Trip Log Day 2 - Saturday December 20

Yesterday we traveled about 310 miles and made several stops, yet we had much more to do today. We got up and had the continental breakfast at the hotel. Then we left to see the Superman statue. Today was probably the busiest day of our trip. We had the most things planned to do combined with many miles to travel to do them. Nevertheless, as we drove into town to see the Superman statue we saw a Big John’s Supermarket.
It reminded me of the Big John’s in Effingham where we used to shop when I was a kid in Altamont. The Superman statue was very cool, but not as big as the statue of Big John. So we got pictures of both!

Next stop: Clarksville, Tennessee. We visited Katie & Jeff Allen and family there, then left for Athens, Alabama. We stopped outside of Clarksville and fixed ourselves some sandwiches and ate in the van. Tristan drove through Nashville and Jana was a nervous wreck. He is a good driver and I wasn’t too worried, at least no more so than riding with anyone else driving. He took us all the way to Athens where we stopped and asked for directions and I took over driving.

I explained in an earlier blog why Athens. This town was the subject of a bit of controversy early in the war. Before the Union adopted the total war policy implemented by Sherman in his march to the sea, Athens was the target of retaliatory violence. Like many of the tales of occupied southern cities, the stories slant towards the sympathies of whomever tells the story. To read the plaque in the town square, you would think that 3 regiments marched into town and immediately started pillaging. Notice that it wasn't just sacked or plundered, but sacked and plundered, the horses stabled in their holy places. But each side conveniently leaves out details that might move you towards sympathy for the other side. Such is war. Such are the hard feelings born by war. May we never see it again.

Athens changed hands a few times, and Nathan Bedford Forrest captured it and a regiment of Black Soldiers there and this event is also commemorated in the Square. There is no monument to the little rendezvous of the 59th Illinois with her new recruits on October 31, 1864. No surprise there. It was a minor maneuver of the war.

The information I get is firsthand from the war diary of Chesley Mossman, a Lt. in the 59th. He mentions the rendezvous in good detail, describes the town (by then the courthouse had also been burnt), describes the train ride into town (they were just coming from the siege of Atlanta), and mentions that the regiment was paid there. Since the tracks north had been cut, they marched out of town, crossed the elk river, which was very cold by his description (they nearly lost a man to cramps) and headed towards the last battles on the Western front, culminating in the battle of Nashville. After which they would pursue Hood’s Army of Tennessee as it disintegrated, while Ambrose G. Cornell would die of dysentery. So much for the glory of war.

Athens is still quite a beautiful little town and Alabama is a beautiful state. It was a very pleasant drive and we ate sandwiches on the road. We did have a decision to make, however. Our goal was to make it to Jackson, Mississippi by the end of the day. The little boys, however wanted to swim. We made it very clear that quitting early Saturday would mean an earlier start Sunday as well as a late arrival Sunday night. But they decided it would be worth it. So we decided to look for a hotel in Meridian, Mississippi. We stayed at the Holiday Inn and the boys swam in the pool there which was extremely cold. We should have spent a little more time looking for a hotel with a heated indoor pool. Nevertheless, the boys were glad to get a chance to swim (their only chance as it turned out). And thus we ended our second day of travel; we had logged 500 miles. Tomorrow, we had to make it into Houston and make time for visit with my uncle in Conroe. We would certainly have our work cut out for us.