State of Georgia Civil War Battlefield Museum Park

The Chickamauga Civil War Battle was a complex and confusing battle for both the Union and Confederate soldiers according to our tour guide, Mr. Chris Barr, a park ranger with a history degree about the Civil War. Enclosed is a photo from our walk through the forest. I was with a school group as well as other civil war reenactment personalities who were dressed in modern clothing, not antebellum period clothing. They added to the discussion that Mr. Barr lead.
Some things to remember when walking through a battlefield forest is that you just know what is in front of you. You are in the present moment. Everything else does not matter when fighting for your life. The gun shots from across the field 1/2 mile away does not matter. When a troop of soldiers would walk across the changing terrain. soldiers experienced a slinging effect through the forest. Soldiers would cross a creek or river and the back end group would wait while the front end group would cross and move forward. It was a stop and go process.
There was a group of soldiers from Florida that played an important role at Chickamauga in September 1863. I believe this was an introduction on how the Cist family had a cottage on Sanibel Island, FL at  Thistle Lodge. Henry M. Cist must have met Floridian soldiers at Chickamauga and kept  in contact with them through the Society of the Army of the Cumberland. He was Secretary of the organization for many years.
This battlefield was filled with potential friends and enemies. Based on family stories, we had conductors on the Underground Railroad in the family. Also, there is an unidentified African-American  gentleman in our family photo album from the 1840's.  It is still in the original casing album. Lewis J. Cist was a published author of Fugitive Slave Poems.  I know that Henry M. Cist was fighting for Union causes to keep the Union together and to abolish slavery.
Col. Peyton Colquitt and State Rights Gist fought at Chickamauga and was willing to die to keep slavery intact. Many soldiers fought for different reasons. They were at the same location in the same battle, but for different reasons. Another reason for fighting in the Civil War battle at Chickamauga was the tariff act in Virginia during the 1830's a generation ago. The offspring of the political power players fought in this battle.
Black soldiers, white soldiers, rich and poor alike, men and women all played a part in this complex and interwoven event.

Andrew C. Allen
513.638.7140
pewabic34@gmail.com

Mobile Devices and Mobile Living Research

This blog entry is more about how I am going about my research and assembling my blog/ novel on the Cist family and their influences on liberty and freedom.


I recently made a choice of either keeping my apartment or giving up my car. I chose to keep my car and leave my apartment. This summer I can continue to drive to different libraries and other avenues of archival searches. I am sharing some ways to work smarter, not harder in this summer heat.


I have placed items in storage. I am still navigating mobile living from a suitcase, but here are a few tips about my daily endeavors. I have two sections in my trunk, right side for clean clothes, left side for the laundry hamper.


I am in Lexington, KY now and I have stayed at a clean shelter on Winchester Road. I have to be in line for a bed by 7:00pm. There are signs posted of conduct and an invitation to help keep the outside clean. I was exhausted and went straight to bed.  I have used the YMCA facilities to work out and shower. I can do this in the morning. Some shelters have rules to follow, so check the website and phone ahead.


My eating habits need improving, but I am focusing on new ideas. First, I bought a glass bottle with a porcelain top at Michael's Art and Crafts store. The plastic bottles break down in my car during the summer heat. Plastic bottles are made from petroleum and it break down in heat. I also go to a convenience store and use my cup and fill it with ice. Selective Kroger stores have a triple filtered water location. I LOVE THIS PRODUCT! It costs less than bottled water.


Other choice locations while on the road are downtown libraries of the cities that I visit.


Additionally, Crackle Barrel restaurants are peppered along the I -75 corridor both North and South. It starts from Detroit, MI and continues to the tip of Florida. As a literary citizen, writing, reading, and listening to other authors improves discipline. They have an audio/ books on tape section. How does it work? You use your credit card and check out a tape and listen to it. Return it during your next visit to the restaurant. Ask a server for full details. There food and service-very good. Their servings are large, so I usually ask for a take out container. I mix this up with an red apple, yellow banana, or blueberries with milk for a second road meal. My friend Jennifer Beck at the Wellness Center taught me about how to eat the colors of the rainbow, red, yellow, orange. I wonder if a green lime in my Corona beer is acceptable?


Finally, I use FedEx/Kinko's to use as a business station while on the road.


I am making plans to use Megabus for a trip to Philadelphia, PA to learn more about how Charles Cist was involved in early political, cultural, social, scientific, and monetary policies in the city.


I welcome comments on how to improve my summer mobile search.
Andrew C. Allen
513.638.7140
pewabic34@gmail.com

Thank you blog event visitors

This is a simple thank you note to all the engaging visitors at my blogging event in Historic Lebanon, Ohio today, June 6th. Your interest keeps me going.
Andrew C . Allen
513.638.7140
pewabic34@gmail.com