Augusta in the Civil War Tour and Day

A few months ago, a new local movement began to help publicize and promote the Civil War Battle of Augusta of September 27, 1862 and to bring attention to the Civil War sites around that pretty river town.

The people involved in this group started a Facebook group called Augusta in the Civil War that I follow and recommend to others. It has been an active group, holding several meetings to plan how to promote the important actions in and around this area. Unfortunately, I have not attended any of these meetings, either due to other events/meetings on the same dates or just not feeling like travelling an hour away for another meeting. That is regrettable and I hope I can correct that in the future, but I did get to start such a correction on this past Saturday, April 13, as they held a Civil War Walking Tour and a Civil War Day, a prelude to a hopefully bigger event in September (September 27 - Brookville to Augusta - Duke's Approach and September 28 - Battle of Augusta Anniversary Event - see the Facebook page's event list for more info.)

It was a beautiful day and as I arrived in Augusta - my first visit there in literally decades, probably three of them, I realized what a pretty little city it is, especially on Riverside Drive, an appropriately named route alongside the Ohio River. I have lived near that river for a while, but the views I am used to are of the buildings and structures of Cincinnati on the other side, with bridges full of vehicles speeding from one place to another, but Augusta's views are of quiet hills - just starting to turn green as the annual rebirth that spring brings to the land ramps into full speed - and of a more natural, peaceful scene than my eyes usually witness. It is truly a pleasant spot just to stand and look and feel the nature, at least with weather as cooperative as Saturday was.

The tour that Darryl Smith (see Waking with History LLC.) led was wonderful. I have mentioned him before, but his combination of knowledge (thanks to terrific research) and enthusiasm for the war and related subjects make for a fine tour leader and speaker.

The tour lasted a bit more than 90 minutes. The walking was not long and was on mostly flat even surfaces -sidewalks and the small road - which helped make it fairly easy and more enjoyable. It was not hilly and uneven ground like at Perryville, nor very crowded even with over 70 people in attendance - a wonderful turnout. Every now and then, we had to move out of the way of a vehicle that wanted to use the roadway, but most cars saw the crowd and turned down other streets to avoid us. (At one stop, though, a car waved us through the crosswalk, though I don't know if the driver realized how many people would have to cross before she could move. 😄 ) The information given during the tour, especially the first person accounts, and the houses and buildings where we stopped were all appropriate and meaningful.

I stayed around town for a bit to get a bite to eat (and to rest my tired legs, to be honest) and look at a few of the displays for the Civil War Day. They had some nice banners with good information about the battle and some of its participants, and had a few re-enactors and collectors displaying various collections and items that soldiers carried during the war. It was not the biggest event ever, but the people there were friendly, helpful and very appropriate for such an event and there was a good energy around town, though perhaps that was due to the weather and me not having been there for  such a long time. From the view of an outsider and visitor (I have to say it was nice attending an event without helping organize it), it seemed to go smoothly for a first time event. I thought it was nice, a promising start that should help with planning for the September event. I even met a couple of presenters who may be able to help at Battery Hooper Civil War Days at the Ramage Museum in August

Here are a couple photos from the tour and the displays.

Perryville Walking Tour Weekend, May 15-16

I'm not sure  I will be able to make it, but this sounds fun. The tour leaders do an excellent job,  and, of course, the battlefield itself is beautiful. It's a great place and even if I cannot make it to this tour I will make a trip to Perryville sometime this year.

http://www.friendsofperryville.org/html/spring_hike.html

May 15th and 16th, 2015

Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site 

1825 Battlefield Road, Perryville, KY 40468

Sponsored by the Friends of Perryville Battlefield and the Cincinnati Civil War Round Table 

Guides – Chuck Lott and Darryl Smith

May 15^th – Dry Canteen Trail Walk

This walk replicates the Federal First Corps approach to the battlefield. The Dry Canteen Trail is a scout trail that scouts, without water to simulate what the Union troops were going through on October 7^th, could earn a badge and learn about the Battle of Perryville. The trail consists of road walking, so wear comfortable walking shoes, bring water and snacks, and wear bright colors so that passing cars may see us more easily. While the walk is mostly on back roads, there is a busier section at the beginning of the walk that we need to exercise extreme caution and walk single file. 

Meet by the Confederate Cemetery at 10:00 a.m. We will then take as few vehicles as possible and drive to Mackville. Starting at the Mackville Community Center we will walk about ten miles back to the battlefield, arriving by 3:00 p.m. Car drivers will then need to be shuttled back to Mackville to pick up their vehicles. Do not let the distance deter you from joining as we will have an easy pace and smooth surface to enjoy. Post walk event will be at Bluegrass Pizza and Pub, where we can enjoy a great local restaurant and chat about Perryville. 

May 16^th – Walking Tour of Perryville Battlefield

Join Chuck Lott and Darryl Smith for an extended walking tour of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site. There will be a morning session from 9:00 a.m. until noon, a break for lunch, and then an afternoon session from 1:00-4:00 p.m. (covering a different part of the battle than the morning session). There will be some sort of evening session (hopefully with a renowned Perryville expert), so please plan on joining us after the walking tour for some enjoyable post tour camaraderie. 

Attendees should wear comfortable clothing, sturdy walking shoes, bring water and snacks, and pack a lunch. History buffs and the general public are all welcome! Each session will involve about three miles of walking, with some elevation changes (none greater than 100 feet) along the way. Meet for the morning session at the picnic shelter in the park near the playground. When entering the park, take the first right and look for the shelter. 

Morning Session – 9:00-12:00 – Meet at the Picnic Shelter near the playground.
Lunch - 12:00-1:00 

Be sure to pack a lunch! Note - There is a small Amish place on the Lebanon Pike southwest of Perryville that may be open (about a ten minute drive). They make a delicious deli sandwich! 

Afternoon Session – 1:00-4:00 – Meet at the Confederate Cemetery
Evening Session – Post Tour Gathering – To Be Announced 

Darryl Smith
Ohio at Perryville Blog
Civil War Trust - Regimental Color Bearer
Cincinnati Civil War Round Table - Activities Committee Chair

Perryville Hike Thoughts and Pictures

As I mentioned previously, I really enjoyed my trip to Perryville. It is a beautiful spot and I again thank Darryl Smith of Ohio at Perryville for leading the hike and providing such an outstanding tour of the sites we visited. His knowledge of the battle, the units involved and their movements, how they interacted and how the topography of the land affected them is top-notch and he did a fantastic job of telling the story of the battle in an understandable and informative way. If anybody gets the chance to participate in one of his future hikes, I gladly recommend it and hope to be there again myself. I also hope readers may consider donating to the Civil War Trust's efforts to purchase 141 more acres of this battlefield.

I had never been to Perryville this late in the year, or so early in the morning. (I arrived about 9:15, the day before time "fell back") Seeing the ground and area covered in frost was a new experience for me and it was beautiful, especially in the very bright early-morning sunshine. I'm not sure these do justice to the view I saw while standing there, but I am posting some of the pictures I took. (To see all of the 150+ pictures I took, please see my photobucket album. I have not added descriptions to the pictures. I did take a lot of shots of cannon and fences, but plenty of the ground itself too.)

I wish I could have captured the whole feeling I experienced when I got there - the birds singing and chirping, including a few "bob-whites,"  a dog barking somewhere in the distance, its bark echoing in the hills,  the sound of dew dropping from leaf to leaf on a big sycamore tree, or the occasional brown, broad leaf floating in the wind while falling from that same tree. I cannot imagine nature producing many more ideal, serene and peaceful scenes than it did yesterday morning. That this all occurred over what had been the scene of such fighting and killing was something I did not realize or appreciate at the time, but now think about in wonder of that irony.  I was truly blessed to experience such a fine morning.

Leaves falling from Sycamore tree

One point I had not considered before, but that Darryl mentioned was that the topography of the battlefield could be confusing. Many who have read about Perryville have read about the "acoustic shadow" that supposedly kept Union General Don Carlos Buell from hearing the sounds of the fighting, but the visuals could cause some uncertainty too. In the below photo, the group of trees on the right is actually on a third ridge (picture taken from the first ridge.) There are another ridge and valley in between where I took the picture and those trees. This caused the Confederates some confusing in figuring out how to aim their guns. I'm sorry I did not take a better picture of it, but I guess I got too cute with getting the leaves in the foreground.

Here is a picture of the Bottom house, perhaps the most well-known part of the battlefield, even though the house and land around remain on private property, not part of the state park.

 Below are a few scenes that I liked.

 

A cannon and fences in the same picture - I could not resist.

Parson's Ridge (Open Knob) at the top of the hill

 

 

 

Doctor's Creek - soldiers wished it was this full of water 149 years ago

It was a beautiful day

On the above photograph, you can see a hill in the immediate foreground, then another one in front of it, and a few more in the distance. This is an example of "rolling hills, " a phrase that is much easier to understand when you see (and walk) such hills.

Yet another hill to climb 

I'm not sure there is any way to explain the many ridges on this battlefield. Even the pictures cannot really do it justice - you have to walk it and see it for yourself. The hill in that final picture was much steeper and longer than it appears in the image (and came just after we had climbed up a previous long hill, away from the creek.)  The next-to-last photo sort of shows how it goes -hill, valley, hill, valley, etc. on and on.  Some of the hills, as in the bottom photo, were bigger than in this scene. Multiple times during the battle, the Confederates would chase Union forces off one hill, only to get to the top of that ridge and see the Federals reforming on yet another ridge-line in the distance. Rinse, lather, repeat.

Picture of the hikers, with Darryl Smith on the far left, leading the group

What a wonderful day and hike this was. I enjoyed it tremendously and hope to make a return trip to this hallowed ground again next year. I strongly encourage others to do the same.

Super, sensational. scintillating

Sorry for the Dick Vitale impression there, though college basketball is just starting, but I wanted to mention what a wonderful time I had at Perryville today, thanks to Darryl Smith of the Ohio at Perryville blog. He led an excellent tour and the entire park is just beautiful. Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous also.

I took a bunch of pictures and will post some of them and more thoughts about this day sometime soon.

He will be doing something like this again next spring. I HIGHLY recommend anyone close enough to Perryille to attend do so.