Athens, AL - 28 Jan 2012

Old Athens train depot - Now the Limestone County Archives

I woke up with a stuffed up nose, and just a little bit of a headache.  Sitting around the apartment isn't going to help anything, and it is a near perfect day out.  Athens, AL is only a 35 minute drive from Huntsville, so it seems like the perfect target for a day like this.

It is an easy drive, and there are not too many people out, especially when I pull into town.  The sign on the door says that the Visitor Center is only open on weekdays... but there are a few brochures sitting outside.

The first stop is the Athens depot, where many local men loaded on trains in 1861 to go off and fight the war.  The building now houses the Limestone Country archives, but nothing is open today.  So a quick picture, and I'm walking on, just a short walk around the corner.

Marker designating where Union Forces surrendered to COL Nathan Bedford Forrest in 1864

In 1862 Union Forces occupied Athens and the surrounding area.  Early in May of that year, after fighting between Union forces, and Confederate Cavalry, Union Re-enforcements arrived and ransacked much of the town.  Extensive damage was reported at the hands of the Union forces, and an area that had actually voted to stay in the Union, now became staunchly Confederate.

Confederate Soldier Monument in front of County Courthouse

After walking around the town square, and courthouse for a few minutes it was time to head out to Fort Henderson. It is a quick drive, only about 2-3 minutes, but what is left of the fort is easy to miss. I had to drive up and turn around because I only saw the sign as I was driving by.  There is a small church that you can park in.  Not much is left of the small old fort, only a section of earthworks, that forms an "L" shape, and is clearly not well taken care of.  Some old steps take you to what was the inside of the fort, and here you can see the finest collection of empty and broken beer bottles and cans in Limestone county, Alabama.  Behind the remains of the Fort, is another set of remains, the old Catholic school that was run for years after the war. It is run down now, and really should be demolished, as all the windows are broken, and doors wide open.  With a little imagination you can picture it alive and well with school aged kids coming and going right next to their little old piece of history.  It is a shame, a little bit of work, and a few historical markers, and what is left of Fort Henderson could be a must see if you were driving through Athens.  

Remains of Fort Henderson on the edge of town

In 1864, Fort Henderson was manned by several Regiments of US Colored Troops.  COL Nathan Bedford Forrest lead a force against Athens and was able to get his cannons into position to very accurately bombard the fort. Forrest also had his troops loop around and march by again, giving the impression to the troops in the Fort that they were outnumbered.  The Union commander decided to surrender rather than take his chances of defending the fort. 

Another view of what remains of Fort Henderson 

By surrendering Fort Henderson, Forrest's troops were allowed to attack with his full force a Union relief column coming to the assistance of the fort.  That column was quickly overrun, and surrendered in mass.  After a quick stop to down a very good enchilada plate at the Mexican restaurant on the town square, it is time to continue on.  A grid point, and map are provided on the brochure, but as I headed North to follow Forrest's trail I could not find a specific marker for this battle.  Along what used to be the train tracks there is now a nice gravel and dirt path that leads to my next stop.

It looks like it is just about a mile of walking down the trail to get to the next marker, the battle of Sulphur Creek Trestle.  Here another Union fort sat unprepared for the large confederate force that was bearing down on them.  The fort was positioned to guard the vulnerable trestle that crossed sulphur creek, but allowed the confederates to get cannons on the high ground on three sides of the fort so that they were receiving accurate and deadly fire that prevented them from fighting back, or escaping to fight another day.   200 Union Soldiers, and 30 Confederate Soldiers died during the fighting, making it the deadliest single day land battle in Alabama during the war.   

Trail leading to Battle of Sulphur Creek Trestle 

It was a nearly perfect day, so I decided to walk down the trail, several bikers, and horseback riders passed me as I went.  It was a good reminder that I need to get my mountain bike back in working order.  After about 20 minutes I found the marker describing the events of the battle. The location of the Union fort is up a small hill from the marker, and is now private property.  The marker has a good map of what happened during the attack, and the fallout.  It is worth the nice short walk down the trail, especially on a good day.  

Area around Sulphur Creek Trestle

Founder's Hall 

After this, it was time to check out one more thing back in town.  On my way back through town I stopped to check out the Founders building at the local college.  This building was protected during the war after the Athens Female Institute president sent a note to President Lincoln asking for protection.  The request was granted, and the building was spared from damages during the war. It is on the map as a place to check out, so I swing by.  It is a large old building with a nice porch, and rocking chairs that look like they could be a nice way to spend a hot Alabama afternoon in the Spring or Fall.

After that quick stop it is a short, and uneventful trip home to relax for the evening.