The Feb. 18, 2008 Bristol (Tn) Herald Courier reported that Tennessee had joined the Civil War trails Program (an excellent idea), when the Battle of Blountville, Tennessee, was marked. The battle had a five-hour artillery barrage of the town September 22, 1863, in which two civilians were killed.
Half the town was burned. About 3,000 Union troops from Knoxville accompanied the artillery which fired from the Blountville Cemetery. The first shell hit the county courthouse and destroyed it. Three major businesses, 4 hotels, and 11 private residences were destroyed. The home of Confederate officer Matthew Haynes survived, but still has a cannonball lodged in a wall.
While the courthouse was being rebuilt, they found a pile of pre-Revolutionary War Spanish gold beneath the rubble.
CIVIL WAR TOURISM
A recent study shows that Civil War tourism can be big business. Tennessee's 60 battle sites attract 5 million visitors a year. There were a total of 2,931 military engagements in the state between 1861 and 1865.
The Civil War Trails Program expects to attract even more. A total of four markers (sometimes called History on a Stick) are planned for the Battle of Blountville. They cost $1,100 to erect and another $200 a year in maintenance.
Civil War Trails Program--Good for History. --Old Blockade-R
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
