55/365 Civil War driving tour of Knoxville, TN

While we were tossing ideas around and trying to decide what we wanted to do while on vacation, Mom suggested that we find some Civil War sites and include some history in the trip. We consulted the almighty Google and found a turn-by-turn driving tour of sites in Knoxville, TN.

The Confederates advanced on Knoxville in September 1863 in a series of events now known as the Siege of Knoxville and the Knoxville Campaign. The house pictured above was the first stop on our tour, Confederate Memorial Hall. General William P. Sanders was fatally wounded by a shot fired from one of the windows of this house during the siege.

The tour took us all through downtown Knoxville and turned into a great way to see the city.

One of the most striking sights was the Knoxville National Cemetery, where hundreds of Civil War soldiers are buried. The monument in the background of the photo below is the Union Soldier monument, built in 1901 with the intention of outshining the opposing monument of the Confederates across town (I guess it takes more than 35 years to smooth old rivalries, huh?).

After the war, they only accepted Union soldiers for burial here, though there is at least one Confederate grave.

Walking through these historic headstones was a truly moving experience, especially after having just retraced the steps of the siege.

The driving tour was very well done, and we were pleasantly surprised by how interesting it was. I'd recommend it for anyone looking to spend a couple hours in Knoxville!

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/250s, f/5.6 at ISO 100 between 1:30 and 4:00 p.m.

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