Savannah, Tennessee – Day 1

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the about 50 miles from Saulsbury to Savannah, Tennessee. Along the way we stopped at Shiloh National Military Park where on April 6-7, 1862 some of the bloodiest fighting of the Civil War occurred. You can read all about Shiloh by clicking the official government link…
http://www.nps.gov/shil/index.htm

You can read intimate details of the Battle of Shiloh by clicking this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shiloh

Here are some of the photos I took while there…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

While there we viewed an excellent 45 minute film made in 2011 for the 150 year anniversary in 2012…

We also visited the National Cemetery there…

While we did not drive the entire tour route, we did pass the Confederate Memorial…

We also saw an eagle’s nest…

A few miles later we arrived at Moose Lodge #1918 at Savannah, Tennessee…

The view from the dinette window…

We expect to explore Savannah today and depart tomorrow. You can read all about Savannah by clicking this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah,_Tennessee

Enjoying beautiful and interesting national parks is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location near Memphis in the State of Tennessee. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Fort Bayard National Historic Landmark, New Mexico

A few days ago while my Ford Bronco II was in the shop for a transmission rebuild, I drove the motorhome the about seven miles east from Silver City, New Mexico to Fort Bayard.

The fort site was chosen in 1863 for its springs and outstanding view of the Apache war trails. The fort was established in 1866. In 1899, the Army deactivated Fort Bayard and established it as a tuberculosis hospital and research center. In 1922, the hospital was transferred to the Veterans Bureau, which became part the new Veterans Administration in 1930. The last patient was transferred to another hospital in November, 2010.

The first known internment in the cemetery was Sergeant David H.Boyd of the 3rd U.S. Calvary, buried in 1866. The cemetery was designated a National Cemetery in 1973.

To read the complete history of Fort Bayard…click this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bayard_Historic_District

To read the history of the Fort Bayard National Cemetery…click this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bayard_National_Cemetery

Here are some photos I took at Fort Bayard…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view...

To see the other 26 photos that I took…click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/FortBayardNewMexico

Visiting old military installations is another of my enjoyments as a full-time RVer!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

CHALMETTE BATTLEFIELD

From Mary’s desk:

The Battle of New Orleans led by Maj. General Andrew Jackson against the British Maj. General Sir Edward Pakenham took place on  the Chalmette Plantation just 6 miles south of New Orleans. The “real” war was far removed from New Orleans and was instigated by impressment of sailors,  the British fomenting the Indians,  and the desire for some Americans to annex parts of British held Canada. The war was moving half-heartedly because Britain was also fighting Napoleon. Once they defeated Napoleon,  the British moved battle hardened troops to finish the job and wipe up the Americans. One aim was to take the Port of New Orleans and control access to the interior.   In fact a treaty was signed before the battle of New Orleans took place but Pakenham was ordered to keep on fighting until the Treaty was ratified.

Pakenham had encountered and won several skirmishes leading up to Chalmette, his troops were tired and he proposed to rest. When Jackson found his troops were nearby, they decided to engage them immediately, as night was falling. They stationed themselves behind this small levee formed the Rodriquez Canal from which the plantation watered their crops.  Every manuever Pakenham tried was met with heavy fire from American embattlements and in the morning, the American troops were aghast at a sea of red bodies on the opposite side of the canal.

The British dead exceeded 2000, the Americans 18. The battle was a turning point in the war. Britain finally recognized that Americans were a serious challenge and couldn’t be fought so far from home.

A National Cemetery was dedicated on this battlefield in 1864 for the reinterment of Union Soldiers who died in Civil War Hospitals and were buried in nearby locations. Ultimately, 15,000 veterans and some dependents of wars on American soil were placed here, over 6,000 of them unknown.

The gravestones reflect the company, infantry, cavalry or other designations of rank and place as in the stone above, hospital steward and below, volunteer infantry from the Spanish American war.

The battlefield was flooded during Katrina and the visitor center destroyed. It is just now being rebuilt as so many places in Louisiana still wait even after five years.