My blogging continues to be frustratingly infrequent, but this weekend I made a quick drive to visit a couple Civil War sites and I figured I’d post some thoughts and pictures, starting at one of my favorite places on the planet.
First, I stopped by Perryville for a couple of hours, my first visit there for a few years. I did not even take my camera as I did not plan to take a lot of pictures, a foolish mistake on my part. All I planned to do was visit the museum, then some of the land the park had acquired since my last visit. I pretty much did that, but then walked over a bit of familiar ground - not a long hike like in previous years, but it was nice seeing the Open Knob and Starkweather’s Hill again, and knowing that I already had at least a basic understanding of what had happened there.
Of course, I had my phone, and ended up taking quite a few pictures with it on a gorgeous, gorgeous day, with a bright blue, cloudless sky. It was also about 50 degrees, not at all bad for a winter’s day (and probably much preferable to the hot, drought-stricken conditions the soldiers endured during the actual battle.) Most of my photos were of cannons and fences, as usual. I took a few of the field, but despite the beautiful blue sky, the browns and grays of winter grasses and weeds did not really show off the beauty of this place, at least when all the greenery returns.
That is pretty much all this trip was - to come back and enjoy the scenery and serenity. I did not plan it as a learning trip and it did not become one. Perhaps that is shame on me, but I really enjoyed the chance to relax, clear my head and walk some of this hallowed ground without trying to remember names of units or colonels, captains and majors. I know I have much ,ore to learn @bout the battle, but I believ3 this trip had great value to me as well.
I encourage anyone who has not visited Perryville do so if you can. It is a terrific site,more of 2gichnK3ntucky should be quite proud.
Here are some of the photographs I took in random order.
My next post will feature some photographs from my other stops.
Open Knob in distance
Pardon my shadow on this one. The sun was bright and the sky clear. Fortunately I Usually managed not to repeat that error too often.
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