Longstreet East Tennessee Bus Tour - Dec. 1863 - Feb 1864

lelliott19

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On November 20, 2021, the Longstreet Museum at Russellville, TN hosted their first bus tour of the sites associated with the Dec 1863 to Feb 1864 time period - after Longstreet's failed assault on Fort Sanders at Knoxville. James Longstreet withdrew his forces from in front of Knoxville on December 4th, arriving at Rogersville, TN on December 9, 1863.
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Longstreet established his headquarters at the Nenney House located at Russellville TN on December 22, 1863. The various brigades of his First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia encamped on farms nearby. During the time that they were quartered at Russellville, parts of Longstreet's forces were engaged at Mossy Creek, Dandridge, and Fair Garden, battling troops under Union General Samuel Sturgis for strategic positions and control of foraging areas. By January 29, 1864, Longstreet had withdrawn back Morristown and in April, he returned to Virginia, to join Robert E. Lee against Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign.

The bus tour was scheduled to cover A LOT of ground. It was advertised as 9am to 5pm on Saturday, November 20. Knowing first hand how these group tours tend to fall behind schedule, we decided to visit the Longstreet Headquarters Museum on Friday. Ill post photos from the museum in separate thread called "Longstreet Slept Here" and link it back to this thread for those who are interested.
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Before I start recounting the bus tour though, I have to tell you the highlight of the entire trip for me. Many of you know that my main research interest is McLaws' division of Longstreet's 1st Corps. And that Joseph B. Kershaw was promoted to command of the division when McLaws was removed.
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Well imagine my surprise on arriving at the museum, to find the tiny farm office used by Joseph B. Kershaw as his headquarters during Dec 1863 to Feb 1864 right there on the grounds. The building has been saved and relocated to the grounds of the Nenny House.
 
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The bus tour was scheduled to cover A LOT of ground. It was advertised for 9am to 5pm on Saturday, November 20 with points of interest including Bethesda Church, Morristown, Kimbrough's Crossroads, Dandridge, Mossy Creek, New Market, Strawberry Plains, Blain's Crossroads, Bean Station, and the Thorn Hill Veteran's Overlook. Lunch was included and, at only $60 per person, I thought it was an excellent value! Here's a portion of the ad used to promote it:
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Like most bus tours, there was a lot of drive-by narrative and less boots on the ground, but definitely worthwhile for my purposes. I met some locals who have volunteered to show me around when I return. We will focus on locations specifically related to McLaws' /Kershaw's division. Here is a GPS trail tracker, showing the route of the November 20, 2021 tour.
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While the area looks compact on this map, some of the locations are pretty far apart. The town labeled as "Mascot" on the GPS tracker map is actually Strawberry Plains.
 
Seven CWT members participated in the bus tour including me, @Rocky18 , @Diane123 , @uaskme , @midnitelamp , @Norman Dasinger Jr and his wife. Some of us met for dinner Friday night before the tour. Thats me, @Diane123 , @uaskme and @Rocky18 .
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The next morning, we met at the museum and boarded the bus. We were off on the tour!
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The first stop was the historic Bethesda Presbyterian Church in Russellville, Hamblen County, TN. The church was originally founded in 1832, and the masonry building was completed in 1835.
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Not far from the Nenny house where Longstreet headquartered, it was used as a Confederate hospital. After Longstreet returned to Virginia in April 1864, the Union army also used it for hospital purposes.
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Above Norman's head, you can see a large iron rod that was installed in an attempt to stabilize the walls of the church after it sustained damage. There is one in each end of the building.

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And behind Jody, you can see the construction of the masonry walls covered with plaster. There is no wood framing in the walls and the windows are set directly into the masonry.
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As mentioned above, the church was used by both sides as a hospital. There are believed to be both Union and Confederate soldiers interred in the church cemetery. Eighty of the wartime burials are unidentified. Outside, a marker indicates the location of a burial trench. The marker reads "UNKNOWN DEAD / This plot is sacred to the memory of Sixty-five unknown dead, most of whom are believed to be Confederate soldiers."
 
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Next, we drove by the Crockett Tavern Museum, a reconstruction of the 1790's John Crockett Tavern, located in Morristown, Hamblen County, TN. It was one of Davy Crockett's boyhood homes. We were told that the original, located a street over, was also used as a hospital.
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Photo by @Diane123 taken out the bus window.

Panther Springs
Next we made a stop at Panther Springs where we learned of some minor Civil War activity that occurred there in March and October 1864. We also had the pleasure to learn some fascinating neighborhood history. Melville Murrell was just nine at the time of the Civil War, living there at Panther Springs. In 1877, he went on to patent an "ornithopter" - a machine designed to fly by the flapping of its wings in imitation of birds. Though Melville Murrell's ornithopter was the fourth to be patented, his was allegedly "the first airplane in America built to carry a man." It was a great story and well-told by a descendant who happened to be participating in the tour.
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Kimbrough Crossroads
The next stop was Kimbrough's Crossroads. On January 14, 1864, Union Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis' cavalry occupied Dandridge. Two days later, on January 16th, he sent out a party to reconnoiter Long Creek on the Chucky Road. At the same time, Longstreet had ordered part of his infantry and cavalry to reconnoiter in the direction of the Federals. As Colonel Israel Garrard, 7th Ohio Cavalry, led his division down the Chucky Road past the Ebenezer Church, he suddenly encountered Confederate General Micah Jenkins' infantry division on the Morristown Road at Kimbrough's Crossroads. Map from the marker.
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Do they offer the tour every year?
This was the first such tour and 50 seats were filled in only 3 days. They will be offering another tour, presumably of the same itinerary, in January 2022 and other more specific tours are in the works.
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Dandridge, TN
The next stop where we got off the bus was the town of Dandridge, TN - the 2nd oldest town in Tennessee. Two separate actions occurred in or near Dandridge during Longstreets East Tennessee Campaign - the Battle of Dandridge aka Hayes Ferry on December 24, 1863 and the Attack on Dandridge which occurred January 17, 1864.
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It must have been pretty chaotic at Dandridge on January 17, 1864 with all the appearances of a full-scale battle about to develop. Union General John G. Parke, commanding 26,000 soldiers and 34 artillery pieces, defended the town against Confederate General James Longstreet's 20,000 men and 20 guns, advancing from the east. Union General Philip H. Sheridan's cavalrymen were attempting to build a pontoon bridge across the French Broad River, while Col. Moore's Ohio infantry had been sent east of town to join Gen. Frank Wolford's cavalry. Capt. Eli Lilly's artillery was placed on a Dandridge hill to protect Federal positions.
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Sheridan's Embarrassing Pontoon Bridge Incident
Speaking of that pontoon bridge that Phil Sheridan was attempting to build across the French Broad. If you're wondering why you never read about it in Sheridan's memoirs.... it's because it resulted in embarrassment. Sheridan strung together a series of pontoons and reached land. But it was then that Colonel Charles G. Harker (125th Ohio) realized Sheridan's had only reached an island in the middle of the French Broad.....and he still had the other half of the river to span. :nah disagree: Sheridan blamed the mistake on poor maps and fog.

About midday the bridge was completed and Colonel Harker rode across to test it. After riding a short distance into the woods on the opposite bank, Harker discovered more water ahead. After a few minutes scouting, Harker realized the bridge ended on an island. Sheridan was furious over this error...

Historic Buildings at Dandridge
The town of Dandridge is charming, with lots of historic buildings. I could have easily spent a half a day there exploring them all. But the stop was short and these are the only ones I had time to learn anything about. There's also a cemetery with Revolutionary War veterans graves.
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Shepard Inn, circa 1820. Three US Presidents were reportedly guests - Jackson, Polk, and Johnson.

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Hynds House built in 1845. It was used as a hospital and served as headquarters for Union and Confederate officers at various times.

The Neff House (not pictured) also served as a hospital at Dandridge.
 
Great contribution. How do you contact them?
They have a facebook page www.facebook.com/generallongstreetmuseum/
You have to purchase tickets by calling the museum office. Phone number is 423.438.0968
DAndridge was absolutely beautiful
It was fantastic! Did you know that the pontoon faux pas was discovered by Col. Charles Harker? I bet Sheridan was not happy with "Sunshine" that day.... no matter how cheerfully he pointed out Sheridan's error. :biggrin:

Mossy Creek & Carson-Newman University
The next stop was Carson-Newman University at Jefferson, TN. It was here at the stadium that we ate box lunches, provided as part of the tour. While we ate, David Needs, history instructor and Director of Track & Field for the University, provided a great synopsis of the action. Mr. Needs is a local expert on the Battle of Mossy Creek and an interesting and engaging speaker. He was able to connect the dots for me on a lot of the sites we had already seen and his well-organized explanation helped to prepare me for some of the ones we would see later in the day.

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Cavalry Fight at Mossy Creek - Wil Martin v. Sam Sturgis
On December 29, 1863, Confederate cavalry, under the command of Major General William T. Martin, faced Union Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis at Mossy Creek. The Confederates were encamped at Panther Creek in Morristown, while the Union cavalry was at Mossy Creek. The right flank of the Union line of battle lies just off the campus of Carson-Newman University and the location was visible from our seats in the stadium.
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On the morning of Dec. 29, 1863, Martin's cavalry attacked, but by the day's end, neither side had progressed much and the battle ended without a decisive result. Sturgis' loss was 26 killed and 87 wounded. Confederate casualties are harder to confirm, but Needs estimates perhaps 100 to as many as 300. Soldiers on both sides who were wounded and not able to be retrieved before nightfall froze in place. Mr. Needs told us it was one of the coldest nights ever recorded in the area, with temperatures dropping to perhaps 30 degrees BELOW ZERO!

David told some individual stories about soldiers who were wounded in the fighting. If I am recalling correctly, there was one especially compelling story, supported by primary sources, about a young Union cavarlyman who was wounded and carried to a house. He was from Morristown (I think?) Anyway, his mother was notified and she was passed through the lines by the Confederates. She reached him before he died and was able to sit at his bedside until he expired. [Hopefully if I got that wrong, @Norman Dasinger Jr or @uaskme will correct me.]

I would add that Mr. Needs presentation was thorough, well-organized, delivered with enthusiasm, engaging, and interesting. It was just excellent! I am not that familiar with the activities in East TN after Fort Sanders. So without a solid timeline in my head - trying to connect the places we were seeing to the dates that things happened was frustrating. Mr. Needs presented an excellent synopsis that helped to clarify the timeline and I really appreciate his willingness to meet us at the stadium on a cold November day!
 
Strawberry Plains
The next stop was at a place I have always wanted to visit. Probably because of this iconic 1863 photo by George N. Barnard at the Library of Congress showing the Union picket on the bridge over the Holston River. Maybe it's just me, but when I see photos like this one, I just want to go there and see for myself.
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So I got to see it in person and checked that off my bucket list. :D Even though we didn't get close enough to recreate the Barnard image.
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A photograph in front of the bridge at Strawberry Plains may not have been on other people's bucket lists, but I took a bunch of pictures there anyway.
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@Rocky18
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@Norman Dasinger Jr
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@Diane123

We explored a cemetery there, but I was so busy looking back at the bridge and taking pictures I'll have to rely on someone else to tell us what that was all about. :biggrin:
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Blaine's Crossroads
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The next stop was Blaine's Crossroads which was significant just prior to and following the Battle of Bean's Station which occurred December 14, 1863. Union General James M. Shackelford's men passed through on their way to Bean's Station and afterwards, fell back to Blaine's Crossroads, where they encamped alongside Gordon Granger's.

Bean's Station
Next was the stop I had been waiting for.
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I've read some accounts from Kershaw's brigade and Parker's Battery about the fight at Bean's Station so I was hoping to learn a lot more by visiting the site in person. Unfortunately most of the area where the battle took place is under water, in the distance. Here's the marker though, which shows a nice picture of the Bean Station tavern. The tavern was L-shaped and constructed of brick.
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On the morning of December 14, 1863, Longstreet's infantry - led by Bushrod Johnson, followed by McLaws' division, and part of Hood's division - pushed the Federals into Bean's Station. By about 2pm Col. H. L. Giltner's cavalry brigade established contact with federal pickets in front of Bean's Station. Union Brig. Gen. J. M. Shackleford established his line, centered on the Tavern and on both sides of the Rutledge Road. Shackleford positioned his artillery on both sides of the road, just behind a creek west of the tavern. Longstreet's artillery batteries were positioned above and below the roadway.

Meanwhile, Longstreet's infantry was arrayed with Bushrod Johnson's brigade south of the road, Archibald Gracie's brigade to the center, and the brigades of McLaws' division to the north. Confederate cavalry swept around the flanks in an attempt to block a retreat. The artillery duel intensified through the afternoon and Confederate artillery batteries advanced to pour fire into the tavern. Longstreet sent Kershaw's brigade around Gracie's northern flank in an attempt to envelop the Union left. The Federals detected the movement and, although hard pressed by Kershaw, conducted a fighting retreat back toward Rutledge. Parker's Confederate battery reportedly fired 375 rounds in the engagement.

Just my own personal opinion, but the marker really should include a picture of Joseph B. Kershaw. :D Interestingly, Wil Martin's cavalry had been delayed in crossing the river. Had they been in position, Martin's cavalry could have theoretically cut Shackelford off about Rutledge TN and prevented him from falling back to Knoxville.
 
The last two stops on the bus tour - well one was just a drive by, but interesting nonetheless.
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A Close Call for Orlando M. Poe
Near Thornhill, TN the bus pulled over at a scenic overlook off the North side of Clinch Mountain. That's right, the NORTH side. Not the side where the Veteran's Overlook is - we'd see it next. This was the other side. Where we pulled over, the road from Cumberland Gap intersects. It was here we were told that Union Chief Engineer, Army of the Ohio, Orlando M. Poe very narrowly escaped capture. This was soon after the failed assault on Fort Sanders, presumably December 1863. Poe evidently traveled the road heading toward Cumberland Gap, just hours (or perhaps minutes) after Confederate cavalry had made their way from Cumberland Gap --- on the same road.

Veteran's Overlook at Clinch Mountain
The final stop of the tour, just as it was beginning to get dark. This stop was actually way more meaningful than you might imagine. It tied everything together - for me at least. From the overlook, we were able to see almost all of the route we had just traveled that day. Both valleys, the mountains, and the rivers. Even Cherokee Lake reservoir which covers most of the battlefield that was Bean's Station.
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Seeing it from that perspective and the relative distances - it was like a giant AH HA moment. Comparing what we were looking at to the map kiosk, we were able to trace the route we had traveled and pinpoint places we had stopped. You can see the Great Smoky Mountains and Mount Le Conte in the distance.
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This picture shows the area of Beans Station. As mentioned previously, most of the battlefield is under water now. See that cross-shaped part of Cherokee Lake reservoir in the foreground? That is where most of the battle of Bean's Station occurred. After spending several minutes enjoying the view, it was time to re- board the bus and head back to the museum.

ADVICE: For those who plan to participate in future tours, I suggest:

1. Arrive the day before so you can tour the museum before tour day. I don't like to be in a rush when I tour museums. The museum was open afterwards, but it was past dinner time and we were tired - so my advice is to tour it the day before.

2. Make yourself a map - paper or digital. Note the stops and the dates that each place was significant on your own map. The location of the museum and the roads meant that the tour ran in reverse chronological order. It made it challenging for me to get a good timeline in my head. Others who are better at the time-space continum :D may not exlerience this challenge, but I thought I should mention it.

3. Visit Veteran's Overlook at Clinch Mountain before the tour. Either the day before or earlier that morning. Seeing it FIRST and comparing it to a map of the route would have helped me understand relative locations and distances.

4. Expect knowledgeable local guides who are always happy to answer your questions. The Longstreet museum folks were wonderful! You'll have a comfortable bus, nice box lunch, water provided at every stop, plenty of bathroom breaks, and everything else you need. You can feel completely secure leaving your vehicle parked at the museum and there's plenty of parking.

I hope you enjoy it half as much as we did!
 
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