Forrest at Columbia Nov 1864

[larry_cockerham]

Originally Posted by ole

I'll guess that you meant the Waynesborough Road. I do the same sort of thing with frequency increasing in direct proportion to the number of years.Haven't read the OR report on this, but my understanding is that the Chisolm Road went more or less directly to Henryville. Will be consulting the Alabama and Tennessee "DeLorme" topos to recreate that road in the OR Atlas. Thanks so much.
Ole

No, unless I screwed up (always possible) I meant to write Lawrenceburg for both Cheatham and Stewart. Lee took off through the mud on the Chisolm Road to the western side of the hills. The Lawrenceburg Road (old Jackson Military) was the 'main' road and better terrain for both horses and men. That's why it's the main highway today. (US 43) Alabama (old military) ran from center of Florence through St. Florian to a crossing of Shoals Creek pretty much on a line to Green Hill, Alabama where it intersects US 43, the route to Lawrenceburg. Henryville, also is north of both Lawrenceburg and Waynesboro (look at map) and could have been accessed from either. Roads north from both towns intersect at Henryville.

I'll anxious to learn some details from your visit to the OR atlas. Is that online? Thanks.

[ole]

I meant to write Lawrenceburg for both Cheatham and Stewart.

Do check out the OR, Series One, Part One, page 669 and ff. Cheatham left Florence at "an early hour" on the 21st. On the 22nd Cheatham and HQ resumed the march at sunrise and encamped that evening "near the intersection of the Natchez and Waynesboro Roads." On the 23rd, Cheatham and HQ camped at "Furnace No. 96, fourmiles north of Waynesboro, on the Mt. Pleasant and Waynesborough road." It appears that all three corps were headed for Columbia on different routes with a concentration near Mt. Pleasant.

Your pointing out Tennessee 13 to Waynesborough still appears to be the only way to get there directly from Florence proper. That highway now, for some distance, follows the Natchez Trace Parkway.

I'll anxious to learn some details from your visit to the OR atlas. Is that online?

The OR Atlas is on my kitchen table. I don't know if it is on line but, if it is, look at plate CXLIX -- probably given as 149. Barnes and Noble reprinted it last year and was selling it for $20 -- cheap at 3 times the price. If you need to order it, the full title is "The Official Military Atlas of the Civil War."

The maps for the area in question do not show either Chisem or Pinhook Roads, but Lee did indeed end up in the neighborhood of Henryville by the 24th. By the way, Henryville (a wide spot on County 270) is still listed.

Keep on lookin.'

Ole

[larry_cockerham]

Ole, while you have that big book on the table, please take a peek about 20-30 miles to the east and see if there is a road shown running northeast from about Bonnertown, TN towards Appleton, TN. The AOT crossed Sugar Creek and fought the battle there just half a mile north of Appleton on the morning of December 26. There should be a road known as Powell Road shown going northeast up a branch of Sugar Creek now known as Shannon Branch (through Puncheon) toward Anthony's or Kings Hill (same place) about 10 miles south of Pulaski. Minor Hill is probably shown, but I don't think the army used the road from Anthony's Hill to Minor Hill for their exit south. I have some older fuzzy maps. Part of my fuzzy recall on the advance north has been my focus on the retreat. I'm poised to do some site visiting with my camera in a couple of weeks. I'll send some photos if interested.

[larry_cockerham]

This fine thoroughfare is the main north south street in Florence. Two lanes, tree lined, runs by their Univ. of North Alabama, pretty good neighborhood, built about 100 years after the war!

[ole]

Made a brief look, Larry. So far, no good. There is a Sugar Creek running by Mt. Pleasant, but located neither Bonnerton nor Appleton. Will try again when the time presents itself.

[larry_cockerham]

Ole, Sugar Creek is rather large and is on the Giles - Lawrence County line at the Tennessee-Alabama line a good 30 miles east of Mt. Pleasant, northeast from Lexington, Alabama which is in eastern Lauderdale County. Thanks.