We capped off the day with a visit to Champion Hill on the 155th anniversary of the battle. As a historian, it’s always a special treat for me to walk a battlefield on the anniversary of the battle.
Kris White and Connor Townsend and I were joined once again by Parker Hills and by the guy who wrote the book on the battle, Tim Smith. I admit, I was in full “Civil War Nerd” mode to be out on the field, on the anniversary, with some of the world’s greatest experts on the battle. It was awesome.
We started at the Crossroads and then made our way up to the top of the hill. Because of connectivity issues, we shot the segment in two parts (one and two).
Historians Tim Smith, Kris White, and Parker Hills, and the Trust’s social media guru, Connor Townsend
Someone decked out the Crossroads for the 155th anniversary of the battle.The plaque on the historical marker at Champion Hill had been stolen once upon a time, and apparently, the thief, feeling guilty, sent the plaque back from Florida!Another of the markers at Champion Hill tells the story of Bowen’s Confederate counterattack through the area–fierce but unsupported and so, ultimately, unsuccessful.At the very top of Champion Hill, a sign marks the peak of the “hill of death.” Much of the top of the hill has been stripped away, though, because of a gravel-mining operation early in the 20th century. “There are parts of Champion Hill scattered all across the county now,” Parker Hills suggested.
