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
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.
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!