Stuffbymichele's Blog

I just wrote this nice long post about everything we did today and WordPress ate it.  So I will attempt to recreate it for you.

The first thing I had to say was apparently my memory is not the best when it comes to keeping track of what I write from post to post.  Yesterday I mentioned a surprise and then completely forgot to tell you what it was.  The surprise was lunch at Bourrum’s Drug Store.  It has a really great soda fountain and has been in existence since 1865.  I think the last picture from yesterday’s post was the soda fountain.  Although I can’t really remember…

Now I have to explain the title of today’s post.  I will do so using the following picture:

In case you can’t tell, that’s Mike doing his impression of Elvis from the movie Charro because he said he doesn’t look good in spandex.  Although I think Elvis favored polyester and lame, not spandex.

So, obviously we spent the day at Graceland.  Here’s a picture of the gang in front of the house:

 I had a bunch of photos of the inside of Graceland, but I’ve decided to post those on Flickr instead. 

After Graceland, we made our way toward Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Along the way we made a stop at a place called Milliken’s Bend.  The Fourth Minnesota spent some time there but all that’s there now is a marker showing the location and it doesn’t specifically mention the Fourth.

As we were leaving, I noticed some cotton plants and I just had to take a picture of them.  Cotton played a huge role in the Civil War and it’s one of those things that obviously won’t grow in the north.  I’d never seen cotton before today (in it’s plant form) so I had to have a picture of it.  I know it wasn’t easy to pick by hand and it looks like the machines don’t get it all, but there’s lots of it to be found along the roadside.  Which makes you wonder if it would just fall off the plant if they let it go long enough.  I guess that’s something else to google later.

We started our morning in Paris, Tennessee, where they have their very own Eiffel Tower:

We spent a good portion of the rest of the day at Shiloh Battlefield Park.  The Fourth Minnesota did not fight at Shiloh, but they did visit the site shortly after the battle.

Here we are walking up the Sunken Road.

Here’s a view of the area referred to as The Hornet’s Nest (because of the sound made by the bullets constantly flying overhead).

Here’s Bev pretending to shoot a cannon.  Good thing she didn’t have any matches!

We also stopped at Bloody Pond, which got it’s name because of all the soldiers coming to drink or sooth their wounds in the water.  Unfortunately many of them died here.

After Shiloh, we went to Corinth, Mississippi where we had lunch at Bourrum’s.  It’s a drug store and soda fountain that started just after the Civil War in 1865.

The Fourth Minnesota was in Corinth, but didn’t really see any fighting.

After Corinth, we headed to Jacinto.  The Fourth Minnesota was camped near Jacinto for a little more than a month.  This is not the area they were camped in.  This is the Court House which was built in  1854.  We missed seeing the inside by five minutes.

Today was mostly about sites that unfortunately do not have anything left from the Civil War.  We started our morning by going to the former site of  Benton Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri.  It was always a fairgrounds according to the diary entry Mike read to us while we were there, but there is nothing else left.  Although to be fair, when it was a barracks it would have been comprised mostly of tents.  This site was also used as a union hospital during the war.

Here’s Mike reading to us from the diary.  I found a first edition of this book several years ago.  I know Mike wanted to read it but he was worried about damaging it, so he didn’t do much more than glance at it once in a while.  Then a couple of years ago I found a CD I could purchase from the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint’s library.  Then before we left I found that it’s available for FREE on googlebooks.  Here is a link if you want to read it:

http://books.google.com/books?id=1caCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=fourth+minnesota+lorenzo+brown&source=bl&ots=tSbrCmZTOG&sig=6CeRJFQ3UcpktMZGDTxtEiYnrMY&hl=en&ei=0WTBSr3DL5KV8AbF0JyTBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBUQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

After Benton Barracks we went to Fort Defiance in Cairo, Illinois.  This is another site that has nothing showing what it was used for during the war.  This location was used for supplies and was an important place to control since it was the confluence of two rivers – the Ohio and the Mississippi.

Here is the view looking up the Ohio:

And here is the view looking down the Mississippi:

From there, we headed to Paducah, Kentucky and the most elegant rest area  in the country:

Then we drove through the Land Between the Lakes recreation area and went to Fort Donelson.  The Fort is still there, but it was closed by the time we got there, so all I got was this photo:

And finally, we finished up at the Surrender House (the Dover Hotel).  I’m not sure if this is ever open to the public.  We’ve been here a number of times but it must always be late in the day because no one else is ever there.  Today was no exception.

Tomorrow we head for Corinth and a big surprise.  You’ll have to wait until tomorrow night to find out what it is…

We decided yesterday’s blog title was really lame, so today you get a quote from Alec.  He said that when he was told he had to go back to school.  I said it tonight when I didn’t get my cheesy hashbrowns. 

This is how our morning started:

Mike has been planning the bus driver uniform for the past few weeks.  Everyone thought it was quite funny.  Sorry, Darlene, I didn’t get their expressions when they saw him because I was kind of herding everyone out at once and I was standing behind the group when he came out from behind the van door.

We drove a couple of hours to Springfield and spent the day doing the Lincoln home, museum and tomb.  The first place we went was to the home:

We toured the house, which has many original furnishings.  Our tour guide pointed that fact out to us many times (many, many times).

After we toured the home we walked around the park, which has a lot of homes from the time the Lincoln’s lived there.  I will post some pictures of those on Flickr when I’m done writing this.

After leaving the Lincoln home, we walked down the street to the museum.  We were there four years ago, but it was during opening month and the place was packed.  Apparently we missed quite a  few things that trip because this was like a whole new experience.  Here’s the gang posing with the Lincoln family:

After the museum, we went to the Lincoln Tomb.  Apparently it’s closed on Sundays.  Which would have been even more disappointing to Mike and me if we had known it was ever open in the first place.  We’ve been there several times and never been inside.  I guess we must always show up on a Sunday.

Which reminds me of an update I was going to add to yesterday’s post.  That flag we wanted to see?  Yeah, it’s been in that glass case for 105 years – until the day before we planned to see it.  So the tomb being closed? Not so surprising.

After the tomb, we had dinner and headed to the hotel.  Tomorrow we go to Kentucky and Cairo, Illinois.  I leave you with this photo, which apparently shows where Fred and Wilma Flintstone are buried:

I’m trying to be clever, but Mike is vetoing all my funny suggestions.  So, instead I will just give you a recap of the day. 

We got underway just a little later than planned and headed off to Fort Snelling.  It wasn’t open yet, so we just stood near the round tower.  Mike told us about the events leading up to John and Almon joining the Fourth Minnesota with 82 others from Freeborn County.  They thought they were going to do frontier duty but after General Grant’s success in Tennessee on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers they were quickly ordered to Corinth, Mississippi.

I know I’ve posted quite a few photos of Fort Snelling recently (since Mike and I made at least three visits there in preparation for this trip).  Here’s another one anyway:

From Fort Snelling, we headed over to the Capitol

There were two things we wanted to see at the Capitol.  The first was the battle flag the Fourth Minnesota carried.  Unfortunately it had just been sent over to the Minnesota History Center for restorations so we were unable to view it.  Here we are gazing into the empty display case:

The second was this painting of the Fourth Minnesota entering Vicksburg after the surrender of the city.  We got to the Governor’s office just as the tour guide stopped outside the door.  At first we thought we were out of luck since the door was closed and the lights were out, but luckily the tour guide had a key in his hand.  So we became a part of the tour long enough to view the painting and hear a little of the history of all the paintings hanging there.

From the Capitol, we headed south into Iowa.  Burr Oak was on the way so we made a quick stop for photos and then we were off again.

We were a couple of hours from our hotel.  Once we got there and everyone had checked in, we decided we needed dinner so we headed into town.  I’m not sure what kind of a sign it was to find National Lampoon’s Vacation on TV when we got back.

On the first day, we’ll be going to Fort Snelling and possibly the State Capitol.  Then we drive to a small town in Iowa called Maquketa.

Day two, we leave Maquketa and head to Springfield, Illinois where we will go to Lincoln’s home, the Lincoln museum, the Lincoln tomb and the Capitol.  Then we drive to Litchfield, Illinois.

Day three we leave Litchfield and head to St. Louis, Missouri where we will see Benton Barracks (where it used to be – it’s a park now).  When we leave St. Louis, we head to Cairo, Illinois where the Ohio and Mississippi meet.  It was a large storehouse for supplies at the time of the Civil War.  Then we head to the Land between the Lakes in Kentucky, and from there we go to Fort Donelson.  After Fort Donelson, we head for Paris, Tennessee.  When I made hotel reservations, I forgot to put the state and we almost ended up staying in the REAL Paris.

Day four we leave Paris and head for Shiloh where we will see the battlefield.  From Shiloh we head to Corinth, where we will go to the Corinth museum.  From there we go to Holly Springs, Mississippi which is an antebellum town that was the supply depot during the Civil War.  From there we head to Olive Branch, Mississippi.

Day five we leave Olive Branch and head to Graceland.  After Graceland, we head to Milliken’s Bend and then onto Rodney, Grand Gulf and Port Gibson.  From there we head to Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Day six we head to Vicksburg Military Park and from there the Vicksburg Courthouse Museum.  Then we take the Natchez Trace to Tupelo, Mississippi.

Day seven we leave Tupulo and head to Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga, Tennessee.  From there we head to Dalton, Georgia.

Day eight we leave Dalton and head to Allatoona Battlefield and then onto the Marietta National Cemetary (where Almon is buried).  After the cemetary, we head to the Bulloch Plantation and then we go through  Atlanta and head to the Ocmulgee Crossing and then onto Macon, Georgia.

Day nine we leave Macon and head to Savannah, Georgia where we’ll be going on a harbor cruise (called Dolphin Magic) and taking a carriage ride through the old town of Savannah.  From there, we head to Ridgeland, South Carolina.

Day ten we leave Ridgeland and head to Columbia, South Carolina where we will go to the First Baptist Church, which is where South Carolina seceded from the Union.  Then we will see the Capitol.  From there we go to Rosehill Plantation and from there we go to Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Day 11 we leave Hendersonville and head for Greenville, Tennessee where we will see President Andrew Johnson’s home.  From there, we head for Berea, Kentucky.

Day 12 we leave Berea and head for Lexington, Kentucky where we will see Mary Todd Lincoln’s home and then Senator Henry Clay’s home.  Then we will drive to Indiana.  From there, we’re open to suggestions.  But we promise to get you home!

NOTE:  This is a high level overview.  There will be plenty of Fourth Minnesota photo opportunities along the way, too numerous to mention here.

Only two weeks to go!

Today’s travel tip is about what to bring.  The most important thing is comfortable shoes!  We’ll be doing some walking and a little of it will be in a wooded area.  So, the second thing is at least one pair of long pants.  And the final thing is a windbreaker since we’ll also be near the ocean.

Otherwise, bring whatever you’ll be comfortable in.  It will probably be very warm in Missisippi and we’ll be spending a bit of time there.

I’m planning on posting at least one more travel tip before we go, but I thought today was a good day for a little teaser.

Only four weeks until we leave.  YIKES!

So, after our visit with most of the travel gang yesterday, I got to thinking that it might be a good idea to share a travel tip (or two) before we leave. 

As you know, Mike and I prefer to travel by car.  The thing we learned early on is that it’s a big pain to have to empty the car/truck/van at every hotel when you’re on a multi-day trip.  What we found was that it made a lot of sense to bring one big bag each.  In that bag we pack pants on one side and shirts on the other.  This bag stays in the vehicle for the entire trip.  We share another smaller bag that contains socks, underwear, pajamas and toiletries.  That bag goes into the room with us each night.  So, when we get to our hotel, we just easily reach into that big bag for a clean set of clothes.  One of us grabs the other bag and off we go.  Here’s an example of one of the bags we use:

Now I’m not saying you should go out and buy a new bag.  I’m just suggesting you might want to bring one bag that you can easily reach into to  grab an outfit, and another smaller bag for undies and jammies and toiletries so you don’t have to lug everything into the hotel every night.