Leaving Illinois and Going into Tennessee

 We were all up early but our first stop was less than two hours away so we had plenty of time to eat breakfast and talk.  We packed up the car at 9:30 and left heading for our first stop which was Patti's 1880 Restaurant.  For several years as we drove on I-24 east to Nashville, we would see a sign for this restaurant.  We always wanted to stop but we were in the motorhome and didn't know if parking would be available when we got there.  Since we are not driving the motorhome on this trip but our new to us car, we wanted to try out the restaurant.  We are so glad we did.  It serves delicious food in large portions  Carol had fried catfish and I had a hot ham and cheese sandwich with homemade potato chips.  The also serve their bread baked in a flower pot with strawberry buttere....so good!  This place is definitely worth another visit.

The restaurant started as a small hamburger and ice cream parlor in 1996 in a town of only 350 residents.  Now it has grown into a full-menu restaurant.

These flags lined the road to Patti's parking lot .  They are very patriotic.

This is the Woodlands Trace Road which runs on the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.  The land is bordered by the Cumberland River/Lake Barkley and the Tennessee River.  Along the drive are numerous campsites, trails, boat ramps, and wildlife.  We saw a turkey and a herd of buffalo.  The trees bordering the trace were bright and green.  The traffic was very sparse so we were able to drive at our leisure.

Fort Donelson National Battlefield sits at the end of the Trace in the small town of Dover, Tennessee

.  This battle between the north and south was one of the first major battles and began in February, 1862.  General US Grant was the commander of the northern forces and General Buckner was commander of the southern force.  After two weeks of skirmishes between the forces, General Butler surrendered along with 12,000 troops.  The troops were loaded on barges and distributed to several prisoner of war camps in the north.  One of those camps was Fort Butler in Springfield.  One interesting fact is that after the war Grant went on to become the President of the United States and Buckner became the governor of Kentucky.

This is the Dover Hotel which sits on the banks of the Cumberland River. It is the only original building where a surrender took place in the entire Civil War.

Cumberland River

The always present cannons at a civil war battlefield.

After the battle, Confederate soldiers were hastily buried on the battlefield.  The exact location of their graves is unknown.  This monument commemorates those soldiers who fought and died at Fort Donelson.

It was nearly 4:30 when we completed the tour of the battlefield.  We drove more rural-like roads south to I-40 to I-840 to I-65 south to Columbia, Tennessee.  It was a beautiful drive but we were glad to get back on interstates.  We finally arrived at the Comfort Inn about 6:30 and settled in for the night.

It was a very nice day.  We drove on highways we had never been on.  We ate at a restaurant we had always wanted to eat at.  We visited a Civil War battlefield we had never been at.  Except for a couple periods of hard rain, the day was very nice.  I am not sure how many miles we drove, but probably no more than 250 but because most of the road were two-laned, it took more hours.  Tomorrow will be a longer day.