leg 6: 391 miles.
total miles: 2,124.
On the way out of Corinth we stopped at a Kroger to pick up a few groceries for the road, some fresh fruit and granola bars.
The drive from Corinth was only a short 22-miles or so to the Shiloh Battlefield but we had to detour around a downed tree and got slightly turned around on the backroads of Mississippi. As things would turn out this wouldn't be the only time we would find ourselves lost today.
Arriving at the battlefield we made our way to the visitor center for a short review of the battle.
Leaving the car we strolled passed the national cemetery and down to Pittsburg Landing. Little remains today of what must have been a chaotic scene of men, horses and equipment being offloaded from boats and steamers on the Tennessee River and then brought uphill.
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| Pittsburg Landing |
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| looking uphill from the Landing |
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| national cemetery overlooking the Tennessee River |
Returning to our car through the cemetery we got out the tour guide map and with Susie navigating we toured the cemetery.
As we walked and drove through forests along open fields it's hard to imagine, in fact it's impossible to imagine the carnage, the terror and horror that must have been wrought around that little log church called the Shiloh Meeting House during those terrible days in April 1862.
Read more about Shiloh.
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| the Iowa monument |
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| Michigan monument |
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| Confederate Ruggles' Battery - near where more than 2,100 Union soldiers were captured |
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| park road, near Ruggles' Battery |
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| across the road from Shiloh Church |
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| Shiloh Church, still active |
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| replica of the original church, which was destroyed during the battle |
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| Mississippi monument |
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| stop 10 the Hornet's Nest |
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| sunken road in the Hornet's Nest |
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| Minnesota monument in the Hornet's Nest |
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| sunken road out of the Hornet's Nest |
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| one of five known confederate mass burial trenches |
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| Tennessee monument |
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| monument marking where Confederate General Albert S. Johnston was mortally wounded |
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| Bloody Pond |
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| park road |
From the battlefield we returned to Rte 22 and made our way north to the town of Crump where we turned east in US 64 heading for the Natchez Trace.
We entered the Trace at milepost 370 and turned northeast. At about milepost 386 we found our next objective for the day: the site along the Trace where Meriwether Lewis (as in Lewis and Clark) died under mysterious circumstances and was buried.
His grave is well-marked (compliments of the State of Tennessee) and is the only grave with an upright stone in Pioneer Cemetery.
There are more than 100 burials here but all the other stones, most of which are marked, are small flat, square stones, placed by the War Department long ago. Quite a few Flanigans and Hinsons. Lots of other stories buried there, I'm sure.
You can also find sections of the old Trace at this site as well as a period-style cabin on the site of Grinder's Stand, the inn where Lewis was staying when he died.
Read more.
From the Lewis site we continued north passing several overlooks as well as sections of the old Trace.
At junction Rte 7 where we turned off in search of an entrance to I-840 and promptly got lost, turned around and found ourselves passing beneath the interstate several times. As a last resort we turned to Google map and soon found our entrance.
We cruised on I-840 for an hour or so and then turned straight east on I-40 heading for Knoxville. We had the good fortune to run into only moderate rush-hour traffic around the city and got off at exit 398 and our hotel. After unpacking the car we walked across the parking lot to Aubrey's Restaurant where we experienced one of the best meals we've had on the road so far -- good food and even better wine!
Tomorrow we hope to explore around Pigeon Forge before moving on to Roanoke -- happy trails!
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