Pardon me boys, is that the Chattanooga Choo-Choo?

No need to ask really, considering our motel at Chattanooga was close enough to hear trains all night. Nevertheless, the past few days have been a lot of fun. Last time I blogged, we were at Lynchburg, and going to visit the Jack Daniel's distillery. Which we did. It was a very interesting tour - the distillery itself was quite old, and hence creates a very archaic sort of atmosphere. It's no doubt intentional - Jack Daniel's is at pains to point out that they still follow the same homespun, tried and true methods they've been using since the beginning, way back in the mid 19th century. It seems to work rather well, the whisky is brilliant. One thing from the old days that isn't so good though is the fact that you can't buy a bottle of Jack at the distillery - as the county the distillery is in has been dry since 1909, and never rescinded. So, you need to go about ten miles to the next county to buy liquor. Bizarre.

Here's some pictures from the tour:



This picture demonstrates the amount of Jack you get from a single barrel. You can actually buy a single barrel of Jack Daniel's Whisky, which will get you 240 bottles, and an autographed barrel. This will set you back about US$10000.


Dad and I with Jack. The statue isn't true to life - in reality he was only 5' 2". Shortarse.


Mmmm....sour mash mix. Despite looking like baby vomit, it actually smells rather nice.

After the distillery, we headed straight to Chattanooga (including a small stop ten miles after the distillery) to check out the various battlefields there. We spent two days there, browsing round the battlefields at Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge.

Once again, anyone who cares to check out the history of these battles can find the information at these links:

Battle of Chickamauga - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chickamauga

Battle of Chattanooga - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chattanooga_III

Chickamauga was the largest of the battlefields, and when visiting it, one is struck by how heavily forested it is. The battle itself was not much more than an all-in-brawl, with commanders losing control of their troops almost as soon as battle commenced. Confusion and mayhem abounded. Although the battle ended in a victory for the Confederates, the Union extracted a terrible toll on the Rebs, inflicting over 20000 casualties before they were forced to withdraw.

Some photos from the battlefield:


This is just a sample photo of the bush in this area, taken in the vicinity of the battlefield near Snodgrass Hill, a pivotal Union defensive position. As you can see, the trees are very thick, and yet thousands and thousands of troops marched and fought each other throughout it.


"Double canister! Let's give those blue-belly bastards double canister! Fire!"


This is the Wilder Memorial, erected to mark the place where Wilder's Brigade, a Union formation, defended against repeated Confederate attacks made by General James Longstreet's elite 1st Corps. Armed with 7 shot Spencer Carbines, Wilder's Brigade carried weapons far more advanced than anything the Confederates had. The memorial itself is fantastic. At 30 metres high, and with an internal staircase, you can climb up to the top and look out over the entire battlefield.


Speaking of firearms, this is but a small sample of the collection at the Chickamauga Visitor Centre. With over three hundred antique rifles, this is a multi-million dollar collection, and absolutely astonishing.


Finally, a typically huge memorial, this one erected by the State of Illinois. The size and outlay of some of these things are incredible.

After we finished at Chickamauga, we ventured over to Missionary Ridge and then onto Lookout Mountain, which towers over the rtown of Chattanooga. Heavy fighting took place at both these locations. The opportunity for photos on Lookout Mountain is excellent, with some sweeping vistas present from the top.


This is a shot looking North. The Tennessee River is in the foreground, the heavily forested land in front is called Moccassin Bend, while Chattanooga city is on the far right of the photo. Lookout Mountain is about 700 feet above the town.


This is a Confederate eye-view as such - during the siege of Chattanooga, Confederate cannon posted on Lookout Mountain shelled the town from this position.


This is the view west from Lookout Mountain. It was from this location that the Union forces massed for their attack to throw the Confederates off the mountain.


Dad and I at one of the observation posts. I was trying to get one with the town below us, but a lack of places to put the camera meant I couldn't get the right angle. Oh well.

At present we're staying at a motel about 20 miles north of Knoxville Tennessee. Tomorrow we're going to be heading into Virginia, and staying somewhere near Appomattox Courthouse, the site at which Robert E Lee surrendered and ended the Civil War. Once we get to Virginia we won't be travelling hundreds of miles a day anymore, since the bulk of what we wanted to see is in that state, so it'll be a more leisurely pace. Should be good.

Cheers all.