier, on the site. In 1942, one other Confederate
veteran was buried there. For many years it was cared for by local residents
and former veterans. Despite their efforts, it fell into a state of disrepair
and vandalism became a serious problem. Then in the early 1950's, $5,000
in state money was appropriated to replace the deteriorating and missing
original grave markers. Through the efforts of the late David Jacobs,
a retired educator and historian, and with the help of the Sons of Confederate
Veterans, an additional $5,000 was raised. The land was purchased and
the cemetery dedicated in 1955. Mr. Jacobs was its caretaker until his
death in 1993. The SCV continues to care for the cemetery at present.
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On the hilltop is
also a memorial of the units that fought in that battle. This one lists
the 17th Tennessee as one of the units that was led by Bushrod Johnson. |
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Here are some very interesting
and unusual notes about the battle -
Company E, of the 72nd
Indiana overran its position and while returning to the battle line, and
being fired upon by Confederates, came across three small children, two
girls and a boy, trying to find their way out of the woods amid the shower
of bullets. The firing suddenly stopped. Sgt. Wilhite of the 72nd dismounted,
helped the children over a fence and headed them toward a house out of
range of the battle. The fighting then resumed and Company E went about
its business of fighting its way back to the brigade.
The 4th Division of MG
Joseph Reynolds spearheaded by Colonel John T. Wilder, at the head of
the "Lighting Brigade" of mounted infantry and armed with Spencer
rifles, moved into the four-mile-long valley of Hoover's Gap and opened
the Tullahoma Campaign . With the firepower of the Spencer rifles and
an excellent artillery battery, under command of Captain Eli Lilly, Wilder
prepared for the counter attack that was sure to come.With the gap now
completely in his grasp Wilder prepared to defend his prize. He set his
defense for the expected Confederate response by placing 2 companies of
the 98th Illinois to the left of the road on the only acceptable terrain,
a small hill with the remainder forming a reserve. To the right of the
road the Union line started with the 72nd Indiana on "a hillock on
which there was a graveyard". They were supported by two mountain
howitzers which were placed on the front of the hill. Captain Eli Lilly's
six ten-pound Rodman's anchored the center from a hill set back slightly
from the main line. They were supported by the 123rd Illinois. The right
was held the 17th Indiana. The mounted men had pushed about six miles
ahead of the main infantry column and would have to hold out long enough
for their support to close the distance. The rain and accumulated gun
smoke had settled in the gap and made visibility an issue. Nevertheless
the 20th Tennessee and Caswell's (Georgia) Battalion pushed across the
field in an effort to flank the 17th Indiana. Wilder responded by dispatching
the reserve companies of the 98th to extend the line there. They arrived
just as the Confederate line had succeeded in turning the position. The
reinforcements greeted the attackers with a "tornado of death"
at about 100 yards. The volume of fire emanating from the Federal line
drove the Confederates to the ground and they were forced to crawl back
to safety. At this point in the fight a messenger from division headquarters
arrived with instructions for Wilder. Recalling the episode 44 years later
Wilder described the situation this way -
"Captain Rice, adjutant-general
of the division, came riding speedily to the front with orders from General
Reynolds to me to fall back immediately, as the division was six or eight
miles in our rear, having stopped to repair a bridge, without letting
me know of it. I told him I would hold this position against any force,
and to tell General Reynolds to come on without hurrying, as there was
no danger of our being driven out of the position. Capt. Rice repeated
his order for me to fall back, and I told him I would take the responsibility
of remaining where I was, and that if General Reynolds were on the ground
he would not give such an order. Capt. Rice said that he had no discretion
in the matter, and that if I did not obey the order he would put me in
arrest and give the command to Colonel Miller, who would fall back as
ordered. I declined to obey the order of arrest, and requested Captain
Rice to return to General Reynolds and tell him we had driven their force
back, and could not be driven by any forces that could come at us."
The 1,500 Spencer repeating
rifles were capable of firing 14 rounds per minute and proved to be the
difference between Union forces and the numerically superior Confederates.
General Thomas declared following the day's battle that he had not expected
to capture the gap for three days and that henceforth Wilder's men would
be known as the "Lightning Brigade." Over two hundred, or nearly
one fourth of the Confederate forces, were killed or wounded at Hoover's
Gap while Wilder's Brigade suffered only fifty-one casualties. General
Bate later commented that judging from the fire power of the Union force,
he thought he was outnumbered five to one. It may very well be that this
first encounter with repeating rifles at Hoover's Gap was the beginning
of the expression which traveled around the Confederate army for the remainder
of the war, that the "Yankees could load on Sunday and shoot all
the rest of the week."
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With this much daylight
left, we decide we will try to visit the next battle site - Chickamauga.
We make it over Monteagle Mountain without a problem but ... |
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it appears one trucker
was not so fortunate. Judging by the parked location of the truck, his brakes
caught on fire coming down the mountain and he didn't notice it until he
was on the flat. Flames fanned at 65 mph get out of control pretty quickly
and my guess (and hope) is that he pulled off and made a hasty exit out
of the burning trailer and truck. |
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And as always on
the Interstate, I generally get stuck behind an 'elephant dance' or two.
This is where one semi tries to pass another semi but just don't have the
power to do it in a timely manner. So they run side by side for a few miles
until one lets the other one in or one just gives up. |
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But our ship of expectation
to visit Chickamauga has suddenly crashed upon the rocks of reality. Something
has brought both lanes to a complete stop for a good while. The heat is
almost overwhelming for Andy and me, but Sissy comes to rescue by jumping
out of her Miata and bringing us both some cold water to drink while we
wait. I always knew she should be good for something besides pestering me
as a child, so guess this is it. |
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After baking like
a potato in an asphalt microwave, I decide we'll just head straight for
the motel as quick as we can get there once we get by the fender bender. |
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Supper is easy as
there is a Cracker Barrel in walking distance. We talk about the rest of
the trip over a nice supper. After the short walk back to the room, it does
not take this roasted ear of corn long to drift off into the crib of rest. |
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