Posts Tagged With: Civil War

Battling it out on Savage Island

Posted on February 10, 2023 by carryoncouple.com

We survived a wild week in an untamed wilderness known as Savage Island. The deer ran with abandon, the raccoons thought they owned the place and the squirrels were relentless in their efforts to steal our Happy Hour hors d’oeuvres.

Soaring loblolly pines grew alongside tropical palms in our marshy paradise.

The campground is located at the end of a long, straight road within the boundaries of Georgia’s Fort McAllister State Park. Surrounded by marshlands, numerous waterways and the Ogeechee River, the park is home to one of the best preserved Confederate earthwork fortifications. We put off the decision to tour the fort. Neither of us were eager to wander alongside the ghosts of another reconstructed Civil War battlefield, but curiosity got the better of us.

Earthen walls absorbed impact of artillery projectiles.
Non-commissioned officers huts.
A glimpse inside the huts.
The barracks housed officers and the fort commander.
The blacksmith shop.
Entry to the mound that served as hospital and bomb shelter.
Hospital beds inside the shelter.
Cannonballs we’re heated?
The furnace used to heat cannonballs.
The main entrance, protected by sharpened river pilings.
More protection.
Reg standing by a cannon.
A large cannon.

Despite all the fortifications, on December 13, 1864, Fort McAllister fell – the final victim of General Sherman’s famous March to Sea. While the Civil War came to an end soon after, the battlefields live on throughout the southern states. It would take a lifetime to explore them all.

Categories: Road Trips | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Maine or Bust 2022: Riding High

Posted on April 30, 2022 by carryoncouple.com

The idea of converting miles of unused railroad lines into safe and scenic hiking/biking trails was pure genius. We rode a few last year as we traveled across country and back, enjoying the smooth paths free from traffic and cross streets. This year, again with trailer in tow, we hit the road in search of new trails to ride.

It’s always fun to ride toward an exciting destination, so Reg and I drove to High Bridge Trail State Park to catch the rail trail in the town of Farmville, Virginia, close to the midpoint of the 31-mile stretch, thus assuring us (me) that we (I) wouldn’t poop out before reaching the spectacular centerpiece of the trail.

A little weathered, but this board describes the history of the bridge and the important role it played during the Civil War.

More than 2,400 feet long and 125 feet above the Appomattox River, the High Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s the longest recreational bridge in Virginia. The original bridge opened in 1854, was rebuilt in 1914 and saw the last train cross in 2005. In 2012 the renovated bridge opened to the public, 147 years after the Battle of High Bridge.

Not only was the bridge a thrill to ride across, but it provided us a lunch stop with a pretty good view.

Categories: Maine or Bust 2022 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Backroads Across America:  Magnolia Springs State Park

Posted on April 10, 2017 by carryoncouple.com


We scored another winner tonight in the Georgia State Park system.  While we couldn’t ask for a more restful setting, Magnolia Springs hasn’t always been a quiet little campground.  Magnolia Springs has a story to tell.

Back in 1864 this area was known as Camp Lawton, a prison established by the Confederate Army to hold Union soldiers during the Civil War.  It was thought to be the largest prison of its time.  Although it was constructed, occupied and abandoned all within just three months, Camp Lawton still managed to house nearly 11,000 prisoners.  The site was quickly abandoned as General Sherman and his Union troops advanced across Georgia.  That was the end of the Camp Lawton story until 2010 when an archeological dig began.  A history center opened in 2014.  Both are located within the park boundaries.


Today, Magnolia Springs Upper Lake appears to be a peaceful spot to soak up the sun, cast out a fishing line or paddle a canoe…and you can do all that, but beware!


Categories: Backroads Across America | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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