Sites in Tennessee to Visit ?

[Jim N Mo.]

The first weekend in December is the annual Civil War Show in Nashville . If you have never been to one , you need to try and make it . From past years I have also worked in some sightseeing . Been very pleased with what I have visited but am planning some extra time this year to see more places . Already have Shiloh Battlefield added to my list of things to see but am asking for any knowledge some of you may have on other places to visit besides the list of places below , that I have already seen and will visit again . Also have any of you visited Fort Negley since it was opened to the public ? I have gone there 4 or 5 times over the last 15 years when you could just walk up the hill and see all there was to see . Glad to see others are being able to discover this great old site now that it is being refurbished and opened to the public , but it was also neat when only a few seemed to know where it was hidden and you could spend all day up there and never see a single sole . Thanks for any help .  Jim

Columbus , Ky. / Belmont Mo. Battlefield (north of Tn.)
Fort Donelson Battlefield
Tennessee State Musem
Franklin Battlefield
Stone's River Battlefield

[KyBlue51]

Been to Franklin twice; excellent site. They have a picture at the visitor's center that was taken by a tourist in the graveyard which contains civil war dead. There is what appears to be an apparition that resembles a confederate soldier in the picture.

(Also, after a long day of touring check out Herbert's B-B-Q; some of the best I've ever had. My wife and I went back to Franklin the second time as much to eat at Herbert's as to tour the battlefield again.)

But seriously, The Carter House is one of the last remaining Civil War structures of its kind. It and the outbuilding contain over 1,000 bullet holes from the battle. Also there is a doorway in the back of the house where a Yankee stood guard during the battle. You can see where his bayonet cut into the top of the door frame as he tried to make himself as small as possible. Awesome stuff!  

Also been to Stone's River, Shiloh, Chickamagua, Bull Run, Frederickburg, Antitem, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Sailor's Creek, Petersburg, Wildcat Mountain, Perryville, Appomatax Court House. Take a child to one or more of these sights, it beats anything they can learn on a video game and maybe one day they will understand the term "hollowed ground".  

[KyBlue51]

Please excuse me, that is "hallowed ground"!!!  

[Jim N Mo.]

Thanks for the tips . Been about 10 years since I was at Franklin and I also enjoyed my visit . The Carter House and the Carnton Mansion were great . Not to sound too morbid , but I almost bought an original Civil War Era cast iron coffin off Ebay , about 5 years back , that was just like the one they display at the Carnton Mansion . I was fascinated with the glass window and thought it would be fitting for me to spend all that time in a Civil War Era item , when the time came . But as I am over 6 foot tall , or long in this case , it would not have worked . Not even sure if it would be legal any more .
    My son is now too old ( high shool , job , girlfriend ) to accompany me on this trip but I was lucky in being able to  take him on several trips in the past . The kids will not learn it in school so we need to help them by taking them to as many historical sites as we can . In 2000 I was in Atlanta with our BB Gun Team at the Internationals . Took four boys to the Cyclorama and only one was excited on the way there but all 4 were hooked by the time we left .

[KyBlue51]

I have seen several of those coffins and they do have a certain fascination to them. But as you say, they were not for folks of any height. To bad you lost your travelling companion, it does make it much more enjoyable. My wife always reads aloud some background on the battlefield we are going to visit as we travel to it; it helps put things in perspective. We have visited a lot of sites but we never tire of seeing more or re-visiting the same ones again. A great trip to take is through Virginia, there are so many major battlefields there within close proximity that you really get a feel for what occurred during that time (Tennessee is great too). We took that trip twice ending up in Gettysburg, Antietam and Frederick, Maryland each time.  Gettysburg is a must see, the visitor's center houses one of the most impressive collection of weapons I have ever seen. They were taken off the battlefield and include every imaginable caliber and manufacturer, both American to European. There is display after display of uniforms, medical related items, cannons, and even a set of beams cut from a structure that had been hit by a cannon ball. It is hard to describe but if you are a Civil War enthusiast you will not be disappointed if you visit.