Joining one of the local hiking groups, I plan to hike around Pickett's Mill this morning. On May 27th, 1864, this was the site of a bloody battle during the American Civil War. A battle that cost approximately three thousand soldiers their lives, this place saw a minor victory for the Confederacy as they delayed General Sherman's advance.
Meeting with the group at the scheduled time, we find the organizer strangely absent. One of the members that knows him gives him a call and it turns out he got the times mixed up. After arriving twenty or so minutes late, he immediately hits the trail and enters the woods behind the battlefield's museum. The trail is easy, but we do go through a few overgrown sections. Much like many of the trails in Georgia, small creeks run through the park. In one section, there is a marker indicating the location of the former location Pickett's Mill, but nothing of that structure remains.
As we make our way around a couple of loops in the park, we here the unmistakable sound of cannon-fire in the distance. As we were arriving at he visitor center, we saw a number of individuals in period dress. Apparently, there is a re-enactment going on today and they pull out one of the replica cannons for a bit of excitement. It does give some small sense of what this place must have been like during that hellish time one hundred and fifty years ago.
As we return to the parking lot, we say our good buys. This was a nice group of people and I enjoyed our conversations along the way. We put in just over 6 miles this morning, which is not a bad way to start the weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment